February 2026 New Horizons

A God Who Saves

by Eric B. Watkins

Is there anyone our God cannot save? One of the greatest challenges to evangelism often lies within our own hearts as we view some people as being so lost that they seem utterly unsavable . I know that I can be guilty of this, and I imagine that we all can be at times. There are people whose lives may seem so ruined, their moral choices so depraved, their minds so gone. Whether it is the homeless person wandering the streets or the political activist who seems loudly anti-Christian, we are often tempted to view people as being hopeless. Exodus 18:10–12 offers a wonderful corrective, demonstrating that there truly is no one who bears the image of God who is beyond the reach of the grace of God. This is true, not because of what exists in our hearts, but because of the grace that exists in the heart of our God. Our God is not simply strong; he is a God who saves. “That My Name May Be Proclaimed” Exodus 18 draws an unlikely character onto a beautiful stage that displays the drama of God’s ... Read more

Covenant Theology and the Contours of the Christian Life

by Harrison Perkins

How do you relate to God? Since the triune God is truly transcendent, what binds us to him that we might know that he is near to his people? We long for certainty and assurance to know that our God is with us. So, how might we have confidence that we belong to God for blessing? Covenant theology is the Reformed way of bringing Scripture to bear upon these questions. A covenant is a formal relationship. It binds two or more parties together in an official way. It has personal dynamics, thus the relationship aspect. It is also legal and authoritative in some sense so that this relationship, as such, is fixed and defined. A covenant establishes a relationship in a certain way so that those involved have specified connection to one another that is hard or impossible to dissolve. This essay surveys the basics of Reformed covenant theology. The aim is to make these concepts that structure our reading of Scripture and its grand narrative of salvation more familiar. The further payoff is that covenant theology ... Read more

The Biblical Importance of Church Membership

by Jonathan Landry Cruse

The current moment has been dubbed by some as “The Great Dechurching” because about forty million Americans who at one time belonged to a church no longer do (see Davis and Graham’s 2023 book of that title). It would appear that formal and faithful commitment to a congregation just isn’t something we as a culture care about anymore. Many Christians balk at the notion of joining a church because they do not find biblical warrant for membership. Absent a simple chapter-and-verse proof text, or a “thou shalt join a church” command, some believers look with suspicion on the emphasis that Reformed congregations have historically placed on membership. Another perhaps more pressing problem for church membership today is the headwinds of expressive individualism, which have proven so strong that a whole host of communal activities, church included, have fallen by the wayside. However, the liberty that self-rule promised has instead left people empty. In May 2023, the Surgeon General of the United ... Read more