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Post by Admin on Aug 2, 2023 19:46:45 GMT -5
Pew Theology: An Introduction to the Doctrine of God’s Word
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g3min.org/pew-theology-an-introduction-to-the-doctrine-of-gods-word/
NATHANIEL JOLLY
Bible
There is nothing more potent, captivating, or essential than God’s Word. There is nothing as true, pure, or necessary as God’s Word. It is the only source of absolute truth for all things about which it speaks, and God’s Word is fundamental to the Christian and the Christian faith.
Without God’s Word, we would have no guide for the Christian life. We would have no source of absolute truth. We would have no sure knowledge of God’s nature and character. We would be left to pure speculation as to the condition of man, left to trust only in our own fickle feelings and vain imaginings.
Without God’s Word, we would have no true knowledge of Christ, no way to know the truth of who Christ is and what He has done, no sure way to redemption, and no knowledge of the gospel, which is the power unto salvation.
Even faith, we are told in Romans 10:17, “comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” There is nothing more necessary for the Christian than God’s Word. And there is nothing more revealing about Christians than what they believe about God’s Word. This is why the doctrine of the Word of God, or “Bibliology,” is a vital doctrine for the Christian to understand.
It is all too common today to hear someone profess to be Christian and yet reject the Bible as God’s authoritative, infallible, inerrant, all-sufficient Word. Inevitably such individuals are weak in faith, if they are even truly in the faith, and find themselves struggling, suffering, hopeless, helpless, and anemic in their faith. This is the future for Christians who have a low view of God’s Word.
Contrarily, the Christian who is full of life and vigor, walking circumspectly, fully assured by the truths of Scripture, and constantly pointing others to the same, will be the Christian who holds the highest view of God’s Word. The healthy Christian will be the one who has a sound theology of the doctrine of the Bible and lives his life in light of that knowledge.
It is necessary when considering the doctrine of the Bible, to answer the question: what do you mean by “God’s Word?” The phrase is used in more than one way in Scripture. First, we understand that the phrase is used of Jesus Himself. In John 1:1–4, we read, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
Looking down to verse 14, we read, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” So here, we understand that the Word is referring to Jesus. Then, in Revelation 19:3, Jesus is again called “The Word of God.” So, sometimes the Word of God refers to Jesus. This is important to us because it means that Jesus is the primary person of the Trinity who conveys to us the will of God. He is the living Word of God.
We understand “the Word of God” in other places in Scripture to be when God the Father speaks, such as in Genesis 1 where God spoke light into existence and He created, by His Words, the world. We also see other forms of God’s Word, such as when God has spoken directly to people (e.g., Adam and Eve, Moses, et al.).
Then there is God’s Word that comes through His servants. These are God’s very Words communicated by human lips. God told Moses in Exodus 4 that He would give Moses the words to say to Pharaoh. Therefore, when Moses spoke to Pharaoh, it was God speaking through Moses. When the Apostles spoke in the name of the Lord, they did so inspired by God and therefore were speaking the Word of God.
Lastly, we have God’s Word in written form—the Bible. The Bible is the combination of all of the other forms of God’s Word put together. This makes it a book unlike any other. The Bible isn’t merely a book; it is the Book. It is the very Word of God. The Old Testament alone attests to the fact that this is the Word of God over 2500 times. In the New Testament, we find the phrase “the Word of God” over 40 times.
Peter preached the Word of God. The record in Acts 11:1 says, “Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the Word of God.” The Apostle Paul defends his teaching as the very Word of God in 2 Corinthians 2:17, which says, “For we are not like many, peddling the Word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, in the sight of God, we speak in Christ.”
In 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Paul again refers to his teaching as the Word of God, “And for this reason, we also thank God without ceasing that when you received the Word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the Word of God, which also is at work in you who believe.” Of course, everyone is familiar with the 10 commandments, which were first written with the finger of God in Exodus 31:18; then, as Moses neared the end of his life, we see that he wrote God’s Word: “So Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel” (Deut 31:9).
In Isaiah 30:8, God tells Isaiah, “Now go, write it on a tablet before them and inscribe it on a scroll, That it may serve in the time to come As a witness forever.” Of course, all that Jesus preached was the Word of God and so, too, is all the Words of the Apostles recorded in Scripture.
By now, you can see why this is so vital for us to understand because when we think of the Bible rightly, as the very Word of God, it should change how we view the Bible. For many believers, the Bible is many things—a good book, a book that contains some of God’s Word, a book that is about Jesus, or about God’s Word, or perhaps they even refer to the Bible as God’s Word, but they’ve never really thought through the implications of that.
This means that when you are reading the Bible, you are hearing from Almighty God. The reason the congregation traditionally stands at the plain reading of the Word is because God’s Word is to be elevated above all others. There should always be a sense of awe and fear in those who hear the Word of God because God’s Word is not like man’s word. It is holy, righteous, and powerful.
When you open your Bible, you are hearing from the same God that spoke to Moses on the mountain, the same God that spoke from Heaven at Christ’s transfiguration. You are hearing from God Himself, in written form. This is the God that created the world and all that is in it, the omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent sovereign of all creation.
Theology should never be merely a mental exercise, so how does this brief understanding of God’s Word affect us? How does this change the way you view the Bible? This should change everything about how we handle the Bible. When you read the Bible, you are reading God’s very Word; when you interpret Scripture, you do so carefully, prayerfully, and obediently because you are handling God’s Word.
For the one who really gets this, the Bible comes alive as that which it truly is, not merely a book about God’s Word but actually God’s Word. This theology of the Bible should impact your life because when you open your Bible, understanding that it is the very Word of God, you are deeply impacted by verses like Hebrews 4:12, which says, “For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
This is such a fundamental truth of the Christian faith because if you get this doctrine wrong you are left to mere speculation, human imaginings, and deceptive experiences and are left to wander aimlessly through this life without fixed truth. But the one who comes to grasp the true nature of Scripture will see God, hear God, and be filled with the joy, hope, encouragement, and training that God grants through the knowledge and obedience to His Word.
Christian, the Bible is the Word of God, every page, every book, from beginning to end, and the one who embraces it, obeys it, and lives in it will see Christ and live. As Justin Peters often says, “If you want to hear God, read your Bible and if you want to hear God audibly, read it out loud.”
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Related
The Dangerous False Teaching of Andy Stanley
This is a guest post. Chris King serves as the Senior Pastor of Bayou View Baptist Church in Gulfport, Mississippi. He is an Adjunct Professor of Christian Preaching for Boyce College Online. Dr. King earned his M. Div. and Ph. D. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY.…
Joyful Sanctification
Why is sanctification essential for the Christian? Quite simply put, it's God's will for his people to be sanctified and it's through this sanctification that each of God's children receives the assurance of their salvation. Without sanctification there is either rebellion as a child of God or proof that a…
silhouette of building during sunset
Cold water to splash in Despair’s face over Apostasy
AUTHOR
Bible
Nathaniel Jolly
Nathaniel is the pastor and church planter of Homer Reformed Baptist church in Homer, Alaska. He and his wife moved to Alaska in 2020 to begin church plant work. He is the host of the Truth Be Known podcast, is currently enrolled in the DMin program for expository preaching at The Master’s Seminary, and is working towards ACBC certification.
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Post by Admin on Oct 14, 2023 20:40:32 GMT -5
Pew Theology: An Introduction to the Doctrine of God’s Word
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g3min.org/pew-theology-an-introduction-to-the-doctrine-of-gods-word/?fbclid=IwAR1TBh9CHUN3v__Xgl3X-O3vqy6CFyv6oTRZ6oxeYop9Esd6ZyNruacRUA8
NATHANIEL JOLLY
Bible
There is nothing more potent, captivating, or essential than God’s Word. There is nothing as true, pure, or necessary as God’s Word. It is the only source of absolute truth for all things about which it speaks, and God’s Word is fundamental to the Christian and the Christian faith.
Without God’s Word, we would have no guide for the Christian life. We would have no source of absolute truth. We would have no sure knowledge of God’s nature and character. We would be left to pure speculation as to the condition of man, left to trust only in our own fickle feelings and vain imaginings.
Without God’s Word, we would have no true knowledge of Christ, no way to know the truth of who Christ is and what He has done, no sure way to redemption, and no knowledge of the gospel, which is the power unto salvation.
Even faith, we are told in Romans 10:17, “comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” There is nothing more necessary for the Christian than God’s Word. And there is nothing more revealing about Christians than what they believe about God’s Word. This is why the doctrine of the Word of God, or “Bibliology,” is a vital doctrine for the Christian to understand.
It is all too common today to hear someone profess to be Christian and yet reject the Bible as God’s authoritative, infallible, inerrant, all-sufficient Word. Inevitably such individuals are weak in faith, if they are even truly in the faith, and find themselves struggling, suffering, hopeless, helpless, and anemic in their faith. This is the future for Christians who have a low view of God’s Word.
Contrarily, the Christian who is full of life and vigor, walking circumspectly, fully assured by the truths of Scripture, and constantly pointing others to the same, will be the Christian who holds the highest view of God’s Word. The healthy Christian will be the one who has a sound theology of the doctrine of the Bible and lives his life in light of that knowledge.
It is necessary when considering the doctrine of the Bible, to answer the question: what do you mean by “God’s Word?” The phrase is used in more than one way in Scripture. First, we understand that the phrase is used of Jesus Himself. In John 1:1–4, we read, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
Looking down to verse 14, we read, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” So here, we understand that the Word is referring to Jesus. Then, in Revelation 19:3, Jesus is again called “The Word of God.” So, sometimes the Word of God refers to Jesus. This is important to us because it means that Jesus is the primary person of the Trinity who conveys to us the will of God. He is the living Word of God.
We understand “the Word of God” in other places in Scripture to be when God the Father speaks, such as in Genesis 1 where God spoke light into existence and He created, by His Words, the world. We also see other forms of God’s Word, such as when God has spoken directly to people (e.g., Adam and Eve, Moses, et al.).
Then there is God’s Word that comes through His servants. These are God’s very Words communicated by human lips. God told Moses in Exodus 4 that He would give Moses the words to say to Pharaoh. Therefore, when Moses spoke to Pharaoh, it was God speaking through Moses. When the Apostles spoke in the name of the Lord, they did so inspired by God and therefore were speaking the Word of God.
Lastly, we have God’s Word in written form—the Bible. The Bible is the combination of all of the other forms of God’s Word put together. This makes it a book unlike any other. The Bible isn’t merely a book; it is the Book. It is the very Word of God. The Old Testament alone attests to the fact that this is the Word of God over 2500 times. In the New Testament, we find the phrase “the Word of God” over 40 times.
Peter preached the Word of God. The record in Acts 11:1 says, “Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the Word of God.” The Apostle Paul defends his teaching as the very Word of God in 2 Corinthians 2:17, which says, “For we are not like many, peddling the Word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, in the sight of God, we speak in Christ.”
In 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Paul again refers to his teaching as the Word of God, “And for this reason, we also thank God without ceasing that when you received the Word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the Word of God, which also is at work in you who believe.” Of course, everyone is familiar with the 10 commandments, which were first written with the finger of God in Exodus 31:18; then, as Moses neared the end of his life, we see that he wrote God’s Word: “So Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel” (Deut 31:9).
In Isaiah 30:8, God tells Isaiah, “Now go, write it on a tablet before them and inscribe it on a scroll, That it may serve in the time to come As a witness forever.” Of course, all that Jesus preached was the Word of God and so, too, is all the Words of the Apostles recorded in Scripture.
By now, you can see why this is so vital for us to understand because when we think of the Bible rightly, as the very Word of God, it should change how we view the Bible. For many believers, the Bible is many things—a good book, a book that contains some of God’s Word, a book that is about Jesus, or about God’s Word, or perhaps they even refer to the Bible as God’s Word, but they’ve never really thought through the implications of that.
This means that when you are reading the Bible, you are hearing from Almighty God. The reason the congregation traditionally stands at the plain reading of the Word is because God’s Word is to be elevated above all others. There should always be a sense of awe and fear in those who hear the Word of God because God’s Word is not like man’s word. It is holy, righteous, and powerful.
When you open your Bible, you are hearing from the same God that spoke to Moses on the mountain, the same God that spoke from Heaven at Christ’s transfiguration. You are hearing from God Himself, in written form. This is the God that created the world and all that is in it, the omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent sovereign of all creation.
Theology should never be merely a mental exercise, so how does this brief understanding of God’s Word affect us? How does this change the way you view the Bible? This should change everything about how we handle the Bible. When you read the Bible, you are reading God’s very Word; when you interpret Scripture, you do so carefully, prayerfully, and obediently because you are handling God’s Word.
For the one who really gets this, the Bible comes alive as that which it truly is, not merely a book about God’s Word but actually God’s Word. This theology of the Bible should impact your life because when you open your Bible, understanding that it is the very Word of God, you are deeply impacted by verses like Hebrews 4:12, which says, “For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
This is such a fundamental truth of the Christian faith because if you get this doctrine wrong you are left to mere speculation, human imaginings, and deceptive experiences and are left to wander aimlessly through this life without fixed truth. But the one who comes to grasp the true nature of Scripture will see God, hear God, and be filled with the joy, hope, encouragement, and training that God grants through the knowledge and obedience to His Word.
Christian, the Bible is the Word of God, every page, every book, from beginning to end, and the one who embraces it, obeys it, and lives in it will see Christ and live. As Justin Peters often says, “If you want to hear God, read your Bible and if you want to hear God audibly, read it out loud.”
Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Related
The Dangerous False Teaching of Andy Stanley
This is a guest post. Chris King serves as the Senior Pastor of Bayou View Baptist Church in Gulfport, Mississippi. He is an Adjunct Professor of Christian Preaching for Boyce College Online. Dr. King earned his M. Div. and Ph. D. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY.…
Joyful Sanctification
Why is sanctification essential for the Christian? Quite simply put, it's God's will for his people to be sanctified and it's through this sanctification that each of God's children receives the assurance of their salvation. Without sanctification there is either rebellion as a child of God or proof that a…
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Post by Admin on Nov 18, 2023 18:46:36 GMT -5
God Made Them Male and Female: Creation and the Issue of Homosexuality
Share
g3min.org/god-made-them-male-and-female-creation-and-the-issue-of-homosexuality/
NATHANIEL JOLLY
couple holding hands with standing on shore
It is all too popular today to hear things such as, “The Bible never talks about homosexuality,” but is that claim true? The reality is that the Bible speaks to the issue directly, indirectly, in an implied manner, principally, theologically, and biologically.
For the purpose of this writing, let us address the issue’s theological treatment briefly. Jesus speaking, as recorded in Mark 10:6–9 says, “But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother, and the two shall become one flesh; so they are no longer two, but one flesh. ‘What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.’”
Now, here one might ask, “What does this have to do with homosexuality? That’s a good question; let’s dive into the theology here. From the very beginning, God created male and female. This is important because we return to the creation account, which God said was “very good.” In this account, we find God’s grand design for many things, specifically romantic relationships.
The first thing to recognize is that only two sexes are created, only two, male and female. There was no distinction between biological sex and gender, the sex is the gender, and the gender is the sex. So, what is male is male, and what is female is female, and they cannot be changed no matter how much someone wishes it so— no more than a goldfish can decide to become an eagle, can a man choose to become a woman or vice versa. This is God’s design made known to us.
But there is so much more to learn from this passage; we also see God’s grand design for the most intimate of all relationships, the marriage union in which we find two different and complementary parts that need one another. We know that a man needs a woman and a woman a man because when God created man, in Genesis, he said, “It is not good for man to be alone; I will make him a helper” (Gen 2:18). So God’s perfect match for man was not another man, not an animal of some sort, or any other thing God could have made, but a woman. In other words, God created what was perfect and right from the very beginning, and to twist that is to defy and reject what God has said “is very good.”
Another aspect we must consider in this passage is that an inseparable union happens in this God-ordained union. This union has a purpose, and something deeply spiritual happens—the two become one flesh. This describes the consummation of a proper, God-ordained marriage between one man and one woman. Then, to add gravitas to the result of the two coming together, Jesus adds the words, “What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”
It is God who created the institution of marriage, and so God is the only one allowed to define it. Anytime a modification is made to God’s design, it is to first and foremost place oneself above God by effectively saying, “God’s way isn’t best.” Can you imagine standing before the living God and telling Him that you know better? That would be a frightening prospect. Beyond that, it is pure rebellion, and ultimately the very thing Satan would want; it’s the same tactic he used in the garden—“Did God actually say?” (Gen 3:1).
Because God has created the man and the woman, defining both as well as the union that is to happen between the two, no man can change the truth of what are a man and a woman or how to define marriage. All other sexual relationships fall into the category of sexual immorality.
These are truths with which all men must come to terms. So how does the Christian address this issue with others? And if you are reading this article and are in support of a relationship that is outside of God’s ordained plan for marriage, what should you think?
For those who may be reading this and who have been supportive of homosexuality, fornication, or any other perversion of God’s design, or perhaps you are in one of these relationships yourself, it’s time you acknowledge the truth of what you’ve just read. That you support or are involved in something that is in opposition to God’s ordained design is important to recognize because you now possess the knowledge for which you will be held accountable when you one day die and see God face to face.
You also need to know that the wages of sin is death (spiritual death); in other words, every sinner is condemned to an eternity in Hell, where there will be suffering for all time. Finally, you need to know that whether you are a liar, having premarital sex, a homosexual, or give approval to these things, none who give themselves to that which God deems sin will enter heaven, and all of these will go to Hell.
But there is good news, and there is a way out. The reality is that man, deep down, knows that homosexuality isn’t a natural relationship, and I have no doubt that you find yourself in a place where you are just never content and are struggling inside. This is the testimony of so many who have been freed from their sin, whether one admits it or not, but this doesn’t have to be true any longer. You can find peace and be free from the bondage in which you find yourself. Though every sinner deserves hell, there is hope. Because of the love of God, Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty owed due to sin for all of those who would turn away from their sin and cast themselves on Christ for salvation from sin and hell. So if you will, this day, repent of your sin, including your homosexual lifestyle, and believe in Christ. He will be loving and gracious and save you!
Don’t live another day in defiance of God; tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, and if you die in your sin, Hell is real and will be your reality for all of eternity. Repent now and be saved.
For the believer reading this article, we must remember that we are not of this world, though we are in it. Our eyes are fixed on heaven, and we should desire to take everyone we can with us. The liar, the fornicator, the adulterer, the gambler, or the homosexual are not our enemies; they need what we have—the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are the fields, white for harvest; they are the souls wandering in the darkness needing the light, they are the children of the darkness of this world needing to be rescued, and more importantly, some of them are our brothers and sisters in the Lord yet to be saved.
It is not loving to refrain from speaking out or avoiding conflict. Love is recognizing that people are fast on their way to Hell, and we are the only thing that stands in their way because God has chosen people to proclaim the Good News that saves. Consider the words of Charles Spurgeon, “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.” Don’t miss the opportunities to love your fellow man trulyby calling him to repent and showing him the beauty of Christ and Him crucified.
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AUTHOR
couple holding hands with standing on shore
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Post by Admin on Mar 6, 2024 21:02:14 GMT -5
God Made Them Male and Female: Creation and the Issue of Homosexuality
Share
g3min.org/god-made-them-male-and-female-creation-and-the-issue-of-homosexuality/
NATHANIEL JOLLY
couple holding hands with standing on shore
It is all too popular today to hear things such as, “The Bible never talks about homosexuality,” but is that claim true? The reality is that the Bible speaks to the issue directly, indirectly, in an implied manner, principally, theologically, and biologically.
For the purpose of this writing, let us address the issue’s theological treatment briefly. Jesus speaking, as recorded in Mark 10:6–9 says, “But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother, and the two shall become one flesh; so they are no longer two, but one flesh. ‘What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.’”
Now, here one might ask, “What does this have to do with homosexuality? That’s a good question; let’s dive into the theology here. From the very beginning, God created male and female. This is important because we return to the creation account, which God said was “very good.” In this account, we find God’s grand design for many things, specifically romantic relationships.
The first thing to recognize is that only two sexes are created, only two, male and female. There was no distinction between biological sex and gender, the sex is the gender, and the gender is the sex. So, what is male is male, and what is female is female, and they cannot be changed no matter how much someone wishes it so— no more than a goldfish can decide to become an eagle, can a man choose to become a woman or vice versa. This is God’s design made known to us.
But there is so much more to learn from this passage; we also see God’s grand design for the most intimate of all relationships, the marriage union in which we find two different and complementary parts that need one another. We know that a man needs a woman and a woman a man because when God created man, in Genesis, he said, “It is not good for man to be alone; I will make him a helper” (Gen 2:18). So God’s perfect match for man was not another man, not an animal of some sort, or any other thing God could have made, but a woman. In other words, God created what was perfect and right from the very beginning, and to twist that is to defy and reject what God has said “is very good.”
Another aspect we must consider in this passage is that an inseparable union happens in this God-ordained union. This union has a purpose, and something deeply spiritual happens—the two become one flesh. This describes the consummation of a proper, God-ordained marriage between one man and one woman. Then, to add gravitas to the result of the two coming together, Jesus adds the words, “What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”
It is God who created the institution of marriage, and so God is the only one allowed to define it. Anytime a modification is made to God’s design, it is to first and foremost place oneself above God by effectively saying, “God’s way isn’t best.” Can you imagine standing before the living God and telling Him that you know better? That would be a frightening prospect. Beyond that, it is pure rebellion, and ultimately the very thing Satan would want; it’s the same tactic he used in the garden—“Did God actually say?” (Gen 3:1).
Because God has created the man and the woman, defining both as well as the union that is to happen between the two, no man can change the truth of what are a man and a woman or how to define marriage. All other sexual relationships fall into the category of sexual immorality.
These are truths with which all men must come to terms. So how does the Christian address this issue with others? And if you are reading this article and are in support of a relationship that is outside of God’s ordained plan for marriage, what should you think?
For those who may be reading this and who have been supportive of homosexuality, fornication, or any other perversion of God’s design, or perhaps you are in one of these relationships yourself, it’s time you acknowledge the truth of what you’ve just read. That you support or are involved in something that is in opposition to God’s ordained design is important to recognize because you now possess the knowledge for which you will be held accountable when you one day die and see God face to face.
You also need to know that the wages of sin is death (spiritual death); in other words, every sinner is condemned to an eternity in Hell, where there will be suffering for all time. Finally, you need to know that whether you are a liar, having premarital sex, a homosexual, or give approval to these things, none who give themselves to that which God deems sin will enter heaven, and all of these will go to Hell.
But there is good news, and there is a way out. The reality is that man, deep down, knows that homosexuality isn’t a natural relationship, and I have no doubt that you find yourself in a place where you are just never content and are struggling inside. This is the testimony of so many who have been freed from their sin, whether one admits it or not, but this doesn’t have to be true any longer. You can find peace and be free from the bondage in which you find yourself. Though every sinner deserves hell, there is hope. Because of the love of God, Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty owed due to sin for all of those who would turn away from their sin and cast themselves on Christ for salvation from sin and hell. So if you will, this day, repent of your sin, including your homosexual lifestyle, and believe in Christ. He will be loving and gracious and save you!
Don’t live another day in defiance of God; tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, and if you die in your sin, Hell is real and will be your reality for all of eternity. Repent now and be saved.
For the believer reading this article, we must remember that we are not of this world, though we are in it. Our eyes are fixed on heaven, and we should desire to take everyone we can with us. The liar, the fornicator, the adulterer, the gambler, or the homosexual are not our enemies; they need what we have—the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are the fields, white for harvest; they are the souls wandering in the darkness needing the light, they are the children of the darkness of this world needing to be rescued, and more importantly, some of them are our brothers and sisters in the Lord yet to be saved.
It is not loving to refrain from speaking out or avoiding conflict. Love is recognizing that people are fast on their way to Hell, and we are the only thing that stands in their way because God has chosen people to proclaim the Good News that saves. Consider the words of Charles Spurgeon, “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.” Don’t miss the opportunities to love your fellow man truly by calling him to repent and showing him the beauty of Christ and Him crucified.
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Post by Admin on Apr 19, 2024 22:16:03 GMT -5
g3min.org/why-we-should-study-theology/
NATHANIEL JOLLY
Old-Books
Before making the case for why we should study theology, we should answer the question, “What is theology?” It’s made up of two words: Theos and logia, which subsequently means “God and word.” It literally means “a word about God.” Simply stated, theology is the study of God. In answering the question, “Why should we study theology?” this article will provide five compelling reasons to commit to theological studies in today’s world. My hope is that by the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of why theology is essential for the Christian and find yourself eager to engage in diligent pursuit of it.
The first reason—and arguably the most important reason—to study theology is that theology should be a way to experience the Word in the mind, heart, and life of the believer. It should never be merely an academic pursuit of knowledge about God, but rather a pursuit of knowledge whereby the average Christian in the pew seeks to understand the Christian faith and all that is in Scripture so that it changes his life, raises his affections for Christ, and promotes personal holiness. Any study of theology that does not accomplish these things, at least in part, is not a true study of theology but rather an intellectual activity void of any true meaning.
The Christian should open their Bible with the expectation that it molds, shapes, and changes them, conforming them in greater measure into the image of Christ as they learn and apply the Scriptures to their lives. Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones once said, “If our so-called faith does not lead to any kind of experience, then I doubt whether it is Christian at all. Our faith must be living, real, and experimental.” We must approach theological studies with the same attitude. It must be living, real, and experimental. Learning theology should cause you to encounter the living God through His Word, over and over, to such a degree that your love for God, the church, fellow man, and Christ grows exponentially.
Second, Christians should study theology to understand God’s nature and character. If we want to know the God we call Heavenly Father, who adopted us into His family, then we need to learn His character and nature. The Bible is the only place to learn about who God is as He has revealed Himself to us.
For instance, how do we know that God is compassionate, loving, and just? We read in Exodus 34:6–7, where Moses meets with the Lord to replace the Ten Commandments, “Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.’”
We know God is compassionate, loving, and just because that is what Scripture teaches us about God. Coming to learn these things about God through theological study should have an impact on the life of a Christian because now you know that when you pray to God, you can know with certainty that you are praying to a compassionate and just God.
The Bible is filled with God’s attributes and teaches us much about who God is, which should make us want to study theology.
Third, studying theology helps us delight in the Person and Work of God. Again, theology is not all about head knowledge, though it can never be less than that. It is about coming to know God and His works of creation in such a way that you find yourself in awe of such an incredible God.
We read in Psalm 19:1, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God, and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.” A true study of theology should cause us to consider who God is and what He has created, causing us to cry out as King David did in 2 Samuel, saying, “For this reason, You are great, O Lord God; for there is none like You, and there is no God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.”
The more we learn about who God is and what He has done, the easier it is to recognize who we are in relation to who He is and live accordingly. If we are to have a deep affection for God, we must come to know Him truly.
Fourth, studying theology uncovers God’s plan for mankind. The only way to truly understand man is to hear what God has to say about him. For instance, Genesis tells us about the relationship we were meant to have, and the proto-evangelium in Genesis reveals God’s solution to man’s sin problem. The Apostle Paul helps us understand human depravity and the wickedness of Sin, and then we see God’s love and plan for redemption in the person and work of Christ. And in Revelation, we see the return of Christ, his response to mankind, and man’s final dwelling place with God.
From Genesis to Revelation, we get a full understanding of who mankind is in relationship to God as far as God has been pleased to reveal it. We see whom we were created to be and what God has done to deal with the issue of sin. We learn what the natural state of the heart is due to total depravity, and we learn what it means that we are given a new heart.
We study theology so that we have God’s view on the heart and purpose of man before and after the fall and for eternity.
Lastly, the Christian should study theology to love and serve Christ as Lord and Savior faithfully. So few people truly know much about Jesus’s character and nature. We profess to love Christ, but do we really know Him? Many professing Christians know some details about Jesus. They know He was compassionate, they know He healed the sick, they know that He died for our salvation, but many professing believers couldn’t tell you what John means in 1 John 2:2 when he says of Christ, “And He is the propitiation for our sins.” They couldn’t tell you about Christ’s deity, His oneness with the Father, or talk to you about the fact that He is, in fact, God: the second person of the Trinity.
These aren’t just facts about Jesus; this is who He is as a person. Many believers know so little about the One they call Savior. Jesus was truly man and he was also truly God. These doctrines matter because if you serve a Jesus who was a man and not God, then you serve a different Jesus than the Jesus of the Bible. If you serve a Jesus who was God and not man, then you serve a different Jesus than the Jesus of the Bible. Every heresy known ultimately touches the person and work of Christ.
If we are to love Christ truly, then we must know Him, understand who He was and is, what He believes about sin and salvation, what He expects from those who follow Him, and how He views those who call Him Lord and Savior. The only place to learn these things is in the pages of Scripture.
There are things that prove we truly belong to Him—do we know what those things are? One of the most terrifying verses in the Bible demonstrates that there will be many who thought they knew Jesus when in fact, they did not. Jesus Himself says, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is heaven will enter” (Matt 7:21). Do we understand how that could be? What did Jesus expect from them that they didn’t have? We study theology so that we may truly know Christ and what it means to be His disciple.
We also study theology so that we have such a view of Christ that when considering how majestic, loving, and full of grace He is, we can’t help but worship because we understand what it means that He is majestic, loving, and full of grace.
We study theology so that we can say with the Apostle Paul, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38–39).
At the end of the day, all of our learning of theology must cause us to look to Christ. If it doesn’t, then it is because our hearts are cold and we haven’t really learned anything at all. A true student of theology will become the greatest lover of Christ. John Calvin said, “All theology, when separated from Christ, is not only vain and confused but is also mad, deceitful and spurious.”
The faithful Christian must study theology, but as we study, we should be sure that we allow it to conform us to the image of Christ, that we not only have theology as head knowledge but that it becomes heart knowledge, which changes us.
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Post by Admin on Apr 27, 2024 22:44:36 GMT -5
The Pulpit Speaks
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g3min.org/the-pulpit-speaks/
NATHANIEL JOLLY
pulpit
Where have all the pulpits gone? It is not uncommon today to visit a church and see a man standing on the sanctuary’s floor speaking to the congregation with no pulpit in sight. Perhaps he uses a music stand or sits at a small round table if he uses anything at all. Often, the idea is that this closeness to the congregation, or less traditional feel and a more casual style, is more engaging, less intimidating, and feels more like a conversation than preaching. The pulpit, or lack thereof, is always an intentional choice—always meant to communicate something. But is that what we should be aiming for? Should the congregation feel like the preacher is having a conversation with them? Should the Word preached be something that seems more casual? The real question is, what does the pulpit say that would make one remove it?
The very fact that there is a conversation about whether or not to use a pulpit demonstrates that the pulpit does indeed speak. The pulpit has something to say, but what? To answer this vital question, a little tour of history is helpful. First, the word itself, pulpit, comes from a Latin term meaning “scaffold” or “platform.”
The pulpit is not a new invention, though style and placement have changed over time. The first recorded mention of the pulpit is from around AD 250 from Cyprian. But before that, there certainly were platforms from which men would speak, indicating that something worth hearing was being said. The Greek bema was used in ancient times in Athens, and in the synagogues, it was used for Torah reading. So, the concept is nothing new.
From Cyprian into the 400s, one would find the pulpit in church construction. But then something interesting happened, and it happened because the pulpit speaks; in other words, it represents something. In the medieval era, the pulpit was pushed to the side by the catholic church to make mass prominent. Why is this such an issue? This is where we answer the question, “How does the pulpit speak?” The pulpit speaks in that it represents the very word of God. This is where the word of God is heralded, explained, and brought to bear on the lives and hearts of the people of God. The pulpit is really a metonym for God’s word, much like the crown is for a king. And this is why it is so vital. What happened in the medieval era is that God’s Word was set to the side, viewed as less important than the mass. When the Word of God becomes less important than other things in the church, the pulpit often disappears.
Faithful men, both past and present, have understood that the pulpit speaks. For Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the pulpit was the place where the Gospel was to be heralded and the Scriptures explained. It represented the Word of God brought to the people of God. J. C. Ryle, a stalwart defender of the faith, spoke of what happened in the pulpit as that which impacted the entire church, saying, “If you want to warm a church, put a stove in the pulpit.” John MacArthur, one of today’s most faithful preachers, repeatedly speaks of the need to guard the pulpit, and in his book, Parable: Mysteries of God’s Kingdom Revealed through the Stories Jesus Told, he addresses the problem in many churches today, and the absence of the pulpit saying, “In some cases, the pulpit is totally gone, replaced by a stage and a screen.” Faithful preachers understand that the pulpit speaks.
We live in a day and age where conversations, counseling sessions, skits, sermonettes, and entertainment are valued over the preaching of God’s Word. If not that, then the idea of not being above the people or wanting to connect more deeply with the people is the reason for the removal of the pulpit. But then one must ask, is the Word of God not an authority above the people? Is it more connection to the preacher that the church needs, or is it the Word of God that the church needs? Does the congregation need a conversation with the preacher, or do they need to hear from Heaven through His Word? Do God’s people need to feel entertained, or do they need God’s truth brought to bear on their lives? Of course, the rhetorical nature of these questions makes the answers clear.
The reformers understood the symbolism behind moving the pulpit, and they understood what it meant to move it back to the center of the church above the people. Luther, the man who nailed the 95 theses to the Wittenburg Castle church, said this concerning the pulpit, “The pulpit is the throne for the Word of God.” Charles Spurgeon also understood that which the pulpit represents, saying, “If there be a place under heaven more holy than another, it is the pulpit whence the gospel is preached.” The pulpit speaks because it represents the heralded Word of God. The Bible is no mere book, and its words are not the words of a mere mortal. No! They are the very words of Almighty God. They are the King’s words, and they are indeed above us. They alone guide us into all truth, direct us to paths of righteousness, pierce our hearts, renew our minds, and convict us of our sins and deep dependency upon almighty God and the atoning death of Christ.
The pulpit in the church says many things. It says, “This church is ruled by the word of God.” It says, “These people are beneath the Word of God as sheep being led by the great Shepherd.” The pulpit speaks, crying aloud for all with ears to hear, saying, “Listen! Listen! From me comes the great words of the King as preached from the King’s book.” The pulpit speaks, pleading with the hearer to look up, not to a preacher, but to the words preached that come from the one who is worthy to be looked up to, the Sovereign King of the universe. The pulpit shouts out loud, “Look, listen, and obey, and receive life from this Gospel preached here.” This is what the pulpit speaks. And when it is removed, its voice is silenced. The communication, no matter how sincere, is always something less, something lower, something less powerful. The church doesn’t need to hear from a man standing on the same level as them, having a conversation with interaction; the church needs to hear from almighty God. Let’s bring back the pulpit, and with a right understanding for that which it is meant to represent, the Word of God, rightly taking its place over the lives of all who call Christ “Lord.”
Bring back the pulpit!
Nathaniel Jolly
Nathaniel is the pastor and church planter of Homer Reformed Baptist church in Homer, Alaska. He and his wife moved to Alaska in 2020 to begin church plant work. He is the host of the Truth Be Known podcast, is currently enrolled in the DMin program for expository preaching at The Master’s Seminary, and is working towards ACBC certification.
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