Written by Derek J. Brown |
Wednesday, October 2, 2024
Christians should grieve over the death of a fellow brother or sister in Christ. It is good and right to feel the weight of sorrow when our beloved fellow Christians are taken home. It is not a grief without hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13), but it is a grief, even a “sorrow upon sorrow.”

If we are citizens of heaven, awaiting a future of glory and an eternal inheritance—someday to be forever in the presence of Christ and again among our earthly brothers and sisters—then why should we grieve over our brethren who die and go on to heaven before us?
Isn’t it a sign of earthly-mindedness to grieve over such things? Isn’t it unspiritual to be sad when a fellow Christian dies? If so, wouldn’t it then be even more unspiritual for a Christian to rejoice when a fellow brother or sister is healed and allowed to live longer here on earth? The answer to all these questions is a resounding “no.”
To live is Christ and to die is gain.Philippians 1:21
The apostle Paul proclaimed, “To live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). He reminded the Philippians that they were citizens of heaven, someday to receive new bodies like the body of their Lord (Philippians 3:20). Yet, Paul was also grateful to God for sparing his brother and fellow worker Epaphroditus from death. Philippians 2:25-27 explains:
I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus by brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.
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Written by Derek J. Brown |
Tuesday, August 13, 2024
The man’s calling in relationship to the woman is reaffirmed throughout redemptive history. Man is tasked in Scripture with spiritual and institutional leadership (Lev. 4:22; Judg. 11:6; 2 Sam. 23:2-4; 1 Kings 14:7; 1 Chron. 15:27; Neh. 11:17; Eph. 5:23; 1 Tim. 2:12-14; 3:1-8; Titus 1:5-9), as the physical and spiritual protector (2 Chron. 17:13; Jer. 41:16; Eph. 5:25-27; Philem. 2; 2 Tim. 4:1-2), and provider (Prov. 10:4; 12:24; 21:5 [Proverbs are addressed to Solomon’s son]; 1 Tim. 5:8; 2 Thess. 3:6-12). Sadly, however, these essential qualities of godly manhood are under direct assault today from both outside and inside the church.

On a weekend in early February, I had the privilege of speaking to about sixty men at a men’s retreat in Mendocino County, California. We all enjoyed encouraging fellowship, ate some excellent food, and worshipped the living God together. Some of us even found time to shoot guns, hike the nearby trails, and smack the golf ball around. It was a wonderful time.
I spoke to the men about the essential aspects of godly manhood. In relation to women, God has created men and recreated men in Christ to lead, protect, and provide for those under their care. These responsibilities are not a mere cultural hangover from a patriarchal era of history. No, God established these responsibilities for men at the beginning of creation.
God Made Men to Lead
For example, the very fact that man was created before the woman indicates that he bears the unique responsibility to lead in relation to her (see Gen. 2:7; cf. 1:26-27). In his first letter to Timothy, Paul restricts the authoritative teaching role in the church only to men, grounding his statements in this order of creation. “I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve” (1 Tim. 2:12-13; emphasis added). When God created Adam, he was signaling to the universe that he had vested man, by virtue of his manhood, with the responsibility of leadership in relation to the woman (see also 1 Cor. 11:6-8).
God Made Men to Provide
But we also see in the Genesis narrative that God tasked the man with providing for the woman. Immediately after God created Adam he placed him in the Garden of Eden to “work it and to keep it” (Gen. 2:15). Adam’s “work” would have included cultivation of the garden and many other aspects related to exercising dominion (see Gen. 1:26-31). Work and the responsibility to provide material sustenance for his family would be a fundamental aspect of the man’s existence. This truth is re-affirmed throughout Scripture (see below).
God Made Men to Protect
The word translated “keep” is used in the Old Testament to refer to protecting others. For example, after David crept undetected into and out of Saul’s camp, he rebuked Abner (the soldier charged with protecting Saul) for allowing a breach in the perimeter. David uses the word translated “keep” in Genesis 2:15 twice in his admonition to Abner.
Then David went over to the other side and stood far off on the top of the hill, with a great space between them. And David called to the army, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, “Will you not answer, Abner?” Then Abner answered, “Who are you who calls to the king?” And David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy the king your lord. This thing that you have done is not good. As the LORD lives, you deserve to die, because you have not kept watch over your lord, the LORD’S anointed. And now see where the king’s spear is and the jar of water that was at his head.” (1 Sam. 26:13-16; emphasis added)
Abner was worthy of death because he failed to “keep watch” over Saul; David could have killed Saul had he wanted to. Similarly, God tasked Adam to “keep” the garden. This means Adam was to guard the garden from intruders. This protection would be physical, of course, but it would also be spiritual.
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Written by Derek J. Brown |
Friday, July 5, 2024
Growing in spiritual maturity means that we will become more discontent with ourselves, not less. That is not to say that we can find and should look for areas where the Lord has given grace and growth; even Paul had the spiritual capacity to say that he was mature enough to be imitated (Phil. 3:14-17) and had been able to accomplish many things by the grace of God (1 Cor. 15:10).

The longer I am a Christian, the more I realize how great a sinner I am. This realization is not necessarily a virtue in and of itself: if I am only acutely aware of my sin, I will wallow in despair and fear. On the other hand, it is by recognizing the depth of our sin that we can be brought to greater joy in Christ. This appears to be Paul’s understanding in Romans 7:13-25.
In verses 13-24, Paul openly and honestly wrestles with the sin that still resides in his heart and that actively opposes his new nature. The thing he wants to do—fully obey Christ—he is not able to wholly accomplish; at the same time, he finds himself committing the very sin he hates. This struggle with indwelling sin culminates in verse 24 where Paul cries out, “Wretched man that I am!”
Perhaps you have felt like this—perhaps you often feel like this. The question is whether or not the pervasiveness of our sin causes us to search for a remedy the way Paul did. Immediately after Paul cried out in agony over the depth of his sin, he asks rhetorically, “Who can save me from this body of death?” The answer? “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (v. 25). The implication? It is only God through Jesus Christ who can save Paul from the relentless power of sin. With this in mind, I see two conclusions we can draw from this passage.
1. Dealing honestly with our sin can and should lead us to resting and rejoicing in Christ.
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Written by Derek J. Brown |
Saturday, April 20, 2024
Those of us who tend toward introspection will, in most cases, also tend toward pulling away from people. Conversely, a proactive love toward others—family members, friends, neighbors, and enemies—is a powerful weapon against an unhealthy preoccupation with our inner life. Love is considered the distinguishing mark of the Christian.

The following is a response to an email I received a while ago. A dear brother contacted me and asked me if I could expand on an entry I had posted. Specifically, he wanted to know if and how the Lord had helped me make progress in dealing with unhealthy introspective tendencies and spiritual depression. Below is the letter with a few slight edits for clarity.  
Dear Friend,
Thank you again for your email. An inclination toward severe introspection and spiritual depression is something that has affected me since early in my Christian life, and I still find myself battling introspective tendencies and spiritual depression.
When I first came to Christ, I noticed immediately that I tended toward a severe examination of my inner life—my motives, my affections for God and for others, my faith in Christ, my holiness. Far from bringing me peace and assurance in my relationship with Christ, this propensity to question every inner-working of my heart instead brought much doubt, confusion and, inevitably, depression.
Yet, I can say that, by God’s grace, I have made significant progress in this area. As I reflect on the past several years, I can see specific means of grace that God has used to help me turn from an unhealthy preoccupation with self and sin—with the depression that inevitably follows—to a growing focus on the gospel and others. The following are several disciplines I have found to be particularly helpful in my fight against what Martin Lloyd Jones calls “morbid introspection” and the resultant spiritual depression.
A few words, first, about the following points. First, it is important to remember that overcoming introspective tendencies does not mean that we are to disregard all forms of self-examination. Sober-minded, thoughtful, doctrinally informed self-examination is required for believers (2 Cor. 13:5), and is, when conducted correctly, a means of real joy and peace.
Second, the following list includes those things I have found to be beneficial to me. It is a personal list. I hope and trust that much of what I offer here is grounded in Scripture. Nevertheless, it will be important for you to not receive this as an infallible map to spiritual health but rather as helpful suggestions as you continue to walk daily with the Lord, learning from his Word and from other counselors.
The first point (a robust understanding of the gospel), however, lays the foundation for everything else. Without this important point, our battle against morbid introspection and depression will malfunction at a fundamental level. With those two cautions in mind, let’s turn to considering the following points.
1. We need a robust understanding of the gospel.
I put this first because it is the most important. I have found that my tendency toward severe introspection is compounded to the degree that I am not seeing the gospel in all its beauty and doctrinal fullness. Specifically, this has meant understanding and embracing the important doctrines of justification, sanctification, and indwelling sin.
Justification: Scripture teaches that justification is the act of God by which he declares us wholly forgiven and righteous in his sight and on the basis of Christ’s perfect life and substitutionary death on the cross (Rom. 3:21-26; 5:1; 8:1), not upon any work that we have done or will do (Rom. 4:5; II Tim. 1:9; Tit. 3:4-7). This declaration is based solely on the work of Christ and his righteousness which God credits to our account; it is not based upon the righteousness the Holy Spirit works inside of us once he regenerates our hearts.
Nor is faith our righteousness; faith is only the instrument by which we receive the gift of righteousness—a righteousness wrought by Jesus Christ and him alone. This declaration of justification by God occurs at the moment the sinner puts genuine faith in Christ (Rom. 4:5; 5:1) and cannot be undone (Rom. 8:33-39), since it is a work God planned from all eternity (Rom. 8:29-30).
Sanctification: Sanctification is the gradual work of the Holy Spirit in our lives by which he cleanses our hearts from sin, purifies our affections and desires, and makes us more like Jesus Christ. This aspect of our sanctification is often referred to as progressive sanctification. There are several important truths about sanctification that I have found to be particularly helpful in my battle with unhealthy introspection.
First, whether one currently feels like it or not, when they placed saving faith in Jesus Christ, they died to the dominion of sin in their hearts and lives (Rom. 6:6-11). This is called definitive sanctification. Scripture does not say that we have to die continually to the dominion of sin in our lives; it says we already died to sin’s dominion when we trusted in Christ: sin no longer has dominion over us and it never will. This does not mean that genuine Christians will not sin! True saints can and do sin; sometimes even grievously. But what it does mean is that true Christians are not held sway by sin the same way they once were.
Second, our right standing with God is not based on our level of progressive sanctification; our right standing with God is based only on Christ’s life and work on the cross. This is an important distinction to make. Romans 4:5 tells us that God justifies the ungodly. This means that we are in right standing with God on the basis of Christ’s work on our behalf and our union with him by faith, and not on the progress we have made in sanctification. If we are confused here, we can never have any real confidence in our standing with God.
If we think our right standing with God is based in any way upon the progress we have made in personal holiness, we will despair when we commit sin or when our affections are not where they should be. Justification and sanctification cannot be separated—when justification occurs, sanctification inevitably follows—but they must be kept distinct in our overall understanding of salvation.
Indwelling Sin: Understanding what Scripture teaches about indwelling sin is particularly important for those of us who tend toward intense scrutiny of our hearts. If we think sin has been utterly eradicated at our conversion, the only logical conclusion we can draw when we find sin in our lives is that we have not been converted, a conclusion which typically leads to more despair and depression. On the other hand, if we recognize that sin, although it no longer holds dominion over us, is still powerfully active and pervasive in our hearts and that our responsibility is to kill this indwelling sin by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:13), then we will not despair when we find sin in our lives—we will do battle against it.
One of the most helpful discoveries I have made is the truth that the sinful flesh, though not dominating me as it once did, is still alive and active (sometimes powerfully so!) and must be mortified.
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Written by Derek J. Brown |
Monday, January 22, 2024
It’s not enough to have our anger motivated by the right reasons. Our anger must also be expressed in a godly way, or our anger will quickly downgrade to sinful wrath. Righteous anger is self-controlled anger. Although we may have a good reason to be angry—Christ was blasphemed, a fellow image bearer was mistreated, false teaching is wreaking havoc in people’s lives—we cannot allow that righteous anger to explode into a fury of harsh words and harmful violence. This means that righteous anger doesn’t merely vent itself (Prov. 29:11). Rather, those who are righteously angry will control their speech and their body (Prov. 14:17; 16:32), and channel that anger toward the problem rather than the person.

If you survey popular psychological literature, you’ll find that anger is often defined in negative terms. In an article at Psychology Today, for example, Hara Marano describes anger as a “negative experience so closely bound to pain and depression that it can sometimes be hard to know where one of these experiences ends and another begins.” In another article, Marano observes, “people have trouble managing anger and other negative emotions” (emphasis added). Yet, classifying anger as a negative emotion is not entirely accurate. Although anger can stem from unwholesome motives or be expressed in harmful, destructive ways, anger as such is not essentially negative or wrong.
We know that anger is not necessarily negative because God is described as one who is angry at the wicked every day (Ps. 5:5). Yes, the Old Testament speaks of God as “slow to anger” (Ex. 34:6; Num. 14:8) but the Scripture also contains several instances where God’s anger is the centerpiece of the narrative (Num. 25:4; 32:14). In the New Testament, Jesus was angry with the religious leaders for allowing the temple to become a place of trade (John 2:13-17) and for their unwillingness to show compassion on the Sabbath (Mark 3:5).  
Anger, therefore, is not necessarily wrong or sinful. In God’s case, anger is the natural response of perfect holiness in the face of sin. God’s anger is always righteous anger.
But that’s God. What about us? Is it possible for Christians to exhibit righteous anger? The Bible acknowledges that our anger may be unrighteous (Col. 3:8; James 1:19), and our experience would attest that it often is. But the Scripture also teaches that it is possible for Christians to express righteous anger and that it is our responsibility to do so when circumstances call for it.  
For example, Paul, quoting David from Psalm 4:4, instructs the Christians in Ephesus to “Be angry, but do not sin” (Eph. 4:26). In both texts, David and Paul are commanding their readers to be angry. How could they instruct such a thing? Because there are times when it is right and good and wholesome to be angry. Indeed, an absence of anger when a situation calls for it is likely a sign of moral indifference and apathy, not spiritual maturity. 
But given our propensity to unrighteous anger, it is vital that we understand what constitutes righteous anger. Not every angry impulse flows from godly motivations, and not every expression of anger is warranted or appropriate. In the remaining portion of this article, we will consider the marks of righteous anger so that we might grow in our capacity to be angry over the right things and angry in the right ways.
Righteous Anger Is Angry over the Right Things
Often our anger is piqued because we’ve been maligned or mistreated. While there is a place for anger over personal mistreatment (Prov. 25:23), such anger easily swerves into a selfish concern over our own desires (see James 4:1-3). When it comes to petty offenses, Scripture instructs us to overlook them (Prov. 19:11).
But a sure mark that our anger is righteous is that it is roused when God’s glory is maligned and his name mistreated. David was angry because people in Israel were speaking against the Lord and likely dishonoring the Tabernacle and corporate worship in some way (Ps. 69:9). John quotes this verse and applies it to the Greater David after he found the temple overrun by commerce and fraudulent business practice. Jesus, acting in righteous anger, flipped over tables and chased the merchants away from the spectacle (John 2:17). Jesus was incensed when his Father was dishonored, not when he was dishonored. Indeed, Jesus endured severe mistreatment without ever becoming angry or vindictive toward his enemies or seeking his own restitution (see Luke 23:34). Righteous anger is anger that is riled when our gracious heavenly Father is slandered and his worship disgraced.
Righteous anger is also kindled when we encounter injustice perpetrated against fellow image-bearers.
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Written by Derek J. Brown |
Monday, January 15, 2024
The Galatians experienced the freedom and joy of the Holy Spirit, not by keeping commandments in order to gain salvation, but by hearing and believing a message—the gospel message. We are all in danger of drifting like these Galatians. After having received the Holy Spirit by faith, we attempt to perfect ourselves by the flesh and in our own strength, trying to earn some favor with God. This is why I believe Jerry Bridges is right when he reminds us to “Preach the gospel to ourselves every day.” The truth of the gospel—the benefits of Christ’s substitutionary life and death on our behalf are received by faith alone—regularly poured into our minds and hearts, will guard us from deadening legalism and subsequent spiritual dryness.

If you have been a Christian for any amount of time, you know that spiritual passion, sight, and affections ebb and flow. At times our sense of spiritual realities can be strong and vibrant. Other times our hearts feel like lead weights, and we find ourselves longing for God to visit us once again and bring refreshment (Ps. 85:4-7). These seasons are usually referred to as times of “spiritual drought” or “spiritual dryness” and find intimate expression in many of the Psalms.
David often cried out to God in times where his soul seemed like dust, and he yearned to be refreshed by the presence of the Lord (Ps. 13; Ps. 63). Other psalmists expressed their longing to have their parched souls be replenished by the Lord (Psalm 42). Those who have tasted of the goodness of Christ know what it means to be without that taste; it leaves us pleading, “light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death” (Ps. 13:3).
Spiritual drought, though a persistent and unwelcome visitor, is not something with which we must constantly live. There are Biblical means by which we can, by grace, put ourselves in the way of refreshment; we can be restored to once again feel the joy of our salvation. But this can only happen if we are able to discern why we might be experiencing spiritual dryness, so we can take the appropriate action. With this in mind, I would like to suggest a few reasons we may be experiencing a season of spiritual drought and provide the correlating remedies.
1. Unchecked Lust
Peter’s warning could not be more explicit: “Abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul” (I Pet. 2:11). Impure thoughts and freshly cultivated fantasies will only dull our sense of spiritual things; this is what Peter means when he tells us that lust “wages war against the soul.” Harboring lust defiles our conscience, feeds our sinful flesh, and withers our spiritual vitality.
If we are experiencing the ravages of spiritual drought, it may be because we are entertaining our minds with lust and feeding our sinful desires with suggestive movies, magazines, internet sites, or by simply visiting the local mall. The only remedy called for here is sincere confession and repentance (Prov. 28:13; I John 1:9). In order to find our souls once again enthralled with the joy of our salvation, we must confess these sins and turn from them (Ps. 51:1-12), resolving to no longer make any provision for the flesh (Rom. 13:14).
2. Pride
Jesus, in confronting the Pharisees’ desire for self-exaltation, provides a valuable insight as to how pride relates to faith. The Pharisees were unable to see the truth and beauty of Christ, because they were infatuated with their own glory and loved receiving praise from men. Jesus asks them, “‘How can you believe when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?’” (John 5:44). Saving faith was hindered by their pride.
And although this passage speaks specifically of pride obstructing saving faith, I think we can safely apply this principle to our lives as Christians: pride kills faith in Jesus. If we are nurturing self-love—seeking praise and appreciation from our friends, our congregation, our professors, our supervisor, or those who read our blogs—we will find out very quickly that “God opposes the proud” (James 4:6). Our souls will shrivel as we fill them with the glory that comes from man. On the other hand, turning from ourselves and our reputations to exalt Christ at all costs will bring about spiritual renewal since “[God] gives grace to the humble.”
3. Love of Money
There is also a direct correlation between our attachment to stuff and our ability to see the glory of God. Jesus connects our physical gaze with our spiritual sight in Matthew 6:19-23. Christ instructs us to store up lasting treasures in heaven rather than temporary riches here on earth. Whether we do this or not will have a significant impact on our affections, for “where [our] treasure is, there [our] heart will be also” (Matt. 6:19-21).
Jesus continues, “‘The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness’” (Matt. 6:22-23). In other words, if we are fixed upon the glitter of earthly riches, the brightness of God’s glory cannot shine into our hearts, and we will only suffer spiritual thirst, not saturation. The solution here is to start taking our eyes off earthly riches. This is often helped through prayer and by regular and consistent giving to our churches, faithful gospel ministries, the poor, and to those in need. Isaiah 58:10-11 is encouraging in this regard,
If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
4. Lack of Bible Reading, Meditation, and Prayer
When we neglect Bible reading, meditation, and prayer, we are cutting ourselves off from essential nourishment for our souls. It is impossible to thrive spiritually without feeding our minds and hearts with God’s Word. Psalm 1 reminds us of the benefits of meditation:
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, or stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the sear of scoffers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither, in all that he does, he prospers (Ps. 1:1-3)
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Written by Derek J. Brown |
Thursday, November 23, 2023

Why is it vital to maintain that the woman’s forgiveness in this story was the result of God’s good pleasure and not the result of her love for Christ? Because if we don’t maintain this truth, we lose the gospel. The good news is that God forgives us of our sin on the basis of Christ’s death and resurrection alone, not due to any godly quality in us or good action performed by us (1 Cor 15:1-6; Rom 3:21-26). Actually, God justifies us while we are still ungodly (Rom 4:5), which means that he declares us righteous and forgiven before we begin to love him. Our love is the fruit of beholding God’s goodness in his free forgiveness of our massive debt of sin.     

The perennial debate between the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Church is over what constitutes the basis for our justification. The Reformation itself was born out of the conviction that we are justified—declared righteous—by God by faith alone apart from works. The Reformers also held that justification is a point-in-time event that occurs at the moment of faith, not an ongoing process that may or may not culminate in a final vindication at the end of time. Roman Catholic doctrine holds that God declares sinners righteous based on faith and God’s gracious work inside of them as they cooperate with grace over the course of their life. If they acquire enough gracious merit during their lifetime, they will be justified at the final judgment.
Among the various texts that Roman Catholic commentators mobilize to argue that the basis of justification is more than mere faith, a verse in Luke stands out as significant. The reason why this text is crucial to their argument is because Jesus appears to ground his forgiveness of someone’s sins in some godly quality, namely love:

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. (Luke 7:47, emphasis added)

According to this text, the argument goes, Jesus’ forgiveness of the woman’s sins was based, at least partially, in her love for Christ. She was forgiven because she loved Jesus. In his commentary on the Gospel of Luke, Catholic commentator Cornelius À Lapide (1567-1637) concluded, “The parable, therefore, plainly teaches us, that the more we love, the more we shall be forgiven.”
While it may be tempting to resort to other New Testament texts outside the immediate context to refute the idea that love—as opposed to mere faith—provides some basis by which we secure our forgiveness (e.g., Rom 4:5; Eph 2:8-9; etc.), it is best to demonstrate from the passage itself that Jesus is suggesting no such thing. In other words, I will argue that this beautiful story of a sinful woman finding forgiveness in Christ clearly teaches that such forgiveness comes only by faith in Christ, nothing more.
In Jesus’ Parable of the Moneylender, forgiveness comes before the response of love by the debtors.
First, the preceding illustration of a moneylender and his two debtors indicates that forgiveness comes before love. Indeed, the chronology between faith and love is the entire point of the illustration. The question about which debtor will have greater love for the moneylender assumes that forgiveness of their respective debt comes first and is reciprocated by a love corresponding to the amount of debt forgiven. The one who experienced a larger erasure of debt will respond with a larger expression of love. In order for the illustration to work, however, forgiveness must come before and provide the basis for the response.
Second and related, in the illustration the moneylender forgave the debt without any regard for the debtors love for him. Indeed, love wasn’t any part of the equation. The only factor the moneylender considered when cancelling the debt was the debt itself and the fact that the two debtors couldn’t pay it. Debt, not reciprocal affection, was the essence of the relationship between the borrowers and the lender.
That’s precisely how moneylending works. If you have a mortgage or a car payment, your debt is the substance of your relationship with the institution that lent you the money, and that debt will always be the substance of your relationship with that institution. We all know well that such institutions do not consider how much you do or do not love them when it comes to their expectation of prompt payment. They want their money back with interest, regardless of how you feel about them.
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Written by Derek J. Brown |
Sunday, October 15, 2023
Continue to boldly proclaim that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven. Teach and preach and share with a soft heart and tender love toward others, and remember that love does not preclude clarity on the exclusivity of Christ. Love demands it.

As you share the gospel with your friends, family members, classmates, and business colleagues, you may find that they tolerate much of your worldview until you press the point that Jesus is the one true Savior and the only one who can deliver them from eternal judgment and bring them into right relationship with God. In other words, your spiritual conversations may coast rather smoothly until you land on the exclusivity of Christ.
To speak of the exclusivity of Christ is just a way of saying, along with the apostles, that “There is no other name given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). It is simply an affirmation of Jesus’ own words when he spoke to his disciples in the upper room just before his execution: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Here are two things you need to know about the exclusivity of Christ.
1. The exclusivity of Christ is narrow, but not in the way you may think it is.
People usually don’t take well to these claims because they believe they are far too narrow. And we would be dishonest if we didn’t agree that these claims are, in fact, narrow. Yet, the exclusivity of Christ is not narrow in the sense that it is offered only to those who meet certain conditions, like an elite members club.
In her article for CNN travel, “10 of the world’s most exclusive members clubs” Michelle Koh Morollo quotes Vincent Lai, a managing director of an elite concierge service: “Those who are invited fulfill certain requirements, they usually have economic capital but most importantly they carry a lot of social clout.”
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Written by Derek J. Brown |
Friday, September 8, 2023
Jesus didn’t eat with tax collectors merely to “hang out” with them, but to call them to repentance and salvation (Luke 19:10). Jesus’ model of evangelism, then, shows us that we must be willing to engage with the gospel those whom the world despises. But it also shows us that we are not called to merely spend time with flagrant sinners, nor should we engage with them in a way that condones their sinful lives or participates in their sin. Rather, we are to use these opportunities to lovingly call them to repentance.

To understand the tax collectors of Jesus’ day and how they were viewed by their fellow Jews, we must first gain some insight into the tax system in Israel. At the time of Jesus, Israel was under Roman occupation, and Rome exercised its authority over Israel by placing governors over some of its provinces (e.g., the Herods in Galilee and Judea).
Rome also installed a comprehensive tax system throughout its empire to fund the local and national governments, infrastructure, public building projects, markets, stadiums, and so on. Throughout the empire, taxes were levied on property, exports and imports, the use of roads, income, crops (wine, fruit, and oil), entrances into towns, the transportation of goods; and there were even taxes on salt, purchases (sales tax), animals, vehicles, and the selling of slaves. (The Jews were also taxed annually for use of their temple.)
Rome exercised little regulation over their tax franchises.
Rome eventually started to offer regional tax “franchises” to entrepreneurs who would bid for the opportunity to oversee a tax collection service in a given area. The entrepreneur would then hire local tax collectors to gather taxes from residents.
Apart from setting the required tax quota, Rome exercised little regulation over these franchises, so the Publican (a Latin term that referred to the owner of the franchise, not a local tax collector) was able to establish his own commission. By offering these franchises to the highest bidder and allowing the Publican to set his own rates, the system was vulnerable to fraud. These tax collectors were usually involved in collecting indirect taxes (tolls, customs, etc.) and were usually located at the entrance of major towns and ports of entry.
Jewish tax collectors in Jesus’ time were considered no better than thieves.
Jewish tax collectors in Israel were despised for at least two reasons. The first reason was due to their connection with a foreign power that was presently occupying Israel.
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Written by Derek J. Brown |
Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Meditation plants the truth of God’s word deep into our souls so that we are genuinely changed and enabled to walk in faith and obedience. I am willing to risk exaggeration at this point by saying that the primary reason most Christians plateau in their spiritual growth is for lack of true meditation. Install meditation firmly into your arsenal of spiritual disciplines, and you will do much to promote intimacy with Christ, spiritual maturity, and wisdom in your life.

While many Christians know that spending time in Scripture must become a priority—a valuable discipline—in our lives, we will keep ourselves from much blessing if we don’t also make the discipline of meditation an essential part of our worship.
The moment I mention the word meditation, however, it is possible that you are immediately drawn to images of people sitting in the Lotus Position: eyes closed, legs crossed, with palms up on one’s knees, with the thumb and middle finger on each hand slightly touching. That’s because our culture is fascinated with Eastern meditation and, most recently, something called “Mindfulness” (although mindfulness experts do not all insist on one specific kind of posture, even though they would say posture is important).
What Biblical Meditation Is Not
This kind of meditation is generally characterized by the use of repeated mantras, the constant act of releasing one’s “bad” or “harmful” thoughts or the clearing of one’s mind of any “thinking” whatsoever. Mindfulness is not meditation per se but is usually achieved through a kind of meditation that focuses on controlled breathing and fixing all of one’s concentration on the “now” of one’s experience. “Mindfulness,” we are told, “is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.”
It is not an exaggeration that biblical meditation is almost completely antithetical to the brand of meditation described above. First, we know that biblical meditation doesn’t include the use of repeated mantras, for Christ himself tells us to not multiply thoughtless words in our prayers to God (Matt. 6:7).
Second, biblical meditation is best understood, not as mind-emptying, but mind-filling; not thought removal, but thought replacement. Nor is biblical meditation mere “mindfulness,” for without the instruction of God’s Word our act of being “fully present” may leave us vulnerable to deceitful spirits (Eph. 6:12); and our endeavor not to be “overly reactive or overwhelmed” will merely be an act of our will, unguided and unprotected by divine wisdom.
Finally, the effectiveness of biblical meditation is not dependent on a certain kind of posture. In fact, it’s not dependent on posture at all. You can meditate on your bed (Ps. 63:6), or you can meditate in the midst of your preparations for battle (Josh. 1:8). You can meditate day and night, no matter what you are doing (Ps. 1:1-6).
What Biblical Meditation Is
Meditation, very simply, is ruminating on, thinking over, and pondering God (Ps. 63:6), his works (Ps. 72:12; 119:27, 148; 145:3, 5), and his Word (Ps. 1:1-6; 119:15, 23, 48, 78). In Hebrew, the word for meditation literally means to mumble to oneself; speaking to oneself audibly or in one’s heart. But it is not a mindless activity or the repetition of a mantra. Biblically, to meditate means to ponder, consider, chew on, and mull over the word of God. Biblical meditation is full of content, not void of it; it is thoughtful, not thoughtless.
Why Is Biblical Meditation So Important?
The central reason why meditation is vital in the life of the believer is that meditation is the bridge between knowledge and obedience (Josh. 1:8; Ps. 119:98-100). How many of us have our minds filled with a broad knowledge of biblical truth, but have remained, for the most part, superficial and spiritually immature because we don’t allow the truth to go deep into our hearts through meditation?
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