Theology (Page 4)

Theology (Page 4)

What Is Forgiveness?

Because we live in a fallen world, sinning against others and being sinned against, we are in constant need of forgiveness. Yet, we often misunderstand what forgiveness truly is. We think that forgiveness is a feeling, so we don’t forgive because we don’t “feel” very forgiving. We think that forgiveness involves excusing someone’s sin, so we say things like, “What you did wasn’t that bad; I’ve done it before, too”. We think that forgiveness means forgetting, so we don’t forgive…

Am I Growing in My Christian Faith?

A common question people ponder is how they know if they are growing in their Christian faith? Sometimes this question arises in those that are struggling with whether or not they are true believers. In Colossians 1:9-14, Paul gives a model for spiritual growth. He tells us what spiritual growth looks like, thereby showing us how we know if we are growing in our Christian faith. Paul prays for a filling of the knowledge of God “so that you will…

Why is the Virgin Conception Important?

All day today, the miracle of the virgin conception and subsequent virgin birth of our Lord Jesus Christ has been on our minds. But why is the virgin conception and subsequent birth so important? The virgin conception/birth is important because it allows for the full humanity and full deity of Jesus Christ. I am not saying that Christ had to be conceived by a virgin. God could have chosen another method for his Son to come to the earth. For…

Why Participate in the Lord’s Supper?

This coming Sunday we will participate together in the Lord’s Supper.  This is no small privilege.  Christians of previous generations employed much ink and spilled much blood over this ordinance. However, to a world not familiar with Christianity—a Muslim from Iran or Hindu from India—the Lord’s Supper seems strange.  It does.  Always has.  After all, in the first century, Christians were accused of cannibalism because they said they consumed the body and blood of Christ. In light, then, of this…

How Do You Handle Your Past?

Everyone has regrets. You regret sinful choices and stupid choices. Choices as small as hitting the snooze, and choices as large as the person you married, the career you chose, and the house you purchased. How are you to handle and think about those past decisions? You are to forget the past and remember the past. Paul tells us in Phil 3:13 that we are to “forget what lies behind and reach forward to what lies ahead.” The word “forgetting,”…

How Can I Grow In Faith?

We tend to read the Bible primarily individualistically.  Here is an example of what I mean. Paul writes in Rom 10:17: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”  By default, we are apt to read this passage and think: faith comes when I read the word of God.  Or, more generally: faith comes through the Bible. The problem with thinking this is that Paul says something much more specific: faith comes by hearing preaching.  How do I know?  The…

The Debt of the Image-Bearer

Remember the passage where the rulers try to trap Jesus by asking Him whether you should pay taxes to Caesar or not (Mark 12:13-17)? The well-known passage is a great example of the profound wisdom displayed by Wisdom Himself. He prompts us, “Have you thought about the debt of the image-bearer?” Jesus asks the Pharisees and the Herodians whose image was stamped on the coin. To the response of “Caesar,” Jesus posits that whatever has the image stamped on it…

Why Did Christ Have to Die on a Cross?

I am not asking why Christ had to die.  I am asking why he had to die on a cross.  To ask the question another way: could Christ have atoned for our sins through stoning or hanging or some other means of execution? The answer is that an execution of any other means would give us no assurance that Christ has taken our curse for us.  Allow me to explain. The law brings a curse, because cursed is anyone who…

I Got Saved Every Sunday

More than once I have heard a conversion story that basically stated, “I got saved every Sunday.” We sometimes dismiss this kind of story as stemming from bad theology or manipulative practices.  And while that may be true, in dismissing it, we swing to the other extreme, which is, “I am already a Christian; this sermon doesn’t apply to me.” But let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water.  In reality there is truth to “I got saved…

Killing Sin

Do you feel like you just aren’t gaining ground? Do you feel stuck on the merry-go-round of failure? Christ, the Holy Spirit, and His Word are what we need most to gain victory in killing sin habits in our lives. And like our recent post on Pride, there is a plethora of helpful authors who speak on killing sin in our lives (mortification). We’d like to give you a sampling quotes from these sources, compiled by our friend, Dr Stuart…