Neither Male nor Female?
Satan didn’t merely question God’s speech in Eden, he added to it and made it more cumbersome than the Creator had stipulated – we must always guard against the same sin.
Not only is this an ill-quoted text, but it is also a problematic path to tread, both within and without the evangelical enclosure. If Paul’s statement is as conversation-stopping as appears to be claimed, if meaningful discussion must end at this point, then Christianity has given away more than it imagines. If Paul is positing... Continue Reading
Everyone Is “Culturally Situated”
Are all interpretations of Scripture culturally conditioned? How could they not be?
After Yahweh Elohim spoke into nothing and out of nothing and created all that is (see Genesis 1–2) all we creatures were in a culture. The garden was a culture. It was a small society but it was a culture. After the fall we were all in various fallen cultures. Genesis chapters 4–11 chronicle for... Continue Reading
Sacred Weapons for Spiritual War
Wearing the Whole Armor of God
Paul advises the Ephesians that there are certain things Christians must put off and others they must put on. More specifically, he tells them (and us) to put on the Christian armor so we can be properly equipped to stand up to the assaults that inevitably come our way in this spiritually dangerous world. ... Continue Reading
Discerning the Lord’s Will
Those who are in the light of Christ “try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.”
Scripture often emphasizes our need to please God in all circumstances. The Psalmist hoped that his prayer would please the Creator (Ps. 104:34). Paul and his ministry partners aimed to please the Lord (2 Cor. 5:9). Christians who support the work of the gospel present a “fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable to God” (Phil. 4:18).... Continue Reading
The Atonement and Our Redemption Through the Blood of Christ
Christless Christianity is friends of the world and eager to welcome those of other ‘religions,’ except for those troublesome orthodox Christians who preach the whole Gospel.
We must become very familiar with the truth; therefore, we must become immersed in God’s Word. We must know what we really believe and why we believe it. I cannot think of better place to start than a study of our redemption through the blood of Christ. 3 Then Moses came and recounted to... Continue Reading
Confession ≠ Repentance
Why does genuine transformation still evade us?
We shirk repentance when we agree with the truth of our sin (confession) without choosing the gospel-motivated response. To be sure, repentance is jump-started by confessing our sin to one another (1 John 1:9–10), but it must extend further. We must make no provisions for the flesh, viciously renounce temptation (Matthew 5:24–27), and eagerly walk the tangible... Continue Reading
The Pain of Personal Sin
Sin is not just inward, but when I go against what God says, I am doing damage to all that I am.
I want to think about the dissonance which sin brings to me as a person, the cognitive and even physical effects of transgression, the holistic devastation that resisting God realises in every atom of my being. I’m considering this in the belief that my life (and possibly your life) with God can be enhanced and... Continue Reading
The Necessity of Doing “Christology From Above”
Christology from above will help us see why we need the Jesus presented in Scripture as our only Lord and Savior.
Without divine speech from above that gives the true facts about Jesus and the authoritative interpretation of his identity, Christology loses its integrity, uniqueness, and truthfulness, and it is set adrift to wander into the mire of pluralism. A Christology from below undercuts the epistemological grounds for a normative Christology. Only a Christology from above... Continue Reading
How Important Is the Gospel?
The gospel brings hope. Without it, there is only despair and ultimate doom.
Do you cherish your life more than you do testifying to the gospel of grace? We probably cherish our jobs more, our money more, our reputation more, our status in the community more. I suspect we often make the grand claim that we would die for the sake of the gospel but then refuse even... Continue Reading
A Simple Gift to Give the Next Generation
One of the greatest and most simple gifts we can give to the next generation is the discipline of telling stories.
Stories matter. They matter not only for sheer entertainment value; they matter because stories root us in who we are. They help us to remember where we came from, and even more than that, they help us remember that the Lord has been faithful to us in the past. And because He has been faithful... Continue Reading