Abstract This research seeks to establish a biblical and historically grounded theology of baptism in which the sacrament is understood as the moment of divine action in the forgiveness of sins and the incorporation of believers into the visible church. Beginning with close exegesis of the relevant New Testament texts, the study proceeds to the … Continue reading Baptism, Forgiveness, and Incorporation into the Church:
Author: Donnie L. DeBord
The Gift of the Holy Spirit
A right understanding of the gift of the Holy Spirit must begin with a right understanding of the Spirit Himself. Scripture never reduces the Spirit to a substance, or to a divine package of abilities, or to an impersonal influence that drifts into human experience. The Spirit is God. The Spirit is the third person … Continue reading The Gift of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit: God’s Gift of Life, Communion, and Hope
Scripture reveals the Spirit as the fully divine giver of life who eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son and unites believers to Christ, bringing regeneration, sanctification, illumination, mission, and eschatological hope. 1. The Question Before Us Christian theology eventually brings the reader to the living mystery of the Spirit. The Spirit is present … Continue reading The Holy Spirit: God’s Gift of Life, Communion, and Hope
Christ the Head of the Church: A Case for Congregational Order
Christ alone rules his church. Every congregation stands directly before him, ordered by apostolic teaching and not governed by distant structures or human hierarchies. Many discussions of church governance begin with denominational habits or institutional memory. Some Christians have lived under elaborate structures with councils and regional overseers. Others have followed churches that orbit around … Continue reading Christ the Head of the Church: A Case for Congregational Order
How Can Ordinary Congregations Become Extraordinary
Texts: Colossians 3:17; Philippians 1:9–11; Revelation 3:14–22 I. The Mystery of "Something Special" What separates great businesses from average businesses? What makes Buc-ee's better than all the other gas stations? It's not just the bathrooms (though they're immaculate). It's not just the snacks (though the selection is staggering). It's something else. It's the culture. Every … Continue reading How Can Ordinary Congregations Become Extraordinary
Can I Ever Love Enough???: Fulfillment of the Law Through Christ’s Love
There exists in the heart of the Torah a command so absolute, so all-consuming, so magnificently unreasonable that it might have been written by God. "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (Deut 6:5). The words arrive not as suggestion but … Continue reading Can I Ever Love Enough???: Fulfillment of the Law Through Christ’s Love
When Will Christ Reign in His Kingdom?
The question is not whether Christ reigns, but when that reign began. The New Testament insists the kingdom arrived in Christ's first advent, not in some postponed millennium. This thesis challenges a widespread futurism that misreads the already/not yet tension by collapsing the "already" into pure futurity. The Exegetical Foundation The Kingdom Has Come Jesus … Continue reading When Will Christ Reign in His Kingdom?
Why I Believe God is Perfect Blessedness
Jesus asked, “why do you call me good? There is only one who is good.” But if we press further, we must ask: What kind of good? A relatively good God? A distant perfection? A static absolute? God is not merely perfect in power or knowledge. He is perfect in blessedness. He is complete, overflowing, … Continue reading Why I Believe God is Perfect Blessedness
Does God’s Love Make Him Vulnerable?
Does God's love make him vulnerable?? This question reveals how we conceive divine love. It also shows our understanding of divine perfection. The short answer is: God’s love is profoundly self-giving, but not vulnerable in the sense of passible suffering or dependency. Scripture and the Christian tradition consistently teach that God’s love is unchangeable plenitude. … Continue reading Does God’s Love Make Him Vulnerable?
The Strange Comfort of Spectator Christianity
There’s something quietly appealing about a church that asks nothing of us. We can slip in after the first song, sit unnoticed, and leave before the final prayer. No one interrupts our anonymity. No one expects our presence to mean participation. Such a church feels safe,comfortable, predictable, undemanding. But this comfort betrays us. It numbs … Continue reading The Strange Comfort of Spectator Christianity
Donnie's Dogmatics 