The NIV and the deity of Christ

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The purpose of this post is to briefly critique the theory that the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible destroys the biblical basis for the doctrine of the full deity of Jesus Christ. It is not my intention to promote the NIV or to defend it on every point, nor is it my desire to denigrate the King James Version (KJV) in any way. It is my desire to clearly lay out the evidence

The benefits of the Bible (part one)

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The first recorded question in the Bible was asked by the subtle serpent of Genesis 3. His question: ‘Yea hath God said...?’ intended to sow the seed of doubt in the mind of Eve with regards to the Word of God. It is no wonder that many people today are questioning, criticising and doubting the integrity, legitimacy and sufficiency of the Scriptures. The prevalent and popular belief that God’s Word cannot be trusted and is

Five great theological themes of the gospel: Regeneration (part six)

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If you've ever played paintball, you're probably familiar with the idea of regeneration.1 After a player has "died," he must make his way to the "dead zone." After a set time has passed, he is regenerated and may re-enter the field of play. Spiritual zombies In order to understand why regeneration is necessary, you have to understand that man is born dead. This is what Jesus was talking about when he said to Nicodemus "you

Five great theological themes of the gospel: Justification (part five)

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We the unjust The reason justification is necessary is that we are not just and we cannot be just. We have rebelled against God and we do rebel against him. The godliest saint has a deep-seated bent toward rebellion.1 God hates sin. His wrath rests on those who rebel against him.2 God's perfect justice demands that sinners be condemned for their crimes against him. God the just The great concern in justification is how God

Grace-based confession

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Bobby Emberley is in his last year of his bachelor’s degree programme at Bible college in the US. As a “pastor’s kid” brought up in a fundamental church and Christian school, he is well acquainted with fundamentalism as an insider. When he shared this story with me a few weeks ago, I asked him to write it up for InFocus. His honesty about his struggles to be “in the clear” with God resonate with all

The secret things belong to God

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Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. Rom.11:18 In our day and age a plethora of information and articles are being written on the subject of God’s sovereignty and how it harmonises with the Freewill of man. Every so-called scholar is writing a thesis or dissertation and is seeking to provide some ‘new’ perspective on these ancient doctrines. It is high time that Christians came to

Five great theological themes of the gospel: Imputation (part four)

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The word "impute" means to credit, attribute, or assign. In imputation, something is assigned to something else. The Christian doctrine of imputation is closely tied to the atonement and to justification. The atonement is the value that is assigned. Justification is the result of that assignment.1 In a sense, imputation is the mechanics of how the atonement works. For instance, how can Jesus cover my sin by his death on the cross? How can his

God’s forgotten attribute: Holiness

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But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, be ye holy; for I am holy.  –1 Peter 1:15-16 Introduction to holiness Most believers today are genuinely willing to engage themselves in discussion surrounding the nature and characteristics of God. The love of God, so rich a theme, is never far from the lips or mind of the saint, and in many

Five great theological themes of the gospel: Propitiation (part three)

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If I had to sum up propitiation in one word, it would be "satisfaction." In propitiation, the wrath of God is satisfied. An angry God We may underestimate the importance of propitiation until we have a proper estimate of the wrath of God against sinners. The Scripture teaches that God "feels indignation every day."1 That "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness"2 and that this wrath is not passive

Five great theological themes of the gospel: The atonement (part two)

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Australia's T. C. Hammond, principal of Moore Theological College in the middle of the twentieth century, had this to say of the atonement: If the student has insufficient time for an attempt to master the other important sections of Christian Doctrine, let him, at least, have a firm grasp of this, which is the very heart and core of the Faith.1 Indeed, the atonement is "the very heart and core" of our Christian faith. Every