Reasonable Reasoning Together from the Scriptures
We are better together, even when it comes to understanding the Bible.
We must admit that we all bring our backgrounds and biases to the Scriptures. But, that does not change the truth of the Scriptures. Our biases and backgrounds simply mean we must ask for humility and illumination from the Holy Spirit. We need the Spirit to help us see what’s really in the text. It... Continue Reading
The Spirit’s Presence from the Old to the New Testament
Whether in the Old Testament or in the New Testament the Spirit indwells believers.
Perhaps when Jesus said that the Spirit was with the disciples He did not actually mean that the Spirit only hovered around them but rather the Spirit was with them in a special way because He was with Jesus. There is an interesting view that circulates around the church about the Holy Spirit. It... Continue Reading
How to Pray Against Satan
May we never forget, in all our prayers, that “he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
What are we to pray when it comes to our war with Satan and his demonic hosts? How does prayer factor into our obedience to the command that if we “resist” Satan “he will flee” from us (James 4:7)? There is, admittedly, a lot we don’t know or understand about prayer. How it is... Continue Reading
Communion on the Moon: Total Eclipse of the Point
When I read of Aldrin’s roguish Eucharistic exploits, I found myself thinking, that it’s a pretty neat thing, except for this—it’s not communion.
“I poured the wine into the chalice our church had given me. In the one-sixth gravity of the moon, the wine curled slowly and gracefully up the side of the cup. It was interesting to think that the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the first food eaten there, were communion elements.”... Continue Reading
Review of God in Himself by Steven Duby
Duby retrieves and restates the commonsense and Reformed teaching that God reveals himself in nature and in Scripture.
The major success of Duby’s work is his theological exegesis, which not only engages directly with Scripture but also pulls from a whole host of earlier Christian writers—whether Greek or Latin. This adds a sense of historical awareness and catholicity that commends the book. Steven Duby has written a brilliant work that presents “a... Continue Reading
Why Is Prayer So Vitally Important for Christians?
Prayer is as basic to the Christian life as eating is to bodily life.
Just as we need to be taught what food is good for us (and what is not), so too we need to learn what prayer is and is not. Prayer is an essential element of our sanctification (the Spirit’s gradual, gracious work of conforming believers to the image of Christ). Just as we are learning daily... Continue Reading
Lack of Goats Made Me Do It
Often we blame others for our actions, and we can even blame the absence of others for our sin—"If you had been here...".
Every day on the news we hear the same goat trick—the circumstances made him do it—if they had more jobs there would be peace and harmony in the community, if he had a different upbringing… etc. It is something that comes quite naturally to all of us, Adam did it way back in Eden. Yet... Continue Reading
Context Mattered to Jesus
Will Jesus keep the commandments of the Lord?
Jesus has been led by God the Spirit into the wilderness for 40 days (Matt 4:1–2). He voluntarily went hungry for these 40 days (Matt 4:2). Jesus knows he is the Son of God, because he just heard his father say these exact words (Matt 3:17). The temptation of Jesus is a fascinating exchange.... Continue Reading
Does The Scripture Have a Centre, Or Is It a Collection of Writings without a Centre?
In my view, the discipline of biblical theology can grasp the centre only through first considering key apostolic comments on the relationship between Christ and Scripture.
The hidden mystery has now been made manifest by Jesus and made known through the Old Testament. Something therefore has changed. The hidden is now manifest. The mystery is now revealed. Christ lies at the centre of this mystery since he manifests the mystery and makes known the hidden mystery in the Old Testament. ... Continue Reading
Dangerous Compassion
How to Make Any Love a Demon
Lewis is concerned that human loves, at times, tend to claim for themselves a divine authority that overrides all other claims and obligations. They demand unconditional allegiance and thereby become gods (and thereby become demons which destroy both us and themselves). In his book The Four Loves, C.S. Lewis begins his discussion of the natural... Continue Reading