Why should it be done? This is really the most important issue. What exactly does baptism do? Why is it important? Does baptism make someone a Christian? Does it actually have the power to save someone? On these last two questions, the answer is no as our salvation is only by the sacrifice of Christ made for us on the … Read More
What I Learned from Gordon Lightfoot, Part 3 of 3
“Writing songs is about finding the time, because it’s an isolated thing. You need to lock yourself in a room to do it, in one shape or another, whether it’s an empty house or hotel room.” Gordon Lightfoot in Nicholas Jennings, Lightfoot (Viking, 2017), 88. I mentioned in Part 1 that, among other things, Lightfoot and I share a connection … Read More
Is the Essence of God Love?, Part 3 of 3
I mentioned last week that, in scripture, predestination is a positive doctrine (e.g. Eph. 1:4-5 says, “In love he predestined…”) and should be applied pastorally like the following: “God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day … Read More
Five Essentials of Spiritual Growth
On Sundays in many churches, personal use of a Bible in any form is unnecessary. Congregants know little of its contents and, barring a possible Sunday school or confirmation class, there’s insufficient training on how to handle it correctly. One mom scornfully described the classes of her own children’s church experience as “God loves you. Draw a tree.” Churches like … Read More
Focus for Fall: Big Lessons from Small Creatures, Part 5 of 5
Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise: the ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer; the rock badgers are a people not mighty, yet they make their homes in the cliffs; the locusts have no king, yet all of them march in rank; the lizard you can take in your hands, … Read More
How Death is a Pre-Fall Reality That Points Us to Christ
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned…. (Rom. 5:12, ESV) Recently I was asked in light of the series I did on “How I Changed My Mind About Genesis 1 and Science” the following question: How do evolutionary creationists account for the idea … Read More