The intersection of human responsibility and God’s sovereignty is a perennial discussion. The Bible teaches both, yet most understand these ideas to be contradictory. It is always a temptation to elevate one and minimize—or “qualify”—the other. We can feel that if we emphasis God’s sovereignty, we necessarily minimize human responsibility, or vice versa. If this… Read More ›
The following article is based on the sermon Descent Into Hell which you can watch or listen to here. Christian thinking can be influenced by culture around us. Today, materialistic naturalism is so prominent in the world of ideas that concepts like angels, demons, spirits, and the underworld seem more like fairy-tale fiction than reality…. Read More ›
What should Christians do with passages of Scripture that speak about the everlasting covenant God made with Abraham and the nation of Israel? Psalm 105:8–11 says, “[The Lord our God] remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac,… Read More ›
It’s not uncommon for inquiring minds to ask: “Does God want everyone to be saved?” The answer might seem obvious to many but there are passages in Scripture that can challenge what we think about God and how he operates. The Challenge Proverbs 16:4 says, “The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the… Read More ›
I want to say thank you to everyone who filled out the survey. Roughly 1/3 of our congregation completed the survey. This has been helpful to me to pick an area of focus for a research project and sermon series that I’ll be preaching in March, 2024. We’ll be considering the person of the Son… Read More ›
Summary: In 1 Timothy Paul urges the church to pray for kings and rulers so that they would be converted, legislate according to the law of God, thus bringing peace to the church and serving the advance of the gospel. In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he opens his letter by addressing teachers who do… Read More ›
Introduction From the time of the Reformation, the dispute has risen, sometimes to fever pitch, regarding the proper recipients of Christian baptism. The magisterial reformer, John Calvin, gave theological expression to the protestant practice of infant baptism, and on the other hand, the radical reformers argued that believer’s baptism is the proper expression of baptism… Read More ›
Introduction The Bible portrays God as having and exercising sovereign control over all things, even the free acts of men, yet man is held morally responsible for their sinfulness. If God determines human actions, how are humans held morally responsible for them? How can he place blame when no one can alter his plan made… Read More ›
Introduction The extent, or better, the intent of the atonement is “one of the most controversial teachings in Reformed soteriology.” There are numerous textual and logical arguments used and abused by proponents who enter the debate. Heated discussions go back and forth due to a passion for the beauty and efficacy of the atonement, the… Read More ›