True Spirituality Subverted
The evangelical disaster developed, in part, because the evangelicals ignored the very heart of the Christian life as explained in True Spirituality.
Although there is much to this story, one area especially concerning to Schaeffer was the subtle slide away from the commitment to the doctrine of inerrancy. Now some thirty-five plus years later that disaster is on full display as Evangelicalism is awash in cultural relativism. Although doctrinal statements in religious institutions and churches remain the... Continue Reading
A Primer on the Incarnation (Part 1)
We come into the world dead “in Adam,” but because of the incarnation of the Son of God, those who believe in him are now, alive “in Christ.”
The purpose of the incarnation was that the Son of God would participate in the same things (flesh and blood) as we who have fallen into sin through the wiles of the devil, in order that becoming like us, he would pull us out of slavery to sin and death. Now after John was... Continue Reading
Christians Need A Siege Mentality
A biblical siege mentality is a confident expectation that the Church will put a big, gospel-shaped boot right through the gates of hell.
Embracing a biblical siege mentality doesn’t mean adopting aggressive evangelism or open hostility toward unbelievers. The full compass of Christian living – warm hospitality, sensitive evangelism, joyful fellowship, and discerning cultural engagement – are arrows in the Christian’s quiver. It is worth noting that these do not exist alongside the Christian’s spiritual warfare, they are... Continue Reading
The Gift of Dissatisfaction
In Godly dissatisfaction I am unhappy with the state of the world, the church, and myself, and therefore want God. My problem is internal, my solution external.
We need God to unsettle us, to make us dissatisfied with anything but Jesus, and with anything but the age of come. This unsettled longing for an age to come is what the Bible calls joy. It, strangely enough, tends to make contented people, because God satisfies. There is a gift from God that we... Continue Reading
A Consideration of Craig Carter’s Recommended Return to Scholasticism, Part One
The suggestion that we should learn from the representatives of a communion that still binds men’s consciences and misleads them with false doctrine is highly objectionable.
The suggestion that we should learn from the representatives of a communion that still binds men’s consciences and misleads them with false doctrine is highly objectionable. Such men are members of a communion that has spent most of the last 500 years saying that believing Protestant doctrine is damning sin, has regarded it as within... Continue Reading
Maintaining Confidence in the Process
Though it’s right to be harsh with our sin, it’s also right to be patient with our growth.
Through hundreds and then thousands of these sermons, we realize that our minds have been renewed in a substantial way, our hearts have been transformed in an encouraging way. God works through his Word, as long as we conform ourselves to the process and don’t give up too soon. We are people in a... Continue Reading
Why Cosmology Matters
Christianity is not simply a set of moral rules, but an entire cosmology.
The Christian narrative starts with God, who is eternal, creating the universe. God creates people in his image, with particular purpose, moral codes, and values. Which accounts not only for our normal intuitions, but also explains other religions. Romans 1 says that God gave created things to humanity to be good gifts, and we turned... Continue Reading
Why Health Wealth and Prosperity Aren’t Dirty Words
In glory we will be perfectly like him and able to share in all that belongs to him; health, wealth, happiness and all.
God will prosper his people in Christ. I believe all things will work to our good. I believe throughout our lifetime that good is not necessarily material, but to form us into the likeness of Jesus. But I also believe that when he has finished doing so, he will share with us every good thing... Continue Reading
Does the Bible Mandate Nice Language When Condemning Evil?
The Bible does not mandate the kind of “nice,” saccharine language that corrupts the church in America, nor does it prohibit bold, bracing, condemnatory language from which many Christians flee.
Children must be taught to feel love for the good and feel hatred for that which is evil, which is wholly different from hating people. True love requires first knowing what is true and good. Affirming in and to people that which God detests is not love; affirming in and to people that which God... Continue Reading
Who Called David’s Census—God or Satan?
The Lord is ultimately in control of all temptations that come to us—and of those to which we give in.
Satan comes against us like a roaring lion who seems ready to swallow us alive (1 Peter 5:8). But he has no more power over us than he has been given, and God’s grace is sufficient for us in the midst of our failure, just as it was for David. God is able to enhance... Continue Reading
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