Pastor's Blog

If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? – Genesis 4:7 – These words, spoken by God to Cain, deal with what may well be the single most profound aspect of human experience – the work of conscience.   Cain and his brother each brought an offering to God, related to his life’s work.   Cain was “a tiller of the ground,” and Abel, “a keeper of flocks.”   The Lord was pleased with Abel’s offering, but had “no regard” for Cain’s.   Why?   Because Abel brought his offering in faith and Cain did not (Heb. 11:4).   This difference is intimated in how their respective offerings are described.   It is said of Cain, simply, that he “brought an offering to the L ord of the fruit of the ground.”   But concerning Abel, it says he brought the “ firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions.”   This means, as Cassuto explains, that “whilst Abel was concerned to choose the finest thing in his possession, Cain was indiffere...

One is not supposed to talk these days about shame, unless it’s to say that we shouldn’t allow such “negativity” into our lives.  The important thing is that we feel good about ourselves.  This, we’re told, is the sum and substance of good mental health.  Feelings of shame, like everything else that diminishes our self-esteem, must be banished from our psychological experience.   This is the world’s wisdom…and its folly (cf. 1 Cor. 1:20). In Praise of Shame The truth is, shame is good .  It’s a sign of a functioning conscience.  When we do something sinful, our conscience accuses us.  We feel guilty and ashamed—both necessary preconditions of repentance.  It’s possible, however, to develop a hard and unresponsive heart.  Paul describes those “whose consciences are seared” (1 Tim. 4:2).  Jeremiah found fault with Israel for this very thing.  Were they ashamed when they committed abomination?  ...

The necessity of repentance for the forgiveness of sins is central to the message of the gospel.  It’s one of the elementary doctrines of Christ, and leads to salvation and eternal life. [1]   But what exactly is it, and how does one go about doing it? The term in Greek ( metanoia ) literally means a change of mind.  As used in the New Testament it can refer to either the initial conversion event, involving a change in one’s entire course of life from disregard for God to reverence for him, or the subsequent, ongoing repentance that characterizes the daily, Spirit-led work of sanctification. It’s the latter that I want to address, and more specifically, repentance for sins committed against a neighbor.  What does this sort of repentance look like?  The first thing to be said is that it has a look, which is to say that it can be seen .  It’s not merely an unobservable matter of the heart.  Genuine repentance originates in the heart, ...