Blog
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The Church and Israel
Who are God’s chosen people? Israel, the church, or both? What should we think about the nation of Israel today? Is a Jew who doesn’t believe in Jesus still in a saving, covenant relationship with God? Does God have a separate plan for Israel than he does for the church? Should promises made to Israel in the Old Testament be applied to the church today?...
What Happens To Infants When They Die?
Apart from Christ, all mankind is spiritually dead, enslaved to passions and desires of the flesh, and "by nature children of wrath." One of the common questions that rises out of this understanding of man's innate and devastating depravity is how this doctrine applies to infants (and those with certain developmental disabilities). In particular, does this mean that infant...
Is a Christian a “Sinner?”
On the one hand there are people who are surprised when they (or other Christians) sin because they assume that, since they are in Christ, they should be able to live a near-perfect life. On the other hand, are those who see their own depravity clearly but fail to realize that their identity is in Christ’s successes and not in their failures...
Sovereign Over the Small Stuff
This past weekend we looked at Ephesians 1:3-10 and encountered the mammoth theological concept of predestination. Predestination is but one facet of God's sovereignty. God's sovereignty in general refers to His rule and reign over all things, whereas predestination typically refers to His rule in the realm of salvation...
Moving Beyond “Did You Have Fun?”
“Did you have fun?” I have heard parents ask their children this question literally thousands of times. I’ve asked it of my own kids as well; it’s a pretty standard question when reuniting with them after being separated for some activity or function. It’s often used deftly as an icebreaker to begin a conversation with your kids about their experience...
Fighting the Bonds of Legalism
I know that there are many Christians, like myself, who struggle with trying to earn God’s favor (which is how I’m defining “legalism” in this post). I know my identity is not as a legalist but as an adopted child of God. However, as a perfectionist who grew up in a church that didn’t properly teach about grace, I’m always striving to earn God’s favor...
Annihilating Annihilationism
Let’s talk about everyone’s favorite topic…hell! I’m obviously kidding. I know that talking about hell is literally the worst thing we can talk about. But the Bible talks about it so, from time to time, we need to as well....
The Scars We’re Slow to Show
To this day, I am scared of the water because of Jaws. There is a powerful scene on the Orca where Quint, Brody and Hooper are showing scars and swapping stories. The setting is buoyant and cheerful as each scar is revealed and story rehearsed from sheets of skin and bone...
Making Sense of Melchizedek
What’s the deal with Melchizedek? A seemingly small Old Testament character with a profound legacy. Though he appears in only 3 books of the Bible (2 Old Testament and 1 New Testament), his influence is incredible...
How Can Jesus Be “Begotten?”
One of the most popular verses in the Bible, John 3:16, says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only (fill in the blank) Son…” Many of us are used to saying “begotten” because of the influence the King James translation has had on our thinking; but, what does it mean that Jesus is “begotten?”...
Raising Children in a Hypersexualized Culture
Today’s American culture is what some might call “hypersexualized”. Sex is everywhere. It’s on billboards, television, the magazines in the checkout line at the grocery store, even in our public schools. There is almost nowhere...
An Offering From Plate to Pulpit
Behind every cultural custom or religious ritual is a story. Some of these stories are older and more established than others. Perhaps surprisingly, some of the seemingly time-honored traditions that we hold dear as 21st century believers are fairly modern innovations...
Exegetical Listening
As anyone who has ever been in an argument knows, communication is a two-way street. I remember coming home from work one day and, as I began to talk to my wife, I could tell she was having a bad day. “What’s wrong?” I asked her. In an attempt to say that she looked both “frowny” and “grumpy,” I accidentally......
Alone and In Charge
Every morning, thousands and thousands of people commute to work. They eat a hasty breakfast, clamber into their cars, and drive - often alone - to their various destinations. These commutes can often take 30 minutes or more. They do this every day...
Bad Theology Kills
Turn on the news and you will see that bad theology kills. Literally. In 1978 nearly 1000 people died by mass suicide in Jonestown, Guyana as part of Jim Joneses “Peoples Temple.” In 1993, nearly 100 people died in Waco in the aftermath of...
Christmas Myths!
Christmas time is upon us! It is a time to celebrate Christ! Though Christmas has a lot of other fun perks (such as caroling, buying gifts, decorating the tree, and fighting people in the parking lot of Walmart for the best deals)...
Are Christmas and Easter Pagan Holidays?
I wonder what percentage of the Internet is actually good and helpful and true. This thought occurs to me each time I encounter the common criticism that Christmas and Easter have pagan origins. Such claims are plastered online and used in a philosophical sleight of hand to conclude that Christianity is rooted in paganism...
Jesus Christ and Pagan Parallels
Internet sites abound with alleged similarities between the events of the New Testament narrative, in particular the person and work of Jesus Christ, and ancient mythological accounts of gods...
A Theology of Community
We live in a culture that tends to emphasize the individual. We have individual rights, individual opinions, and individual freedoms. We can buy our groceries without ever interacting with another human being...
Making The Best Use Of The Time
Last night at the dinner table my nearly-fifteen-year-old son was trying to explain how he wanted to rearrange the furniture in his room...