David finally found the truth that it was not his seed of kingship but the promise made to Abraham that made him holy. From that, David refused to be moved and wrote this Psalm by the necessity of the Spirit as the assurance of faith. The law never made a man holy, not even one as robust as David; yet faith did this great thing without lifting a finger.
Today, the longing for cultural Christianity on both the left and the right hearkens back to an older version of Christendom that was a mixed blessing for the church in the western world. The cultural mediation of Christian views on created order has certainly benefitted the civilization we’ve inherited. But the gospel itself isn’t something that can be reduced to cultural mediation either. Instead, the gospel as a message stands apart from all human accomplishments and achievements, no matter how beneficial they might be.
Josephus does not tell us that Christianity is true, and Christians do not need Josephus to tell them that Christ is risen. But Christianity makes claims about things that happened in public history under identifiable rulers, priests, and governors. For that reason, testimony from outside the church matters.

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Just as trick-or-treaters arrive at doorsteps as beggars, we come to the Lord’s table with nothing to offer but our sin and need for forgiveness.
Luther understood that music is an exceptional teaching tool.
The difference between God's gospel and man's could not be greater.
Below is the Thinking Fellows Essential Reading List with contributions from each of the Thinking Fellows hosts.
This is an excerpt from Chapter 7 of Junk Drawer Jesus written by Matt Popovits (1517 Publishing, 2024). Available today!
Jesus came for little children, and that is what we are. We are children of God.
This article is part of Stephen Paulson’s series on the Psalms.
Jacob is given the gospel afresh right when he needed it and it is because of this gospel that his faith is stirred up anew.
Are you tempted to say with the father in Mark 9, today or any day, "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief"?
The mere fact of “having faith” or saying that “you believe” is not as important as in what or in whom your faith rests.
To obtain this righteousness, you have to admit you don’t have it and could never produce it on your own because you are unrighteous.
True religion or true faith is heavenly. It understands that mankind’s only hope has to come from outside of itself.