Scripture Applied

David wrote more than 70 divinely-inspired psalms that directly spoke to the highs and lows he experienced as a man. This points to a vital truth—that God, in His kindness, has given us songs for every aspect of our life journey. Here are key singing lessons to draw from this truth. First, sing with your whole heart (Zeph. 3:14). Second, sing to be changed. Third, sing to do battle (Num. 21;...

Because singing praise to God is part of how we present our bodies as a live sacrifice to Him (Rom. 12:1; Ps. 100:2), we must know how to do it. Here are six key lessons. First, sing to teach one another. Second, sing to admonish one another. Third, sing to help you remember God’s word. Fourth, sing strong with gusto. Fifth, sing to proclaim truth. And, sixth, sing for the unity of the churc...

Singing praise to God is part of how we present our bodies as a live sacrifice to Him (Rom. 12:1; Ps. 100:2). Thus, churches and families should seek to create a vibrant culture of singing. This starts with knowing why we sing. First, we sing because we must, in obedience to God’s specific commands. Second, we sing because God made our bodies, including the voice, as musical instruments. Thi...

There is nothing we do, as believers, that's more important than to gather with the people of God for the right worship of God. Yet we’re not free to dream up our own ideas on how to do this. The acceptable way of worshiping God is instituted by Him and limited by His revealed will—what’s known as the regulative principle of worship. The normative principle, by contrast, argues t...

There is nothing we do, as believers, that's more important than to gather with the people of God for the right worship of God. Yet we’re not free to dream up our own ideas on how to do this. The acceptable way of worshiping God is instituted by Him and limited by His revealed will—what’s known as the regulative principle of worship. The normative principle, by contrast, argues t...

As Christians, we’re justified by faith (Rom. 1-11), but that faith should drive us to make our bodies a living sacrifice, resulting in a vibrant church (Rom. 12-16). That’s Paul’s case in the book of Romans, and in chapter 12, he gives a diagnostic checkup. In every phrase he describes what the people of God must do to create a superior culture of godliness in the local church....

A doxology is a “Song of Praise,” and Romans 11:33-36 gives us one the most thrilling doxologies in all of Scripture. In it Paul proclaims these powerful truths: (1) The riches of God’s wisdom are unfathomable; (2) His mind is beyond our comprehension; (3) His word is final; (4) His grace does not require our merit; and (5) whatever we do, He—not us—will get the glory...

The miracle of Christianity is that it involves an inward change of the heart. It results in new life, new thinking, and new behavior. Apart from Christ’s work to change your heart of stone to a heart of flesh, there’s no assurance of salvation. Your reputation, your lifestyle, your boasting in God, your knowledge, your approval of what is right, and the fact that you’re well ins...

In Romans 11, the Apostle Paul reveals God’s Word as a thrilling symphony across the ages as he unveils God ’ s master plan to save both Jews and Gentiles. Like a master pianist, Paul goes from one end of Scripture to another, moving across the keys of history to expose the beauty of salvation. In so doing, he is following his Maker’s pattern, as Louis Gaussen states, “The...

Antisemitism must have no place in our outlook as Christians. Take Paul’s case in Romans 11 to heart. In the Old Testament, the Jews were the centerpiece of God’s redemptive work. Yet when Christ came, they waged war against Him and his disciples and were, on the whole, rejected; and “Through their fall . . . salvation has come to the Gentiles” (Rom. 11:11). If you’re...

Paul declared preaching to be essential to salvation, but also stressed the need for sinners to carefully hear, for “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17). This is as important today as it was then, and as we raise our children, it’s critical we teach them to be attentive to the preacher. J.C. Ryle gives three helpful rules for listening to a sermon:...

While sinners come to Christ in different ways, preaching is God’s primary means to bring about salvation. The Apostle Paul declares, “how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:14). And God, Paul attests, is persistent in crying out to sinners, and so we should be (Rom. 10:20). Often, it’s the cumulative...

What drives churches into irrelevancy and compromises the family’s integrity at its core? It’s syncretism—mixing the things of God with the things of the world. And one of the greatest syncretizing tools in the world today are our phones. As Christians, we must ask ourselves, “Are these devices making me more or less holy in how I use them?” To avoid syncretism, we mu...

How can a sinner be saved? In Romans 10 Paul declares that we must, first, “confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus” (Rom. 10:9), which means to fully lay our lives under the authority of Christ’s Lordship. Second, we must “ believe in [our] heart that God has raised Him from the dead ” (Rom. 10:9). This is not mere intellectual assent, for the demons believe, and tremb...

All are seeking righteousness and fall in one of two camps: They either seek it through faith or through works. In Romans 9:30-33 we learn that the sand of human righteousness cannot save the soul, but only faith on the rock of Jesus Christ, faith that God implants in the heart of man. Faith is not salvation, to be clear; it is the vehicle that gets you there. It is the only channel through which...

In our human flesh, Romans 9 can be a hard pill to swallow, because it teaches that God predestinates to both glorification and to damnation. Anticipating this very reaction, the Apostle Paul declared, “O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the s...

No one has an excuse to reject God. Why? “For since the creation of the world His invisible  attributes  are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made,  even  His eternal power and Godhead” (Rom. 1:19). Despite man’s protests to the contrary, he knows— deep down—that there is a God. Yet, “although they [know] God, they [do] not glorify Him as Go...

Happy Thanksgiving! Whatever we’re going through during this season, we should “give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever (Ps. 136:1). We should also be grateful for the people He’s placed in our lives—giving thanks, with joy, for fellow believers who love God’s word, remembering them in our prayers (1 Thess. 1:2, 13): “For what than...

Every Christian’s had moments where they were ashamed to speak the truth of the gospel. So how can we be delivered from this fear? In Romans 1:16-17, the Apostle Paul gives four words to describe why he’s not ashamed of the gospel: power, salvation, faith, and righteousness. First, the gospel has power—the power of God, not man. Second, it brings salvation—by God’s po...

The doctrine of election is the greatest manifestation of the mercy of God towards sinners. He saves sinners who do not deserve it. It is God who appoints to salvation; man cannot do it o n his own. So what should we say about all of this? First, rejoice in your dependence. We could not have turned our own hearts around, but He did, and this should cause us to adore Him. Second, rest in God’...

Election is one of the most hated doctrines of the Bible, because it’s an assault on man-centeredness. Because of this, many find Romans 9 disturbing. In this chapter, the Apostle Paul explains that election is a vindication of the justice of God, yet it’s also an exaltation of His grace in salvation. As we grapple with this text, the question we must ask is this: Would you rather have...

In today’s world, you can’t escape being confronted with Halloween. Whether you’re shopping with your family, or driving past your neighbor’s lawn, you’ll find its ghoulish images on display. Using Scripture alone, how should Christians think about it, when the word “Halloween” doesn't appear in the Bible? God’s Word declares we’re not to &ldqu...

Too often, Christians view the Holy Spirit, narrowly, as the source to set them on fire for God and make them satisfied. Such a view shortchanges the Holy Spirit’s role. The truth is, the Spirit of God is working quietly in the background in every part of the believer’s life. In Romans 8, Paul gives five powerful ways the Spirit ministers to Christians. First, the Spirit makes us free...

All throughout Scripture, we’re told to “Sing to the Lord.” The church is commanded to sing, and how a church sings is telling. It not only shapes the culture of a church, but it reveals what’s important to God’s people. When we sing together corporately, we’re declaring what kind of God we worship, what kind of gospel we’re proclaiming, and what the basis...

God defines love by the things that He does, and what He does for His people spans the entire arc of history—from His predestinating love, in eternity past, to His ultimate glorification of the believer (Rom. 8:28-30). Nothing can separate God’s elect from His everlasting love: not tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or sword—nor the threats or accusatio...