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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Christ is always the ultimate for God's children, but we sometimes struggle with things that come before.
Show me a sinner, and I’ll write you a story of a God who saves them.
To preach Christ and him crucified is to keep the message simple and accessible.
Jesus Christ is relentless. He does not give up. And with him comes the certainty of redemption.
Let your soul grieve, yes, but don’t let it be eaten alive by worry.
God’s creatures on four legs are some of the greatest storytellers of the Scriptures.
The sinful nature loves self, and pride is its native tongue.
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.
The mere fact of “having faith” or saying that “you believe” is not as important as in what or in whom your faith rests.
He will never leave you nor forsake you. Your faith is not fragile glass.
This is an excerpt from Chapter 6 of Clothed with Christ written by Brian W. Thomas (1517 Publishing, 2024). Now available!
This article is part of Stephen Paulson’s series on the Psalms.