No Salvation Outside the Church? (Ephesians 1; 5:10, BC 28)

Article 28 in the Belgic Confessions says two things that some people find troubling. First, it states that there is no salvation outside the church. What about the thief on the cross? What about deathbed confessions? What about children who die in infancy? Does this mean that the Reformed believed that the church tells the Lord who is in the kingdom and who is outside the kingdom?

The second thing that this article states is that people read that we are not to have fellowship with non Christians. Is the Belgic Confession really teaching that we cannot interact with non Christian people?

Christ's Easy Yoke (Matthew 11:28; BC 28)

Christ is our gracious Lord who takes away the heavy burden. Christ's righteousness goes beyond that of the scribes and the pharisees. Does this mean that we just have to work harder to attain the Lord's favor? Does this mean that we live as we want? How can Christ take away the heavy burden, but still we are called to conform to the Lord?

God's Triumphing Temple (Habakkuk 2:5-20)

The world seems to have gone awry at different times in history. We might wonder if the Lord really takes note of this age or if the Lord is just sleeping. Habakkuk wants to know what the Lord is doing. The Lord shocked him by saying that he sending the Babylonians to bring judgment. How can the Lord counteract the problem that is worse than what Habakkuk sees?

One Holy Catholic Church (1 Kings 19; BC 28)

The prophet Elijah is very discouraged. It is strange that he would be discouraged. He has won the battle of the gods and rain has been sent in the land. It would seem that these are good things, and why the discouragement? The rain is not good enough for Jezebel because the Baal prophets have been executed. She vows to kill Elijah. Elijah runs to the wilderness to die, and then to a cave at Horeb. The Lord is going to speak, but what is he going to say? How is the Lord going to sustain his servant through this event? How does the Lord give assurance that his church will be preserved until the end?

One Catholic Church (Psalm 89:36; BC 27)

It is strange for protestants to profess that we are "One Catholic Church" or that there is "One Holy Catholic Church." How can protestants deny being Roman Catholic, but still be a member of the one Catholic Church?

Faith of the Faithful (Habakkuk 1:12-2:4)

Habakkuk is coming to grips with the reality that the Lord is bringing a nation worse than Israel to judge Israel. This does not seem possible, but this is what the Lord is doing. So, how does one cope with such disappointing news?

Just Do My Will (Habakkuk 1:1-11)

We are wise human beings and we know what is best for the world around us. In our wisdom we think that God just needs to listen to us because he does not see things clearly. We begin our study in Habakkuk with the prophet expressing his frustration with God. His frustration is that God does not deal with this world fairly and Habakkuk is upset with the reality he sees. What do we learn about humanity from our prophet? What do we learn about God? What do we learn about our own faulty perceptions?

Our Sympathetic Priest (Heb. 4:14-16; 10:19, 23)

Human beings can cast God in our image rather than seeing humans are created in God's image. We fail to comprehend that God desires us to pursue him, and God himself is the priest enabling our pursuit. We can devise our own schemes to please God without hearing the Lord's means to enter into his presence. How do we know that our Lord is gracious in his call? How do we know that our God is a gracious priest who desires us to lay our burdens on him? How do we know that God is the one who has really redeemed His people?

Great Comission (Matthew 28:16-20)

The disciples run out to meet Christ on a mountain Galilee. We would like to find the mountain, but Christ never identifies the proper mountain. Why is it a mountain Galilee? What does Christ mean that all authority in heaven and earth is given to him? How can such a statement be encouraging for us?

Our One Advocate (I John 2:1; BC 26)

Christ has ascended into heaven. Scripture implies that heaven is above the sky. Heaven is far away, and so is our Lord. This is what we are tempted to think and we can be tempted to think that our Lord is too busy to keep track of us. Is this the case? Should we find others to pray on our behalf because our Lord is too busy? How do we know that Christ has done enough and continues to intercede for us?

Are you an Insider or Outsider?

When Christ teaches the crowds he does not care about one's genealogy. This means that one is not necessarily disqualified or qualified to follow Christ because they are child of Abraham. However, this is also true for the gentiles. Christ calls the crowd to be insiders of the kingdom whether they are a literal child of Abraham or a gentile. This leads to the logical question: how do I know if I am an insider?

Why Study the Old Testament? (2 Peter 3; BC 25)

Peter is the spokesmen for the apostles. In fact, we would expect Peter to silence critics by making an apostolic decree to silence any skepticism of the gospel. Peter does not do this at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 and he does not do this when he writes his second letter to the church. How does Peter prove that Christ is coming again if he does not just make an apostolic decree? How does the Old Testament prove Peter's point?

Glorious Slaves (Romans 6)

The concept of slavery is appalling because it means that one human being is owned by another human being. So why would the Apostle Paul declare us to be slaves? We are either slaves of sin or slaves of Christ. How can it be glorious to be a slave of Christ Jesus if he owns us?

He Has Saved Us! (Matthew 28)

The resurrection affords us great comfort because we know for certain that those in Christ will be raised to life. The resurrection consoles us as we think about parting at the end of this life. However, can Christ's resurrection grant us comfort now? Can Christ's resurrection accomplish something other than merely guaranteeing my resurrection? Why is Chris's resurrection so essential for Christianity?

Can He Save Us? (Matthew 27:55-66)

We mighty wonder how Christ's burial contributes to the success of his mission. One thing we note is that Christ cannot remain on the cross as a covenant breaker, but he must be taken down to fulfill the Mosaic law. This is also fulfills what the Lord spoke through Isaiah that the suffering servant would be buried in a rich man's tomb. Matthew subtly shows us that the Lord continues to fulfill his mission even in death. So, we can see the fulfillment of the Old Testament, but how can Matthew's recounting of Christ's burial assure us that Christ is able to save us from our sins?

Living as a New Creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)

The Corinthian church appears to doubt Paul's apostolic credentials because he does not seem spiritual enough or like the guru they have come to expect. Paul encourages the church to shift and reorient their focus. Where is the church called to orient its focus? How does this shift in focus change our priorities? How does this shift in focus conform us to Christ?

Mount Zion Prevails (Obadiah 1:15-21)

Human beings want to build their own heaven on earth. This is not something new nor is it necessarily sinful because the Garden of Eden was a taste of heaven on earth. When does this desire become sinful? Will man be able to build heaven on earth when it seems that God is silent? Is this a legitimate problem or just a problem with our perception?

Righteousness of Faith (2) (Philippians 3:1-11)

The apostle Paul is one who could be very confident in his fleshly works. Paul himself says that he was blameless by the standard of the law. Why would the Apostle Paul need Christ if he is blameless? Why is Paul's life as a pharisee important for us to know? What does it teach us about being set free in Christ?

Day of Calamity (Obadiah 10-14)

Edom is confident that as long as they dwell on top of the mountain they are on top of the world. No one can bring them down, and they can seize the day by continually raiding Judah. Does the Lord see this and does the Lord care? Is this the serpents victory day or is this another day?

Serpent Subjection (Obadiah 1-9)

It can feel as if we are alone and the Lord does not care about our circumstances here on earth. It is very likely that Judah felt this way as the Babylonians marched them out of the land in front of their brother Esau. Esau taunts his brother while Esau is safely nestled in the clefts of the rock. Esau is above the world, but is he above the Lord? Does the Lord see how alone Judah feels and we can feel at times? Will the Lord really bring about His redemptive promises?