Marriage as a Blood Covenant?
Marriage is a creation ordinance instituted by God before the fall. Why would there be a need for the shedding of blood before sin and death had entered the world?
The third reason I think this teaching is unbiblical is that we now live under the covenant of grace after the last, best, and only true sacrifice has already taken place. Christ has paid the penalty for our sins, and there are no more sacrifices. Ever. Why would any Christian who has been bought by... Continue Reading
Hear Him!
We are to hear Christ through the preaching and teaching of God’s word.
Will we see Jesus in glory when He finally takes us home? Only if we hearHim on this side of glory. Let’s not waste our time with silly books and movies about people going to heaving and coming back again. They are just worthless fables. A friend on FB was blasted when she decried... Continue Reading
Faithfully Delivering the Gospel
The gospel is the exclusive means by which the universal problem of sin is remedied.
If we really believe that the gospel is the power of God for salvation we probably would not mess with it. It is not wise to edit perfection; we have not been given proofreading writes by God to add or delete elements from his masterpiece of Christ exalting truth. Recently I’ve been thinking about... Continue Reading
The Religious Compartment
Compartmentalizing our faith (the Christian religion) is an unbiblical error that often leads to complete denial of the faith.
Wilberforce is saying that nominal Christians give a portion, or compartment, of their life to the Christian religion. That compartment has a place in life along with other things, and sometimes the religious compartment claims some of their time or thoughts or money, and they think that’s good enough. The other compartments of life are... Continue Reading
Dear Westboro “Baptist”
And then it dawned on me. You don’t really care about convincing people.
I’m posting this letter here for two reasons—one is simply because you didn’t respond to my email and you refused to talk to me in person. The second is to spare others the time. I want other churches to know if you go there, your goal is not anybody’s repentance. Your goal is simply to... Continue Reading
Why Can’t a Father Marry His Adult Son? A Mother Her Adult Daughter?
If the Court rules that the law cannot privilege procreative unions over non-procreative ones, where does that end?
If the court officially severs the ancient connection between marriage and procreation, then it really has no grounds for denying marriage to these other ensembles. If there is a limit to the principle, then Kennedy et al. are obligated to declare what it is in advance. So far, Kennedy hasn’t done that. And it is... Continue Reading
Spurgeon Almost Quit
At the age of twenty-two, Charles Spurgeon almost quit the ministry.
Spurgeon’s joy was based not only on his own ability to recover, but on God’s ability to replenish. It was a joy that would balm Spurgeon in future controversies when he felt beleaguered and bewildered. The joy Spurgeon had after 1856 was a radical joy — a joy deeply rooted in the soil of the... Continue Reading
So You Can’t Wait to Retire?
It’s good to have a retirement plan just in case you have to leave the pastorate as an older man. We are not all like Moses.
Ultimately, the whole retirement debate is about the faithfulness of God. Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all your basic needs will be supplied by him (Mt. 6:33). We must be wise in our planning, but also we must never lose sight of this promise. Whenever I broach the topic... Continue Reading
This Church’s Legal Battle Against New York City Shows What Real Discrimination Looks Like
Will those now criticizing the Indiana legislation as “discriminatory” also respond with equal outrage to the actual discrimination that could hurt real people in New York City?
What’s happening in New York City shows why we need religious-liberty legislation, like Indiana’s. Bronx Household of Faith, a small, intrepid church ministering to people in a poor area north of Yankee Stadium, challenged New York City’s anti-worship-service policy back in 1995… If New York had a state religious-freedom-restoration act like Indiana and 19 other... Continue Reading
A Note From Creator Cakes
A fictionalized note from a Christian baker:
Though we’ve never been asked to service a same-sex wedding, and though it looks increasingly that we someday will, we want to notify our customers of a policy that Creator Cakes will pursue. We’ve decided that if asked, we will provide a cake at a same-sex wedding ceremony. But we will take every dollar from... Continue Reading