Purify Your Bride

We got some bad news about little John. He has Down’s Syndrome. That is a bit of a shock. Lots of my hopes and dreams for him revolved around some sort of academic achievement. I guess my ability to learn and analyze has been the source of much of my identity. It is one of [...]

James White published a top 10 questions he wants to ask a convert or potential convert. I thought I would bite. 
10) Have you listened to both sides? That is, have you done more than read Rome Sweet Home and listen to a few emotion-tugging conversion stories? Have you actually taken the time to find sound, [...]

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Gal 5:19-21
This was [...]

Thinking about my life these last few years it seems God has continued to pour out so many blessings from my conversion 4 years ago. When I came into the church my son, Peter, was just a little baby. Now he is walking, talking, playing soccer, telling jokes, etc. I feel like my life as a [...]

Once on the topic of Hell you almost always run into the question. How could a good God send anybody to hell? Certainly He wouldn’t send ME to hell. Would he? It is related to the atheist argument ‘bad things happen therefore there is no God’. The trouble with both these lines of reasoning is [...]

There isn’t much talk about hell these days. It isn’t fashionable. It makes people feel bad. So we don’t talk about it. The trouble is if we don’t talk about it we tend to lose focus on why our faith is so important. If we don’t mention hell we tend to forget why we go [...]

When protestants are asked to explain their lack of unity they often reply they do have unity in the important doctrines. This sounds pretty good. Most protestants really believe that anyone who has sincerely given their heart to Jesus will share a faith very similar to theirs. One reason for this is because most christians [...]

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and [...]

As a protestant I was always a little embarrassed by the fundamentalists who insisted that there could be absolutely no truth in evolution. Creation must have happened in 6 24-hour days. Now they didn’t want to come right out and tell you that religion and science were in conflict so they always had a few [...]

I just read a piece describing the differences between Luther and Calvin on Sola Fide. Dr Cary makes a very good argument why basing you assurance of salvation of the external sacramental declaration of God’s grace to you is much better pastorally than basing it on an internal profession of faith. I don’t want to [...]

How did the early church fathers end up thinking along the lines they did about Mary? That is to venerate her as sinless and a perpetual virgin. As a protestant I could not imagine how good Christians could ever go there. One line of thought they might have followed is to ask themselves about the [...]

Looking at the passion one wonders why the death of Jesus was so slow and so painful. You can buy the logic from scripture that Jesus had to die. The wages of sin is death and all that. Still why could it not have been quicker and easier? I see the same thing in some of [...]

I had an email debate with a protestant named Will Shurtlif back in 2005. We ended up writing quite a bit about Korah’s rebellion. It is mentioned in the book of Jude as part of a list. As Wil said “Jude lists Cain (murder), Balaam (idolatry and licentiousness) and Korah (rebellion)”. He compares it to some of [...]

Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Ps 37:4
This verse is often quoted by people who believe some form of a ‘health and wealth’ gospel. If you do the right thing the desires of your heart will be granted. That makes God a great tool for getting a job [...]

One thing I have noticed about the society is the lack of deep thinking about the big questions of life. People jump on things like The DiVinci Code and The God Delusion and they just buy it all. I mean bright guys who in every other area of life are great critical thinkers. Somehow when [...]