The Christian life – putting off and putting on

/ Christopher Terry

While reading God’s Word recently, I came across the following verse, “Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the LORD all the day” (Prov.23:17). As we enter the year of our Lord 2026, this Scripture is as relevant as ever. God’s Word is truth (Ps. 119:160; cf. John 17:17). In it we learn that the Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8; cf. Mal. 3:6). In it we learn that God’s words will never pass away (Matt. 24:35; cf. 1 Pet. 1:25a). So, when we come across Scripture that commands us, “Let not your heart envy sinners” we know that this is an inherent danger. It is possible for us, as Christians, to envy those who walk in rebellion against our Lord and God. Why would we do such a thing? There are a number of reasons, none of them good.

There are times when we envy the things that people have. Maybe it is a car, a house, a job, a family, or even a spouse. Scripture commands us, “And you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. And you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s” (Deut. 5:21; Rom. 13:9-10). It is clear from Scripture that it is a sin to covet. It is a sin to envy. We can understand the concept fairly easily. Yet, we produce a variety of rationalizations justifying our envy and coveting. The danger is not only in the realm of material possessions. There are times when we envy the height, looks, or talents of others. We can even find other people (including some who profess to be Christians) who are willing to commiserate with us as we wallow in self-pity over the fact that someone else has exactly what we think we should have. We must get one thing straight: God is not pleased with envy and coveteousness. When we sin against the Lord in these ways, we are indicating that we are not satisfied with what God has given us. It is an admission of ingratitude.

How do we guard against such attitudes in our lives? We find in Scripture the principles of putting off and putting on (Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:9-10). As born-again believers, we are called to put off sinful attitudes and practices, such as envy and coveteousness. This sounds fairly simple: put them off. But we are not merely called to put things off. So, what do we put on in the place of envy? What biblical virtues would be the God-honoring opposite of envy? The Hebrew word translated here as “envy” by the ESV is from a word having the meaning, “to make jealous, [or] show jealousy.”[1] Rather than focusing on what someone else has that we do not, resulting in envy or jealousy, we are to give thanks for what we do have. We are to practice gratitude for what God has given us. Paul writes the Thessalonians, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:16–18). The Lord is worthy of praise for who he is and what he has done.

Sin is not usually found in isolation, meaning there are usually other sins that accompany it. Envy fuels a host of other sins, like animosity, bitterness, sinful anger, and vengeance. We must wage war on these as well. Scripture teaches us that we are to love others and seek to do good to them (Gal. 6:10). We are to exhibit kindness to others (Gal. 5:22; cf. Eph. 4:32; 1 Cor. 13:4). We are to be thankful for what God has given us. We are to be grateful for God’s blessings. 

What do we put on in place of covetousness? Contentment (Phil. 4:11-12; 1 Tim. 6:6-8; Heb. 13:5).  We should learn from Paul’s example as he teaches Christian contentment through his personal example, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need” (Phil. 4:11–12). This demonstrates clear trust in the character and promises of the Lord. Regardless of what we have or do not have, when we are finding our joy and satisfaction in the Lord, we will be thankful and content people. It makes me think of Hebrews 12:1-3,  “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted” (Heb. 12:1–3). Let this be the theme of our daily lives, looking to Jesus, in 2026.

[1] Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994–2000), 1109.

It Is Christmas Once Again

/ Christopher Terry

It is the time of year, once again, when we see homes adorned with lights and decorations. Christmas trees can be seen prominently displayed in the windows of homes. It is markedly different than Halloween. Gone are the ghoulish figures, with their focus on death and darkness. Christmas, by contrast, is about life and light. As Christians, we know why this time of the year is special. As Linus once said, “Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about… ‘And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’ That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.” Linus and Charlie Brown are obviously fictional characters, but their creator, Charles Schultz, was not. Schultz knew what Christmas is about. It is about the birth of the Savior, Christ the Lord. The entire television special was always headed toward that poignant declaration.

When we open the Word of God, we read, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Gen. 1:1–2). As we read on, we learn that God created the man and the woman (Gen. 1:26-31). The man, Adam, was given leadership and a command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:15-17). We know that the man and woman sinned against the Lord, and the result was death and expulsion from the garden of Eden (Gen. 3). Yet, were we left with interminable death and darkness? The answer is no. Genesis 3:14-15 informs us, “The LORD God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.’” The seed of the woman would come to bruise the head of the serpent. In Matthew 1:18-23, we read, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).” The angel’s message makes the meaning abundantly clear. This Jesus, he is the Savior.

Jesus declared, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). The One who was laid in the manger is the light of the world. The Lord Jesus “… abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:10). The One who was laid in the manger was born to die for the sins of mankind. He was raised so that we might live. The birth of Christ, the God-Man, was a necessary step on the way to the cross, which was a necessary step on the way to the resurrection. God’s wondrous redemptive plan is on display for us in the Scriptures. He worked out this plan for his glory and for our good. We praise him for this redemptive plan because he is worthy.   

So, as my sons helped me hang the Christmas lights this year, I thought about why we do it. We hang lights because of Jesus. It is true that the lights pale in comparison with his glory, but we hang them anyway. We hang them because we are happy. We are happy that Jesus came, and we celebrate his coming. Each year, we celebrate Jesus’ birth. There is nothing else that we would want to do. The living room features an evergreen tree that we covered with lights and decorations and topped with a star. The evergreen tree is used because it is a symbol of everlasting life. We give gifts to each other because we are happy that Jesus came and gave himself for us. Jesus, who is God-incarnate, came to save us. He gave himself as an offering on a tree so that we could live. Some of you may be thinking, “But isn’t Christmas just borrowed from the pagans?” I would encourage you to read the article written by Wes Huff entitled “Christmas Isn’t Pagan.”[1] Wes also produced a video entitled “Christmas isn’t pagan and here’s why.”[2] If you can’t tell, I think that the answer is no.

Just as the storyline of the Peanuts Christmas Special was always headed toward the announcement of the birth of Christ as the true reason for Christmas, the Scriptures were always headed toward the very same announcement of the birth of the Savior, Christ the Lord. He is the light of the world. He is the One who brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Glory to God in the highest! Merry Christmas to you all.

[1] https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/christmas-isnt-pagan/

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zcaQlBbk6s

May There Be More Men In The Arena – A Tribute To John MacArthur

/ Christopher Terry

I began work on this article some months ago, just after John MacArthur’s homegoing. I had to put it away for a time. I return to it now.

The apostle Paul wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing” (2 Tim. 4:7–8). Pastor-teacher John Fullerton MacArthur, Jr. entered the presence of his Lord on the evening of Sunday, July 13, 2025. MacArthur leaves behind his wife of 61 years, Patricia, his four children, and fifteen grandchildren. John pastored Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, for 56 years. He faithfully led The Masters University since 1985 and The Masters Seminary since 1986.

The first time I ever heard John MacArthur speak was on the radio in the Fall of 1998. The local Christian radio station would broadcast a daily one-minute audio clip of John sharing a devotional thought from Scripture. The name of the segment was Portraits of Grace.[1] Each time I listened to these brief lessons from Scripture, I was impressed by the simplicity, graciousness, and conviction of the man who shared them. I learned from him, as a new believer, what the Scriptures meant. John’s preaching and teaching style was straightforward, no frills. When you listened to him, you gathered that he believed everything that he was teaching. The Word of God was clearly the authority in all areas of life for John MacArthur. There were a number of Bible teachers on the radio during those days. As I was growing in my faith, growing in my understanding of the Word of God, I realized that there were passages that most Bible teachers did not want to touch because they were too “controversial” in the estimation of the listening public. This was not the case for John MacArthur. If it was in the Scriptures, he was going to teach it. It was during my time in Seminary that I began to dig into the vast collection of sermons that John had preached. I had the privilege of attending a Together for the Gospel conference in 2018 and hearing him preach in person. MacArthur preached 3,000 sermons during his years of ministry, which can be found on the Grace to You website.[2]

John was close friends with R.C. Sproul, Sr. (1939-2017) for many years. They worked together, along with D. James Kennedy, to oppose the ecumenical Evangelicals and Catholics Together movement, which sought to blur the significant differences between Protestants and Catholics.[3] MacArthur appreciated that R.C., as an amillennialist and Reformed Presbyterian, had invited him as a self-described “leaky” dispensationalist and Reformed Baptist to speak at the Ligonier Conference. It was at R.C.’s memorial service that John shared the following, “R.C.’s nickname for me was ‘Boris.’ The first time he introduced me at one of the Ligonier Conferences, his introduction began with a detailed recounting of how Boris Yeltsin single-handedly stopped a coup in Moscow in August of 1991. Armed hardline communist insurgents were rolling through the streets of Moscow in a column of tanks, intending to seize the Russian Parliament building and overthrow Prime Minister Mikhail Gorbachev, whose reforms they opposed. Yeltsin, recently elected president of the Soviet Union, intercepted the parade of insurgents, climbed onto the turret of one of the tanks, and made a speech that effectively ended the coup.”[4] During his life, Sproul repeatedly said that there was no one he would rather have by his side contending for the faith than John MacArthur. Sproul’s and MacArthur’s friendship provided a worthy example of how to disagree on important issues, like baptism and eschatology, while remaining good friends.  

As I mentioned earlier, John MacArthur was an example over the years of being willing to confront theological error and the sins of the age when others did not want to do so. He saw the errors of the Charismatic movement as a serious danger to evangelical Christians. John combatted those errors in his book Charismatic Chaos and then later through the Strange Fire conference. MacArthur also corrected the errors of the gospel (and salvation) without repentance teaching (i.e., a hyper-grace, easy-believism). He combatted this error through the book The Gospel According to Jesus, which was a much-needed response to the teaching that someone could be saved and never change. John described this teaching, that Christ could be Savior and not Lord, as a sort of rehashed neo-Pelagianism, in the vein of Charles Finney.[5] John sought to protect the gospel and a proper biblical understanding of salvation. He spent his life pursuing the goal of grounding Christians in sound doctrine through regular instruction in God’s Word. This resulted in the books Think Biblically: Recovering a Biblical Worldview and Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth. As he saw the prevalence of worldly compromise in the church, he wrote the books Ashamed of the Gospel: When the Church Becomes Like the World and The Vanishing Conscience: Drawing the Line in a No-fault, Guilt-free World. In recent years, MacArthur was concerned about the growing confusion over and indifference toward eschatology. This led him to write Because the Time Is Near: John MacArthur Explains the Book of Revelation and The Second Coming: Signs of Christ’s Return and the End of the Age. During his life, John authored nearly 400 books and study guides.[6]

Pastor John and Grace Community Church were in the headlines several years ago when they stood boldly against California’s COVID-19 lockdowns.[7] Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, ordered houses of worship to remain closed.[8] The County of Los Angeles threatened and fined Grace Community Church because the church did not cease meeting in person, nor limit attendance, nor enforce arbitrary social distancing measures. The County sent a cease and desist letter threatening a daily $1,000 fine or imprisonment of up to 90 days or both (each time the church met indoors was considered a separate punishable offense).[9] The County of Los Angeles, as of August 2020, for a fourth time, was seeking a court order to close Grace Community Church.[10] County health officials were showing up at church services on a weekly basis to observe and scold the church for their non-compliance. Subsequently, the County decided to break a contractual agreement[11] wherein the County leased land to Grace Community Church, which was used for parking.[12] Grace had leased the land from the County continuously since 1975. [13] In response to this development, a Jewish synagogue down the street from Grace offered to let the church use their 150-space parking lot for free.[14]

During this time, California Governor Gavin Newsom showed preference to the entertainment industry and other nonessential businesses over against churches. The Department of Justice pointed this out in a letter to Newsom stating, “California has not shown why interaction in offices and studios of the entertainment industry, and in-person operations to facilitate nonessential ecommerce, are included on the list as being allowed with social distancing where telework is not practical, while gatherings with social distancing of religious worship are forbidden, regardless of whether remote worship is practical or not.”[15] In August 2020, Grace Community Church sued the County of Los Angeles and the State of California.[16] On August 31, 2021, the judge presiding over the case ruled in favor of Grace Community Church, stating that the County and the State had overstepped their Constitutional authority with their unlawful COVID-19 measures. The judge ruled that the State and the County were to pay a total of $800,000 to Grace Community Church to help them recoup legal fees.[17] Each paid $400,000 to settle the lawsuit.[18] The County also agreed to honor its contractual agreement for the land leased to the church.[19] In light of the legal victory, MacArthur wrote supporters, “monumental victory for Grace Community Church… We know that there is no circumstance that can cause the church to close. The church is not only a building but is the bride of Christ and exists to proclaim the truth.”[20] It was also during this time that Grace Community Church produced and released the documentary film The Essential Church, which encouraged churches to begin meeting for worship in person.[21]

The Supreme Court, in December of 2020, also ruled (5 to 4) that it was unconstitutional for states to restrict attendance at houses of worship while permitting other groups to have large crowds.[22] In a joint opinion, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas, joined by Justice Samuel Alito, wrote that California had “openly imposed more stringent regulations on religious institutions than on many businesses… If Hollywood may host a studio audience or film a singing competition while not a single soul may enter California’s churches, synagogues, and mosques, something has gone seriously awry.”[23] Additionally, the State of California had to pay $1.6 million in a suit brought on behalf of South Bay United Pentecostal Church in Chula Vista and pay $550,000 in a suit brought on behalf of Trevor Burfitt, a Catholic priest in Bakersfield.[24] In total, California paid over $2 million in lawsuits because the leadership of the State acted illegally, overstepping Constitutional authority. If that was not enough, the State of California and its agencies agreed “to enter permanent injunctions that prohibit the State from ever again imposing discriminatory restrictions on all houses of worship statewide.”[25] If you are trying to make sense of all of that information, here is a simple summary, the State of California and the County of Los Angeles had to admit they acted unlawfully and unconstitutionally in their COVID-19 restrictions on churches.

John received serious criticism from other Christians and Christian ministries (one of those notably was 9Marks) over non-adherence to COVID-19 lockdowns.[26] In September 2020, one month after Grace Community Church sued California and the County of Los Angeles, Capitol Hill Baptist Church (pastored by Mark Dever, who also at the time was President of 9Marks) sued the Mayor of Washington, D.C., over lockdown measures.[27] The church won its lawsuit and was awarded $220,000 for legal fees.[28] So, some of the men who publicly and forcefully disagreed with MacArthur and Grace Community Church came to the same conclusion one month later. Praise the Lord for his abundant goodness!

I know that many would like to forget that period of time.[29] Winston Churchill, while addressing the House of Commons in 1948, said, “Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.”[30] I mention this because we learn through the example of John MacArthur that faithfulness to the Lord over the long haul involves hardship, criticism, and at times loss. We endure the loss of friendships, reputation, and other opportunities. This is the cost of Christian faithfulness (1 Pet. 3:13-17; 4:1-19). Serving and glorifying Christ is the most worthy pursuit, regardless of the cost (Phil. 1:21). On April 23, 1910, President Theodore Roosevelt delivered a speech entitled “Citizenship In A Republic.” It included a portion that has become commonly known as The Man In The Arena. In that portion of his speech, Roosevelt said, “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”[31] We need only to survey the pages of Scripture to learn that every faithful man of God has had his critics. John MacArthur, over the years of his life and ministry, had critics. One thing is also sure: John MacArthur, by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, was a man in the arena. May God, in his grace, raise up more men like John MacArthur who will be in the arena for the glory of Christ.

[1] https://www.oneplace.com/ministries/portraits-of-grace/

[2] https://www.gty.org/

[3] https://www.gty.org/articles/A149/evangelicals-and-catholics-together

[4] https://tms.edu/news/a-tribute-to-my-friend-john-macarthur-remembers-r-c-sproul/

[5] https://www.gty.org/blogs/B150227/seeker-vs-sinner

https://www.gty.org/blogs/B160120/ask-jesus-into-your-heart
https://www.challies.com/interviews/5-more-questions-with-john-macarthur/

[6] https://www.gracechurch.org/leader/macarthur/john

[7] https://www.gty.org/blogs/B200723/christ-not-caesar-is-head-of-the-church

[8] https://www.thomasmoresociety.org/case/cases-los-angeles-county-v-grace-community-church

[9] https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63d954d4e4ad424df7819d46/667340221c971de2a85bee39_MacArthur-Ex.-5-1_Cease-and-Desist-Letter.pdf

https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63d954d4e4ad424df7819d46/667d8b8bb7efeb7913f22c39_20STCV30695-LA-SC-8-25-20.pdf

[10] https://cbn.com/news/us/john-macarthur-files-declaration-against-los-angeles-repeated-church-closure-attacks

[11] https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63d954d4e4ad424df7819d46/667dbb058c536a205bc134c8_Grace-Community-Church-Letter-for-County-of-LA.pdf

https://www.facebook.com/groups/MacArthur.111/posts/3829680747047984

[12] https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63d954d4e4ad424df7819d46/667dbb058c536a205bc134c8_Grace-Community-Church-Letter-for-County-of-LA.pdf

[13] https://www.thomasmoresociety.org/news/los-angeles-county-yanks-parking-lot-lease-out-from-under-pastor-john-macarthur-and-church

[14]https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2019078561549227&id=154851931305242&m_entstream_source=timeline

[15] https://www.newsweek.com/doj-accuses-california-governor-newsom-discriminating-against-religion-tells-state-reopen-1505294

[16] https://www.thomasmoresociety.org/news/pastor-john-macarthur-and-grace-community-church-sue-state-of-california

[17] https://www.thomasmoresociety.org/news/big-religious-liberty-win-for-john-macarthur-and-grace-church

[18] https://californiaglobe.com/fr/grace-community-church-wins-against-gov-newsoms-attacks-on-religious-liberty

[19] https://www.gracechurch.org/news/posts/2228

[20] https://www.newsweek.com/church-that-defied-gavin-newsoms-covid-rules-get-800k-legal-settlement-1624801

[21] https://essentialchurchmovie.com/

[22] https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article247507750.html

[23] https://www.npr.org/2021/02/06/964822479/supreme-court-rules-against-california-ban-on-in-person-worship-amid-the-pandemi

[24] https://cbn.com/news/us/california-gets-another-multi-million-dollar-smackdown-discriminating-against-churches

[25] https://www.thomasmoresociety.org/case/cases-los-angeles-county-v-grace-community-church

[26] https://www.9marks.org/article/a-time-for-civil-disobedience-a-response-to-john-macarthur/

https://www.9marks.org/episode/episode-140-a-conversation-about-grace-community-churchs-statement-on-civil-disobedience/

https://www.9marks.org/article/further-reflections-on-recent-conversations-about-christian-freedom/

[27] https://www.christianpost.com/news/capitol-hill-baptist-sues-dc-mayor-over-ban-on-outdoor-worship-with-over-100-people.html

https://context-cdn.washingtonpost.com/notes/prod/default/documents/eecc2501-3017-43a4-97fd-c8b7f579497c/note/2cf9ae61-0a27-41f8-aa3a-d0cc4d520c0d.#page=1

[28] https://www.christianpost.com/news/dc-to-pay-220k-for-restricting-in-person-worship-of-church.html

[29] https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/10/covid-response-forgiveness/671879/

https://www.christianitytoday.com/2023/06/covid-19-pandemic-amnesty-masks-vaccine-lockdown-church/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/interactive/2025/covid-pandemic-anniversary-lessons/

[30] https://winstonchurchill.org/resources/in-the-media/churchill-in-the-news/folger-library-churchills-shakespeare/

[31] https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/address-the-sorbonne-paris-france-citizenship-republic

Rebellion Against Biblical Anthropology

/ Christopher Terry

We are living in the midst of an all-out assault on biblical anthropology. It is no longer a sneak attack but rather a high-handed rebellion against God’s order and design of humanity. Scripture teaches us, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen. 1:27).[1] There are only two sexes. The sex you received is static. God chose your sex prior to birth, and it is witnessed at a chromosomal level. The technology and pharmaceuticals of today only foster a delusion that one can change what is intrinsic. It is a masquerade, and a dangerous one at that.

Many are concerned about the physical, emotional, and psychological effects of such rebellion against divinely ordered nature. The concerns are legitimate. Yet, the problem is deeper and costlier. There is a spiritual price to be paid by all those who rebel or empower such rebellion against the Creator. They cannot actually accomplish what they are seeking. A male cannot become a female or vice versa. It is a self-deception that is continually exposed. When Christians, conservatives, or others deny the fluidity of gender, it is met with anger and outbursts. Why? Because the delusion is being exposed. It is, in fact, an idolatry of self. As human beings, we do not possess libertarian freewill. Our Creator determines our sex.

Those rebelling against the Lord are surprised that Christians don’t approve or participate in their sins (1 Pet. 4:4-5). They do not like Christians repudiating their sins because it highlights their guilt and shame. So, the rebels malign Christians. They employ emotional sabotage and manipulation to bring Christians into conformity with their ideology. As Joe Rigney writes, “Sabotage is inevitable. Attempts to steer you will come. The world will seek to wield names and labels against you in order to manipulate and render you mute and impotent.”[2] The question for followers of Christ is, will we remain faithful to Christ in what we think and say, regardless of how uncomfortable it becomes? Being called things like transphobe or hater is one thing. What about when we hear the emotionally charged question, “Would you rather have a live son or a dead daughter?” No good parent wishes his or her child dead in ordinary circumstances. Yet, the question is loaded with emotionally manipulative language. The truth is, we are not confined to the parameters set by the question. It is not that far from the scenario of a child in the store who throws a tantrum over not being able to get a toy or a candy bar. Children lob emotionally charged grenades such as, “I hate you… I will never forgive you… You have ruined my life… My life is over…” In such instances, parents have to function like the mature adults they are supposed to be. They have to maintain a cool head. For Christians, we are called to sober-mindedness (1 Peter 1:13; 4:7; 5:8; 1 Thess. 5:6). Just because others are drunk on their passions and lusts does not mean we are supposed to be. We must refute the lies of the world with the truths of Scripture (2 Cor. 10:3-5).

Let’s say that you hold to a biblical view of sex and sexuality, and you are willing to speak that truth to others. What do you do when others, even some who profess to be Christians, take issue with your tone? The question of tone has far-reaching implications, even outside of the issues of sex and sexuality. The subject of tone relates more to one’s feelings or perceptions of how someone else has communicated something. On its own, tone does not deal with the content of one’s message or its validity. We can all acknowledge that there is a proper tone of speaking that is appropriate at a five-year-old’s birthday party that is not appropriate in a courtroom. The tone of a campaign speech in the run-up to an election is different from the tone of a campaign victory speech after the election has been decided. The tone that one speaks with at a wedding reception is different than the tone one speaks with at a funeral service. Why is that? We learn, based upon the culture and even the family that we grew up in, what is socially acceptable and appropriate for particular settings and what is not. Yet, the problem with tone policing is that it is very subjective. It can become a gotcha card in any situation where the hearer does not particularly like what has been said. We cannot allow the individual feelings of a person to override truth.

Scripture clearly says things that would be considered today to be harsh or even aggressive in tone. What do we do with the saying of Jesus, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves” (Matt. 23:15). Or this one, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed” (Matt. 16:4). I think many look at the context and see Jesus targeting the Pharisees and Sadducees, and automatically conclude those are the “religious bad guys.” Of course, it is appropriate for Jesus to use sharp words to indict their sin. I know we cannot evaluate the tone of what was said because we were not there. Furthermore, this is the sinlessly perfect Lord of all Creation who is doing the speaking. So, we know what he said was true, justified, and holy. Let’s consider another scenario. The apostle Paul declared to Elymas the magician that he was “full of all deceit and fraud… [a] son of the devil… [an] enemy of all righteousness” (Acts 13:10). Some would say that this was acceptable because he was rebuking a man who was trying to prevent the pronconsul, Sergius Paulus, from believing the gospel (Acts 13:8). In addition, Paul is decribed by Scripture as being “filled with the Holy Spirit” just prior to his scathing rebuke of Elymas (Acts 13:9). So, in light of these details, most Christians would say that Paul was justified in what he said.

But what about when we, as average Christians, refer to certain behaviors as sinful that the Bible describes as sin? When Christians call homosexuality a sin, which is what Scripture clearly teaches, who determines the acceptable tone? What is the standard by which we evaluate said tone? Thankfully, we have answers to these questions. We must have an objective standard by which to judge such things. We know ultimately that the Lord is the One who is in authority above all (Eph. 1:20-23; 4:6; cf. Rom. 9:5; 11:36). If God is the supreme authority, which he is, we need to know what his standards are. Scripture is the revealed Word of God. It is the binding standard upon us, revealing to us God’s authority and his view of things. So, when someone accuses a Christian of having a bad or aggressive tone, we must go to the Scriptures to determine the validity of such an indictment. The problem is that most accusations of bad or aggressive tone are merely instances of someone’s feelings being hurt. Scripture does not condemn speech that makes someone feel guilty about sin. In such a case, the emotions of the hearer have become the standard. The individual has become the authority. As Christians, we rightly reject these as faulty. We know these are not the supreme standard or authority by which we judge things. We are called to submit to the authority of the Lord and to abide by his authoritative Word. 

[1] “Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

[2] Joe Rigney, Leadership and Emotional Sabotage: Resisting the Anxiety That Will Wreck Your Family, Destroy Your Church, and Ruin the World (Moscow: Canon Press, 2024), 48 Kindle Edition. ↩︎

Today is the memorial service for Charlie Kirk

/ Christopher Terry

A Christian man, who was 31 years of age with a wife and two children, was murdered on Wednesday, September 10, 2025. Why was this Christian man murdered? His killer didn’t like that he, Charlie Kirk, spoke against the transgender movement, which is a deadly cult. The killer etched words of support for transgenderism and anti-fascism. Let’s have a thought exercise this morning, as Christians, because this is relevant for us all. How did we end up at such a point? Pastor Mike Riccardi, of Grace Community Church, writes, “In his excellent book, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, historian Carl Trueman argues that the dominant worldview of the contemporary secular West is what he calls ‘expressive individualism.’ This is the idea that ‘each of us finds our meaning by giving expression to our own feelings and desires’ (46). The Enlightenment philosopher Rene Descartes is famous for the dictum, ‘I think, therefore I am.’ Expressive individualism is captured by the motto: ‘I feel, therefore I am.’ Or perhaps, ‘I am what I feel I am.’ ‘And,’ the reasoning goes, ‘in order for me to be my authentic self, I must give unfettered expression to those feelings. And because I am my feelings, any contradiction of my psychological beliefs about myself—any failure to affirm and validate those feelings—is a hateful threat to my very self. It is violence against my personhood.’ That is western culture over the last 15 years, especially as promoted by the political left. It’s why ‘speech’ is called ‘violence.’ It’s why words are spoken of as being ‘weaponized.’ Everything is a weapon if I am under attack when my feelings aren’t affirmed. Any lack of wholehearted affirmation and even celebration of my feelings—and certainly the notion that my feelings ought to change in order to be brought in line with objective reality—is virtually the same as wanting me to die. It’s not difficult to see the implication: I have to kill you before you ‘kill’ me. There is a straight line between the deification of one’s own feelings to the political assassinations (and attempts) that we are now seeing more of.”[1]

Why did the murderer think Charlie was anti-transgenderism? Because Charlie, as a Christian, believed and taught that God made two genders (two sexes), male and female, which are static and determined by God alone, prior to birth. Does that describe you this morning? Does that describe what you believe, that there are only two genders and they are determined by God alone, at a chromosomal level? If it doesn’t, then you are in direct contradiction of God’s holy Word and should repent of your sin.

Why did the murderer think Charlie was a fascist? First, let’s define fascism. Fascism is a form of totalitarian rule. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary contains the following regarding totalitarianism, “of or relating to a political regime based on subordination of the individual to the state and strict control of all aspects of the life and productive capacity of the nation especially by coercive measures (as censorship and terrorism).”[2]  The Pocket Dictionary of Ethics explains totalitarianism as, “The political theory that invests the state with the right to exercise oversight or even control over all aspects of the lives of its citizens. The term was first put forward by Mussolini in describing the Fascist state as stato totalitario. Totalitarianism has been criticized by ethicists in general as being incompatible with the idea that the human person is the entity in whom *rights are ultimately invested and by Christian ethicists as usurping for the state prerogatives that belong solely to God.”[3]  Hmmm… So, the persecution of Christian groups and conservative groups under the recent democrat presidents doesn’t fit this definition of totalitarian, but Charlie Kirk disagreeing with you does? So, because Charlie, as a Christian, disagreed with transgenderism, the LGBTQ+ agenda, homosexual marriage, feminism, Wokeness, social Marxism, etc… As a result, he was called a Nazi, a fascist, a racist, and an inciter of violence. According to this mindset, every person here this morning with a biblical view of marriage and sexuality would be considered a fascist. Good thing this criterion is not the arbiter of truth. This man proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ during his time on college and university campuses. He declared the inherent worth and dignity of the unborn. If you claim to be a Christian here this morning, and you are pro-choice or support abortion, you are at odds with the Word of God. It does not matter how you have rationalized it, you are wrong.

There are a number of people who are so far gone from logical discussion, that they blamed Charlie for his own murder. Because they have drank the Kool-Aid of liberal academia, the liberal media, and liberal politics, which openly communicates that a person is no longer accountable for his or her own actions. Friends, listen to what Scripture has to say, “But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury” (Rom. 2:5–8).

Charlie was a strong supporter of the second amendment. As a result, many public-school teachers and employees, university professors and employees, and a large number of others who are on the political left, including members of the media have celebrated the murder of this Christian man declaring that he “got what he deserved.” The United States of America is in a desperate state morally and spiritually. This does not get fixed by Christians hiding their light (i.e. the truth) under a basket. It does not change by professing Christians adopting the ungodly, secular views and practices. Christians must live out the truth of God’s Word. Churches must live out the truth of God’s Word. Christians must proclaim the gospel, which starts with the standard of God’s law.

Charlie, as a Christian, taught biblical principles which directly contradict the message and practice of the secular humanistic culture, the message and practice of government schools, and the message and practice of the democrat party. So, if you are a Christian who believes that God’s Word is authoritative and yet you hold views and practices that are contrary to Scripture, you have a problem.

I have been praying for Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika, and his two children who are now without a father. May God give them comfort and peace.

[1]   https://x.com/MikeRiccardi_/status/1966507105734873535

[2]   Inc Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 1996).

[3] Stanley J. Grenz and Jay T. Smith, Pocket Dictionary of Ethics, The IVP Pocket Reference Series (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 121. * It appears elsewhere in the book as a separate entry

Good, Right, and Proper

/ Christopher Terry

“But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him” (Hab. 2:20). Our Creator God is awesome. He is holy, righteous, and good. He has no beginning and no end. He is omnipotent. He is omniscient. He is omnipresent. There is truly no one like him. Isaiah writes, “Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it” (Isa. 46:8–11). When our God speaks, his will is accomplished.

The Lord God created everything that we see and even the things that we don’t see. He designed everything in the way that he desired. When the Lord evaluated everything that he created, at the end of day six, he declared that “it was very good” (Gen. 1:31). This means that everything as he designed it is good, right, and proper. We learn from reading God’s Word how he designed things to work. Genesis 1:1-2 reads, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” God, the Creator, did not intend to leave the earth formless, empty, and dark. He would, according to his divine intention, bring form, fullness, and light. In doing so, the Creator chose to fill the earth through mankind. The Lord created mankind, male and female (Gen. 1:27). It was his design that there be two sexes. It was his intention from the beginning. God would use the man and the woman, united in the covenant union of marriage, to be “fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Gen. 1:28; cf. 9:1). This is God’s plan. The man and the woman are united for life as husband and wife. The fruit of their union (i.e. children) would be God’s means of filling, subduing, and exercising dominion over the earth. Hear this, the earth was created, designed by God, to be full.

We live on a planet we did not design. We were not involved in the planning, architecture, or assembly of this world. As the hymn writer so aptly states, “This is our Father’s world.” Adam was never destined to be alone. The Lord created Adam knowing that he would subsequently create the woman from Adam’s rib (Gen. 2:7, 18-25). This one man and one woman joined in the sacred, lifelong, covenantal union of marriage would be God’s means to carry out his purposes on planet Earth. The Lord chose to fill the planet with human beings, made in his own image, that resulted from the union of one man and one woman. Yet, we all know that Adam and Eve died (Gen. 5:5). God chose to continue the process of filling, subduing, and exercising dominion over the earth through descendants of Adam and Eve. Marriage, between one man and one woman, was God’s ongoing means of carrying out these divine purposes described in Genesis 1.

When God creates something, he determines its purpose for existence. Mankind, male and female, was created by God for his purposes. Marriage, between one man and one woman, was created by God for his purposes. Sex, between a husband and wife, was created for his purposes. The earth, and all it contains, was created by God for his purposes. Yet, we live in a post-fall world. Every person is born dead in sin and is separated from his Creator (Rom. 3:23). As a result, people in rebellion against their Creator seek to cast off and undermine the purposes and boundaries established by God (Rom. 1:18-32; 3:10-18). We witness this sinful drive, chasing after those things which the Lord has forbidden. As Christians, we grieve over the lengths to which mankind will go to rebel against God’s created purposes and order. We grieve over the fallout and destruction we witness in society. But, we don’t experience this in the abstract or hypothetical. The problem isn’t just “out there” somewhere. It happens with people that we know. We see lives, marriages, and families destroyed through sin before our very eyes.

June has the unfortunate distinction of being labeled “Pride Month”. It’s still June, in case anyone was wondering. There is no amount of advertising or celebration or even intimidation that is going to make activities lauded by the Pride Month advocates acceptable in the eyes of the Creator God or genuine Christians. We pray for the repentance of those individuals who are involved in or support the activities that the letters LGBTQ+ entail. As Christians who believe that God’s Word is inspired, inerrant, and binding upon us, we recognize that such beliefs and activities of the LGBTQ+ movement are in fact acts of rebellion against the Creator God. As I described earlier God has established the proper purposes and boundaries of mankind (two sexes – male and female), marriage (one man and one woman united in a covenant union for life), and the family (one husband and one wife, by God’s grace, coming together in union to produce children – to fill the earth, subdue it, and exercise dominion). These things are not unclear. There is no nuance. There are no grey areas. Christians, we know what God’s purposes and boundaries are. They are detailed in his Word.

What we see in our day are clear acts of rebellion against God (Rom. 1:18-32; cf. Ps. 2). When we look at what God has established, how he created things to work, we see that the unbelieving world has endeavored to do the opposite. They have sought to establish their own purposes and standards, in disregard of the Lord’s. Psalm 94:5-9 reads, “They crush your people, O LORD, and afflict your heritage. They kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless; and they say, ‘The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.’ Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise? He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?” They have not learned the lesson that Scripture teaches through the tower of Babel (Gen. 11). Rebellious humanity thought that building a tower would prevent the Lord from causing them to spread out and fill the earth as he had intended (Gen. 11:1-4). God had determined what they were supposed to do, and that was to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it (Gen. 1:28; 9:1). So, he judged them by confusing their language, and he dispersed them over the face of the earth (Gen. 11:7-9). Advocates of Pride Month (and LGBTQ+ lifestyles and activities) can advertise through media, set up displays in retail stores, walk in parades, and seek to indoctrinate the youth of America, but it will never change the fact that they are acting in highhanded rebellion against their Creator. We know that God is not mocked (Gal. 6:7-8). He will not endure such things indefinitely (Rom. 2:5-11). We know that no person living in such sin will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9-11; Gal. 5:19-21; Rev. 21:8; cf. Rom. 1:26-27). Christians, we must proclaim the whole gospel, which includes confronting people’s sin and their need for repentance. Paul declared,  “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ac 20:18b–21). We must pray for the repentance and salvation of lost people.

The last thing that lost people need, including those involved in the LGBTQ+ movement, is for the evangelical church to become soft on sin and truth. We need to repent of our accommodation of the spirit of the age and speak the truth in love (Rom. 12:1-2; Jas. 4:1-10). We need to celebrate, as Christians, God’s good design. He created mankind (the two sexes) as male and female. He created marriage between one man and one woman for life. He established the marriage union of one man and one woman to carry out his purposes of being fruitful, multiplying, filling the earth, and subduing it (Gen. 1:28; 9:1). Let us not be uncertain. Let us not be silent. Let us celebrate, teach, and live out God’s good design in our lives, in our families, in our churches, and in the location in which God has placed us for such a time as this. God designed everything in the way that he desired. When the Lord evaluated everything that he created, at the end of day six, he declared that “it was very good” (Gen. 1:31). This means that everything as he designed it is good, right, and proper.

Somewhere forever

/ Christopher Terry

The Scriptures teach us that, “Man is like a breath, his days are like a passing shadow” (Ps. 144:4). God’s Word reminds us over and over of the temporary nature of this earthly life. Yet, we will be somewhere for all eternity. It is true for all of us. Those who have repented of their sin and received Christ as Lord will be saved (Rom. 10:9, 13; John 1:11-12). All who have trusted in the finished work of Christ will spend eternity with him in heaven. Those who have not repented of their sin and have not received Christ as Lord will not be saved (John 3:18, 36; 1 John 5:11-12). All who reject the finished work of Christ will spend eternity apart from him in hell. All human beings will be in one place or the other. What a person does with the Lord Jesus Christ determines his or her eternal destination (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).

There have been numerous times when I have been present with individuals as they were nearing the end of life. Some had struggled with longstanding health challenges. Others had experienced a sudden downturn in health. Being present when a believer is nearing the end of life is a unique experience. A born-again believer has peace with God and the indwelling Holy Spirit. Believers are looking forward to being in the presence of the Lord (2 Cor. 5:6-8; Phil. 1:23). The thought of being with the Lord, the One whom these brothers and sisters have trusted and served for so long, is the fulfillment of the desire of their hearts.

Being present with someone who does not know the Lord is entirely different. The person has had time to think, to contemplate what happens next. But, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with someone on his or her deathbed is not always as you might think. You would assume a person who is about to enter eternity apart from the Lord would want to change that reality. We have to remember what the Scriptures teach. Unbelievers are dead in their sin and they do not seek after God apart from his divine intervention in their lives (Rom. 3:10-18). Our prayer in such circumstances is for God to bring repentance and faith (cf. Acts 20:21). But, the key questions are: Repentance from what? Faith in what? These individuals must hear the gospel (Rom. 10:17; 1 Cor. 15:1-4). They do not need to hear that things will be better soon, if they do not know Jesus Christ. If they do not know Christ, things will certainly be worse (Matt. 13:49-50; 25:41, 46; Rev. 20:11-15). Scripture clearly states, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God… Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:18, 36). And here, “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:11–12). These are non-negotiables. It does not matter how good someone thinks he or she is. We are all sinners (Rom. 3:23) and there is no way anyone can save himself.

No one gets to the end of his or her life and stands justified before God, except through Jesus Christ. Romans reads, “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:21–26). We need the salvation that Christ provides. We need the righteousness available through him and him alone.

Charles Spurgeon once preached, “You remember the story of Whitfield’s once saying that there would be some in heaven who were ‘the devil’s castaways;’ some that the devil would hardly think good enough for him, and yet whom Christ would save. Lady Huntingdon once gently hinted that such language was not quite proper. But just at the time there happened to be heard come a ring at the bell and Whitfield went down stairs. Afterwards he came up and said, “Your ladyship, what do you think a poor woman had to say to me just now? She was a sad profligate and she said, ‘O, Mr. Whitfield, when you were preaching you told us that Christ would take in the devil’s castaways and I am one of them,’” and that was the means of her salvation. Shall anybody ever check us from preaching to the lowest of the low? I have been accused of getting all the rabble of London around me. God bless the rabble! God save the rabble! then, say I. But suppose they are ‘the rabble!’ Who need the gospel more than they do? Who require to have Christ preached to them more than they do? We have lots of those who preach to ladies and gentlemen and we want someone to preach to the rabble in these degenerate days.”[1] Brothers and sisters, the people you meet (on their deathbed or not), they need the same salvation and righteousness that is available through Jesus Christ alone. It is our responsibility to tell them. Let Paul’s declaration be ours as well, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith’” (Rom. 1:16–17).

[1] C. H. Spurgeon, “Heaven and Hell,” in The New Park Street Pulpit Sermons, vol. 1 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1855), 304.

Power and Authority

/ Christopher Terry

I have been reminded over the past week of the incredible power of wind. We can’t see it but we can hear it. We can’t take hold of it but we can feel it. The wind is capable of causing massive devastation. As I walked around the neighborhood, following the storm earlier this week, I saw huge trees uprooted from the ground. The wind blew these trees over. No created thing was able to put a stop to it. When you consider the power necessary to uproot fully mature trees, just remember that it pales in comparison with the power of Almighty God. Our Lord, during his earthly ministry, was on a boat in the midst of a particularly bad storm, sleeping (Mark 4:37). His disciples were scared by the power of the storm and so they woke him, pleading with him to do something (Mark 4:38). The funny thing is when he did something they became scared again but for a different reason (Mark 4:39-41). This time the disciples were scared by Jesus’ power and authority. They wondered, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”[1] Christ is Lord over all of creation (Col. 1:15-18; cf. Job 38:10-14, 20-24). He has the power and authority to command the weather to do exactly what he wants. None of us have the power and authority to command a storm to stop. The Lord alone can do such things. He rules the wind and the waves.

The Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, willingly came in the flesh to this earth (John 1:1-3, 14, 18). The same earth that he created, rules over, and sustains by his powerful word (Heb. 1:3). The Lord entered Jerusalem on a donkey, in fulfillment of the prophecy, to present himself as the King of Israel (Matt. 21:5; cf. Zech. 9:9). He allowed himself to be arrested, tried, and condemned (Matt. 27:24-26). Christ, who possesses all power, allowed himself to be crucified (Matt. 27:32-44). On the cross, he absorbed the wrath of the Father for our sins and died as our substitute (Rom. 3:21-26). Apart from his substitutionary death on the cross, we would remain dead in our sins (cf. 1 Peter 2:24; Rev. 1:5). This One, who commands the wind and the waves, willingly laid down his life on a Roman cross to redeem us. He did all of these things in obedience to the Father’s will (John 5:30; 6:38). Three days later, Christ rose again (1 Cor. 15:3-4). No one could stop him from doing so. Jesus possesses the power and authority necessary to rise from the dead (John 10:17-18; 2:19 cf. Acts 2:24). We do not possess that kind of power and authority. Jesus does.

Ephesians 1:19-21 reads, “And what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.” This is divine, resurrection power that the Lord possesses and exercises. Paul wrote in Philippians that he desired to know Christ and the power of his resurrection (Phil. 3:10). George Whitefield declared, “The power of his resurrection is as great now as formerly, and the Holy Spirit, which was assured to us by his resurrection, as ready and able to quicken us who are dead in trespasses and sins, as any saint that ever lived. Let us but cry, and that instantly, to him that is mighty and able to save; let us, in sincerity and truth, without secretly keeping back the least part, renounce ourselves and the world; then we shall be Christians indeed. And though the world may cast us out, and separate from our company, yet Jesus Christ will walk with, and abide in us.”[2] This is a powerful truth about a powerful Savior. The finished work of Christ reconciles repentant sinners to a holy God. The question is, do you have peace with God (Rom. 5:1; 8:1)?

The Lord defeated death through the resurrection. As a believer, your resurrection is assured because Christ has risen. He is alive and he is seated at the Father’s right hand in glory and power (Eph. 1:20-23). You can trust him with your eternal soul. Charles Spurgeon once preached, “In Christ, believers possess all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and grace, and power, and love. All things are yours, if you are Christ’s. From our union to Christ follows our sanctification: we cannot follow after sin, for Christ does not follow after it. He died unto sin once, and we are henceforth dead to it. He is risen by the glory of the Father, and we are risen with him into righteousness, and acceptance, and joy.”[3] If you can trust him with your eternal soul, you can trust him with the details of your life. The Lord, who controls the wind and the waves, is all-powerful and he is good.

I close with an excerpt from The Valley of Vision,

“LORD GOD, Thou hast commanded me to believe in Jesus, and I would flee to no other refuge, wash in no other fountain, build on no other foundation, receive from no other fullness, rest in no other relief… Let me not be at my own disposal, but rejoice that I am under the care of one who is too wise to err, too kind to injure, too tender to crush.”[4]

[1] Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[2] Robert Murray McCheyne et al., A Treasury of Great Preaching: 5 Vol. Set (WORDsearch, 2020).

[3] C. H. Spurgeon, “Christ’s Resurrection and Our Newness of Life,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 37 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1891), 182.

[4] The Valley of Vision. (United Kingdom: Banner of Truth Trust, 2003), 42-43.