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My Joy in Christmas

12/21/2015

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The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
- John 1:5
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Clifton Mill - Clifton, OH
I, like many, truly do love this time of year. Not only is it a time when you typically talk to and/or visit family more often than usual, but it is a great time for experiencing joy in giving gifts to others (and I'll admit - I take great joy in receiving gifts as well).

Of course, all Christians know the true meaning of Christmas, and what it is that we're actually celebrating - the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And what could be more joyous than that?
There's not a whole lot! I mean, on the one hand we could say the resurrection of our Lord from the dead. That's certainly a joyous occasion (as well as Good Friday, where He paid the penalty for our sins).

But neither of those could have happened unless he did the truly remarkable thing of becoming one of us; or, as John records it: "the Word became flesh" (Jn. 1:14).

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Making Disciples of All Nations - One Family at a Time

8/17/2015

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And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
-Matthew 18:18-20
In the Great Commission Jesus commanded His apostles to make disciples of all nations.

Now remember, it's all nations.

And remember, it's all nations.

In the book of Acts we read how that work began. Jesus said to them, "you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8).
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The book of Acts then goes on to show how God used these men and others to do just that - be His witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. That is how the work of the Great Commission began.

But I think it's important to understand that this was just the beginning of the Great Commission and the work of discipling all nations. This whole thing of 11 guys going out into the world as ambassadors for Christ was a unique phenomenon. Certainly God is still calling missionaries (yes, God calls missionaries - Acts 13:2-3) to be His ambassadors in actively going into the remote parts of the world in order to make entire cultures and nations His disciples. Yet it seems to me that from Scripture, overt active evangelizing, while important, is not the main avenue of discipling the nations. It seems rather that the normal course in which God will continue to expand His Great Commission work is first and foremost in the home.

What I'm saying is that discipleship starts in the home, continues in the church, expands into the community, and from there goes out into all nations. Here is why I say that.


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The Resurrection Power of Jesus Christ

4/2/2015

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This coming Sunday churches around the world will be celebrating the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ!

In reality, we celebrate the resurrection every Sunday (and probably actually every day); but this coming Sunday marks the calculated anniversary of the event. Accordingly, my thoughts are drawn to what the resurrection means. 

Part of what I've learned is that when we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord we are also celebrating - that is, enjoying and glorying in -  the resurrection of our own selves by His amazing and wonderful grace and power.
Cross
What do I mean by that?
 
I mean that Christ's resurrection is so powerful that He not only was Himself raised from the dead, but that He uses this same power to bring forth from the dead all whom He chooses, and that this same power is constantly at work within us who call upon Him as Lord.


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Book Review: How Firm a Foundation?: An Exegetical and Historical Critique of the "Ethical Perspective of [Christian] Reconstructionism" Presented in Theonomy in Christian Ethics

2/28/2015

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Not worth your time.

From the back cover:

“This book helps Christian voters and politicians think through two perennial questions. Are we required to apply the judicial laws of the Old Testament to our present-day political contexts? And if we are required to obey these laws, how shall we do so?”

However, the book fails to answer either of these questions and turns out to be nothing but a circuitous tirade against Greg L. Bahnsen’s interpretation of one passage of Scripture - Matthew 5:17-20.
If anyone has studied just a little on the subject of theonomy (the school of thought whose most controversial tenant is to follow consistently the Westminster Confession of faith and actually apply the teaching that the general equity of the judicial laws of Moses ought to be our standard and guide for civil government today - see Westminster Confession of Faith XIX.IV), then he or she would know that the the exegetical grounds of theonomy can be established from a various number of passages in Scripture - many in the New Testament (Rom. 3:31, 7:12; Gal. 5:14; 1 Tim. 1:8-11; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Heb. 2:2; Jas. 1:25, 2:8-12).

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Book Review: New Covenant Theology: Description, Definition, Defense

11/11/2014

 
When it comes to the growth of the church and the unity of the faith, fresh insights into theology should certainly be considered in bringing us closer together (Eph. 4:7, 11-16; 1 Thess. 5:19, 20).

That being said, it must also be clear that we are certainly required to test everything (1 Thess. 5:21; 1 Jn. 4:1) by the Word of God (2 Thess. 3:14; 1 Jn. 4:6). And if something is found lacking in theological value or, worse yet, contrary to teachings of Scripture, it is our duty as Christians (and even more so of pastors - 2 Tim. 4:2; 1 Pet. 5:2) to hold on only to that which is good and edifying (1 Thess. 5:21) and even abhor what is evil (Rom. 12:9), even if it's in the form of doctrinal evil (Gal. 1:8; Phil. 3:2).

Now, let me be clear at the outset that I do not think for a moment authors Tom Wells and Fred Zaspel are evil or have any inkling of evil intent in this book.
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However, I have a many concerns regarding this book's true value in unifying the church with fresh and faithful insights into the Word of God.

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Who Is a Teacher Among You?

6/19/2014

 
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers...
-James 3:1
This is, I'm sure, a familiar text to any who are reading this. Whether it is or not though I encourage you to read James 3:1-4:12 to become familiar with this passage in its entirety.

I've often heard this specific passage (Jas. 3:1) used as a proof text to warn against teaching false doctrine and the penalty that God will exact on those who promote such views.

To be clear, I believe the Bible speaks to that very issue. One need only consult 1 Corinthians 3:5-15 and the surrounding context for an indication of the judgment on saved brothers in Christ for false teachings. This fits very well with what James said concerning the fact that "we who teach will be judged with greater strictness" (Jas. 3:1). As for judgment concerning false teachings from those who are not saved, Peter speaks very clearly as well (2 Pet. 2:1, 21).

Certainly we ought to take those passages into careful consideration before embarking on the task of teaching within the church. For they too are the word of God.
Meeting of doctors at the university of Paris. From a medieval manuscript.
However, I do not believe that the judgment for teaching false doctrines is what James is himself concerned about in this passage.


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Book Review: The Establishment and Limits of Civil Government: An Exposition of Romans 13:1-7

5/27/2014

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This was a very interesting read that I would recommend for anyone looking for a very thorough treatment of Romans 13:1-7 and its subsequent applications.

Admittedly the book took me places where I was unprepared to go and in which I found myself a little uncomfortable.

I was expecting the book to talk about the importance of the text in relating the civil magistrate to a minister of God. And it certainly did that.

What I was not expecting the book to speak to is how far we can (or should) allow the civil magistrate to go - outside its limits set by God - before submission to it is no longer a praiseworthy act of obedience to our Lord.
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Written in the mid nineteenth century, the style was noticeably different from modern expositors. It was engaging; but you really have to be paying attention the entire time (i.e. this book is not one of those you can read with a toddler running around being all cute and cuddly and handing you things - you'll need to be in your study, alone).

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A Threefold Aspect of the Great Commission

5/5/2014

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This article is on the main site, but I thought it was worth posting to the blog as well.
...

The church is God's appointed means of corporate worship in society (Acts 2:41-42; 1 Tim. 3:15) as well as His instrument for the conversion of souls and the transformation of the world (Mt. 28:18-20; cf. Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Cor. 9:19-23; Eph. 5:6-14) through the power of the gospel (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 1:18, 24).
Now there's nothing scientific about this next statement (that is, I haven't conducted official research), but it seems to me that many Christians are under the impression that the mission of the church is merely the conversion of souls (to evangelize). But that is cutting short drastic responsibilities given to the church.

True the church, as a body, is called to evangelize. But the task Christ gave His apostles is far more encompassing:

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The Merciful Irony of God

4/20/2014

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"He is not here, for he has risen..."
-Matthew 28:6
Empty Tomb
The Garden Tomb; Jerusalem, Israel
Those are indeed among the most beautiful words ever uttered in the history of the world.

Jesus Christ, the only truly innocent man who ever walked the fallen earth (1 Pet. 2:22; Heb. 4:14-15), was illegally tried (Mk. 14:55-59), wrongfully condemned (Mk. 15:14), brutally killed (Isa. 52:14; Jn. 19:16-18), and then buried in a tomb not his own (Isa. 53:9; Lk. 23:50-53).

Though "he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil...they put him to death by hanging him on a tree" (Acts 10:38, 39).

They crucified the Lord of Glory (1 Cor. 2:8).
They killed the Author of Life (Acts 3:15).

And had the history of Jesus of Nazareth ended there, all hope for salvation would be lost to this world of sinners (1 Cor. 15:16-19).

Thankfully we know too well it does not end there.
He was given a charge from His Father; and as the perfect Son He obeyed it completely both to lay down His life and also take it back up again (Jn. 10:17-18). This He did, so that He would lose nothing that the Father has given Him (Jn. 6:39) and that all those who look on the Son and believe in Him should have eternal life (Jn. 6:40).

Praise God that "He is not here [in the tomb], for he has risen..." (Mt. 28:6)! He has risen indeed!

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When Shepherds Walk on Sand...

4/3/2014

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When shepherds walk on sand, the sheep will follow.

I have no doubt that the Shepherd's Conference 2014 was an amazing event - full of encouragement, edification, and Spirit-filled wisdom.

Yet even Shepherds as wonderful as the six keynote speakers at the conference are, they are still fallen men - redeemed to be sure - but fallen and capable of error.
And I assure you, it's not my intent to go around nitpicking at the errors (or perceived errors from my perspective) of other Christians - especially of Christian men who are such wonderful leaders, deserving of our utmost respect (1 Thess. 5:12; Heb. 13:7, 17)!

At the same time though, when they so blatantly - all in one accord - give such a dogmatic answer that is built on such shaky ground, I don't know what else to do than to address it.

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When Men Fail

2/24/2014

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Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
 and in sin did my mother conceive me.
(Ps. 51:5)
Old Man with his Head in his Hands, Half-Figure
It is not, nor will it ever be (this side of glory), a question of whether a man will fail. It is, and always will be (this side of glory), a question of what it is in which he fails, how often he fails, to what degree he fails, and what he then does after he fails.

For just as King Solomon said, "Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins" (Eccles. 7:20), so too under the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit the Apostle Paul agreed in saying, "'None is righteous, no, not one'...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:10, 23).

Every man sins, and every man fails.(1)
The problem is compounded in that there are so many things in which men can and do fail. For a preliminary list, here are a few (just a few) things in which men can and do fail - all the time - but for which we have clear direction from God.


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Book Review: God and Politics: Four Views on the Reformation of Civil Government

2/18/2014

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A Great Read, but one of these is not like the others

This book might not be readily accepted by some who are looking for very divergent views. For instance by the title of the book I was thinking there would be a case for Christian-democratic-liberalism, Christian-republic-rhetoric(ism), Christian-libertarianism, and yes maybe Christian-theonomy.

While I think a book like that would be helpful, since there are at least professing believers in each of those camps, I was very delighted with what I actually found in this work.

According to the foreword, the book is comparing specifically “Reformed” views on Christian political theory. The subtitle “Four Views on the Reformation of Civil Government” then takes on a slightly more telling meaning.
Among those four views, with the exception of one (which will be explained later), they are all saying the same thing - the law of God is to be the very foundation from which all our modern laws are to be derived.

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Even Satan Disguises Himself as an Angel of Light

12/9/2013

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Of the two titles below, which do you think would be more likely to lead your children away from the Christian faith? Which would be more likely lead you away from the Christian faith?(1)
Lark Rise To Candelford
A TV series (presumably meant for family viewing) set in Oxfordshire, England at the end of the 19th century, depicting the daily lives, experiences, and dramas of people from that era.
Lark Rise to Candleford
Watchmen
A movie (meant for a mature audience) set in an alternative 1980s where America had won the Vietnam war yet is still struggling in the arms race with Russia. ...oh and there are vigilantes (?)...
Watchmen
Obviously the answer might be very different depending on where you (or your children) are in the Christian walk already. And it would also depend on each individual's own areas of particular temptations.

But one thing I do think we ought to be cognizant of is that neither one of these is done with the specific purpose of building us up in the faith. And both of them need to be evaluated with scrutiny through a Biblical lens - for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14-15).

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Book Review: No Other Standard

8/1/2013

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Of all the wicked heresies and threatening movements facing the church in our day, when Westminster Seminary finally organized their faculty to write something in unison, they gave their determined political efforts: not to fight socialism, not to fight homosexuality, not abortion, not crime and mayhem in our society, not subjectivism in theology, not dispensationalism, not cultural relativism, not licentiousness, not defection from the New Testament, not defection from the Westminster Confession of Faith, all of which are out there, and they could give their legitimate efforts to. Boy the thing they had to write about - was Theonomy!

-Greg L. Bahnsen, "Law and Disgrace" sermon, Chalcedon Presbyterian Church, 1993
 
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The Emperor Has No Clothes...still!

In 1973, Greg Bahnsen graduated from Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia, PA) with two Master’s degrees (M. Div, Th.M.). His thesis, approved by the overseeing faculty, was “The Theonomic Responsibility of the Civil Magistrate,” in which he set out to establish the theological premise that unless otherwise indicated by further revelation from God Himself, God’s law, including the civil penal sanctions, has moral abiding validity. From the encouragement of his professor John Frame, he reworked this thesis so that it could be published as a book. In 1977 it was published as Theonomy in Christian Ethics. You can see my review for that work here.

In 1990 a book titled Theonomy: A Reformed Critique was published as a joint venture from the faculties at both Westminster Theological Seminaries (Philadelphia, PA and Escondido, CA) to establish a “Reformed answer” to Greg Bahnsen’s work (it took 17 years - from the date of his thesis - to formulate a “response”). In 1991, Bahnsen himself responded to their “critique” with this book, No Other Standard.

If you’ve ever wondered if there were any gaping holes in the Theonomic perspective of theology, this book will settle the matter. In his normal fashion, Bahnsen applies the doctrines of Scripture with rigorous logical skill to show that God’s Word must be our standard in all matters of life - including politics and socio-political ethics.


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Book Review: Five Views on Law and Gospel

3/25/2013

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While I was not greatly impressed with a previous "Counterpoint Series" book I read (Five Views on Apologetics), this book was a great surprise and a welcomed read.

While there are "five" views, there are basically only two main viewpoints:

  1. Continuity between OT and NT unless otherwise stated (first three articles)
  2. Discontinuity between OT and NT unless otherwise repeated (last two articles)

The presentations were laid out as follows: 

Non-Theonomic Reformed View - William A. VanGemeren
Theonomic Reformed View - Greg L. Bahnsen
Evangelical View - Walter C. Kaiser Jr.
Dispensationalist View - Wayne G. Strickland
Modified Lutheran View - Douglas J. Moo

Overall, every writer was very considerate and kind to the other writers, yet appropriately critical in an academic context while evaluating their differing views. With that being the case, the reader will learn a lot about how different perspectives of the Law and Gospel are understood within the large umbrella of orthodox Protestant Christianity.


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