We know that a belief in a god distinguishes religion from atheism and secularism. We further know that a belief in one god distinguishes Islam, Judaism, and Christianity from other religions. But what distinguishes the Christian God from the gods of other monotheistic religions? It is the belief in the Trinity. And why is that important? It is because the triunity of God makes Him to be the one true God described in Scripture. Without the Trinity, God cannot be eternally loving or eternally good, because He would have no one to whom He could love or show goodness. But the Triune God can be eternally loving and good, because He shows love and goodness to Himself within the Trinity. Now Christianity is often accused of being polytheistic because of the Trinity, but that cannot be the case, for God always reveals Himself as a Father, Son, and Spirit. The Father has eternally been begetting the Son, and the Son is eternally begotten. The Spirit proceeds from the Father and Son together. That means that the distinct persons of the Trinity "are who they are together. They always are together and thus they always work together" (Michael Reeves, Delighting in the Trinity, 34). This is the God we worship on Trinity Sunday and every Sunday, for He is the one true God, and He is the God of Christianity. May God give us understanding of the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that we may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Read More

What’s the big deal with the church? Why do we make such a big deal about it? Why would we celebrate Pentecost? When Paul wrote to Timothy, he used a three-fold description of the church to help emphasize that how we act in the church is important. His description also helps us understand why the church is such a big deal. He calls it God’s household. The church is where God dwells—in us. If God dwells in the church, then the church matters and how we act in the church matters. We have a responsibility to obey God’s rules. He also calls it the assembly of the living God’s people. We are a people who belong to the true and living God, not the dead gods of this world. We should act like we belong to the living God. The third description is the pillar and foundation of the truth. We are the support for the truth. If we give up truth, then the world has no hope of finding it. We must stand strong as a pillar and foundation supporting the truth in a world that denies truth. The church is vital, because it is God’s ordained organism to show Himself and His truth in this world. If we abandon the church, we lose more than just a social club. That’s why we celebrate Pentecost. We should make a big deal those things which God makes a big deal—us—the church. Read More

Every true believer has the responsibility to be an orthodox theologian and a defender of truth. Unfortunately, we often abdicate this responsibility, wrongly assuming that we are not theologians and outsourcing theology to seminary professors and pastors. This thinking makes the church vulnerable to the wolves in sheep’s clothing that Paul warned about in Acts 20. In fact, a review of just the last 150 years of American Christianity reveals numerous churches and denominations who have become prey to these theologically liberal wolves. The only way the church can stand against these heretics is for the church, itself—the people—to know orthodox theology and be ready to defend it. That is Jude’s message. He doesn’t tell pastors or seminary professors to earnestly contend for the faith. He tells the church to keep itself in the love of God. The attacks of liberal theology will never be only the stuff of history books. Heresy is constantly repackaged and dressed up so it can sneak into our hearts and our churches unnoticed. Are you willing to contend for the faith? Will you be a part of keeping us in the love of God? May God keep us from stumbling and make us stand until we enter the presence of His glory. Read More