Witherspoon’s Pastoral Ministry
This public censure, though considered appropriate by his congregation, landed Witherspoon in a 14-year legal battle in which he faced opposition from a hostile presbytery and formal charges of libel and slander.
Church members presumed that clergy would not only preach on Sunday, but also visit the people from house to house and be intimately involved in their lives (even if they sometimes complained of the involvement).[13] So when scholars conclude that “Few aspects of the history of Scottish Presbyterianism are more repugnant to the modern mind... Continue Reading
Human Identity in Crisis
The removal of God from cultural consciousness has eliminated the true source of human identity.
Things have changed. The “Four Spiritual Laws” or “Evangelism Explosion” no longer work for many. People are losing their identity. They long for human rights and personal dignity, but these things only come from God the Creator, whom they reject. The Gospel is still the answer, which they unknowingly long to hear. The God who... Continue Reading
Theonomy, Bahnsen, and the Federal Vision – Part 3
The grace conveyed in baptism is effectual only for the elect.
The Westminster Confession of Faith limits its “high view of the efficacy of baptism” to the elect alone. Further, Westminster Confession of Faith 28:6 states: “The efficacy of baptism is not tied to that moment of time wherein it is administered.” That is, baptism does not bestow regeneration on every recipient. What baptism does it... Continue Reading
I Can’t Believe Spurgeon Didn’t Say That
Can’t believe Spurgeon didn’t say this when so many quote him as saying it: “I take my text and make a beeline to the cross.”
In the process of our discussion he asked me if I could tell him where the original source is to the quote that inspired my book’s title. Charles Spurgeon is credited thousands of times by authors and theologians all over the world for saying, “I take my text and make a beeline to the cross.”... Continue Reading
Theonomy and Straw Men
The most strident criticism of Theonomy is based on straw men and erroneous readings of the Old Testament.
Theonomy has been mischaracterized in modern evangelicalism, mostly because people accept short retorts as truth. Actually, if you want to see the compassion and mercy of God, the Old Testament is a better place to go than observing what is going on in America today under the laws of Secular Pluralism. I’ll take God’s law... Continue Reading
Blessed Are the Pure in Heart, for They Shall See God
Jesus said that those who are pure at their very core are the ones who will see God
“The thing that keeps us from having the vision of God now is our impurity, our sin. John said that when we see Him, we will be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. The question remains as to whether God will glorify us in heaven, allowing us to see Him as... Continue Reading
The Trinity: The Triune God for Exiles
You have a Christian life because of actions taken by God the Holy Trinity
“You have a Christian life because the Father has chosen you for salvation according to his foreknowing love. You have a Christian life because the Spirit has sanctified you, separating you from Satan, sin and the world unto God. You have a Christian life because the Son compels your obedience having purified your conscience by... Continue Reading
Slaves of Christ
Christ purchased believers so that they can no longer claim to be their own
In the Scriptures, the most important example of a slave, however, is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. In Philippians 2:5-8, the Apostle Paul charges believers to have the same “mind” as that of Christ Jesus who, even though He was equal with God, took the form of a bondservant and was obedient to God to... Continue Reading
Don’t Say God Is Silent with Your Bible Closed
When we open the Bible, we find more than 750,000 words breathed out by God himself
Charles Spurgeon said, “No one ever outgrows the Scriptures. The Book widens and deepens with our years.” In my thirty-three years so far on this earth, I have consistently experienced the Bible’s ability to speak the right word, at the right time. “Don’t say God is silent when your Bible is closed.” I don’t... Continue Reading
JAHWEH Your Average Pagan Divinity?
The Bible nowhere presents God as a sexual being.
Sexuality is a human characteristic, designed by God for procreation but also as an embodiment of the differences knit into the created order (land/sea; human/animal; light/dark; male/female, etc.). Just as God is a transcendent Creator, distinct from creation, so creation also reflects distinction—supremely seen in the male/female distinction. Those in the newspaper business do... Continue Reading