Genesis 3 isn't just about man's fall, it's about God's grace. Picture: Unsplash Genesis 3 (NIV) 3  Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2   The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5   “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6   When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9   But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” 11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring  and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” 16 To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” 17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” 20 Adam named his wife Eve,  because she would become the mother of all the living. 21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. HEIDELBERG CATECHISM Q&A 7 Q. Where does man's corrupt nature come from? A. From the fall and disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve, in Paradise. This fall has so poisoned our nature that we are born sinners— corrupt from conception on. Summary What’s so shocking about this sad slide into sin is its subtlety. We often refer to this episode as  the fall , a word that implies violent collapse. Falls are rarely gentle—whether it’s a person slipping on ice, an airplane dropping from the sky, or an empire crumbling under its own weight. But this—the greatest fall in history—unfolds through a quiet, ordinary conversation. No shouting. No force. It begins with a wild animal the LORD God had made, one more crafty than the rest. As the NET Bible puts it,  the serpent was shrewd . Adam, God’s image bearer entrusted with dominion, should have driven it out to keep the garden holy—but he did not. Notice the serpent’s strategy. He doesn’t force sin or even directly tempt. He simply sows doubt and twists the truth. And it works—which is why he still uses the same tactic today. The serpent exploited the woman’s weakness: theology. She didn’t know God as she should, so he asked, “Did God really say…?”  God had forbidden only one tree, but that command had first been given to Adam, and it was his job to teach it to those who came after him. He failed. The woman added to God’s word, saying they couldn’t even touch the tree. The serpent had succeeded. Once it became apparent to the woman that she couldn't trust her intellect, she handed over the decision making reigns to her lower senses. And since the fruit seemed good, pleasing to the eye  and desirable, she took some and ate it.  All while the man stood passively and watched it all unfold. Until she gave some to him - who was with her -  and he ate it too.   Dig Deeper   Most English Bibles title this passage The Fall , an accurate but incomplete description. Genesis 3 doesn’t only recount humanity’s rebellion—it also introduces God’s grace.  That’s why we keep coming back to this passage so often. The LORD God  comes searching for His fearful, ashamed image bearers. Instead of crushing them with deserved wrath, He covers their nakedness with garments made from a sacrificed animal. Even as He pronounces curses, He does so in a way that points forward to the gospel—the serpent-crushing promise. Even Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden is an act of grace, preventing them from cementing themselves in their rebellion for eternity by taking from the tree of life and living forever.  This sets forth the story of the Bible from this point on until Revelation 22, when access to that Tree is finally restored for all those who are in Christ. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who came to find His fallen image bearers; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for strength and wisdom to see past the serpent's ongoing lies; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

Genesis 2 tells you what you are & what you're for. Picture: Alexey Demidov via Unsplash Genesis 2:4–25 (ESV) 4   These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. 5  When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6  and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 7  then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8  And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9  And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10  A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11  The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12  And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13  The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14  And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15  The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17  but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” 18  Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 19  Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20  The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21  So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22  And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23  Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” 24  Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25  And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. HEIDELBERG CATECHISM Q&A 6 Q. Did God create man so wicked and perverse? A. No. God created them good and in his own image, that is, in true righteousness and holiness, so that they might truly know God their creator, love him with all their heart, and live with him in eternal happiness for his praise and glory Summary Today's opening verse helps explain where the book of Genesis gets its name: These are the generations of the heavens and the earth... . This phrase will be repeated eight more times before the book is over, each time introducing a new phase in the ongoing story. While the famous first chapter laid out God's sovereign creation poetically in a rhythmic fashion, chapter two slows the pace down and adds a few more details, although they're still pretty scant. But it's this often overlooked second chapter that sets the stage for the rest of scripture as it introduces us to ourselves - man and woman, and the importance of these revelations can't be understated. It's here, right at the beginning of the Bible, that you find out both what you are and what you're for. The first thing you find out about yourself here is that you're holy. Now this word has many senses depending on its context, the most familiar of which is being pure and faultless. Although man was this upon his creation, this isn't the aspect of holiness that this passage emphasizes. The word holy also means separate - literally: cut apart. This is the first thing you learn about yourself as you read the Bible: you're different from everything else that's been created. Yesterday we read of God speaking everything from nothingness into being , today we read of Him forming the man of dust from the ground and then stooping down to breathe into his nostrils the breath of life. Whereas God verbally ordained the universe into existence like a mighty King, He intimately formed His prize creation into His own image like a loving Father.   Dig Deeper   Just as this second chapter explains what you are - a holy man, created imago Dei - it also unpacks what you're for. The first clue comes early and is easy to miss: Before Adam, there was no man to work the ground . Certainly this work includes the aspects we commonly associate with it. It's good to be reminded that although our work is miserably cursed because of sin, the concept itself came before the Fall and is one of the principle reasons you exist. So do your work well! Because work is such a fundamental aspect of your identity, it gets repeated in one of the Bible's most important verses: 15  The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. It's that second verb - keep - that helps us understand that work involves much more than tillage. But there's a grammatical conundrum here: we're created to work it - we get that, and we're good at it! - and we must keep it, but keep it what? Clean? Well maintained? Taken care of? Yes! But that's not all. This humble little word keep keeps showing up in critical passages of Scripture. So as the Bible unfolds, it becomes increasingly clear that your primary purpose is both to work to expand God's glory and to keep both God's created world and your intimately formed life the way God made it: holy - pure and faultless. But you already know you haven't fulfilled this purpose and you're hopeless unable to do so. So starting tomorrow, and, Lord willing, each weekday for the rest of this year, we're going to see how it is that your Savior restores your holiness and enables you to fulfill the purposes you were created for. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who formed us and breathed the breath of life into us; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that, having been redeemed by the blood of Christ, you will fulfill the purposes for which you were created. A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

Your Creator's sovereign power is clear from the beginning. Picture: Benjamin Voros via Unsplash Genesis 1–2:3 (NIV) 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2   Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3  And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4   God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5   God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. 6  And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7   So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8   God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day. 9   And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10  God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11  Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12  The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13  And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. 14  And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15  and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16  God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17  God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18  to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19  And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. 20  And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21  So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22  God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23  And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. 24  And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25  God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 26  Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27  So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28  God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” 29  Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30  And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31  God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. 2 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2   By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3  Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. Belgic Confession, Article 12 We believe that the Father created heaven and earth and all other creatures from nothing [ ex nihilo ], when it seemed good to him, by his Word— that is to say, by his Son. He has given all creatures their being, form, and appearance, and their various functions for serving their Creator. Summary It makes sense for a book to start in the beginning. But every other book and every other story finds its beginning within the confines of an already existing context. Even the ancient creation myths from various cultures begin with some sort of cosmic force that itself must operate within predefined physical laws, working with some sort of pre-existing matter. But the Bible is different. The Bible's beginning takes place when all that is now was not. Not even light itself existed, much less the fundamental elements that comprise our physical universe. All that was in the beginning was the God who instructs us to call Him I AM . The Bible's first claim is purely theological: there is a massive distinction between the Creator and His creation. The Creator has always existed, complete in His Triune self. His creation - that is, as the Belgic Confession puts it, heaven and earth and all other creatures - came about when He spoke in the beginning. And His creation didn't just creep into place as the result of slow motion naturalistic processes; rather it suddenly and instantly sprang into being as the Word rang out. The LORD's royal nature becomes evident just a sentence after the beginning - like a King, he issued a verbal fiat. God decreed Let there be light - and there was light.   Dig Deeper   Since the Bible starts in the beginning, in makes sense that our enemy's attacks begin in this same exact place. No other chapter of the Bible has been subject to as many withering attacks as this first chapter has. You've been taught and told that you can either trust the science or blindly put your faith in a Creator. This false dichotomy isn't at all true. This lie is part of a coordinated effort to sow mistrust not just in these opening words of scripture, but in every word that follows this first chapter. As Screwtape explains to his protege Wormwood , “If you can make the patient believe that all his choices are really just the inevitable results of heredity and environment, you have robbed the Enemy of His greatest advantage.” We don't have the space to hash out all of the myriads of ways to properly interpret the Beginning or sort out the orthodox views from the unorthodox. God is purposefully sparing of details in His creation account, yet our sinful nature longs to fill in the blanks. As Calvin famously wrote , where God has closes His mouth, we must desist from inquiry. Just keep these two important concepts front of mind as we read through the 1,188 chapters of the Bible that follow this one in this coming year: Our God, the great I AM, has always been sovereign and in control, creating everything out of nothing. And He pronounced that His creation was very good. This is the epic story that we begin to day: How it is that this good creation, now stained and cursed with our sin, will be made new and very good once again by our sovereign God and King. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, Creator of heaven and earth; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you faithfully obey the One who sovereignly spoke all things into existence and who is making all things new; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

As you begin a new year, pray for full šā·lôm. Faithlife.com Psalm 72 Of Solomon. 1  Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness. 2  May he judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice. 3  May the mountains bring prosperity [ šā·lôm ] to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness. 4  May he defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; may he crush the oppressor. 5  May he endure  as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations. 6  May he be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth. 7  In his days may the righteous flourish and prosperity [ šā·lôm ] abound till the moon is no more. 8  May he rule from sea to sea and from the River  to the ends of the earth. 9  May the desert tribes bow before him and his enemies lick the dust. 10  May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores bring tribute to him. May the kings of Sheba and Seba present him gifts. 11  May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him. 12  For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. 13  He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. 14  He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight. 15  Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him. May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long. 16  May grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. May the crops flourish like Lebanon and thrive like the grass of the field. 17  May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. Then all nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed. 18  Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. 19  Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen. 20  This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse. 2026 Unfading Truth Season Preview Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 15: Contrasting Reactions to the Teaching of Perseverance This teaching about the perseverance of true believers and saints, and about their assurance of it— a teaching which God has very richly revealed in his Word for the glory of his name and for the comfort of the godly and which he impresses on the hearts of believers— is something which the flesh does not understand, Satan hates, the world ridicules, the ignorant and the hypocrites abuse, and the spirits of error attack. The bride of Christ, on the other hand, has always loved this teaching very tenderly and defended it steadfastly as a priceless treasure; and God, against whom no plan can avail and no strength can prevail, will ensure that she will continue to do this. To this God alone, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be honor and glory forever. Amen. Summary We often remember King Solomon as the richest man who ever lived. Even the Queen of Sheba had traveled a long and difficult way to come and see his vast wealth (2 Chronicles 9). But don't forget that the LORD gave Solomon such tremendous wealth precisely because he didn't ask for it. God had invited Solomon to ask Him for whatever Solomon wanted God to give him. Rather than ask for financial and material blessings as most people would, Solomon had asked for wisdom and knowledge (2 Chronicles 1). The wisdom God lavished upon Solomon is evident in what Solomon prays for in Psalm 72. He prays that God would enable the king to rule with justice and righteousness, that he might defend the afflicted and save the children of the needy. He prays that he may rule from sea to sea and that he would endure as long as the sun and moon. Perhaps such surface level requests don't seem overly saturated in wisdom, and maybe even a bit self centered. In fact, if you're like me, these aspects of Solomon's prayer seem pretty familiar, since those are things that I - and so many other people - pray for often, though our 'kingdoms' are substantially smaller than Solomon's. But it's the overall context of Psalm 72 that demonstrates Solomon's wisdom: he realizes his entire kingdom is wholly dependent upon the LORD, and therefore His entire prayer is for the LORD's endowment. And Solomon isn't praying just for ordinary material prosperity - the good life that everyone wants. In his wisdom, Solomon prays for šā·lôm - the condition in which everything is the way it ought to be, both physically and spiritually - that his kingdom would not just have a good economy, but that that they'd be able to enjoy not just God's blessings, but His presence. As you begin this new year, pray for the same šā·lôm in your 'kingdom' that Solomon prayed for in his!   Dig Deeper   Psalm 72 is so endearing, not just because it captured Solomon's wise prayer for his brief moment in history, but because it's not really about King Solomon at all. Psalm 72 is classified as a messianic psalm. It's a prayer for God to send the King of Kings to rule his people. Psalm 72 is all about Christ. This is evident in the way two different hymn writers have adapted Psalm 72 for the psalter: First, James Montgomery: Christ shall have dominion over land and sea, earth's remotest regions shall his empire be. Second, Isaac Watts: Jesus shall reign where'er the sun does his successive journeys run; his kingdom stretch from shore to shore, till moons shall wax and wane no more. As we've worked our way through the Canons of Dordt this year, we've seen how it is that our God and Savior sovereignly exercised His dominion to bring total šā·lôm to every aspect of our lives, both here in this kingdom, and in the Kingdom to come. Let's close our time out with Psalm 72's awesome doxology: 18  Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. 19  Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who will judge His people in righteousness, His afflicted ones with justice; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Sing your prayer! Pray that in this new year: Let ev'ry creature rise and bring peculiar honors to our King; angels descend with songs again, and earth repeat the loud amen! A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: 2026 Unfading Truth Season Preview

As you begin 2026, cast all of your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you! The Bible App 1 Peter 5:6-11 (NIV) CONTEXT: For this final week in our year long study of the Canons of Dordt, we will be reading some of the Bible's greatest doxologies - words of praise & glory given to our Sovereign God. Today's passage is both a doxology and a benediction - words of blessing. 6  Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7   Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8   Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9  Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10  And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11  To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. 2026 Unfading Truth Season Preview Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 15: Contrasting Reactions to the Teaching of Perseverance This teaching about the perseverance of true believers and saints, and about their assurance of it— a teaching which God has very richly revealed in his Word for the glory of his name and for the comfort of the godly and which he impresses on the hearts of believers— is something which the flesh does not understand, Satan hates, the world ridicules, the ignorant and the hypocrites abuse, and the spirits of error attack. The bride of Christ, on the other hand, has always loved this teaching very tenderly and defended it steadfastly as a priceless treasure; and God, against whom no plan can avail and no strength can prevail, will ensure that she will continue to do this. To this God alone, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be honor and glory forever. Amen. Summary Peter begins this benediction with an imperative; actually, a command. In order to fully experience God's blessing in your life, you must first humble yourself under God's mighty hand. Literally translated, you need to lower yourself so that God may lift you up. But God's exaltation of you (as every other major translation puts it) isn't instantaneous, as we often expect it to be. It comes only in time. Translators all felt the need to supply an adjective there: in due time (NIV / NET); at the proper time (ESV / LSB); at the right time (LEB). Unsurprisingly, none of them rendered it that God will lift you up according to your time. What's perhaps the most surprising about Peter's benediction is not just that blessing begins with humiliation, but how it is that you're commanded to lower yourself: It's not by thinking less of yourself or some other sort of self oblation. Rather, it's by realizing the sovereign power of God. The NET Bible captures this nuance well: you must humble yourself by casting (literally: throwing or loading ) all your cares on Him! (1984 NIV). From this perspective, the act of humbling yourself is a blessing in and of itself as you cast all of your cares on Him! The NET translators explain, "Humbling oneself is not a negative act of self-denial per se, but a positive one of active dependence on God for help." It's humbling in that rather than trying to solve all of your issues in your own strength, you instead let go of your own limited ability and fully rely upon your Father's strength. Indeed, this has been the primary lesson we've learned this year as we've studied the Canons of Dordt: Since God's grace is stronger than you, you can cast all of your care and anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.   Dig Deeper   Peter's benediction takes on a more doxological feel in the final two verses. Working our way through them clause by clause is a good way to end our year, being reminded of what we've learned in 2025: The God of all grace... Not only is God's grace unconditional (not dependent upon anything we have done to earn it), it's unlimited (there's no amount of sin it can't overcome). ...who called you... Our immutable, unchanging God called you to belong to Him before the dawn of time, so nothing can ever separate you from Him. ...to His eternal glory in Christ.. . Your identity has been completely transformed. You were conceived and born in Adam, and therefore deserving of God's wrath. But the God of all grace has placed you fully in Christ, so now you share in His eternal doxology! ... after you have suffered for a little while... John Stott writes , "We are not to be surprised by painful trials, as if something strange were happening, but rather to rejoice that suffering gives us the privilege of sharing in the sufferings of Christ and so of participating in his glory." ...will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. This is exactly what we've learned in this wonderful doctrine we call the Perseverance of the Saints. Peter began this passage in full benediction mode, then began to mix in some doxology, and then ends it in full doxology: To this God of all grace be the power, dominion and might for ever and ever. Amen. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, the God of all grace; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: As you end 2025 and begin 2026, cast all of your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: 2026 Unfading Truth Season Preview

Some of the Bible's most familiar words don't come from where you think they do. The Bible App 1 Chronicles 29:10-13 (NIV) CONTEXT: For this final week in our year long study of the Canons of Dordt, we will be reading some of the Bible's greatest doxologies - words of praise & glory given to our Sovereign God. At this point in the Chronicles, King David, near the end of his life, has presented his son Solomon as his successor, and asked for donations to be given to enable Solomon to build God's temple. The response was overwhelmingly generous. 10  David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise be to you, LORD, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. 11  Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. 12  Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. 13  Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. 2026 Unfading Truth Season Preview Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 15: Contrasting Reactions to the Teaching of Perseverance This teaching about the perseverance of true believers and saints, and about their assurance of it— a teaching which God has very richly revealed in his Word for the glory of his name and for the comfort of the godly and which he impresses on the hearts of believers— is something which the flesh does not understand, Satan hates, the world ridicules, the ignorant and the hypocrites abuse, and the spirits of error attack. The bride of Christ, on the other hand, has always loved this teaching very tenderly and defended it steadfastly as a priceless treasure; and God, against whom no plan can avail and no strength can prevail, will ensure that she will continue to do this. To this God alone, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be honor and glory forever. Amen. Summary You know David's doxology well, even if haven't read from the Chronicles in years (or ever). You know it so well because you pray it so often; every time we pray the Lord's Prayer, we add the words for thine is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever before we end with the word amen. Most of the modern English Bible translations don't include this phrase with the rest of the prayer in Matthew and Luke; rather, these words were originally prayed by David here at the end of 1st Chronicles a millennia before Jesus taught us to pray ( More ). The leaders of Israel had just donated a massive amount of treasure to the temple project Solomon would oversee - over 190 tons of gold, along with thousands of tons of other precious metals and materials. But notice that David's doxology isn't just a psalm of thanksgiving, rather it's an acknowledgement that everything in heaven and earth is the LORD's. When we 'give' to the LORD, we're not really 'giving.' We're just acknowledging who our wealth really belongs to. Wealth and honor, David continues, come from you; you, God, are the ruler of all things.   Dig Deeper   It's not just financial assets that belong to the LORD. David indicates that yours, LORD, is the kingdom .  We pray these words in the light of Jesus' stunning announcement that the Kingdom of Heaven has come near, so we naturally infer the 'Kingdom' we speak of at the end of the Lord's prayer refers only to this heavenly Kingdom that will fully come in the future (Matthew 4:17) . But David wouldn't have been familiar with this heavenly concept that Jesus introduced. When David originally prayed that yours, LORD, is the kingdom , he was simply admitting that the Kingdom of Israel, which David presently ruled over, actually belonged God. The LORD was the true Sovereign, not David. So when we pray for thine is the Kingdom, we must pray these words with both applications in mind: that the Kingdom of heaven most certainly belongs to the LORD, but also that every bit of our own little kingdoms here on earth belong to Him as well. God is sovereign over all things, both the Kingdom of heaven that's near, and the kingdoms of this world; the LORD is exalted as head over all. This final day of the year is often one in which we take stock of our lot in life, especially from a financial perspective. Some of your kingdoms are doing quite well; others not so hot. But no matter how your earthly kingdom performed in 2025, finish the year out with this liberating admission that ultimately you are head over nothing that hasn't been given to you: In God's hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God that He is sovereign over your 'kingdom' and pray that you will be a good steward of it in 2026; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: 2026 Unfading Truth Season Preview

God strengthens & establishes you through the gospel. Heartlight.org Romans 16:25–27 (NIV) CONTEXT: For this final week in our year long study of the Canons of Dordt, we will be reading some of the Bible's greatest doxologies - words of praise & glory given to our Sovereign God. 25  Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, 26  but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith— 27  to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen. 2026 Unfading Truth Season Preview Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 15: Contrasting Reactions to the Teaching of Perseverance This teaching about the perseverance of true believers and saints, and about their assurance of it— a teaching which God has very richly revealed in his Word for the glory of his name and for the comfort of the godly and which he impresses on the hearts of believers— is something which the flesh does not understand, Satan hates, the world ridicules, the ignorant and the hypocrites abuse, and the spirits of error attack. The bride of Christ, on the other hand, has always loved this teaching very tenderly and defended it steadfastly as a priceless treasure; and God, against whom no plan can avail and no strength can prevail, will ensure that she will continue to do this. To this God alone, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be honor and glory forever. Amen. Summary Yesterday we read those amazing words from Ephesians 1 upon which the entirety of the doctrines of grace we've studied this year could be founded. Although today's opening line isn't as familiar, it too does a good job of summarizing everything we've learned this year: 25  Now to him who is able to establish you... ( strengthen you... ESV, LSB) This is exactly what God in His grace has done for you: He unconditionally elected you to salvation, atoned for your sin and depravity, regenerated your heart and mind so that His grace became irresistible, and preserves you in His grace forever by strengthening / establishing you in the gospel . This doxology that closes this magnificent book of Romans also praises the way God has made this good news known. Look at all of the words that get used to describe the gospel: The message proclaimed (NIV) / the preaching of Jesus Christ (ESV / LSB) - There are multiple ways in which people come to know of this grace - think of how Jesus overwhelmed Paul with a massively bright light on the road to Damascus; many others have come to know Christ as they silently read Scripture in a dark room. But the ordinary way God calls people to Him and continues to keep you established in it is through the ongoing proclamation and preaching of Jesus Christ. This gospel that was a mystery but is now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings - God works to strengthen / establish you through the full counsel of His Word, both the Old and New Testaments. God uses the gospel so that all the Gentiles (that's us) might come to the obedience that comes from faith. This faith is more than just a declaration of 'I do, God helping me.' Being strengthened / established leads to an entire lifestyle of obedience (literally: listening ).   Dig Deeper   We've come to this ancient Latin phrase often as we've read the Bible together , and you often see it inscribed on institutions you've come to respect: Soli Deo Gloria - Glory to God alone These words are the only appropriate way for Paul to finish a letter like this one we call Romans, which explains the gospel in such wonderful detail. It's final words are simply: To the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ. Amen. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, the eternal and only wise God; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that God would continue to strengthen / establish you through the gospel so that you remain rooted in the obedience that comes from faith; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: 2026 Unfading Truth Season Preview Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Revelation 22

You were chosen before time began and given a supreme purpose in life. Photo: Unsplash Ephesians 1:3–10 (NIV) CONTEXT: For this final week in our year long study of the Canons of Dordt, we will be reading some of the Bible's greatest doxologies - words of praise & glory given to our Sovereign God. 3   Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4  For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5  he predestined us for adoption to sonship  through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6   to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7   In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8   that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9  he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10  to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. 2026 Unfading Truth Season Preview Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 15: Contrasting Reactions to the Teaching of Perseverance This teaching about the perseverance of true believers and saints, and about their assurance of it— a teaching which God has very richly revealed in his Word for the glory of his name and for the comfort of the godly and which he impresses on the hearts of believers— is something which the flesh does not understand, Satan hates, the world ridicules, the ignorant and the hypocrites abuse, and the spirits of error attack. The bride of Christ, on the other hand, has always loved this teaching very tenderly and defended it steadfastly as a priceless treasure; and God, against whom no plan can avail and no strength can prevail, will ensure that she will continue to do this. To this God alone, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be honor and glory forever. Amen. Summary This might be hard to believe, but on this first day of this 52nd week of the year, we are coming to these magnificent words in Ephesians for the first time in our study of these doctrines of grace . The wait has been very intentional. We could have found every single one of our proof texts for all five points in the Canons from these first two chapters of Ephesians alone! Part of the idea for holding this passage back (and only sort of dipping our toes in a few passages from Ephesians and Romans along the way) was to demonstrate that it's not just these Pauline books of the Bible that tell us that God's grace is stronger than we are; every bit of scripture - both the Old and New Testaments - testify to this wonder! But here we are - finally! - so let's jump right in! Notice that from the get-go, Paul presents God's sovereign grace doxologically; in other words, these doctrines drive us to praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Why do we praise Him? Because He has blessed us not just with material needs like food, housing and friends, but even more so with every spiritual blessing in Christ. In theology, we often call these spiritual blessings regeneration . This means that the fact that you can even praise God for His glorious grace is only because He has lavished us with all wisdom and understanding and has made known to us the mystery of His will. Had God not given us these spiritual blessings, we would heartily reject the redemption we now have through the blood of Christ and never would experience the forgiveness of sins. We would remain so stuck in our sin that we would never reach up to God with the praise He deserves. Rather than proclaim doxologies, we would, as the Canons put it, hate, ridicule, abuse and attack this teaching which God has very richly revealed in his Word for the glory of his name and for the comfort of the godly.   Dig Deeper   Ephesians 1:4 is one of the Bible's most amazing and profound statements, and it forms the very basis for these doctrines of grace we've learned together this year: 4  For God chose us in Christ before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. God chose you... You are not just a random collection of atoms that happened to biologically bond after billions of years of evolution. Nor are you just randomly cast into this world to fend for yourself. Rather, God in His grace unconditionally elected you to belong to Him! ... in Christ... Your only comfort in life and in death is that you are not your own, but belong, body and soul, in life and in death, to your faithful Savior Jesus Christ ( Heidelberg Catechism QA 1 ). ... before the creation of the world... God knew you before He created anything! Before He spoke those mighty words, Let there be light!, God knew you, chose you to be His own, and gave you purpose: ... to be holy and blameless in His sight. You were born in sin, unable to fulfill the very purpose for which you were ordained. But this is the gospel: your sins have been forgiven in accordance with the riches of God's grace! You've been adopted to sonship through Jesus Christ, and in Him God sees you as He always intended you to be: holy and blameless, able to - right here and now - live to the praise of His glorious grace! AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that your words, actions and decisions will reflect the purpose God chose you for before the creation of the world: to be holy and blameless; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: 2026 Unfading Truth Season Preview Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Revelation 21

Tired of cheesy Christmas carols? Sing Psalm 8 instead! Psalm 8, Trinity Psalter Hymnal Psalm 8 (ESV) To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David. 1    O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 2   Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. 3    When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4    what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? 5    Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6   You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, 7   all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, 8    the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. 9   O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 14: God’s Use of Means in Perseverance And, just as it has pleased God to begin this work of grace in us by the proclamation of the gospel, so he preserves, continues, and completes his work by the hearing and reading of the gospel, by meditation on it, by its exhortations, threats, and promises, and also by the use of the sacraments. Summary Today's Summary section is reposted from January 16, 2024 On one hand, people don't use the adjective 'majestic' very often, but on the other hand, it still gets overused! A stunning view of a sunset, a snow capped mountain, or the Grand Canyon might be described as 'majestic.' As awesome as these things are, the reason they can be designated 'majestic' has nothing to do with their beauty in and of themselves, but only because they're a reflection of the One who made them. The reason the word 'majestic' shouldn't be used as often as other adjectives is because in order for something to truly be 'majestic,' it must have a royal   aspect. That's why David bookends this psalm with the phrase, LORD, our Lord, how majestic   is your name in all the earth. Every aspect of creation, from the moon and stars in the heavens, to the praise of children and infants is a royal procession paying homage to its King, our Father, the LORD Almighty, who created, preserves and governs the universe. He made all of these things to make us mindful of, as the Belgic Confession states , the invisible things of God: his eternal power and his divinity. But the primary message of Psalm 8 is what God is mindful of. At the center of all that God created are you and me, having been given dominion over all the works of His hands. That's not at all an overstatement. After creating all that is, and setting His glory upon the heavens, God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over all the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground (Genesis 1:26)."   Dig Deeper   Psalm 8 covers multiple aspects of theology. It begins with what we call theology proper - that is, explaining who and what God is. He's majestic, stronger than His foes, and all of creation is the work of His fingers. The psalm also unpacks some anthropology as well, unpacking who and what we are: on one hand, we're humble, finite creatures, especially compared to the moon and stars, yet creatures that God is mindful of (this is a good example of theological tensegrity ). But as most of you read this the day after Christmas, it's the Christology of Psalm 8 that stands out. This is the branch of theology that describes our Savior - the One who is both fully God and fully man . It's not just mankind in general that David describes as having been made a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor . It's Christ, our Savior, whose birth we celebrate in earnest this week. You and I, along with all of our neighbors, have certainly been given dominion over the works of the LORD's hands. But ours is a limited dominion, and one which we so often sinfully abuse. It's only Christ our Savior for whom God will put all things under his feet, as Paul so beautifully sets forth in Philippians 2 . Your probably tired of Christmas carols at this point, so let the triumphant words of Psalm 8 fill your mind as you prepare for the coming Lord's Day: LORD our Lord, thy glorious name all thy wondrous works proclaim; in the heavens with radiant signs ever more thy glory shines. How great thy name! With dominion crowned He stands o'er the creatures of thy hands; all to Him subjection yield in the sea and air and field. How great thy name! AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God that crowned you with glory and honor, and that He's given you dominion of the works of His hands, but above all, that He's mindful of you and that He sent the Son of Man for your salvation; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Revelation 21

Merry Christmas! Find out what Jesus 'eagerly desired' to do! Photo: mk. s via Unsplash Luke 22:14–20 (NIV) 14  When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 15  And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16  For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”  17  After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. 18  For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”  19  And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”  20  In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 14: God’s Use of Means in Perseverance And, just as it has pleased God to begin this work of grace in us by the proclamation of the gospel, so he preserves, continues, and completes his work by the hearing and reading of the gospel, by meditation on it, by its exhortations, threats, and promises, and also by the use of the sacraments. Summary Today's Summary & Dig Deeper section is reposted from July 10, 2023 It's easy to look at Jesus as a victim as He goes to the cross, but as we read of His final days we see that He remained fully in control throughout His life. In preparing to celebrate the final Passover - not just for Him, but for all, since He would Himself become the final Passover Lamb - Jesus gives the disciples specific instructions, even anticipating exactly what the owner of the house would be doing when the disciples arrived. Once gathered, Jesus tells His disciples that He's eagerly desired  to eat this meal with them. Does that describe your attitude in coming to the Lord's Table? If not, why not? It's at this point the story pivots from being the Last Supper  - that is, the last Passover celebration - to the Lord's  Supper , in which those who partake the physical elements of bread and wine participate in the body and blood of Jesus. Jesus makes this abundantly clear by declaring the cup to be representative of a new covenant in His blood. Participation in this sacred meal is not optional for Christ's followers. His command is simple and straightforward: Do this . It would have been enough for Christ to simply command, but He also explains the reason for the command. This meal serves as a reminder , not just of all that Christ did, but all that He said and continues to say as His Word is proclaimed.   Dig Deeper   There are very few hard and fast commands Christians must adhere to. Certainly there are gobs of ethical imperatives that flow out of God's Word that guide what we do, and more particularly, what we are not to do. There are very few must do's obligating Christians to perform certain religious tasks. So it should catch your attention when Jesus orders you to do this . Often the sanctuaries in Reformed churches, though beautiful, are by design rather plain. This is because our primary focus is on reading and listening to God's Word, since this is the primary way He communicates Himself to us. Even the most beautiful art is a mere distraction from the glory that bursts forth from the proclamation of the Word. But your Creator knows you. He's very aware that you have five senses, and so He's given you this meal in which all of your senses are reminded of who Jesus is and what He did for you. You see the bread broken and the wine poured out. You touch the bread and taste the wine, and you feel the presence of Christian brothers and sisters gathered around you. Participating in communion is not an optional 'extra' that you can take or leave. Your Savior has commanded you to do this. Like Him, eagerly anticipate this meal. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who is coming with His Kingdom; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will eagerly desire the next time your church gathers around the Lord's table, and that you will heed Christ's command to do this in remembrance of Him. A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Revelation 19