Tag: church

The Adamic Covenant (pt. 1)

Introduction The person of Adam is central to biblical theology, and as such, Christian orthodoxy does not merely argue for the historicity of the first man, but demands it. The question, however, is why? Why, other than the fact that mankind comes from a single origin, or for explaining the introduction of sin into the … Continue reading The Adamic Covenant (pt. 1) →

The Deity of Christ was Not Invented at Nicaea

Irenaeus and Nicene Language The Council of Nicaea’s debate and solution regarding the nature of Christ and the problem of the Trinity was not a novel discussion for the church. From as early as the mid to late 2nd century, heretical groups had already begun to espouse new teachings regarding the Godhead and the person … Continue reading The Deity of Christ was Not Invented at Nicaea →

How Suffering Serves to Advance the Gospel

Philippians 1:12-14 - I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, … Continue reading How Suffering Serves to Advance the Gospel →

Looking for a Good Devotional?

After becoming a pastor, one of the goals that I had was to create material to help equip lay people of all spiritual maturity ranges with a deeper understanding of their Bible. In the world today, there are few things that Christians turn to more in order to get their daily dose of Bible than … Continue reading Looking for a Good Devotional? →

The Battle for the Bible: The Rise of Higher Criticism and the Fight over Biblical Inerrancy

In the mid to late 19th century, two new areas of scholarship would forever change the landscape of Christianity: Darwinism and Higher-Criticism. Though most are aware of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, few are as familiar with higher-criticism. Higher-criticism ultimately owes its origin to German Biblical Scholars. The idea behind higher-criticism was to remove the supernatural … Continue reading The Battle for the Bible: The Rise of Higher Criticism and the Fight over Biblical Inerrancy →

The “Costly Grace” of Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The Context of Bonhoeffer Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born in 1906 at Breslau which at the time was a part of Germany, but is now in Poland. Unlike Luther, Bonhoeffer was not born into a religious setting. His Father was a professor of Psychiatry and was an open agnostic as well as all his brothers. Bonhoeffer … Continue reading The “Costly Grace” of Dietrich Bonhoeffer →

The “Free Grace” of Martin Luther

The Context of Luther Martin Luther was born in 1483 during a time when the Renaissance was permeating throughout all of Europe with the invention of Gutenburg’s printing press. He was born to a copper miner and grew up in Mansfield in the center of Germany’s mining industry. Luther originally went to the University of … Continue reading The “Free Grace” of Martin Luther →

Yes, the Early Church Worshipped on Sunday.

Recently, I have come in contact with many who argue that Sunday worship was a Pagan practice adopted by the church after the conversion of Constantine, but that is absurdly false. Not only do I believe there is Scriptural support that shows the importance of Sunday in New Testament Worship (Acts 2:14, 41; 20:7; 1 … Continue reading Yes, the Early Church Worshipped on Sunday. →

The Marks of a Fruitful Church

In 1741, the great Jonathan Edwards first published his now-classic book The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God. In this important work, Edwards is analyzing and synthesizing all he’s experienced in the revivals of his day (chronicled most notably in A Narrative of Surprising Conversions and An Account of the Revival of Religion in … Continue reading The Marks of a Fruitful Church →