Posts tagged with Miscellaneous Topics

Physicists and cosmologists are ever in search of what they call 'a theory of everything,' or a T.O.E., a hypothesis that is all-encompassing in its explanatory power, a theory that can account for both the sub-atomic world of particle physics and the galactic expanse... Keep Reading

It is important to point out that Calvinists and Arminians share a considerable amount of common theological ground, even when it comes to the issue of salvation. Perhaps the most important issue on which they agree is anthropology, or the doctrine of man or human nat... Keep Reading

Authority and Method in Theology: Theological Prolegomena... Keep Reading

The Dangers of Intimacy with God... Keep Reading

The Divine Decrees: The Lapsarian Debate... Keep Reading

What are the sources for theology? By what means may we know God? In answering this question, theologians regularly speak of general revelation and special revelation. By the former is meant that non-redemptive knowledge of God to be found in creation and conscience, ... Keep Reading

1. I would despair of my eternal destiny. I would have no assurance of salvation. Knowing the depravity of my soul, I would most certainly apostatize were it not for God's sovereign preservation of me (cf. Rom. 8). 2. I would be terrified of all suffering, with no co... Keep Reading

Individual Eschatology: The Destiny of the Believer ... Keep Reading

Millennial Madness is Driving me Nuts!: A Meditation on the Eve of Y2K ... Keep Reading

The foundation for a relationship of passion is a heart of purity. Sin kills intimacy.   Isaiah 1:13-15 Isaiah 59:1-2 Jeremiah 7:16 Jeremiah 14:10-12 Psalm 5:4-6 Psalm 15 Psalm 66:18 Proverbs 11:20 Proverbs 12:22 Proverbs15:29 Proverbs 28:9 Matthew 5... Keep Reading

A Study of the Ordo Salutis Calvinistic ordo salutis Arminian ordo salutis Calling: External (universal / resistible) Internal (limited / efficacious) Prevenient Grace (universal / resistible) ↓ ↓ Regeneration / New Birth (passive /... Keep Reading

(Col. 1:28-2:3)     (1) The two greatest obstacles to my ultimate goal are that people are uninformed and disconnected. The former limits their passion for Jesus and the latter limits their compassion for people.       (2) The pri... Keep Reading

Prayer and the Power of Contrary Choice: Who Can and Cannot Pray for God to Save the Lost? ... Keep Reading

Pss. 80:14,18-19; 85:4-7; 119:25,37,149; Isa. 63:15-64:12. When I was growing up, the word Revival meant one thing: going to church on weeknights and listening to a man "Yell!" his sermons. All of us have probably faced the struggle of overcoming caricatures of reviv... Keep Reading

The doctrine of man's total moral depravity, the bondage of the will, the teaching of Scripture on faith and repentance as God's gifts to his elect, as well as the doctrine of grace, all suggest that regeneration is prior to and therefore the cause of faith. What foll... Keep Reading

The Eucharist   The word “sacrament” is derived from the Latin sacramentum which had two general uses: (1) It referred to the sum of money deposited by contending parties involved in a court proceeding. The amount subsequently forfeited by the loser... Keep Reading

The Eucharist   E.         The Sacramentalism of the Roman Catholic Church   McGiffert provides this helpful summary:   “The significance of the sacraments for the life of the Christians of the Middle ... Keep Reading

There is no more critical issue in theology than that of authority: by what standard, on what grounds, from what source, and for what reasons do we believe something to be true and therefore binding on our conscience (beliefs) and conduct (behavior)? Donald Bloesch pu... Keep Reading

A.        The Roman Catholic Doctrine of Scripture and Religious Authority Rome differs from the Protestant view of Scripture principally on three issues.   1.         The Extent of Scr... Keep Reading

The Doctrine of Complete Inerrancy   Contrary to the perspective of limited inerrancy, the Bible makes no distinction between inspired and uninspired texts or topics nor does it place any restrictions on the kinds of subjects on which it speaks truthfully. See ... Keep Reading

The question before us is simple, but the answer is not:   "How does the Bible function in Christian counseling?"   Others have phrased the question in a slightly different form:   "Is the Bible sufficient for Christian counseling?"   Howev... Keep Reading

3 Myths about Friendship (1)       The first myth is that cultivating close, intimate friendships is primarily, if not exclusively, for weak and immature people who are emotionally needy; friendship exists only for those who need to have... Keep Reading

    We must begin by distinguishing between baptism in the Holy Spirit and the filling of the Holy Spirit:   1)         Spirit-baptism is a metaphor that describes our reception of the HS at the moment of our ... Keep Reading

    It is common for believers to experience post-conversion encounters or experienceswith the Holy Spirit that are related to but not identical with infilling:   a)         The impartation of revelatory insig... Keep Reading

Jesus the Healer Luke 4:38-41   Here are 12 principles that reveal the nature of healing in the ministry of Jesus and the importance he placed on it.   1.         Jesus healed hundreds, if not thousands, of people... Keep Reading

Humanity in the Image of God   There are a number of textual indicators in Genesis 1-2 that point to the special significance of the creation of male and female in the image of God (I'm indebted to Bruce Ware for these observations):   It is only after... Keep Reading

"All that we spiritually know of ourselves, all that we know of God, and of Jesus, and His Word, we owe to the teaching of the Holy Spirit; and all the real light, sanctification, strength and comfort we are made to possess on our way to glory, we must ascribe to Him.... Keep Reading

A.        The Event vv. 1-13 When did this event occur? "Pentecost" = lit., 50th, because it fell on the 50th day after the Sabbath of Passover. Where did this event occur? According to v. 2, they were in a "house" (cf. Acts 1:12-2... Keep Reading

    The ultimate goal of theology is not knowledge, but worship. If our learning and knowledge of God do not lead to the joyful praise of God, we have failed. We learn only that we might laud. Another way of putting it is to say that theology without doxol... Keep Reading

A.        Six reasons why Christians avoid deliverance ministry   1.         Christians avoid deliverance ministry because they have been offended by those who have taken it to unbiblica... Keep Reading

    In continuation of Part 1 . . .   E.         Encounters with the Demonic and Deliverance in the Book of Acts   See Acts 5:16; 8:5-8; 13:6-12; 16:16-18; 19:12   Acts 19:13-17 is worthy of spe... Keep Reading

            My purpose here is not to address the question of whether those who have fallen should be restored to ministry. Rather, I want to speak to those who are suspicious of prophetic ministry because of the ... Keep Reading

    Who was responsible for the death of Jesus? Who was responsible for the nails that tore into his flesh and for the crown of thorns that pierced his brow? Who was responsible for the humiliation and ridicule to which he was subjected? Who killed Jesus? ... Keep Reading

Worldviews: What are They and Where do They come from? ... Keep Reading

Part One “We live in a post-vocational age. Without any theology of vocation we lapse into debilitating alternatives: fatalism (doing what is required by ‘the forces’ and ‘the powers’); luck (which denies purposefulness in life and redu... Keep Reading

Part Two There is a crucial need for clarity on the nature of vocation and the criteria by which one determines if he is subject to it. Following are five criteria, each of which must work in concert with the other four. (1)       ... Keep Reading

Part Three There are a number of obstacles that potentially might hinder someone from pursuing pastoral ministry as vocation. These also account for the high percentage of those who either drop out of seminary or leave the pastorate prematurely. If we are to succeed ... Keep Reading

How shall we define “original sin”? The term has been used in any one of three ways: (1) to refer to the “original” original sin, i.e., the first sin of Adam; (2) to refer to “inherited” sin, i.e., that corruption of nature and guil... Keep Reading

It would appear that Paul accounts for human corruption and our propensity for evil by appealing to the fall of Adam. But is it in fact true that all are born “in sin” in the sense that all inherit from birth an evil disposition and a proclivity for rebell... Keep Reading

(For those not familiar with the term Postmodernism or its fundamental ideas, I encourage you to visit the Historical Studies section on the website and click on Historical Theology. Session 38 is devoted to a brief description of the primary characteristics in the po... Keep Reading

Perhaps the most extensive interaction with and response to postmodernist reader-response criticism and the principles of deconstruction is Kevin J. Vanhoozer’s book, Is There a Meaning in This Text? The Bible, the Reader, and the Morality of Literary Knowledge ... Keep Reading

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32)   “Most of the ground that Satan gains in the lives of Christians,” wrote Neil Anderson, “is due to unforgiveness&rdqu... Keep Reading

George Frideric Handel is generally regarded as one of the greatest composers who ever lived. Although born in Germany, he spent most of his adult life in England and eventually was made a citizen of the British empire. His father was a physician and had hoped that Ge... Keep Reading

B.        Our Redeemer - 5:1-14 1.            the Scroll - v. 1 G. B. Caird argues convincingly, in my opinion, that "the content of the scroll is God's redemptive plan, foresh... Keep Reading

"But if I say, 'I will not remember Him or speak anymore in His name,' then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones; and I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot endure it" (Jeremiah 20:9) What follows in these three brief articles is a ... Keep Reading

The Necessity of Biblical Preaching 8 Reasons In the previous article I tried to explain why there is so little biblical preaching. Here I want to focus on why it is so critical that pastors be committed to the exposition of the Word. (1)    &... Keep Reading

Is any one way or style or method for preaching superior or more biblical than another? My personal conviction is Yes. Allow me to put forth a case for Expository Preaching. By "expository" or "expositional" or "exegetical" preaching I have in mind a particular style... Keep Reading

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 11:23-34 Let’s admit it: Protestants aren’t the most knowledgeable about the Eucharist and are actually somewhat uncomfortable with my use of the word because of its association with Roman Catholicism. Don’t be afraid. ... Keep Reading

Recently a friend of mine asked my opinion of the meaning of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 11, specifically, what the apostle had in mind when he spoke of receiving the elements of the Eucharist in an “unworthy manner” (11:27; ESV). The question drov... Keep Reading