“Reform” Can Go Too Far
If two aspirin tablets take the edge off a headache, then four must be even better. If sixty minutes on the treadmill is good for the heart, then logging three hours nonstop will be especially… “Reform” Can Go Too Far
Hymn 400 “Take My Life and Let It Be”
What is the greatest degree of commitment you could express toward someone? To say “I would die for you” certainly conveys very great commitment, but it is not an expression of the highest commitment. That… Hymn 400 “Take My Life and Let It Be”
There’s No Time Like Now For a Good, Old-Fashioned Revival!
“Thus the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their… There’s No Time Like Now For a Good, Old-Fashioned Revival!
Is Tithing Commanded in Scripture?
Yes, tithing is commanded in Scripture, but that is not the whole story. Tithing actually began before it was commanded. When Melchizedek blessed Abram, he responded by giving Melchizedek “a tithe of all” (Genesis 14:19-20).… Is Tithing Commanded in Scripture?
Hymn 387 “Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice”
Most of those reading this magazine have, in all probability, known the blessed comfort of the Gospel from their earliest childhood. Brought up in Christian homes by godly parents, they have from their youth known the holy Scriptures, which have made them wise unto salvation through faith in Jesus Christ (II Timothy 3:15).
But what if that were not so?
What if your exposure to the Scriptures had been limited only to the Law (in the narrow sense), and you had not known the Gospel? In the second evening lecture of The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, Dr. C.F.W. Walther notes that “[T]he Law uncovers to man his sins, but offers him no help to get out of them and thus hurls man into despair . . . . It conjures up the terrors of hell, of death, of the wrath of God. But it has not a drop of comfort to offer the sinner. If no additional teaching, besides the Law, is applied to man, he must despair, die, and perish in his sins.”Hymn 387 “Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice”
Incomparable!
With His sacrifice, Jesus didn’t bring the blood of an animal, but His own blood. “But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not… Incomparable!
Following in His Footsteps
When selecting a career path, many young people are drawn to the same vocations practiced by their fathers or mothers. This is notable also in the church—sons frequently aspire to become pastors like their fathers,… Following in His Footsteps
Is It Permissible for a Christian to Use Birth Control?
This is something you should discuss with your pastor, because there are different types of birth control, different circumstances, different motives, and different preconceived ideas about the subject. When the Bible does not speak directly… Is It Permissible for a Christian to Use Birth Control?
“Lord, Who at Cana’s Wedding-Feast”
Hymn 620 is actually a prayer to Christ, offered in the context of a wedding ceremony. When at that wedding we sing “Thou dearer far than earthly guest,/ Vouchsafe Thy presence here” (verse 1), we are actually praying that Christ will be present at this wedding, even as He was present at the wedding in Cana, where He performed the first miracle in His public ministry.“Lord, Who at Cana’s Wedding-Feast”
“What a Contrast!”
“Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance; the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience—concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation” (Hebrews 9:6-10).“What a Contrast!”