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There is a perception among many believers that faith and reason are distinct and separate. I disagree for biblical reasons. There is, on the other hand, a perception on the other side that would argue the reverse. If we can only provide the most coherent, most cogent, most rational, most well-constructed line of reasoning, we should be able to convince people to come to Christ. The Middle Ages are sometimes referred to as "the Age of Faith". The term, of course, was coined by the philosophers of the time known as "the Age of Enlightenment" -- roughly the middle…  ( Click for more )

We have all heard of "the kingdom of God". The phrase is not new to us. Matthew refers to it as "the kingdom of heaven", but it's the same thing. It is almost exclusively a New Testament concept, an idea that had its launch, so to speak, in Jesus's first teachings: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15). We've all heard of this kingdom. But ... what is it? In Jesus's time the kingdom of God was "at hand" and "near", but apparently not actually present. He said, "I…  ( Click for more )

There are lots of sins in the Bible. (Who knew, right?) And we know that all sins are equal in the eyes of the Lord, right? Well, perhaps not. All sins are equal in the sense that all sins deserve God's judgment, but I don't think it is true that all sins are of equal weight. We know this because of things like Jesus's words to the cities where His works had been displayed without repentance. He told them that "it will be more bearable on the day of judgment" for the cities that would have repented had His works been done there (Matthew 11:20-24). And John writes about…  ( Click for more )

In George Orwell's 1984 the main character, Winston Smith, worked for the Ministry of Truth, the government organization that was constantly in the job of rewriting history in order to control people and thought. One of the Party slogans was, "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past." The Ministry of Truth controlled the past (and, therefore, the present and future) by rewriting it. Turns out, it's not as much of a fiction as we might think. Rewriting history has become more common these days. Some try to tell us the Holocaust…  ( Click for more )

The Peanuts character, Linus, is famous for his statement, "I love mankind; it's people I can't stand." It's humor. That's how humor works. You set up a thought -- "I love mankind" -- and then you take a sudden, unexpected turn. Funny stuff. But not always. Like the parallel version, "I love Christ; it's Christians I can't stand." Oh, of course, it's not generally laid out that way. It's usually more subtle. "I love Jesus, just not the people who ... make up His church." How does that work? How does one love God but not the people of God?…  ( Click for more )

God is described in Scripture as having all knowledge (Omniscient) (Psalm 136:1-6,16; Psalm 147:4-5; Isaiah 46:9-10; 1 John 3:20; etc.), having all power (Omnipotent) (Matthew 19:26; Revelation 1:8; Revelation 7:11-12; Revelation 19:6; Psalm 147:5; Jeremiah 32:17,27; Job 37:23; Daniel 4:35; etc.), and having all authority (Sovereign) (Psalm 115:3; Proverbs 16:9; 1 Chronicles 29:11-12; 2 Chronicles 20:6; Job 42:2; Psalm 103:19; Psalm 135:6; Ephesians 1:11; Romans 9:21; Lamentations 3:37; Proverbs 16:33; etc.). If you were paying attention to the…  ( Click for more )

In the book of Job we read that Satan tested Job because of a challenge from God and took away Job's property and children (Job 1). What a blow! He lost everything. He lost everything at Satan's hands under God's supervision (Job 1:12). So, of course, Job was upset with God, right? Right? Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD." Through all this Job did not sin nor…  ( Click for more )

For reasons beyond me, there are those who believe that Genesis is myth. Many limit it to Genesis 1-11, which only confounds the problem. What makes Genesis 11 myth but Genesis 12 history? The language didn't change. The approach didn't change. And what "myth" includes "these are the generations of ..." (Genesis 5)? Worse, what does it say about the rest of the biblical authors? When God spoke at Sinai, He indicated, "In six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them" (Exodus 20:11), but we're expected to conclude that…  ( Click for more )

The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were…  ( Click for more )

In Paul's second letter to the church at Corinth, Paul was concerned that they were too susceptible to error. I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. (2 Corinthians 11:3-4)

Interesting. By what means might they be led astray (as the serpent…  ( Click for more )

We know better. We truly do. We know Jesus is the only way to be saved (John 14:6). We know "there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) We know we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) and that any other gospel is a false one (Galatians 1:6-9). We know all this. And still ... we walk into walls all the time. We think that good works will save. Oh, most of us don't run afoul of that too often. Still, we tend to think that if we're good we ought to get rewarded…  ( Click for more )

Everybody knows that boys need dads. They need the male example. They need the influence of a loving male in their lives and in their homes. Well, everybody that is thinking clearly. And everybody knows that daughters need mothers. Like boys and their dads, girls need the influence and example of a loving mother. In both cases, they will perceive that they are supposed to be the boys their fathers are or the girls their mothers are. Conversely, the epithet "mama's boy" is not intended as a compliment. Studies have shown that boys raised by a single mother have more adverse…  ( Click for more )

We all know it. There is a morality problem in our nation ... in our world. All I have to do is mention Harvey Weinstein and we will all nod and say, "That's a bad thing." We are constantly flooded with repeated and new accusations of sexual abuse and harassment and it just doesn't seem to end. It is positively immoral. There is, however, a problem here. We are all in agreement that it is immoral while we aren't very much in agreement just what constitutes "immoral". The difficulty, you see, is that we can't agree on a definition of "morality." Do…  ( Click for more )

Jim Elliff wrote a piece asking, "Why do Some Pastors Deliberately Avoid Teaching Doctrine?" He suggested that "many pastors" have begun to intentionally avoid teaching doctrine. Why? The aim is to encircle more people for our churches by minimizing that which limits us. "The problem is," he says, "it works." Why? "Doctrine does narrow things." And, frankly, there are fewer attracted to sound doctrine than to "tolerable beliefs". The Bible favors doctrine. Paul told the young pastor, Timothy, Now we know that the law…  ( Click for more )

The phrase is actually an Islamic phrase. It refers to Jews and Christians (and a group of people known as Sabians). "The Book" in view, then, would be the Bible. For Jews, it would refer to our Old Testament and for Christians it would be the whole Book. Christians embraced the term in later days declaring, "Yes, indeed, we are people of the Book." Of course, modern Christians are often in disagreement on this point. Modern Christians (self-professed) might consider themselves "religious, but without all that Bible nonsense." They would think it's…  ( Click for more )

One of the disagreements between the Protestants and the Catholics was the issue of assurance. The Reformers believed that God cannot lose any of His own, that He sustains them all to the end. The Catholics were appalled. In the Council of Trent they said, "If any one saith, that he will for certain, of an absolute and infallible certainty, have that great gift of perseverance unto the end, unless he have learned this by special revelation; let him be anathema." (The Council of Trent, Session 6, CANON XVI) Do you believe that it is possible to know that you have eternal…  ( Click for more )

I came across this interesting text in Isaiah. My soul yearns for You in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks You. For when Your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. If favor is shown to the wicked, he does not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly and does not see the majesty of the LORD. (Isaiah 26:9-10)

I don't think this line of thinking comes naturally to us, at least not in our day. I think that it is more natural to think that God only does "nice" things and, in fact, that all "good…  ( Click for more )

We are celebrating the Resurrection this Sunday. In the timeline of events, of course, the Crucifixion occurred first. When else did such horror produce such good? You know the story. You know about His betrayal -- Judas's kiss -- and arrest. You know of His trial. Before they put Him to death, they performed all sorts of cruelty. There were the false witnesses and the scourgings, the beatings and the blood. There were the crown of thorns, the whipping, the robe. It was more than we can imagine. And Scripture says, "He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not…  ( Click for more )

No, not the song from the '70's. What is "respect"? Today it means "admiration". Fine. It may even mean "deep admiration." Okay. But is that always the concept? Maybe not. In Ephesians wives are told, "Let the wife see that she respects her husband." (Ephesians 5:31) "Okay," we think, "that means that she should have a great admiration for her husband." And, of course, at that juncture we run into a problem. You know the problem. Say it with me. "Respect is not given, it is earned." What do we mean by that?…  ( Click for more )

It used to be that "acceptable people" were allowed in the front door, but the "less acceptable people" had to go in through the servants' entrance. You know ... we needed them around; we just didn't want them to be seen. Immanuel Kant, in three separate works, carefully and persuasively explained that it is impossible to prove the existence of God. In the view of many, what Kant managed to do was to usher God out of the front door of the Logic House. You know ... "Sorry. We don't want you in here." Or, "There is no God." Now, of course,…  ( Click for more )

Paul, in his farewell address to the elders of the church at Ephesus, offers them a warning. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.…  ( Click for more )

When Tim Tebow was in college playing for the national championship, he had "John 3:16" written under his eyes and 93 million people googled John 3:16. Exactly 3 years later in the first round of championship play-offs with Denver against the Steelers, Tebow encountered some interesting statistics. He threw for 316 yards, with 3.16 yards per rush, 31.6 yards per completion, and a time of possession of 31.6. Oh, and the Nielsen TV ratings for the game peaked at 31.6. Coincidence? The truth is that John 3:16 is among the top 10 best known verses in the Bible. (It used…  ( Click for more )

It's Valentine's Day, so of course we have to talk about love. We all know what love is. It's that warm, gushy feeling we get when we feel affection for another. Oh, sure, that's too vague. The dictionary puts it like this: Love is "a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person", "a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend", or "sexual passion or desire". Yeah, that's the love we all know and love. (Yes, that was intended to be humorous.) The Bible does include some of that. The Greek…  ( Click for more )

In Acts 8 we are introduced to a character named Simon. He is a magician (however that is meant) (Acts 8:9). Up until Philip arrived preaching the gospel, Simon was regarded as "the Great Power of God" (Acts 8:10), but when Philip showed up it says, "Even Simon himself believed" and was baptized (Acts 8:13). Well, now, this is good stuff. An evil "magician" repents and comes to Christ, baptism and all. So it's a bit strange how the story plays out. Some time later Peter and John arrived and started praying over new converts. They laid hands on them…  ( Click for more )