The Privileges That Are Ours
We have already received a kingdom that cannot be shaken.
When we have seen the privileges that are already ours, we have every reason to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and persevere in penitential faith until that which is now ours in part becomes ours in whole and forever. The letter to the Hebrews, as our studies throughout the year have shown, is full... Continue Reading
Slot Machine Christianity
Are we hoping for our "investment" to pay off?
Christ-centered hope grounds us and keeps us from drifting into the lie that our own efforts will result in a reward for success—or punishment for failure. Jesus has already borne our punishment and he gives us his very life. That’s not a gamble, but a sure thing. I’m not sure I fully understand the... Continue Reading
Discerning Temperaments
We must seek to understand not only what is being said but why someone may be saying it in a manner different than we might say it.
If we don’t seek to know the personality and temperaments of our opponents, we will run the risk of dealing with everyone monolithically. This will only further the heat and the contentions that brew on account of either real or perceived, serious or minor, differences. We love the idea of diversity, until it cuts... Continue Reading
Translation Manipulation
In 1997 WORLD uncovered a plan to reshape the most popular English translation of the Bible.
By 1999 Zondervan, IBS, and the CBT were back at it. After pledging just two years earlier “to discontinue all plans to develop a new, gender-neutral version of the NIV,” they hinted at a new “rendition” that would be gender-neutral. In early 1997 a call came to the Olasky home with a tip: The... Continue Reading
Men, Anger, and Gender Differences
Do men and women process anger in different ways?
As our society recognises harmful versions of masculinity, it’s good to be reminded that God is also in opposition. God does not condone sinful anger, and neither should the church. One of the few heresies today is to suggest that there are many if any differences between men and women. We are even at... Continue Reading
Have You Tasted Heaven?
Does heaven really exist? I see undeniable evidence that it exists; I have tasted of is fruits.
I have tasted the fruit of a distant land and have within me a growing longing to taste it again, to taste it all the more, to leave this land and settle in that place of such delights, of such wonder. For though I do not know exactly where that place is, and though I... Continue Reading
Dogs Don’t Get Grace
Grace is unearned, undeserved, and unexpected.
Like dogs, we don’t get grace either. We think that God blesses us because we try hard. We deserve His favor and become disgruntled when it’s not forthcoming. Kind of like the older son in the parable of the prodigal. Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2... Continue Reading
The Intellectual Pattern of Pragmatism
Disappointment increases as many evangelicals seem impervious to the theological damage their intellectual habits are causing.
In their attempt to be relevant to the culture, evangelicals have been both theologically and philosophically naïve, if not outright in error, as they indiscriminately copy methods and ideas from the world to reach the world. The argument justifying such behavior claims they are being culturally relevant for Jesus’ sake. There are some troubling... Continue Reading
What Does It Mean that Jesus Is Prophet, Priest, and King?
In “Man of Sorrows, King of Glory,” Jonty Rhodes uses the traditional categories of Jesus as prophet, priest, and king to enhance the Christian understanding of his life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension.
We need the whole Christ and the whole cross. We need a savior who not only pays our debts but speaks life to our withered souls. We need a savior-prophet to whom we can cry out “Son of David, have mercy on me . . . Let me recover my sight!” (Mk. 10:48, 52), as... Continue Reading
The Foolishness of Preaching
True preaching doesn’t present the preacher; it presents the sending Christ.
It’s a mystery, but in God’s wise plan, He has made it so that through simple words His saving work is made known. In the famous words of the Second Helvetic Confession, “The preaching of the Word of God is the Word of God.” If we recaptured this high view of preaching, we would engage in... Continue Reading
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