Jesus' atonement was, most of all, penal substitution. Christ bore the punishment for my sin in my place. What it means is that, on the cross, God treated Jesus as if he had lived my life and punished him for my every sin. Calvin thus calls Christ “our substitute-ransom and propitiation” (Thiselton 2018:94). That's why … Continue reading How Can I Stand before the Holy God?
That Scary Middle-Aged Asian Man
I chased them furiously. The two teenage boys crazily ran down the stairs as if they were being chased by a wolf. Being caught finally, the younger one cried, “Bayram, bayram!” The older one gave up fleeing, stopped, and looked back in disbelief. Approaching me, he muttered the same thing, “Bayram, bayram.” I was too … Continue reading That Scary Middle-Aged Asian Man
“It’s alright.”
It was a peaceful Friday afternoon before I accidentally backed into a car behind me at the gas station. My car hit the car's front bumper. Not too hard, but the noise was undeniable. I immediately got off and approached the puzzled middle-aged man who was still sitting in his Mazda 3. "I am so … Continue reading “It’s alright.”
#60 (The Heidelberg Catechism)
My heart was deeply encouraged when we read QA 60 of the Heidelberg Catechism during Sunday worship service last week. It moved me because it powerfully describes how righteous I am before God: I am as righteous as Jesus Christ. Q. How are you righteous before God? A. Only by true faith in Jesus Christ. … Continue reading #60 (The Heidelberg Catechism)
True Repentance
Pope Francis returned to the Vatican last Saturday (Jul 30, 2022). In this historic Canadian tour which he had named “a penitential pilgrimage,” he visited several regions apologizing for the Catholic Church’s role in the ethnic “genocide”—the abuse, violence, and racism that caused countless deaths—in the Canadian residential school system. The residential school system was … Continue reading True Repentance