Pastor Chris Gordon and Pastor Dan Borvan discuss the importance of preaching from the perspective that the Bible progressively reveals more and more about the salvation of Christ. They talk about how accurately to apply that knowledge to the Christian life. The conversation extends to concern over the artificial presentationContinue Reading
How did the theological examination of a man in a presbytery (body of regional church elders) in a small town in Scotland in 1717 fuel a deep-seated theological schism among ministers in the Church of Scotland and result in a movement that still has bearing on the church in ourContinue Reading
[The] gospels do not speak at length or even frequently about Jesus “hanging out” (as people say) with prostitutes or even with sinners. When we account for the repetition of the same narratives in the synoptic gospels (i.e., Matthew, Mark and Luke), we can focus on three passages: Matthew 9:10, 32-32; and LukeContinue Reading
God’s moral law was not temporary. It reflects his character. It is was revealed in creation to Adam. It was known by the Patriarchs. It was summarised by Moses and again by our Lord himself in Matthew 22:37–40. The Apostles repeated the very same moral law as the norm ofContinue Reading
Mark Driscoll embodied the anger and the ability to hold people through the power of shame in the same way experienced by those who had left structured Christianity to begin with. As Mike Cosper observes, Driscoll took a particular prop, women, and beat men into silent submission through guilt andContinue Reading
Rev. Nicholas Batzig writes: If you want to demean someone in the church, you simply have to use the “L-word” when speaking to or about that person. The number of times one believer has called another believer a legalist is inestimable. Name-calling often ensues when someone in the church believesContinue Reading
In Matthew 12:1-14 the Pharisees try to trip Jesus up for his so-called Sabbath violations. In his response, Jesus exposes – yet again – the Pharisees for the professional legalists and hypocrites they are. Here we have helpful insights into not only the perpetuity of the Sabbath institution, but alsoContinue Reading
The sheep in the churches on the island of Crete were surrounded by dangerous animals. One of Crete’s poet-prophets, Epimenides, once joked that the absence of wild beasts on the island could be explained by the presence of humans. Cretans were known for being lovers of money, viciously greedy, liarsContinue Reading