ethics, persecution, priorities, spiritual warfare, success
Every believer has three opponents who are constantly trying to derail our walk with Christ. Ephesians 2:1-3 identifies them by name. The first enemy is the course (or age) of this world. That is, the world system itself, and not the people in the world (Eph 6:12)....
hope, priorities, success, time management
A wise man once told me “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing poorly.” Though I cannot recall the context of the conversation, I have never forgotten those words. They serve as a lasting reminder to me not to trade good for excellent. Sometimes we can get so caught...
ecclesiology, exegesis/exposition, hermeneutics, history, philosophy, spiritual gifts, theology
More recently, John MacArthur has been a leading advocate for cessationism. MacArthur’s Charismatic Chaos attempts a Biblical response to the charismatic movement, and succeeds more than most. Like Chafer, MacArthur begins his defense of a closed canon by appealing to...
ecclesiology, exegesis/exposition, hermeneutics, history, philosophy, spiritual gifts, theology
Premise 4: An explanation for the soteriological similarities is found centrally in the shared methodology of appealing to TR authorities (as illustrated by MacArthur and Piper). Self-identified leaky dispensationalist, John MacArthur pursued clarification in the...
ecclesiology, exegesis/exposition, hermeneutics, history, philosophy, spiritual gifts, theology
Presented to the 2013 Council on Dispensational Hermeneutics as “Dispensationalism’s Feet of Iron Mixed With Clay: How We Arrived at an “Open-But-Cautious” View on Non-Cessationism.” ABSTRACT We owe a tremendous debt to many traditional dispensationalists...
exegesis/exposition, hermeneutics
After (1) identifying the best reading and translation, (2) recognizing background and context, and (3) identifying the structural keys of the book, we need to (4) identify the grammatical and syntactical keys in the passage. First, we need to be able to distinguish...
apologetics, diversity, ethics, grace, pacifism
Paul’s words echo as if exclaimed from a canyon, yet we often fail to hear them. “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men” (Rom 12:18). At the same time if we listen closely, we can hear the resolve in Jude’s voice as he urges believers to...
news, persecution, social justice, world religions
Below is a letter by Virginia Congressman, Frank Wolf, from earlier this year. In his letter, Wolf calls upon Christian leaders to speak out about the increasingly global persecution of Christians. It is even more relevant now than the day it was published: Dear...
ecclesiology, priorities, time management
As I stand in front of students at the beginning of a pastoral class, I write on a whiteboard four words in no particular order: children, God, church, and wife. I ask them a simple question: “Are any of you perfect?” My absurd question is met with the smirks and...
grace, salvation, theology
Our new position in Christ does not just include the removal of debits (forgiveness, Acts 10:43, Rom 4:7, Eph 1:7, Col 1:14, 1 Jn 1:9), but also the addition of credits (the righteousness of Christ, Rom 1:7, 3:22, 4:3-5, 5:17-19, 2 Cor 5:21). Both are required for a...
