Tag: Gospel (Page 1 of 3)

The Law is Good, but It Is Not the Cure

July 9, 2026 / Chris / 0 Comments

Imagine entering the sanctuary after having fought back every inclination to stay home. You’re stressed, filled with guilt, and burdened to the brink of despair. The pastor begins the sermon and from start to finish it’s one indictment after the other. The law in all its glorious goodness is wielded well, but the good news is never proclaimed. You’re killed. You’re put on the chopping block of your own inadequacies. Now suppose that happens for three weeks in a row.

On the other hand, what if a congregant came in under the false premise that they had it altogether. Could it be that their piety left them in a hypothetical pristine condition before an Almighty God? Would only a declaration of our right standing before God bring the needed realization that they are utterly dependent on God’s mercy and grace through faith? Now suppose that person is left in their self-righteousness for three weeks in a row.

The law and the gospel are not two sides of the same coin. They do not pay equally. One required repeated offerings from priests but our great high priest sat down at the right hand of God having offered the perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 10:11-2). They both come from the same glorious God with a magnificently merciful plan. Yet, the scriptures make it explicitly clear that the law is insufficient and serves to diagnose humanity and foreshadow the cure to come in and through Christ. Scripture repeatedly emphasizes the diagnostic, killing function of the law. But it also makes it explicitly clear what it was always pointing toward.

The Law Brings Wrath (Romans 4)

As Paul elaborates on the faith of Abraham, he reminds us in Romans 4:15 that the law brings wrath. Paul is making the bigger point that God’s promise is delivered through faith and expands beyond Abraham’s descendants in the flesh. In fact, Paul says in verse 16 that the very reason it depends on faith is so that the promise may rest on grace, not on adherence to the law. It is because of justification by faith we have peace with God through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). The apostle will draw this distinction even more sharply in Galatians.

The Law is a Curse (Galatians 3)

Paul holds up the exemplar of justification by faith again and repetitively connects the law to the curse of humanity. How can we who received the Spirit by hearing with faith revert to thinking we are perfected by the flesh (Galatians 3:2-3)? Again his emphasis is on the expansion of the gospel to all nations to those who accept our guilty verdict under the law and look to Christ as the one who redeemed us from the curse of the law through faith. The law was our guardian for a time, but Christ came and we were set free through faith. What a blessed curse!

Good Law, Bad Sin (Romans 7)

Is the law the bad guy in our story? Absolutely not! The law is “holy, righteous, and good (Romans 7:12).” Yet, the function of the law is to reveal the killing nature of our sin. But the law is not sufficient to resurrect us to new life. Neither can the law produce the righteousness it demands. Our sin is ultimately disqualifying and damning. The law awakens us to this reality of sin and death and only Christ’s atoning work on our behalf fulfills the requirement of righteousness God demands for those who walk according to the Spirit (Romans 8:1-4). The law’s inability to save isn’t because it is defective. It’s because we are.

The Law is a Shadow (Hebrews 10)

The law has only a shadow of the glorious and gracious realities of Christ. In Christ, we have not a reminder of our sins but instead the forgiveness that remembers no more through Christ. The law is not merely written on stone tablets, but supernaturally on our hearts and minds even as he remembers our lawless deeds no more. As good as the law was, and it was good, it was always pointing toward something (someone) greater.

The Veil Lifted (2 Corinthians 3)

The law carved in letters on stone was so glorious that the people could not behold the face of its messenger. How much more so is the glory of the eternal logos with God’s redeeming justice carved into His very body for our salvation? When reading the old covenant and turning to Christ, the veil is lifted for us to behold the invisible reality of faith. To neglect or relegate what the law was always pointing to is to put the veil back over our hearts. Let us not put blinders on or limit the hearers of God’s word from seeing the glorious reality of Christ through and through.

The Law is Good (Psalm 119)

God’s word is steadfast, powerful, instructing, steadying, encouraging, lifting, and good.

¹⁷Deal bountifully with your servant,
    that I may live and keep your word.
¹⁸Open my eyes, that I may behold
    wondrous things out of your law.
¹⁹I am a sojourner on the earth;
    hide not your commandments from me!
²⁰My soul is consumed with longing
    for your rules at all times.
²¹You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones,
    who wander from your commandments.
²²Take away from me scorn and contempt,
    for I have kept your testimonies.
²³Even though princes sit plotting against me,
    your servant will meditate on your statutes.
²⁴Your testimonies are my delight;
    they are my counselors.

Yes, the law is good but it is not the cure. Humans aren’t robots with bad code who need to download better data to fix our operating system. We are complex beings created in God’s image with minds, bodies, desires, and wills. We are sinners through and through. The law is the standard we are measured against because it is a reflection of the very character of our perfect God. It tells each and every one of us not just where the little problems are but that we have a bigger problem. Put another way, our problem isn’t just that we sin but that we are sinners by inheritance. When the church neglects preaching the law and the gospel week in and week out it either provides false assurance for the religious pharisee types or burdens the consciences of the broken reeds among the flock.

A Messianic Example ( Luke 24)

When the resurrected Christ opened the minds of His disciples to understand the law, it was to point toward His fulfillment of all the law of Moses, the Psalms and the Prophets said. He summed it up perfectly: “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem (Luke 24:46-47).”

Rest in the Law of the Spirit (Romans 8)

Lest I fall into the same trap of neglecting a law and gospel approach, I hope that you’ll feel the weighty freedom that it gives as we meditate on Romans 8. You and I were under the law of sin and death. Not only are we guilty before a Holy God because of our inherited state from Adam, we are guilty because of what we’ve done today as compared to God’s character and law. But God did what the law couldn’t in sending His only Son in the flesh to fulfill the righteousness required on our behalf. We have received the Spirit of freedom in Christ, so we are told not to fall back into fear or slavery. If God is for us, who can be against us? “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).”

The law gospel distinction is often painted as a caricature of cheap grace. That criticism misses the point altogether. It’s ironically neglecting the law and gospel distinction that leads to cheap grace because it either drives us to despair or lulls us into presumption. Understanding and consistently preaching the law and the gospel in their respective slaying and resurrecting power neither coddles the self-righteous nor berates the broken. Such proclamation leans into grace, shatters any notion of merit, and provides the balm of Gilead for injured souls. We should preach the law so stringently that Paul would have to describe it as killing. We should preach a gospel so free that Paul would have to answer objections because grace is offensive.

He’s the Man

June 27, 2026 / Chris / 0 Comments

The topic of masculinity seems to have surpassed the gospel itself as the emphasis in some corners of Christianity.

Many of the podcaster theologians advocating what they refer to as “biblical masculinity” would try to revoke Jesus’ man card. Jesus turning over tables is a paradigm to be emulated. Jesus weeping must be some kind of Greek verb snafu that short circuits that paradigm.

Those within that same camp would bypass passages that don’t fit their preferred definition of manhood, not unlike Thomas Jefferson’s edited Bible. Humility, meekness, gentleness, and compassion are relegated to tertiary characteristics in today’s “Christian man,” or so they’d focus.

Much of what I see in the category of biblical masculinity is nothing more than a combination of stoicism, pompous pietism, and syncretism. Syncretism comes in merging male stereotypes with scriptural principles to create an orthopraxy after our own image. Throw in some shots from Canon Press, flamethrowers, and bloviating and you have the recipe for pseudo manhood.

Men are not two-dimensional creatures who merely reproduce and make all the decisions with cold hard logic. Why? We were created in God’s image (imago Dei) and as such have a complex interplay of emotions, intellect, drive, desire, logic, and will. Christ was like us in every respect, yet without sin. We are like Christ in His humanity, yet with sin. So, God’s word points us toward what it means to be complete. That has less to do with our man cards than it does being killed by the law in our sinfulness and resurrected through the transformation of the gospel into the very image of the God-man.

Let’s be clear: Scripture gives us specific principles on manhood and womanhood. Our uniqueness is to be celebrated and maintained in obedience and accordance with Scripture. Nonetheless, the Bible is not primarily a book about how men should behave as men. It is a revelation of God who sent His only begotten Son to redeem all of humanity. Jesus Christ was the perfect man, full of grace and truth. It seems absurd to think that our growth in Christ should be best attained by relegating Christ to second place behind our pursuit of the spirit of the age, no matter how many Bible verses we pluck out to bolster it. Indeed, our sanctification has more to do with Christ in us than with our own pursuit of strategies, regardless of how many biblical terms we pack into them.

Pursuing manhood is not the ultimate goal. We must pursue Christ. In so doing, we will become men that love well, stand firmly, grow in wisdom, and exhibit courage that comes from supernatural transformation, not watching YouTube videos of jackasses for Jesus. The central message of Scripture is the redeeming work of Christ, not a 21st century construction of being a man. Making manhood the metanarrative is myopic. Pursuing Christ overflows into the God-given, Spirit-empowered vocation we are called to fulfill as men.

What Hath Sisyphus to Do with Grace?

May 31, 2026 / Chris

In Greek mythology, Zeus condemned Sisyphus to push a boulder up a hill eternally because he cheated death twice. Sisyphus may be a myth, but we often live in the reality of never enough. We are the recipients of God’s grace and steadfast love. Yet, we fall back under cyclical paradigms. Why do we continually find ourselves at the bottom of the hill with a heavy stone to roll upward, and how can we break the cycle?

A Carousel of Doubt

There is a cyclical nature to our trust in God. There are ebbs and flows to our courage, hope, and faith. Israel witnessed the mighty work of His hands, experienced His provision, and were recipients of His lovingkindness. Yet, grumbling and fumbling through the wilderness ensued. Before we judge them too harshly, we should exercise enough self-awareness to see that tendency in our lives. Though we’d like to portray ourselves as valiant warriors on warhorses, we tend to be more like skeptics on a carousel of doubt.

A Hamster Wheel of Merit

The allure of merit is that it can reap incredible dividends in our society. In the Christian faith, it is the antithesis of grace. When everything is never enough, our striving becomes spinning our wheels. We assume that with more effort, we can reap greater rewards. Insidiously, we can see tangible results in the here and now while our spiritual lives atrophy from faith laid aside for expended energy. We roll the stone to the top of the hill only to find it again at the bottom. Perhaps we imagine ourselves cleverly navigating a maze to find the prize, but we find ourselves like hamsters on a wheel of merit.

A Roller Coaster of Performance

The Christian life isn’t a continuous incline of improvement until we reach glorification. Scripture is replete with those on a roller coaster of performance. We ride this roller coaster whenever we evaluate our standing before God based on our latest success or failure. Paul, in Romans 7, describes our war between the desire to do good and the sin that dwells inside. We face seasons of incline and sudden drops again and again. That fluctuation isn’t a product of our personal striving as much as it is the reality of our fallen nature. The highs and lows are ebbs and flows of our humanity. Some paint Christianity as a human slingshot from depravity straight up into glory, but it’s more like a turbulent roller coaster.

A Train to Jordan

Soul music sometimes misses the theological mark. However, Curtis Mayfield was soulfully right when he sang that all you need is faith to board the train to Jordan. The reality of our lives is that there are ups and downs, pendulum swings, and vicious cycles. The glorious reality of our spiritual lives is that even though we face these loops, we are heading somewhere. We are not merely on a spiritual treadmill with sweat pouring down and no destination.

Despite being on carousels of doubt, hamster wheels of merit, and roller coasters of performance, we must remember that as believers, we are also ultimately on a train to Jordan. Our endless strivings are often the result of forgetting that God’s favor rests upon us because of Christ rather than our performance. They can also be a result of our sinful condition’s reality. What hath Sisyphus to do with grace? He tried to escape punishment in the futility of his endless effort. Like Sisyphus, we face a boulder every morning, but God freely gives His grace through His Son. Christ’s dying and rising is for us. We do not climb toward God’s acceptance; we live from it. The stone is rolled away!

Stained glass depicting the Luther seal on Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021, at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Seymour, Ind. LCMS Communications/Erik M. Lunsford

A Baptist, A Presbyterian, and a Lutheran Walk Into a Bar (It’s me)

April 26, 2026 / Chris

Why I Became Lutheran (and Didn’t Leave the Gospel)

Around three years ago, a local church had teams going door to door to share the gospel and invite people in our neighborhood to attend services. Because we were out for a walk, we actually encountered multiple teams and had similar conversations each time. We were greeted warmly and asked whether or not we attended church. When I answered that we attended a Lutheran Church, you could sense their disbelief that we were believers. It isn’t my goal to be hard on the church that was out doing door-to-door evangelism. In fact, I used to do that myself while in a youth group and as a youth pastor. Instead, my goal is to explain how I ended up at a Lutheran Church and to provide some clarity for my southern Bible belt brothers and sisters about what that means and what it doesn’t.

Every Denomination Has a Spectrum

One reason we received such a look is simply that there aren’t many Lutherans in this area. However, despite Lutheran concentration in the Midwest, the real issue was the underlying belief that “Lutherans are liberals.” What that translates into is the caricature of a church that no longer holds to the confessions and has jettisoned all the ethical cargo as it sailed at breakneck speed toward cultural relativism and relevancy. What most people fail to realize is that every categorical denomination has a spectrum. There are liberal and conservative Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, Anglicans, and yes, Lutherans.

The terms conservative and liberal are used to refer to those who affirm core doctrines and a basis of orthodoxy. Conservatives assert the authority of the Bible and generally use Scripture as the basis for forming theology and practice. Liberals recast the Bible as a guide for ethical discussion but are unmoored from historical orthodoxy or ethics. Back to the Lutherans in particular, the two major denominations are the ELCA and the LCMS. We belong to the latter, which affirms the five solas of the Reformation but also our confession in the Book of Concord. So, for anyone worried that my “going Lutheran” meant a denial of Christ as the only way to salvation or that the Bible would be jettisoned, you can rest easy. I’d also like to remind you of two things: 1) Your own denomination has its own liberal counterpart, and 2) Both your and my denominations have their own spectrums on a host of issues, even within our respective conservative wings.

How Can you Go from Baptist to Lutheran?

Not easily. My journey to Lutheranism began in the Free Will Baptist Church, settled into the Calvinistic wing of the Southern Baptist Convention for an extended period, and included a pitstop in the Presbyterian Church of America. It takes me a while to research and process, and it is difficult to open yourself up to reconsidering entire theological paradigms. After years of academic training and ministry, it’s rare to entertain such a transition. Nonetheless, the seeds were planted in studying the Scripture and the history of the church in a deeper way, and over the course of around fifteen years, they bore Lutheran fruit.

Allow me to add more clarity for my brothers and sisters who wonder how I could make such a change. Lutherans certainly do hold hard distinctions, which I’ll highlight next, but they are Protestants and hold much of the same core doctrine alongside Baptists and Presbyterians in first-order theological issues.

What I Found in Lutheranism

Conservative Reformation

The Lutheran Reformation is sometimes referred to as the conservative Reformation because it sought to conserve those elements of the church deemed edifying and consistent with Scripture. Later Reformers took it further, denouncing additional elements of the Roman Catholic Church. This often leads to the mischaracterization of Lutherans as “Catholic” adjacent because of the preserved traditions and liturgical elements. However, that’s an unfair assessment because any church that confesses the Trinity or the hypostatic union is also confessing aspects solidified in the Catholic Church.

Law and Gospel

Seen as a Biblical framework, interpretive grid, and paradigm of preaching, we see God’s revelation within these two main categories. These categories flow naturally from Scripture rather than being later theological paradigms that we read into the biblical witness at best or force onto the text at worst. The law condemns, and the gospel resurrects! The emphasis in Lutheranism on the gospel aligns with what I see in God’s Word, as Jesus taught us how to interpret the law and the prophets, and the apostles carried out their ministry with Jesus, His crucifixion and resurrection as the focal point. These things were written that we might believe! The law of God is good, the gospel of God did what the law could not do, and together they kill any false concept of self-sufficiency or merit and raise us to new life in Christ.

Liturgy

Because we follow a liturgical order of service, we are often associated with Catholics. We are certainly different in doctrine, but there are similarities in form. Our clergy still wear vestments for the most part, reflecting continuity with the historic church. We confess the creeds corporately. Yes, we chant. What does that mean? We follow a musical pattern that is the same, even though we sing different Psalms or passages of Scripture. Not all Lutherans do this regularly, but it is common and certainly a part of our heritage. The service can be difficult to follow at first, but once you move from confession of sins through absolution to praising God with His own word, hear the good news of Christ crucified for you, and receive the body and blood of our Lord for the forgiveness of your sins, the peace of God may surpass all understanding, but it is yours.

Sacramental Efficacy

Ironically, this was the hardest hurdle to get over, yet one of the strongest connections and encouragements after I’d allowed myself to be open enough for the Word of God to feed and wash my mind. In the Lord’s Supper and Baptism, we believe that sins are forgiven because Scripture says so (Matthew 26:28 and Acts 2:38). The bent toward symbolism or a middle ground came much later. Lutherans hold a view more in alignment with the beliefs of historic Christianity regarding the sacraments. Why was the symbolic or middle ground view not prevalent prior? One simple reason is that the theological perspective developed later in the Church’s history. On a personal level, it meant forgiveness wasn’t contingent on the scale of my works or my emotions. It was given to me freely by grace because of God’s promises.

Head, Hearts, and Hands

In our Lutheran Worship, we recite Creeds, chant the Psalms, and stand and sit a lot. We receive the body and blood of Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. There are head, heart, and hand aspects of our makeup as those made in God’s image and in our worship of our creator. We aren’t merely brains sitting in vessels that need more data to shape us into the image of Christ. At times, I’ve felt that way as I sat and listened to sermons that were more like seminary lectures. Not perfectly, but with consistency, the Lutheran service targets the person as a whole.

Universal Grace

Despite my long-term layover in Calvinism, the scope of the atonement was always a question in my mind. While the system’s logical consistency is impeccable, it doesn’t square with the biblical testimony regarding the reach of God’s grace. This certainly rubs up against other doctrinal differences, but it is a critical distinction. “Limited atonement” became an issue that I could no longer reconcile with the biblical testimony of God’s limitless love expressed through Christ’s sacrifice for all (John 3:16, John 12:32, 1 Timothy 2:4-6, and 2 Peter 3:9).

For You

Because faith is objective and grace is universal, you can hear the good news of the gospel “for you.” Several years ago, I was having a conversation with a Calvinist about what I was hearing in a Lutheran Church, and I pointed out the “for you” nature of the proclamation of the gospel in the preaching. The response that I received was perplexing and concerning, although logically consistent. His reply was essentially that he just wasn’t sure he could do that because of God’s sovereignty. To be fair, not all Calvinistic theology strains at the universal proclamation of the gospel. However, that instinct toward logical consistency created hesitation to tell “anyone” that Christ’s atoning work was for them. That inclination and hesitation gave and gives me pause.

I was educated to be a Baptist, but going deeper academically and professionally pushed me even deeper personally. For a time, I thought the Calvinistic wing of Baptists, or even the Reformed camp, would suffice, but that’s not where the Biblical witness or church history pointed me. Beyond the intellectual, the spiritual benefits have stretched my faith as much as my perspective.

I can honestly understand the look of unbelief I received three years ago. In a region where Lutherans are often misunderstood, I hope the centrality of Christ, the universal nature of grace, the authority of Scripture, and the efficacy of the sacraments have been made clear. Simply put, it’s Christ for you.

No, I’m not a heretic, and I don’t believe Baptists or Presbyterians are heretics. No, I’m not a “liberal” in the theological sense of the word, but all of us have our respective theological counterparts.

Yes, I’m a Lutheran, and this transition has deepened and anchored my belief in the risen Christ intellectually, spiritually, and tangibly.

What Christian Nationalism and Christian Liberalism Have in Common

March 26, 2026 / Chris

Christian nationalism and Christian liberalism have several things in common. I’m unable to fully address the nuances and slight variations of versions across the spectrum in each of these categories, but suffice it to say that there are underlying commonalities aiming at impact in opposite directions. Both sides likely have objections ready; however, I’d like to offer a few heart checks that highlight how each miss the central mark of Christianity in similar ways.

Defining Terms

Reaching an agreed upon definition of these terms may be impossible, but I must at least establish the basis of each for my ensuing critique. For the purpose of this article, Christian nationalism is understood as a movement that believes and works toward state embodiment and enforcement of Christian moral vision. Christian liberalism is understood as the reframing of Christian ethics and belief to align with modern philosophical and cultural sensibilities instead of historic orthodoxy. These working definitions will serve as the basis of the engagement that follows.

Behavior Modification

In the final analysis, both Christian nationalism and Christian liberalism are aiming at steering the Christian ethic in a practical, particular direction. One points toward an ethic of traditional, conservative values while the other to relativistic, progressive philosophies. Repeatedly in scripture, we see that God is not concerned only with what we do, but also the heart with which we do it. Amos 5:21-24 highlights God’s deep displeasure when God’s people do exactly what He commanded with no regard for His righteousness, Isaiah 66:1-5 reminds us that the Lord esteems the contrite and humble in obedience flowing from delight in Him, and Psalm 51:16-19 is a Davidic testimony of broken and contrite hearts preceding right sacrifices. Our faith should unashamedly impact our personal and societal ethics, but we must not rush past orthodoxy on our way to orthopraxy. The holistic nature of our belief and the reverent posture of our hearts should overflow into behaviors that align with God’s word and mission. Our being drives our doing, not vice versa.

Naturalism in the Name of Christ

Christian nationalism works to accomplish its aims through political maneuvering. Christian liberalism seeks to advance its cause through political maneuvering. What each bypasses is the supernatural power of the gospel through Jesus Christ to resurrect the dead and bring salvation and sanctification to helpless sinners. What of the power of the Holy Spirit to convict, the promises of God to work through word and sacrament, and the good news of Christ to bring us to new life and sustain our faith? Must we rely on the levers of political power to change society into the image of Christ? Will we place our trust in the swinging pendulum of politics or in the eternal, steadfast power of our Heavenly Father? We must be careful of what we accomplish apart from Christ in His name. Through sheer determination, we can move the ball forward on our cultural aims apart from Christ. That should give us sacred pause. Political involvement and the pursuit of justice are not discouraged, but they must never supplant the church’s mission with mere cultural influence.

Christ as Adjective

When “Christian” functions merely as a modifier of a political vision, Christ is subtly reduced from Lord to instrument. Sure, “Christian” is used to differentiate between forms of societal practices like marriage, but what is in view here is the idolatrous nature of making Christ a mere descriptor of our true pursuit of philosophical and political paradigms. Whether Christ is viewed as the manner through which culture can attain a certain conservative threshold or through which progressivism can make inroads to the intellectual and practical aspects of faith, both are making Christ a means to an end. Christ is the alpha and the omega (Revelation 1:8, 21:6, and 22:13). He is the beginning, the means, and the end. He is no mere adjective (Colossians 1:17-20).

Law and Gospel Conflation

Both Christian nationalism and Christian liberalism conflate the law and the gospel by collapsing those categories into measurable human metrics instead of biblical frameworks of governance and faith. The law exposes our sins. The gospel cures our sins. Both movements tend to treat our ability to follow the law as the cure. If the gospel is the same thing as the law, then why didn’t Christ simply come down onto a second Mount Sinai with more tablets and graver consequences? Instead, Christ came not to deliver a second Sinai but to ascend Mount Calvary as the perfect embodiment of all Sinai demanded. Yet He was slain because we sinners could not live up to the law’s demands. This allows us to look with joyful expectation toward Mount Zion on account of Christ’s mediation of the new covenant (Hebrews 12:18-24).

Clarity on the Lesser of Two Evils

Does one of these two lean more toward a robust Biblical understanding of life, conception, marriage, identity, and a host of other contemporary issues? Absolutely and unequivocally, Christian nationalism tends to align with a biblical ethic on those issues much more consistently. Nonetheless, there are underlying weaknesses and dangers. My critique of both movements is a call to repentance of neglecting the gospel, relegating Christ, and making things happen in our own strength.

Christ is the eternal Logos through whom we receive grace and truth (John 1:1-17). He is the exact image of the glory and splendor of God and He upholds the universe by the word of His power (Colossians 1:15-19). It is the Son of God that unlocks our understanding of the law and the prophets (Luke 24:25-32 and 44-49). Christ and Him crucified is the clarity Paul offers in His proclamation to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:18-25 and 2:1-5). The teachings, parables, and miracles of Jesus were recorded that we might believe and have life in His name (John 20:30-31). The church accomplishes its mission most faithfully when it makes Christ the focal point in word and sacrament. When such a biblical and Christ-centered emphasis is in place, the effects supernaturally ripple into society with the right heart and focus. The church doesn’t change the world by grasping for power but by operating in the power that God gives when following His word, His way personally, corporately, and societally.

I unashamedly stand on a conservative foundation, but that doesn’t mean that my conservatism should take precedence over Christianity. When you reduce Christianity to behavioral outcomes, a matter of human willpower, or a modifier attached to a political objective, then what you have left is not Christianity at all. We can dress the culture like a Christian and slap a name tag on the outer garments, but only faith in Christ transforms individuals from the inside out who fulfill their vocations and impact society through the ordinary means of our extraordinary God.

Crossing Our T’s, Forgetting the Cross

November 11, 2025 / Chris

“You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” (James 2:19)

Mark 1:23–24 and Luke 8:27–28 highlight demons fully understanding Jesus’ divinity and power. Jesus called Peter blessed only to call him Satan shortly thereafter. What changed? Is theologically precise knowledge not the ultimate pursuit of Christians and the focus of the ministry of the church?

In what ways do we carry out church in the name of Jesus while bypassing his death and resurrection? Do we shudder like the demons in understanding, and insightfully answer questions of Jesus’ identity like Peter only to set our minds on the “things” of man (Matthew 16:23)? Have we sidestepped the mission of Jesus in the very name of Jesus? That question should strike a healthy fear of God in the core of our souls as we contemplate it and its implications.

Shuddering belief is vague, disconnected from the atoning work and resurrection of Christ on our behalf. Like Peter, it misses the explicit proclamation of Christ’s death even while recognizing His divinity.

Imagine a church with a textbook understanding of God’s nature and attributes. Their statement of faith or confessions offer a clear articulation of theological orthodoxy. Yet, week in and week out there is no cross talk. The sermon exposits the text, includes historical background, and the practical application is winsomely actionable. But what of salvation? What of Christ crucified? What of the Son of God’s atoning work on the cross for you? This death and resurrection of Christ as the basis of our justification is the glorious, scandalous news that we all too often overlook or undervalue.

Evil as defined by the prophet Jeremiah was twofold: forsaking God, and turning to waterless cisterns (Jeremiah 2:13). John 4:13–14 points us to a well that will never run dry. You cannot preach Christ crucified and resurrected for sinners too much. It is inexhaustible good news. It is perpetually needed in the ears of us works-obsessed intellectuals who dot all the I’s on our theological dissertations but cannot seem to understand the profound necessity of the gospel.

This isn’t to say that correct doctrine is unimportant. We must be vigilant in rightly dividing the word of truth. However, our tireless pursuit of theological precision must not supplant resting in the reality of God’s grace secured in Christ.

Shuddering belief fears and understands God but doesn’t trust the work of Christ to make us right with God. My fellow believers in Jesus, let us not cross all our theological T’s only to forget the cross. To do so is to believe and confess the way that the demons do.

An Intolerable Grace

October 28, 2025 / Chris

We can bring ourselves to accept that we need forgiveness, but what about grace extended to our enemies as easily as to us? We elder brother types simply cannot tolerate the later workers in the vineyard earning the same wage. Like Jonah, we know full well that God is gracious and abounding in steadfast love—and that’s precisely why we tend to flee God’s call. I’ve seen this exhibited in three major ways.

Imago Dei My Way

It’s easy to view others who think like we do as those created in God’s image. But what about those who think the opposite of us? What about those who outright oppose our deepest convictions? Are they created in God’s image? The problem is that we like Imago Dei our way and live our lives with compassion only for those who are in our own image. This can even escalate to a theological posture if we’re not careful.

Metapersonal Determinism

You’ve perhaps heard of metaphysical determinism, but I’ve often seen this creep into what I’d like to call metapersonal determinism where those not chosen by God are the ones that don’t line up with our convictions or preferences. The theological issue of predestination and limited atonement in particular will not be settled in a blog post. However, those who take a hard Reformed view on the latter must at a minimum be cautious over how their belief is practically expressed. A combination of determinism and good old-fashioned human hubris can easily lead to a fatalism where all our “enemies” are the ones not chosen. This flies in the face of scripture and, more importantly, the nature of God Himself. Our God desires that all should come to repentance and sends His prophets, preachers, and all disciples out to share the good news with the world.

Pharisaical Blindness

One of the most ironic and absurd moments for the Pharisees—of the many we see recorded in the Gospels—is when they rebuke Jesus’ healing on the Sabbath only to huddle and plot to kill Him on the Sabbath. We can spot the absurd levels of hypocrisy, yet we take that same insane posture every time we judge the speck in our brothers’ eyes while missing the plank in our own. I can easily call out the Pharisees and miss how critical I am of others much less the personal sins that beset my own character and walk each day.

An intolerable grace is a grace that is extended to those I don’t like. The good news is that God’s grace is available even for that level of arrogant, wicked idolatry of self. We can be transformed by God’s grace to see others as those created in His image, as those for whom Christ died, and have the scales fall from our own eyes so that we like Paul can view and share Christ, His Cross, and His Kingdom to the uttermost parts of humanity and the world.

What Does God Need with a Starship?

October 6, 2025 / Chris

Star Trek V was always one of my least favorite of the movies. Yet, it included a scene that always stuck out in my memory as Kirk dared to question the being at the center of the universe: “excuse me, what does God need with a starship?” The silliness of an odd numbered Star Trek movie aside, the sentiment resonated in ways outside the movie universe. It was a poignant moment that pointed out the absurdity of an almighty being needing the assistance of a vessel and crew.

Beyond the cinematic sci-fi universe, there are strategies and tools that the church should solemnly and prayerfully reflect upon. Christians would be wise to consider three questions that underscore some of our own absurdities.

What Does God Need with a Fog Machine?

Admittedly, this is an easy target, but it is emblematic of a bigger philosophy. Just because something is shiny and attractive or a congregation has the resources to include a thing, should this be part of our weekly ministry? When does lavishness and excess cross over into vanity or idolatry? Perhaps it has more to do with trust than tools.

What Does God Need with a TikTok?

Does God need influencers? What is the difference between being an influencer and being salt and light in a world of darkness and decay? Is there a difference between being a witness for your church’s brand and being a witness for the gospel of Christ? Being engaged on contemporary platforms isn’t wrong — it’s simply not necessary. God has grown His church through word and sacrament for centuries before radio, television, internet, or social media. Perhaps it has more to do with faithfulness than relevance.

What Does God Need with a Parachurch Organization?

Parachurch organizations have their place within the life of the church but they aren’t nearly as important as many Christians have imagined. Conferences, seminars, books, and podcasts often center on personalities and ministry emphases in ways that can distract from the church’s biblical role. As they take off, they launch their own publishing companies, social media network, or even seminaries. Perhaps it has more to do with providence than platforms.

Three Foundational Questions:

How does this look when viewed through the global filter of reality? When you factor in our brothers and sisters across the seas who meet in huddled corners, it reveals the true necessities of Christian worship. With so many pragmatic and gimmicky trends touted as best ministry practices, we must pause and ask how our brothers and sisters across the world would view them. Would it be necessary? Would it be prudent?
Does this build God’s church God’s way? Are we adding volunteers to our programmatic roles, increasing the number of viewers to our live stream, and expanding our church branding strategy all while the faith of God’s people atrophies and the good news of the kingdom through Christ’s atoning work goes unheralded? Paul highlighted the surpassing glory of the unveiled hope we have in Christ and renounced underhanded, cunning ways of dealing with God’s word (2 Corinthians 3:12-4:6).
Does this make Christ preeminent in all things? Saint Patrick’s famous prayer should double as a grid of discernment for our ministry philosophies and practices. Is “Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, in the eye of everyone who sees me, and in the ear of everyone who hears me?” Christ is preeminent in all things (Colossians 1:15-20), but do our ministry philosophy and practices reflect this reality?

Admittedly, I’ve raised more questions than anything else. I hope it helps each of us feel the outrageous absurdity of how far church culture has drifted from the core of Christianity in its ministry approach. What does God need with a starship, fog machine, TikTok, or parachurch ministry? He unequivocally doesn’t. The church has survived for millennia without these things and continues to thrive in corners of the world without such distractions. The most profound, impactful, and kingdom building aspects of church ministry are not rooted in mankind being clever, innovative, or culturally relevant. We do ministry best when we trust and herald Christ most.

Not My Kingdom

July 26, 2025 / Chris

Jesus told Peter to put his sword away, and a short time later said to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Jesus taught that childlike faith was a prerequisite for the kingdom of heaven. What is the kingdom of God, and what is it not? What does it mean to build the kingdom? Are we called to build it or bear witness to it? We too often answer these weighty questions with more zeal than wisdom.

Approximately twenty years ago, I listened to a radio show where the hosts and the guest were discussing the kingdom of God. The host observed that the kingdom of God is upside down from this world. The elderly saint guest chimed in with gentle wisdom, saying, “The kingdom of God is right side up; this world is upside down.” It may seem like a semantic difference, but it is profound. God’s kingdom is not of this world, its logic, its power, or its ways. So, how do Christians view and navigate this world while being citizens of another?

Sojourners and Pilgrims

Throughout the Old Testament, the people of God found themselves as exiles. In the New Testament, we see frequent descriptions of God’s people as sojourners and pilgrims who have no lasting city here. Is this an abrogation of our call to discipleship, evangelization, or simply being salt and light? Absolutely not!

Between faith’s definition and its roll call lies the reminder that God’s people have always been exiles.

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

Hebrews 11:13-16

Salt and Light in Babylon

When commanded to be salt and light in a world of decay and darkness, does that override our status as pilgrims? Jesus’ declaration of our identity follows His blessing of those who are persecuted and reviled in this world, accompanied by the reminder that our reward is great in Heaven (Matthew 5:11-16). Can sojourners also be ambassadors? Peter reminds us of our identity as a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people for his own possession, even as he urges us as sojourners and exiles to live honorably to the glory of God.

How Then Shall We Live?

This is the question we rush to answer while missing a foundational question: how then do we have life? We see this most clearly in the sermon. The pastor often sprints to the practical application aspect of the message to deliver “marching orders” as quickly as the congregation expects them. Our actions flow from our being, yet we try to build the kingdom using the strength of our own hands instead of the power that comes from God. In our rush to “do,” we often default to strategies of worldly success.

Two Faulty Approaches

Building the kingdom of God currently has two prominent yet opposing approaches with the same faulty foundation. The first is building the network and net worth of the church in the name of the kingdom. The second is positioning the church to wield political and cultural power for societal change. One makes the church a corporation, and the other makes it a campaign. Both miss the mark and treat the kingdom like something to be managed or conquered instead of received in childlike dependence. Unfortunately, we’ve seen recent examples.

In the past year, two prominent Southern Baptist pastors have come under scrutiny for their business practices in bringing churches outside the denomination into the denomination, including their assets. Whether you agree or disagree with the criticism, the recurring appeal in each case from the pastors and their supporters was that this was for the “kingdom.” Is building the kingdom synonymous with expanding a megachurch’s satellite campuses and urban footprint? It’s a matter of meaning and motivation, not merely methodology. Is kingdom success defined by institutional reach and branding or by faithfulness to God’s will, word, and ways?

There has been a resurgence of discussion centered on Christian nationalism and theonomy in recent years. We won’t settle the debate here, but suffice it to say that the church still has a role to play in the public square. However, is the kingdom truly built by pastors with flamethrowers (literally!) while doing videos on virtue laced with vitriol? Is kingdom building the same as accruing political power or cultural capital?

Recently, I sat in the pew and observed the pastor and vicar of my church bring communion to our eldest member. She can no longer go up to the front, but heaven came down and met her with forgiveness and peace through the body and blood of Christ. In that moment, it occurred to me that what I had just witnessed had more to do with kingdom growth than launching a church plant 30 miles away in a city that also has hundreds of churches or ripping the culture a new one on a vlog. What do evangelical corporatism and Christian nationalism have in common? They make us soldiers instead of sojourners, politicians instead of pilgrims, and confuse earthly power in the name of God with the power of God.

I imagine Jesus would look at our church brand expansion and political power plans and echo what he said to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world.” The right-side-up kingdom is where bread and wine deliver forgiveness, exiles testify to God’s glory and grace through the humility of their obedience, and, most importantly, sinners and saints alike are redeemed through Christ’s death and resurrection.

The right-side-up kingdom doesn’t need branding campaigns, multi-site demographic studies, or political savvy. It transforms lives through the potent simplicity of word, water, bread, and wine. Let us look to the future then as “ambassador exiles” not armed with worldly wit, but empowered by the wisdom of God. The kingdom comes not through force or fame, but through foolishness: the foolishness of the cross (1 Corinthians 1:18-31).

Three Ways Church Doesn’t Do Anything For Us

July 21, 2025 / Chris

“Church just doesn’t do anything for me.” We’ve likely heard it and even felt the sentiment ourselves. There are three ways I’ve heard this expressed, which amounts to a literal, emotional, or spiritual lack. Reflecting on each and considering a paradigm shift can help us understand what the church is meant to be.

When Programs Fail Us

Sunday school, children’s, and music programs might be one of the top deciding factors of where parents will decide to go to church. This is the sense that I’ve heard the sentiment that church doesn’t do anything for us the most as families search for the perfect church to meet their programming “needs.” Yet, our brothers and sisters from centuries past or from gospel-hostile regimes remind us of what the Apostle Paul proclaimed to the Corinthians, ^“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

Emotional Placebos

Sometimes when “church doesn’t do anything for you,” what’s meant is that it doesn’t move you, step on your toes, or inspire you on an emotional level. The missing piece here is a heart connection that moves beyond cerebral or structural concerns. There can be a spectrum here between the desire of an experiential high to wanting a weekly shot of inspiration to keep going. What we fail to realize is that each of these are merely emotional placebos that could never take the place of the supernatural work of God through His promises.

Symbolic Grace

Beyond programs and emotions, there are the promises of God to give grace, strength, peace, and forgiveness His way through His means. When the sacraments are viewed as merely symbolic, the only thing that occurs is a remembrance no matter how solemn it may be. In a merely symbolic view, grace is not imparted, peace is not proclaimed, and sins are not absolved. When none of these things occur, it’s no wonder the “church doesn’t do anything for us.”

A Different Perspective

I’ve gone through all of these mindsets at different stages of my Christian journey. I was focused on programs that met my needs or that met the needs of younger families in the congregation. I was obsessed with church being conducted in such a way that the fire of my passion for God was stoked by the worship service and ministry offerings. However, these days I simply need God’s forgiveness, His grace, and His peace.

The paradigm shift came in understanding that church is not where we go to serve God, it is where He first serves us. We receive God’s forgiveness through confession and absolution, we hear the good news of the gospel proclaimed to reorient our works-obsessed hearts, and we partake of Christ’s body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. We come as sinners, beggars, and recipients within the church walls. Literally, tangibly, and supernaturally empowered by God’s means of grace, we then serve our neighbor through overflowing acts of charity in love outside the church walls.