Joonas Laajanen

Imagine yourself as a Jewish teacher in first-century Palestine. A foreign empire rules over you and your land. A rival group, centered on the famous rabbi Jesus of Nazareth, is spreading rapidly even though he was condemned for blasphemy by Jewish leaders and executed by the Romans. The greatest headscratcher eventually happens to be the […]

Originally published in Banner of Truth Magazine, June 2023 Every year thousands upon thousands of ministers give up on the ministry due to burnout. This article seeks to offer an experiential and biblical assessment of the main cause of burnout and the primary remedies to avoid it. All who have spent any meaningful amount of […]

Visiting the sick, the needy, and the shut-ins is part and parcel of pastoral vocation but also an office of kindness to which all Christians are called. There is a special obligation to engage in visitation when the subject is a brother or a sister. Open doors to visit unbelievers are also to be taken […]

In my previous piece, I offered a positive biblical basis for the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. Objections against this focus on many passages about apostasy, i.e. falling away from the faith. In light of this, we have to ask ourselves: Have we considered all passages or confined ourselves to a select few […]

No objectively good, true, or beautiful future is available in the naturalistic worldview. The future will be like the past and when the end comes, it will be for nothing. What then is the Christian hope (certainty) for a world where children murder other children? The restoration of all things in Christ Jesus.

As I have indicated, I know the many Christian denominations and mighty theologians in church history, who teach the opposite. I once denied this belief. To this day I continue to sit down with people who disagree with this teaching, and believe me, I have heard the objections.

It is that time of the year when many believers around the globe celebrate the incarnation of Christ. On the other hand, it’s also the time when many other people think instead about Santa Claus, prime rib roasts, and getting double pay.

Despite all the sin and shame that Lot's compromises produced, the Lord loved him. He was one of those sheep for whom Christ came to lay down His life. Grace did not remove the natural consequences of his actions in this life, but it did guarantee repentance and trust in God.

Rome’s apologists commonly attack the epistemological foundations of the evangelicals: "How can you be sure that your beliefs are truly biblical and apostolic?" The doubt they want you to have is this: “I've been wrong many times. Can I anymore base my beliefs on my understanding of the scriptures?” To this troubled mind, Rome promises to give the perfect solution: the infallible authority of the Roman Church that Christ promised would not fail.