Canaanized?
Within Chapters 17 – 19 of the Book of Judges, we see how deeply Canaanite customs and practices infected the Levites and the religious institutions of Israel.
The account of the rape of the concubine by the Benjamites of Gibeah purposefully echoes Genesis 19 in order to demonstrate than the nation of Israel has taken on the character of ancient Sodom. Reminiscent of Paul’s conclusions in Romans 1 regarding the consequences of idolatry, the Jewish nation has been given up to suffer... Continue Reading
Five Bible Characters That Prove Salvation is Not a Process
If salvation were a process, then the one going through the process is involved in his salvation.
It is imperative that we as believers understand this truth. That we can talk about it and defend it biblically. Even though many Christians can’t pinpoint an exact moment when we were instantly saved, we know that this is the only way the Bible describes salvation, and we never let our experience dictate our theology,... Continue Reading
Gottschalk
Like Augustine before him and Luther and Calvin after him, Gottschalk possessed an overriding sense of the sovereignty of God in salvation, and he brought it to bear upon his turbulent generation.
Born at Mentz in modern Germany, Gottschalk was the son of a respected nobleman, Count Berno of Saxony. At the insistence of his father, he conceded to take a lifelong monastic vow while still a young boy. But upon reaching the age of maturity, Gottschalk sought to be released from this commitment and leave the... Continue Reading
The Beauty of Complementarity Goes Beyond Gender
As much as contemporary Western culture tries to suggest otherwise, the difference of male and female exists and matters.
When God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Gen. 2:18), he did not just just create a clone of Adam. He created a complement. God’s solution to Adam’s “not good” problem was not two of the same flesh, as if company was all Adam needed. It was a one-flesh union, two distinct... Continue Reading
Who Is the Happiest Human Being Who Ever Lived?
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).
Ironically, we often think of ourselves as fun-loving, and of God as a humorless killjoy. But we’ve got it backward. We are the dull ones, not God. Did we invent wit, humor, and laughter? No. God did. We’ll never begin to exhaust God’s sense of humor and His love for pleasure-filled joy. Though the... Continue Reading
Great Sentences in Christian Counseling: David Powlison on Ministry vs. Theology
This series highlights sentences from my reading in evangelical Christian counseling that stood out to me and reflections on why these sentences have been so sticky.
I didn’t yet understand the key differences between “teaching counseling” and “doing counseling.” Honestly, it felt hypocritical to say there might be substantive differences between the two. When I read David Powlison’s quote in How Does Sanctification Work? I finally had words for the tension I had been learning to navigate. This is a blog series... Continue Reading
Are All Called?
How a man answers theses questions can help him better discern whether or not he ought to attend seminary in pursuit of Gospel ministry or whether he ought to move in a different direction.
You ought to be able to say yes to every one of these questions. A “no” to any of them is a serious warning sign that, at the very least, now is most likely not the time to attend seminary and pursue ministry. If you’re already in ministry, these questions may help you conclude that... Continue Reading
Being a Father isn’t Easy, But it is Simple
As I've reflected lately on being a father, it strikes me that I've never seen anyone who did the things on this list fail as a father.
Just as it is impossible to lift others higher than where you’re standing, so it’s virtually impossible to help your children while you remain distant from God. Not only for the sake of your own joy and spiritual health, but for your children’s sake, draw close to God by all the means He’s given. ... Continue Reading
Why Calls for Discipleship Make us Feel so Guilty
The weakness of Protestantism on the subject of personal discipleship in an affluent culture has laid groundwork where the logic of the prosperity gospel rarely bumps into anything that seems to be at cross-purposes with being a disciple of Jesus.
The Christian who feels manipulated or guilt-tripped when the simple ethics of having Jesus as Lord appear anywhere near where his definition of “normal and entitled lifestyle” has taken root. Discipleship, now relegated to discussions around a class or small group, becomes about not being legalistic, pious, or pharisaical. The actual processes and content of discipleship... Continue Reading
Godfrey on Shepherd In 1978
"Justification is an act of God by which He forgives sinners acquitting them of their guilt, accounts and accepts them as righteous, and bestows upon them the title to eternal life."
This seems to me a strangely and fundamentally defective statement of the doctrine of justification, in that three elements that are always to be found in the confessional standards’ statements about justification are not to be found there. First, there is no reference to our Lord, or a clear statement that it is His righteousness... Continue Reading
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 380
- 381
- 382
- 383
- 384
- …
- 520
- Next Page »