I remember when Super Mario first came out. Nintendo had this great game design which so many almost immediately loved to play. But Mario didn’t have his own existence. Mario, Luigi, and Princess Toadstool only “existed” because they were designed by Nintendo and actualized by electricity in my living room. Apart from higher beings, there … Continue reading Participate In God?
religion
There is One God and God is One
“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!” (Deut. 6:4). Stephen Charnock wrote, “Where there is the greatest unity, there must be greatest simplicity; but God is one. As he is free from any change, so he is void of any multitude.”[1] Being pure spirit (Jn. 4:24), God is not … Continue reading There is One God and God is One
Fountain and Foundation
Fountain and Foundation As Creator, God is both the Fountain and Foundation of all things. Before and apart from time, he created and set all things in motion (Gen. 1:1). He is “most Strong, Stable and Incomprehensible, Immutable; moving all things, never new, never old, renewing all things.”[1] He is the fountain of every good … Continue reading Fountain and Foundation
From Weakness to Overflowing Strength: The Depravation of Good Meets the Overflowing of Goodness
Does this sound familiar? “Man is good; his heart is uncorrupted. The evil lies in the circumstances, in the environment, in the society in which man is born and reared. Take these circumstances away, reform society—introduce, for example, the equal distribution of goods to all men—and man will naturally be good. There will be no … Continue reading From Weakness to Overflowing Strength: The Depravation of Good Meets the Overflowing of Goodness
Did God Really Learn What Abraham Would Do?
How does God know? What does God know? These questions are uniquely difficult as we cannot possibly begin to understand how God understands apart from what God has revealed to us. The majority of Christian theologians have agreed God has perfect knowledge of all things in creation including past, present, and future. Apparent appearances of … Continue reading Did God Really Learn What Abraham Would Do?
Does “Become” in John 1:14 Mean the Eternal Word Became Other than He Was?
John 1:14 teaches "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." This is shocking news because the Word is said to share in the divine nature--he eternally "was" whatever God is (Jn 1:1). However, some today believe the Son of God changed or metamorphosed into a human at the incarnation. This doctrine of the incarnation … Continue reading Does “Become” in John 1:14 Mean the Eternal Word Became Other than He Was?
Some Notes On What God Knows and Why It Matters
Omniscience as God’s Perfect and Infinite Nature As Creator all knowledge of creation would follow from God. There would be nothing which originated outside of God else there would be another eternal causeless cause. Michael Horton said, “It is impossible for God not to know everything comprehensively. Given his eternality, he knows the end from … Continue reading Some Notes On What God Knows and Why It Matters
Be Ye Kind to One Another
Monday, March 27th marked another display of the inhumane actions humans can carry out. After each of these tragedies, we asked why. The specific “why” may never be known in any of these situations, but these inhumanities are brought about by previous inhumanities. Sin spreads and magnifies itself until it overwhelms. Why would we allow meanness … Continue reading Be Ye Kind to One Another
To Destroy or Save: The Power of Words
Before the beginning of time, the Son was described as the Word (Jn. 1). At the appointed time, the Word was sent to the world to be the embodied revelation of God. As the Son came into the world he was life, grace, and truth. Through the incarnation which was a divine communication–the sharing of … Continue reading To Destroy or Save: The Power of Words
All Peace No Drama
“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?” (James 4:1). Drama devastates. Peace is builds. Drama keeps finding its way into our lives. Sometimes congregations can develop a gift for cultivating drama, remembering drama, and dwindling because of the drama. … Continue reading All Peace No Drama
Donnie's Dogmatics 