Imagine a happiness so complete, so fulfilling, that it casts no shadow and no darkness could effect it. Imagine a joy so profound it permeates every fiber of your being, a wellspring of contentment untouched by life's inevitable storms. That's the essence of divine blessedness, a concept that once held a central place in Christian … Continue reading God’s Unshakeable and Unborrowed Joy: Rediscovering Divine Blessedness
religion
Theology on the Cross: Exploring Psalm 22 and the Cross
”My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?” If our reading ventures no further than Matthew 27:46, we may begin to see Christ as totally alone and rejected as he bore the penalty of sin. However, this understanding is more difficult as we venture further into Scripture. Jesus’ Cry and Psalm 22 While on … Continue reading Theology on the Cross: Exploring Psalm 22 and the Cross
Resolved for God’s Glory
Perhaps your conviction for your 2024 resolutions is already diminishing. It happens every year, doesn’t it. We mean well, but by January 10th, we are usually right back where we were. In 1722 when he was only 19, Jonathan Edwards made 70 resolutions that still receive a great deal of attention. Edwards was later appointed … Continue reading Resolved for God’s Glory
Christ: the Center of Life
Despite humanity’s cosmic treason and divine curse, God promised the Savior. The seed of woman would crush the Serpent’s head (Gen 3:15). Humanity hoped for and searched for their coming Savior. “As Eve did at the birth of Cain (Gen. 4:1), so Lamech saw in Noah a man whom the Lord had given him and … Continue reading Christ: the Center of Life
Participate In God?
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?
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?
Donnie's Dogmatics 