Three Trinitarian Controversies Every Christian Should Know
These three controversies don’t exhaust the Trinitarian disputes of the last two thousand years, but they give us a glimpse into how important this doctrine is for the health of the church.
In order to rightly worship God, we need to properly describe how he has revealed himself! The orthodox taught that the Son was equal to the Father (unlike the Arians), but that he was also distinct from the Father (unlike the Modalists). They based their teachings on the Scriptures, and the apostolic faith they had... Continue Reading
Our Savior: The Author of Salvation
That is the God whom we serve: the Savior who works in us. He is the author of our salvation, and because He is the Savior, He will save.
The salvation that we have from our Savior is not only for this life and it is not only for the life to come. We are saved already, and yet the full consummation of the ages is still ahead of us, when we will dwell with Him for all eternity. Yet we need not fear... Continue Reading
Are Husbands Supposed to “Get Their Wives Ready for Jesus”?
There is nothing missing with women’s salvation that requires husbands to complete it.
Let’s say a guy who genuinely wants to follow Jesus reads this article, and now feels that he is being passive if he fails to correct his wife (and Stoudt does accuse men who don’t correct their wives of passivity). After all, his job is to sanctify his wife and get her ready for heaven,... Continue Reading
An Open Letter to Those Nonchalant about Their Sexual Sin
You may be sure of this: everyone who is sexually immoral has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Is something not right with your sexual behavior? You are a child of light—don’t walk in darkness! God’s point of view is good, right, and true. He beckons you. Walk as a child of light—for the fruit of light is found in all that is good, right, and true. The God who invites us into... Continue Reading
6 Cracks in a Secular Worldview
The idea that atheism is the default setting for educated people is simply untenable.
When our friends hear the claims of Jesus, they wonder why we’d believe such fantastical things when there is a perfectly rational, coherent view of the world available to us. But if we look at the secular ground on which we supposedly all stand, we’ll realize it’s more like pack ice floating away from land. ... Continue Reading
Sexual Identity: What Does the Bible Say?
In a culture that has largely accepted the belief that the only thing that really matters, the only thing that is actually real, is the individual’s feelings, opinions and choices, it is very easy for Christians to think and act according to this, even unconsciously.
To regard human feelings, choices and opinions as ultimate reality, or the only thing that really matters can rightly be called “subjectivism;” the knowing the subject is the ultimate determiner of how things are to be interpreted. In this way of thinking and living it is not the object being interpreted that matters most for... Continue Reading
I Couldn’t Call God ‘Father’
An Iranian woman’s journey of faith
But there was a great challenge awaiting me. I had to accept God as my Father. In my mind, “Father” was not a word of honor toward the God I had come to know. “Mother” would have felt like a much better word. But God wanted to reveal himself to me. And he did so... Continue Reading
How Great (and Gentle) is our God!
Enter 2018 beholding the awesome greatness and awesome gentleness of our God. Then feel the strength and courage returning to your weary and fearful soul.
Do we really have any cause to fear and tremble? Do we lack reasons for peace and trust? Behold the awesome greatness of our God. As Isaiah asks us in his challenging summary: “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints... Continue Reading
The Controversy about Infant Baptism
Wouldn’t it be better to just allow each Christian and church to operate according to what they believe and call this an “off-limits” subject?
We all benefit from studying, knowing, and having a conviction about the doctrine of baptism and its practice in the church. Our goal is not to win an argument, to rally support to our cause, or to shame those who possess a differing opinion. Rather, what drives us is a serious consideration of our Lord’s... Continue Reading
Biblical Success
Human beings are remarkably poor judges of success and failure; they use the wrong measuring sticks.
The measure of our success cannot be defined by what we accomplish here on earth; it has already been defined by the fact that we are in Christ. It is this that frees us to spend ourselves and everything we have in service to Christ’s kingdom. And it is this that also frees us from... Continue Reading