Thoughts on theology, heresy, doctrine and life.
04 Sabbath: Did Jesus change the Sabbath?
How did Jesus had to our understanding of what should we do or not do on the Sabbath? He taught that Sabbath is a rest that is given, not earned, and that our “job” is to enjoy it, not to live up to it.
03 Sabbath: When do we keep the Sabbath?
Sabbath rest is yet to come —the rest we enjoy today anticipates the real Sabbath rest that awaits us in the kingdom. That future rest is granted to those who have saving faith in Jesus Christ.
02 Sabbath: How do we keep the Sabbath?
How do we keep the Sabbath? The simple command is not to work. We stop the activities we do that sustain our lives and instead we do the things that most foster our relationship to, understanding of and dependence on God.
01 Sabbath: Why remember the Sabbath?
Sabbath is about who God is. It’s not about what we need to live healthy lives. It’s not about making sure we get our rest so that we can be productive at work, be nice to our family and stay awake during Bible Studies (though none of those things are bad things). Sabbath reminds us who God is. Because as we’ll see, on the Sabbath, we rest to remember God.
Why bother with Jesus when I’ve got it made?
Professor Ken Elzinga answers the question: If your life is going great, why should you bother with Jesus?
Continue Reading Why bother with Jesus when I’ve got it made?
5 passages on women in authority in the church
These 5 passages are the most commonly discussed in debating the question of whether women should teach or have authority in the church.
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What church positions are open to women?
This table shows the spectrum of church leadership roles available to women under the egalitarian and hard/soft complementarian views. Individual churches may vary in their practice.
What is a soft complementarian?
The views regarding women in authority in the church can be generalized into 3 basic positions: hard complementarian (most restrictive), soft complementarian (less restrictive), and egalitarian (least restrictive). This is a summary of the soft complementarian position.
What is a hard complementarian?
The views regarding women in authority in the church can be generalized into 3 basic positions: hard complementarian (most restrictive), soft complementarian (less restrictive), and egalitarian (least restrictive). This is a summary of the hard complementarian position.
What is an egalitarian?
The views regarding women in authority in the church can be generalized into 3 basic positions: hard complementarian (most restrictive), soft complementarian (less restrictive), and egalitarian (least restrictive). This is a summary of the egalitarian position.
The Lord’s Prayer: we say it but what does it mean?
The more I study the Lord’s Prayer, the more I conclude the prayer asks for one and only one thing: that God would make us completely righteous once and for all.
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Spiritual Formation: a critical look
The theology of Spiritual Formation sounds great on paper, but it is focused on the wrong target, seeks the wrong kind of change and misses the mark on how disciplines work.
Prayer and Spiritual Formation: How does it work?
The biblical picture of prayer is not that it is a spiritual discipline that I use to reach a higher spiritual level. Rather prayer is an unavoidable mandatory battlefield in the war of faith.
Continue Reading Prayer and Spiritual Formation: How does it work?
Does Spiritual Formation seek the right kind of change?
Not only does the theology of spiritual formation aim at the wrong target, spiritual formation seeks the wrong kind of change. While spiritual disciplines focus on success at outward righteous behavior, the Bible teaches that the goal of spiritual maturity is a strong unshakeable faith.
Continue Reading Does Spiritual Formation seek the right kind of change?
What is worship?
If you think that worship equals singing, A Taste of Heaven: Worship in the Light of Eternity by RC Sproul is a must-read book for you.
The Boy Jesus in the Temple and what that teaches us about Bible Study
How could a 12-year old astonish the best theologians of his day? Why was the knowledge of Jesus radically different than everyone else?
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Drawing the Doctrinal Line
Which of our many doctrinal differences should Christians worry about? After all, one person’s heresy is another person’s minor difference of opinion.
Why I reject Emergent Theology
Emergent Theology claims theological certainty is an idol, but Paul claims the authority to speak on behalf of God.
5 Questions to Identify a Cult
How do you recognize a group which claims to represent genuine, apostolic Christianity but in reality does not? Here are 5 questions that separate “the sheep” from “the wolves.”
7 Marks of False Teachers
I blog frequently on tips and tools for improving your Bible study skills, but what about discernment when listening to others?
Why calling does not begin with marriage
Does God have a “one-plan-fits-all” calling for women: marry, conceive children, raise children and become a grandmother?
What does it mean to “abide in Christ”?
Understanding what it means to “abide in Christ” is one of the major themes of 1 John.
Who are you listening to?
Today we often seek preachers who tell us stories, make us laugh, and tickle our ears with poetry and platitudes. We would rather listen to Jon Stewart than Jonathan Edwards. We ought to think critically about how far we have slipped down the slope of valuing style over substance.
Lance Armstrong and fallen heroes
Fallen heroes teach us that we need more than an earthly hero. Throughout biblical history, God gave us fallen heroes and failed solutions to prepare us for the only solution that works.
Solomon’s wisdom and last resorts
Solomon had real wisdom to offer a broken world. Yet, he failed to learn the most important lesson: Solomon valued the gift of wisdom more than the Giver of the gift.
The Vow of Jephthah
The story is tragic in part because he expected an animal, but also because his vow reveals his lack of faith in God.
Once a believer, always a believer?
Can I resist the working of God’s grace in my life to the point where I am no longer saved?
Do I choose God or does God choose me?
You may never have thought this question through. You may be inconsistent in how you live it out. But how you answer some basic theological questions makes a world of difference in daily life.
Prayer and rain: Does God answer prayer?
Why should I have confidence that God answers my prayers? According to James, I have confidence that my prayers will be answered because of who is answering my prayer, not because my prayer is perfect, powerful or articulate.
Questioning desire
Desires play a key role in the life of faith. The question is how we handle our desires and whether we are willing to listen to what God says about them.
Finding the Will of God
If we accept the fact that God is our Father, our Provider and our Redeemer, does it make sense that He would hide His will from us? Yet many Christians talk about the “will of God” as if finding it is a version of the con man’s three-shell game.
Galatians, James and “social justice”
In his critique of Tim Keller’s Generous Justice, Giere refers to Galatians and points to a major theme of James. Do James and Paul offer a litmus test of saving faith?
Study a particular book
Bible Study 101: Learn how to study the Bible
Bible Study 201: Learn to teach the Bible
Study Resources: Maps, charts, reference works, websites & tools
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