The Holy Spirit Of The Bible Vs. The Spirit We Sing About
Popular songs like “Holy Spirit” or “Spirit of the Living God” fall short
I love the desire that many people have to worship in a more trinitarian sense—meaning preaching, singing, and praying that demonstrates our belief in a God who is “one in essence and three in person.” We must remember though, that just because a song is popular does not mean that it is Biblical. We must... Continue Reading
Speed with God
Great intellect though Edwards was, he recognized that to “speed with God” was a matter of the heart.
As early as the age of nineteen Edwards recognized that if he lost a sense of the greatness and generosity of the divine love, there would be no resources of grace to motivate the life of holiness to which he committed himself in his resolutions. Therein lay wisdom far beyond his years. When Sereno E.... Continue Reading
5 Attributes God isn’t Sharing
God is not just more than we are. He is in a class all by himself.
God alone is eternal, immortal, all-powerful, all-wise, and all-knowing (1 Tim. 6:15–16). His spectacular majesty is beyond our ability to comprehend. God is infinitely great. Here are five ways we see that. God loves to share things with us—life, breath, all of creation—but there are some things that only he has because he is... Continue Reading
The Walls That Law Built
In the same way as the walls of old Sydney speak of our past and act as a testimony to where we came from—yet do not define us as a nation—so do the walls of God’s law.
The walls that law built were established through the labour of transgressors—us. The price of sin must be paid, the curse must collect its toll. We laboured and served under the old written code, forever building the walls that tormented our flesh and would only lead to death, until of course, the liberating force of... Continue Reading
Why Study the Book of Song of Solomon?
The Song of Solomon is God’s gift to the church for such a time as this.
The hesitancy to study the Song is understandable. As a collection of poetic exclamations and exchanges between two lovers, the intimate nature of the material causes some to shy away. As Hebrew poetry, the Song employs parallelism with images and metaphors that are not always easy to grasp. And, some are not sure how to... Continue Reading
What is the Image of God?
Does it refer to human capacity for reason, free will, relationship, creativity, ethical conduct, or something else?
The Bible’s teaching on the Image of God can be summarised as three mutually-complementary ideas: capability, occupation, and destiny. These themes develop as the Bible’s teaching unfolds and God introduces more about himself and his plan for humanity. Since each point shapes the others, it is important to recognise that when the Bible teaches us more... Continue Reading
Gospel Promises and Perseverance (Owen)
Note how Owen distinguishes between law (covenant of works) and gospel (covenant of grace)
Gospel promises, then, are: 1. The free and gracious dispensations, and, 2. discoveries of God’s good-will and love, to, 3. sinners, 4. through Christ, 5. in a covenant of grace; 6. wherein, upon his truth and faithfulness, he engageth himself to be their God, to give his Son unto them and for them, and his... Continue Reading
Toward a Theology of Apology
Apology can mean anything from “let me defend myself,” to “my bad,” to “I’m sorry you feel that way,” to “I repent in deepest contrition.”
Apologies are also complicated by history. What is our responsibility in the present to apologize for things that have happened in the past? Should Christians apologize for the Crusades? For the Salem Witch Trials? For slavery? Some apologies for the past are appropriate and heartfelt, while others feel less sincere and more manufactured. We... Continue Reading
The Balanced Life, Part 4
we were made for work of many sorts, so a balanced life includes our participation in work of some sort.
Jesus was not paid, and he could say, “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:4 NASB). People honor God by doing the work that God has given them to do. Work is a primary way we engage with God and experience his involvement... Continue Reading
Just Stop it, Part 4: How to Repent of Stealing
Putting off the sin involves identifying it in your life, calling it what the Bible calls it, confessing it, and refraining from doing it.
To identify theft in your life, let’s consider a few species of the sin. I’ll start with the ones you are probably not struggling with (just to be encouraging): armed robbery, car-jacking, shop-lifting, syphoning gasoline, luting the cash register, grand-theft auto, and other forms of blatant larceny. So far so good, you say, “I’m not... Continue Reading