There is an irony present in our age’s most cherished virtue of acceptance. The contemporary insistence that we must embrace all perspectives with equal warmth, while born from the noblest of intentions, carries within itself the seeds of its own undoing. Like a garden where every plant is welcomed without discrimination, the landscape of universal … Continue reading How Love of Truth Serves Love of Neighbor: The Gentle Tragedy of Limitless Acceptance
holiness
My Free Will Offering
“Your people will volunteer on your day of battle. In holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn, the dew of your youth belongs to you.” — Psalm 110:3 (CSB) Psalm 110 is a royal psalm that the New Testament unmistakably reads as messianic. Jesus himself applies verse 1 to his exaltation (Matt 22:44), and … Continue reading My Free Will Offering
The Goodness of God: Divine Blessedness and Our Salvation
The doctrine of divine blessedness, or beatitudo Dei, affirms that God is perfect in himself, lacking nothing, and eternally fulfilled. This is grounded in scriptural exegesis of passages that describe God’s perfection and self-sufficiency. In Psalm 16:11, the psalmist declares, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness … Continue reading The Goodness of God: Divine Blessedness and Our Salvation
Does God Know Everything All The Time?
Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite. —Psalm 147:5. There is nothing which God does not know—he is omniscient or all-knowing. Psalm 139:4 helps to illustrate how God knows everything. There the Psalmist said, “Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.” This knowledge … Continue reading Does God Know Everything All The Time?
Pleasure and the Pursuit of God
“Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things, God will bring you into judgment.” Ecclesiastes 11:9[1] In the song “Wait for It,” which is … Continue reading Pleasure and the Pursuit of God
What Happened When Jesus Died?
Jesus' sacrifice of himself on the cross is one of the richest moments of history. We could never exhaust everything that God accomplished through Christ on the cross. Herman Bavinck helps us out a bit. Bavinck gave offered a helpful list of what Christ has accomplished for his own glory: What Christ acquired by this … Continue reading What Happened When Jesus Died?
Work of Faith Working
It was common for the ancient Greeks, and some of us today, to love idleness. To be involved with physical labor was a sign of the lower classes—to be a servant. But it is for this “work” that Paul praised the Thessalonians before God. But what does “work of faith” mean? The relationship of faith … Continue reading Work of Faith Working
Let it Go!: The freedom of forgiveness
What is your favorite attribute of God? For sinners like you and me, perhaps forgiveness is the most valued of God’s attributes. Forgiveness will unify a congregation, a family, and your view of yourself. A lack of forgiveness will destroy a congregation, a family, and your view of yourself. The only way we can … Continue reading Let it Go!: The freedom of forgiveness
THE INTIMIDATING GOD WORTH FINDING
Paul approached the scholarly philosophers on Mars Hill to free them from their vain philosophies and introduce them to the true God. He warned the Colossians against falling to vain philosophies (Col. 2:8). Now he worked to free the Epicureans and Stoics from their own error so they could know the true God. The Epicureans … Continue reading THE INTIMIDATING GOD WORTH FINDING
Our Need to Be Justified
Why do we need to be justified by faith and not by works (Ephesians 2:8)? “It is as though God had committed to our trust a perfect crystal vase, and had said, ‘if you keep that whole, and present it to me, you shall have a reward.’ But we have cracked it, chipped it; ah! … Continue reading Our Need to Be Justified
Donnie's Dogmatics 