5 Principles for Disciplining Your Children
While not all methods work for all children, I’ve found these principles work for a variety of children, regardless of their age, sex, or disposition.
Praise is a powerful tool and a blessing for children. It helps them to know what’s right, and at the same time communicates you care about them. All of us would like a boss to see the good we do and praise it, not just correct our mistakes. Similarly, our children need us to be watching... Continue Reading
Inclusion And Exclusion: Getting It Right
In this way the church is the antithesis of the world, which is inclusive when it should be exclusive and exclusive when it should be inclusive.
When it comes to essential Christian truth, the substance of the faith as summarized in the ecumenical creeds and Reformed confessions, it is Christ, ultimately, who is the stumbling block and the rock of offense (Rom 9:33; 1 Peter 2:8). What excludes is not race, ethnicity, nationality, or sex (male or female). What excludes is... Continue Reading
Leading like Jesus
For followers of Jesus who are called to be leaders, here are some observations on the topic of leadership.
A lot of Jesus’ leadership involved speaking the truth both in public and private settings. He was not afraid of confrontation and could get angry about the right things. He rebuked sin and spoke harshly to hypocrites. This is an aspect of leadership we sometimes shy away from for fear of being controversial. But peace... Continue Reading
Five Truths About the Holy Spirit
Important biblical truths about the Holy Spirit
In creation, we have the Spirit breathing His energy, releasing the power of God in the act of creation. We have the same thing in the act of redemption, and we see it again in the divine act of giving to us the record in the Scriptures themselves. The doctrine of inspiration is entirely related... Continue Reading
Sola Scriptura: Distinguishing Between Humans and God
In the name of emphasizing Sola Scriptura one can over-emphasize it and actually contradict and violate it
“Sola scriptura not only addresses our ultimate standard in knowing, but also alerts us to the power God’s word exercises in creating, governing and perfecting an historical process through which we come to know about knowing.” Sola Scriptura affirms that Scripture alone is the supreme and final authority for human thinking and living. Since... Continue Reading
Was Grand Canyon Project Rejected Because Researcher Is a Creationist?
All Andrew Snelling wants to do is collect some rocks from Grand Canyon in order to help prove Arizona's landmark was created in a few days by God
“Snelling, who lives in Kentucky, agrees with the official Answers in Genesis position — that Genesis is literally true, right down to the six-day creation and Noah somehow fathering the ancestors of all human beings alive today.” All Andrew Snelling wants to do is collect some rocks from Grand Canyon in order to help... Continue Reading
Priesthood of All Believers: Two Basic Tasks
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession..."
As a priest, the believer is to cultivate holiness. For example, in [I Peter] chapter 1, Peter exhorts these exiles to “be holy!” In chapter 2, he encourages them “to offer spiritual sacrifices.” And later he tells them to “keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable.” With that in mind, I want to suggest that... Continue Reading
They Have Not Rejected You, They Have Rejected Me
To reject God’s spokesperson was to reject God.
Samuel the prophet was God’s spokesperson to the nation of Israel. He was called and equipped by God to speak the words of God. Those who rejected the words of Samuel were actually rejecting the words of the one who called Samuel. God’s people had rejected God’s prophet. For many years, Samuel had served... Continue Reading
Justification by Faith Alone
The spiritual problem for those who reject the biblical doctrine of justification recovered by the Reformation is that they cannot give all glory to God.
Paul’s doctrine of justification shows clearly (1) that all humans are sinners, helpless to save themselves; (2) that only the perfect work of Jesus saves sinners; (3) that only faith—not works at all—receives the saving effect of Jesus’ work; (4) that God in Christ receives all the glory for justification; (5) that this justification brings... Continue Reading
10 Strengths (and 10 Dangers) of Systematic Theology
We must be aware of the both the strengthens and weakness of in the use of systematic theology .
Systematic theology excels at efficiently assembling what the whole Bible teaches on a given topic. Bible teachers who go to places experiencing theological famine often immediately teach systematic theology because it is such an efficient way to communicate core Bible teachings. It can package what the whole Bible says in clear, organized, succinct ways which... Continue Reading