The Incomparable Christ The Latin phrase Solus Christus defines salvation as that which cannot be found outside of faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through faith in him (John 14:6). Over the past two thousand years people have reacted to Chr...

A SAVIOR IS BORN Isaiah 7:10-14 and Luke 1:26-38 are two passages that highlight the birth of our Lord Jesus. Written 700 years before the coming of Christ, Isaiah prophesied that God would give His people a sign, "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel (God with us)." That sign, of course, was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Ch...

Singing the Psalms If you are a member or regular attender of Christ Church Presbyterian you will have noticed that we sing the Psalms in our worship services. Allow me to explain three reasons why I believe it is not only good but altogether necessary that we, as a congregation, sing the Psalms. 1. The Psalms were designed to be sung: The Psalms were divinely inspired n...

Thoughts on Ordination In our evening service Ross Hodges will be ordained to the ministry of Word and sacrament in the Presbyterian Church in America. While we are all very excited that Ross is being set apart for a lifetime of faithful ministry, perhaps there are some who are curious about the biblical process of ordination. Several years ago Ross discerned an inward c...

Missions Church Planting in the UK Winston Churchill once remarked: "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give." Sometimes in our wildly busy schedules we get so caught up in making a living that we forget to make a life by investing in those things that matter most. And there's nothing that matters more in life than the health and extension of Chri...

Calvin's Institutes: A Brief Introduction The Institutes of the Christian Religion (Christianae Religionis Institutio) was written by John Calvin (1509-64), the French Reformer who spent most of his life faithfully preaching and teaching God's Word in Geneva, Switzerland. First published in Latin in 1536 - its final major revision in 1559 - the Institutes became the most ...

Reformation Musings I love October. It's a month of welcome transitions. The cool weather is a long-anticipated break from a hot and muggy Charleston summer. Tree leaves of various types transform into a magnificent array of autumn colors. The holidays begin to make their approach. But for Protestants, October means more than just milder weather, college football, and the...

Sanctification the Heidelberg Catechism Exploring the Heidelberger's robust doctrine of progressive sanctification In the recent and engaging discussions on the doctrine of sanctification, I have found it interesting that some in my own denomination, The Presbyterian Church in America, are quicker to reference the Heidelberg Catechism (HC) than the Westminster Standar...

Fighting For the Truth The Apostle Paul exhorted his disciple Timothy to "fight the good fight of faith" (I Tim. 6:12a). Central to this "fight of faith" was defending the truth against those who "teach a different doctrine" and do not "agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness" (I Tim. 6:3). In some of his last writt...

In the Spiritual Ditch? Have you ever felt like you were in a spiritual ditch? Perhaps you feel that way right now. Your heart feels cold towards God, His Word, and His kingdom priorities. God seems distant. Your zeal for the Lord has waned. Your affections towards Christ have steadily declined. Your eyes are dry, and your love and concern for others feels strained and fo...