Chalmers' Blog

Is God Still Angry at Sin After the Cross?

Is God still angry at sin after the cross? Few questions cut closer to the heart of the gospel than this one: If God poured out his wrath on Jesus at the cross, is God still angry at sin today?

Behind the question are pastoral concerns (How does God look at me when I fail?), theological tensions (wrath, justice, love), and even preaching instincts (Should we still warn about God’s anger?). To answer faithfully, we must be precise (biblically and theologically) about what kind of anger we mean, toward whom, and in what covenantal context.

Saturday Snippets (December 20)

As well as reading a lot of books, I also read a ton of articles every week. Here are some of the articles that I’ve read recently and have found interesting, helpful, challenging and encouraging. I hope that they will be the same for you, my dear readers…

Understanding God’s Justice: Does Knowledge Affect Judgment?

One of the pastoral and theological questions that Christians wrestle with, almost constantly, is whether God judges people differently based on what they know. Some questions that pop up might be; what about sins committed in ignorance? Are we more accountable once we know God’s law? And how does this square with the justice and grace of God?

Romans 4:14–15 brings these questions into sharp focus:

“For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.”

At first glance, Paul’s statement seems startling. Where there is no law there is no transgression? Does that mean ignorance excuses sin? Does God judge differently depending on awareness?

Saturday Snippets (December 13)

How Do We Measure Christian Maturity? (Hint: It’s Not Just Bible Facts)

Written by a fellow pilgrim who knows how easy it is to confuse information with transformation.

Christians love saying, “I’m a mature believer/Christian.” Sometimes it even comes with a tone, the tone, (we’ve all heard it) that suggests the discussion is now settled because of someone’s supposed spiritual seniority. But Scripture invites us to test such claims, not to shame or embarrass, but because true maturity is a gift God actually wants to grow in His people.

The problem is that we often measure maturity by the wrong metrics. We confuse information with formation, and equate Christian vocabulary with Christ-like virtue. Which is understandable because information is measurable. But I don’t think that it’s the right way.

The gospel saves us by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, and the Spirit grows us as we abide in the Word. But that grace produces fruit, and that fruit is measurable, and that fruit is one sign of maturity.

So what does Christian maturity look like?

Saturday Snippets (December 6)

Reviving Solid Preaching in Modern Churches

There’s a strange irony in the church today: we have more access to sermons, podcasts, commentaries, and theological resources than any generation before us, but we may be the most starved for solid preaching. At the same time, we have shelves full of the writings of the Puritans, Reformers, and faithful saints of old, and still many Christians act as if those voices are irrelevant, outdated, or simply too demanding. And underneath both trends lies a quiet but potent danger: generational snobbery, the belief that our time, our tastes, and our insights are superior to those who came before.

This problem is not new, but it is sharper now than ever. Let’s look at what’s driving it, why it matters, and how I think Scripture calls us to respond.

Saturday Snippets (Nov 29)

Where Have All the Impure Spirits Gone?

Last week I wrote an article about the role of the Holy Spirit in the lives if Christians today, particularly in the context of spiritual gifts. So naturally that got people thinking about demons or impure spirits. Here is an evangelical reflection on demons, deliverance, and some of our modern blind spots

One of the striking features of the New Testament—especially the Gospels and Acts—is how often Jesus and his apostles confront impure spirits (or demons, depending on what translation of the Bible you use). Whether in the synagogue, in the streets, or in the wilderness, demonic forces are shown to be active, vocal, and violently opposed to the kingdom of God. Yet many Christians today look at their own experience and wonder: