All Posts (Page 37)
Understanding the Death of Christ (Part 2) – "Basic Truth" series, #8 (cont.)
A Finished Work As we learned in the last issue of Basic Truth, Jesus did not come to merely make men savable. He came to “save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). As Jesus said of Himself, “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10, cf. Ezek. 34:11-15). It is necessary here to distinguish between secured salvation and applied salvation. On the cross, Jesus secured the salvation that is applied…
What Do You Do With Immorality?
When the apostle Paul heard that there was immorality in the Corinthian church, he was shocked. The brand of immorality was of such a kind that the sensibilities of the pagan world would even be offended—”a man has his father’s wife”. But his amazement was mostly because the church tolerated it as a badge of honor. The church had so distorted the meaning of love that it was proud of its acceptance of such persons. “And you are arrogant. Ought…
A Cathartic Sickness
NOTE: I wrote this in 2005 when I was going through a series of minor health issues. They were nothing really, but did do some good for me. I did not publish this article at the time, but believe it still has meaning. I hope you can share it with those who might benefit from it. JE One of my longtime friends died recently, and another is extremely sick. I have also had some uncomfortable physical challenges myself, the latest…
A Different Style of Evangelist: Laborers on the Loose
The disparity between what Christ and Paul did in evangelism and what we do, at least in the West, is dramatic. Let me explain a few of those differences: 1. The first radical departure from Jesus and Paul is our concept of time-specific, meeting-oriented evangelism. You will read in vain in the New Testament to find so many days of evangelistic preaching scheduled for Jesus or Paul and conducted at 7 p.m. in a certain location. You do not find…
A Mission of Peculiarity: John 17:13-19
It is the task of the Christian to demonstrate his or her peculiarity to the world. In reading through the catalogue of people of faith in Hebrews 11, it is the peculiarity of the men and women of faith that is most prominent. You cannot get much stranger than Noah, for instance, who hammered on a boat for 120 years waiting for a promised flood in a world that had not yet even seen rain. Think about it. This man…
Babylonian?
I talked with a charter member of the church I attended in another town that Sunday, a church with less-than-conservative views on the Bible. The question I asked was designed not only to give me information, but also to engage my new friend in thinking about his beliefs. “What is your church’s view on the Bible?” I posed. “Well,” he answered, “I’m a chaplain for the Masons and I think we have a little stronger view of the Bible there…
Bible Reading Record
The following is not a Bible reading plan, but a way for you to keep track of your Bible reading. Whether you tuck this page in your Bible, keep it at your desk, or stick it on your refrigerator, we hope this will help you as you discipline yourself to become more familiar with God’s Word. We suggest that you read a portion of the Old Testament and a portion of the New Testament each day, moving progressively through both…
Brian Fleming’s The God Who Wasn’t There A Critical Review
Written, Directed and Narrated by Brian Fleming Beyond Belief Media 2005 A friend of mine is fond of quoting the axiom, "Consequences have ideas." That certainly seems to prove true in Brian Fleming’s documentary diatribe against Christianity, "The God Who Wasn’t There." The 39-year-old Fleming, who describes his parents as "typical, non-Bible-thumping Methodists,"1 attended an evangelical parochial school in California as a child. There, he says, "I was born again at least three times, I think."2 Fleming describes his school…
Better Prayer Meetings and Prayer Groups: Less Confusion, More Communion
Most of us have experienced both “good” and “bad” prayer meetings. Eventually we may find out that the “good prayer meeting” which seemed to go very well was actually tainted. Those who prayed sounded spiritual, but they were full of pride. And Peter tells us, “God is opposed to the proud” (1 Pet. 5:5). Alternatively, a seemingly “bad prayer meeting” which felt totally flat might one day be revealed as the time when God heard the prayers of a meek…
Thinking and Speaking Biblically About the Death of Christ: Appendix 1
Appendix 1: Passages that Seem to Say God Wants to Save Everyone (1 Timothy 2:4; Ezekiel 18:23, 30-32; 33:11; 2 Peter 3:9) 1 Timothy 2:4 In 1 Timothy 2, Paul says to Timothy that it is desirable for Christians to "lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (vv.…
Thinking and Speaking Biblically About the Death of Christ: Appendix 2
Appendix 2: Passages that Seem to Say Christ Died for Everyone (1 Timothy 4:10; Hebrews 2:9; 2 Peter 2:1; 1 John 2:2; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19) Since the Bible is the Word of God it is self-consistent. Consequently if we find a passage which in itself is capable of two interpretations, one of which harmonizes with the rest of the Scriptures while the other does not, we are duty bound to accept the former. (Loraine Boettner, The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination) …
Thinking and Speaking Biblically About the Death of Christ: Appendix 3
Appendix 3: The Redemptive Love of God and the Meaning of “the World” in John 3:16 All that are within the circle of Christ’s love must be within the circle of our love, and to contend for doctrine in a manner which ignores this truth is a rending of the unity of the true church, which is His body. Nevertheless it is equally evident that no man’s beliefs or preaching are above the need of testing, and it is the duty of…
Understanding Creation – "Basic Truth" series, #3
Creation Ex Nihilo Paul described God as the One “who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist” (Romans 4:17, NASB). His words are the perfect definition of the Hebrew word for “create” (bara) used in Genesis 1:1. The word literally means “to bring something into existence that did not exist before.” God created everything that now exists ex nihilo, a Latin term meaning “out of nothing.” A sculptor will take a rough piece…
Understanding God – "Basic Truth" series, #2
How does the Bible describe God? God is Perfect We might describe our mother as “a good person.” We might say that an honest judge is “a just man.” But only God is perfectly good and perfectly just. All human beings, even those we admire and trust, are, by nature, imperfect, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). But “As for God,” David writes in Psalm 18:30, “His way is perfect.” God is…
Understanding God’s Purpose in Sending His Son – "Basic Truth" series, #7
. . . and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21) God the Father sent His Son into the world with a definite purpose. It was a purpose that can even be seen in His name. When the angel spoke to Joseph, he told him to name the baby “Jesus” because He would save His people from their sins. The name Jesus is the Latin form of the…
Understanding Man’s Inability – "Basic Truth" series, #6
The Bible speaks of two kinds of people: those who have been “born again” (John 3:3, cf. James 1:18), and those who remain in their sinful corruption—the “natural man” (1 Cor. 2:14). Only the person who understands the gospel and believes in Jesus Christ will be saved. But which kind of person truly believes? A better question might be this: Which kind of person is able to believe? God: Life-Preserver or Life-Giver? The analogy of a drowning person has often…