A magnificent repentance
I used to think that legalism was externally imposed. I had recently read Bridges' Transforming Grace and had begun to see the grip that legalism had on my life. My security in God's love was not based solely on Christ's imputed righteousness, but in my ability to meet a certain standard of performance in a given day or week. If I was obeying God and faithful in the word, I felt secure. If I had
Why TR-onlyism is necessarily rooted in Ruckmanism
Those who hold to a TR-only position like to think that they hold a moderate position. They typically repudiate the extremes of Ruckmanism in the strongest terms while repudiating the "extremes" of contemporary texts/translations just as firmly. It is my intention in this post to explain why I believe it is impossible to build a reasonable TR-only position without rooting it in 1611. In other words, I want to show why you cannot distance yourself
Euthanasia
Since the fall, we are all destined to die. However we were created to live, not to die. Death is not how God intended this world to be. In creation, death was not natural, but now it is an ugly reality. Anyone working in nursing or aged care can tell you graphic and regular stories of end of life care. With the aid of drugs and other medical equipment, we have extended our ability to
Did Jesus exist?
Someone recently told me "I have no reason to think your Jesus ever lived or died." The comment seems absurd to those who live within the orb of Christianity, but are there grounds to question the historical existence of Jesus of Nazareth? The question really entails two questions. The first question has to do with whether this character named Jesus did indeed live two thousand years ago. If he did, the second question has to
Thirsting after God
Psalm 42:1-2 (ESV) As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. What is the ultimate difference between duty and delight within the realm of Christianity? How is it that there are times in our Christian experiences where maintaining a prayer life is burdensome, reading the Bible is onerous and exemplifying Christ in all we do seems like an obligation
Literary views on death from a Christian worldview
This week I have a question for the hive mind. What is the most powerful description of death that you have read in literature from a Christian perspective? I would love for you to post the quote or the reference in the comment section. Here’s a few to get the discussion started. C.S. Lewis wrote about death for his character Reepicheep in the Chronicles of Narnia: This,” said Reepicheep, “is where I go on alone.”
When were you saved?
It is a common question that we often ask new people that we meet. It is an important question, because it reflects our eternal destiny. However, the answer to this question is not as straight forward as we may think. Consider these five possible and yet correct answers to the question "When were you saved"? 1) We were saved before time began God is sovereign and all-powerful. Even before he created time and man, he
The perils of democracy
Following on from the discussion regarding the Perils of capitalism, it is worth considering the assumption that democracy is the best form of earthly government. As Australia undergoes Rudd vs. Gillard Part II, many voters are asking the question, "When I voted Rudd in 2007, why did I get Gillard?" Or "When I voted for Gillard in 2010, why might I get Rudd?" The reality is that pure democracy of the masses is not accurate.
The scandals of that silent night
Silent night, holy night... The song brings to mind images of moonlit fields and starry skies; shepherds laughing around a cosy fire; an awestruck husband and a contemplative new mum. We're warmed as we recount the comforting joys of that night so long ago. Our hearts become settled, peaceful, serene... But underneath the serenity were some ugly realities. For starters, the common notion among family friends and relatives was that Joseph was the dad. Jesus
The benefits of the Bible (part two)
Last week I began a two part series on nine benefits of the word of God. I have already explained the first give benefits: 1. The word of God is pure. 2. The word of God is pertinent. 3. The word of God is powerful. 4. The word of God is profitable. 5. The word of God is prosperous. Let me now present the remaining four benefits of the word of God. 6. The word