Is the Bible Clear? – Part 2

Posted on May 12, 2018 by pastormike

Is the Bible Clear Part 2There is a very interesting story, actually the first human story, in which Adam and Eve doubted the Word of God.  Satan planted this doubt by creating uncertainty concerning what God had said in Genesis 3:1-5.  “Was God really shooting straight with you or was He hiding the truth from you?”  Here is the first attack on the clarity of God’s Word.  The resulting doubt was planted, and unbelief sprang up as its fruit which resulted in the fall. Continue reading →

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Is The Bible Clear?

Posted on May 12, 2018 by pastormike

Is the Bible ClearIs the Bible clear?  That’s an important question.  Or is it obtuse and in need of theological experts to enlighten us to its meaning?

In the religious tradition in which I grew up, we were told that the Bible was difficult if not near impossible book to understand and it was best left up to the church theologians.  It wasn’t until the conclusion of Vatican II that Catholics were freed up to read, not interpret the Bible.[1]  Of course, it had to be an “approved” version such as the Douay-Rheims Bible at that time.  Now there are a number of other “approved” church translations[2] that have been edited for Catholic consumption.  But even now the RCC teaches that it is the Traditions of the church that interpret the Scriptures.[3]  This caveat means that the Bible is not only fully authoritative on its own, but also not left up to the parishioner, the laity, to privately interpret the Bible. Therefore, the only conclusion is that for the RCC the clarity or perspicuity of the Bible is denied.[4] Continue reading →

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Correspondence View of Truth

Posted on May 11, 2018 by pastormike

Correspondence View of TruthIn our post-modern, post-Christian era we find ourselves arguing over the meaning of truth. For the post-modernist, truth, and absolute truth, is unknowable, unattainable and an exercise in arrogance. “You have your truth and I have mine.”  As a result of this kind of lunacy, we find the authority of the Bible, as never before, under attack. This attack is focused, as you would expect, on the doctrines of inerrancy and infallibility.  A denial of the “correspondence view of truth” as being played out at Moody Bible Institute is a prime example. Continue reading →

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Wednesday Book Reviews for 5.9.18

Posted on May 9, 2018 by pastormike

Wednesday Book Reviews for 5-9-18

This week’s Wednesday book reviews center on what is the Gospel?

Book Reviews for 5-9-18Here We Stand – A Call from Confessing Evangelicals For A Modern Reformation
Edited by James Montgomery Boice and Benjamin E. Sasse

The church in sixteenth-century Europe needed a reformation. Martin Luther precipitated what we call the Reformation with his famous declaration, “Here I stand!” Is the evangelical church of today equally in need of a reformation? Yes, proclaim eight evangelical leaders:
-David Wells
-R. Albert Mohler
-James Montgomery Boice
-Gene Edward Veith
-Michael Horton
-W. Robert Godfrey
-Sinclair Ferguson
-Ervin Duggan Continue reading →

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Jellyfish Christianity

Posted on May 8, 2018 by pastormike

Jellyfish ChristianityAs we look around the Evangelical landscape today it would be easy to conclude that we live in an era of “Jellyfish Christianity.”  Some of us muse a bit and long for the days when the Church in America loved doctrine and sought the glory of God.  Those days harken to the Great Awakening of the 1730’s with the preaching of the likes of  George Whitefield (1714-1770) and Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) and sermons like “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. What we are living through today in our Post-Modern, Post-Christian era was a long time in brewing.

We only need to go back to the writings of Godly men like J.C. Ryle (May 10, 1816 – June 10, 1900), to hear words as if they were spoken today! Continue reading →

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The God Of Truth Speaks

Posted on May 4, 2018 by pastormike

The God of truth SpeaksIn the Short Statement of the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, We read; “God, who is Himself Truth and speaks truth only, has inspired Holy Scripture in order thereby to reveal Himself to lost mankind through Jesus Christ as Creator and Lord, Redeemer and Judge. Holy Scripture is God’s witness to Himself.”[1]  The God of Truth speaks. Continue reading →

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Sola Scriptura

Posted on May 3, 2018 by pastormike

sola scripturaRecently the Board of Trustees at Moody Bible Institute has required that all professors at MBI agree and sign the “Short Statement of the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy,” as a result of some rightly held concern of “doctrinal shift,” at MBI.  You can read about this controversy by Julie Roys HERE, HERE, and HERE for a better understanding of the problems at Moody Bible Institute.  Unfortunately, this is not so uncommon in evangelicalism. This is why Sola Scriptura, “Scriptures alone” is so important if we are to protect doctrinal purity. Continue reading →

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Wednesday Book Reviews for 5.2.18

Posted on May 2, 2018 by pastormike

Book Reviews for 5-2-18

Wednesday Book ReviewKnowledge Of The Holy
By: A.W. Tozer

This timeless gift breathes a spirit of devotion for all Christians, from those who are newly arrived to those who are committing themselves anew to Jesus Christ.

The Knowledge of the Holy by beloved evangelical author and Christian mystic A.W. Tozer illuminates God’s attributes—from wisdom, to grace, to mercy—and in doing so, attempts to restore the majesty and wonder of God in the hearts and minds of all Christians. Informative as well as inspirational, The Knowledge of the Holy returns the towering Christian concept of God to the center of the religious mind, fostering a renewed appreciation of the magnitude of God’s glory. Continue reading →

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A Friend of Sinners

Posted on May 1, 2018 by pastormike

A Friend of sinnersThere were a great many things that the leadership of the Jews found fault with the ministry of Jesus. They accused Him of picking grain in the fields on the Sabbath to eat (Matthew 12:1-2; Mark 2:23-24), performing miracles on the Sabbath (Mark 3:2-4; Matthew 12;10-129), and the casting out of demons as the work of the devil (Matthew 9:34; 12:22:-24; Mark 3:22). The Pharisees accused Jesus of teaching that the Jews were not to pay taxes to Caesar (Luke 23;2). They were constantly meeting together to find fault with Jesus (Matthew 26:59-61). But there was one accusation that just takes the cake. He was a friend of sinners!  Here we have an accusation that is finally accurate.  Jesus was a friend of sinners. Continue reading →

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Answering a Child’s Profound Question

Posted on April 28, 2018 by pastormike

Answering a Child’s Profound QuestionIt is amazing how kids can come up with some really profound questions.  What is even more amazing is how easily they do it. And, of course, these are the times that we, as adults dread and also have the greatest opportunity to be just as profound.  Well, maybe not all that profound, but at least we can make these times real teachable events. Certainly, a child’s profound question doesn’t need and profound answer, but it does need an answer that is truthful, helpful, compassionate when needed, and understandable to the child. Continue reading →

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