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Nov 2013 30 Nov 30, 2013
2

Jason Bourcier, a 33-year-old financial consultant in Arlington, VA, will be paying $157 a month until July 19, 2067 (about the time he turns 87) for toll violations that began in 2009. The original tab was $202,000 but his attorney negotiated that down to $40,000. Add to that another $55,000 in interest payments and other fees and his total comes to $96,498 (all this as a result of only $440 in unpaid tolls). The reason his fine became so large is that penalties were ap...Read More

Nov 2013 29 Nov 29, 2013
2

“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for ‘All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.’ And this word is the good news that was pre...Read More

Nov 2013 27 Nov 27, 2013
1

“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for ‘All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.’ And this word is the good news that was pre...Read More

Nov 2013 26 Nov 26, 2013
2

“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for ‘All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.’ And this word is the good news that was pre...Read More

Nov 2013 25 Nov 25, 2013
2

“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for ‘All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.’ And this word is the good news that was pre...Read More

Nov 2013 23 Nov 23, 2013
1

This past week I attended the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in Baltimore, Maryland. The theme for this year’s gathering was the inerrancy of Scripture. I devoted the first chapter of my book Tough Topics to the question, "Is the Bible Inerrant?" My answer, as you would expect, is a resounding Yes! But what is inerrancy? What do we mean by that term? Here are four excellent definitions that should help you get a grip on what this means and wh...Read More

Nov 2013 22 Nov 22, 2013

This lively sense of the beauty and excellence of divine things continued during the morning, accompanied with peculiar sweetness and delight. To my own imagination, my soul seemed to be gone out of me to God and Christ in heaven, and to have very little relation to my body. God and Christ were so present to me and so near me that I seemed removed from myself. The spiritual beauty of the Father and the Saviour seemed to engross my whole mind; and it was the instinctive f...Read More

Nov 2013 21 Nov 21, 2013
1

The experience of Sarah Edwards (d. 1758), wife of Puritan pastor and theologian Jonathan Edwards, is not normative for every believer. But it is one instance of one soul “being filled to all the fullness of God.” As her husband was to describe it, God had filled Sarah with “joy unspeakable and full of glory” (I Peter 1:8). Jonathan was so impressed and awed by what God had done in his wife that he prevailed upon her to write it down. I think you...Read More

Nov 2013 20 Nov 20, 2013

I’ve often heard cessationists say that it is significant that the NT does not provide examples of the operation of such miraculous gifts as healing. From this they draw the conclusion that few, if any, in the early church had a special healing ministry. But neither does the NT provide explicit examples of the operation of such gifts as mercy or giving or faith or leading. People undoubtedly showed mercy and gave and led and the like, even as they prayed for the s...Read More

Nov 2013 19 Nov 19, 2013
2

Another argument often heard from cessationists pertains to the closing, completion, and sufficiency of the canon of Scripture. Signs, wonders and miraculous gifts accompanied and attested to the truth of the gospel until such time as the last word of canonical Scripture was written. The need for such manifestations of divine power therein ceased. The Bible itself has replaced miraculous phenomena in the life of the church. There are several problems with this argument....Read More

Nov 2013 18 Nov 18, 2013
1

No one has spoken with greater force and clarity concerning the destructive errors of the health and wealth gospel than has J. I. Packer. In his classic work, Knowing God, he reminds us that some folk are given to a type of ministry that focuses so intently on the blessings and triumphs of the Christian life that it fails to do justice to “the rougher side of the Christian life” (244). It “gives the impression that normal Christian living is a perfect ...Read More

Nov 2013 16 Nov 16, 2013
1

J. I. Packer’s insight into the nature of godly living must be noted. He rightly insists that “we can never hope to do anything right, never expect to perform a work that is truly good, unless God works within us to make us will and act for his good pleasure. Realizing this will make us depend constantly on our indwelling Lord – which is the heart of what is meant by abiding in Christ. Our living should accordingly be made up of sequences having the fo...Read More

Nov 2013 15 Nov 15, 2013

Craig Keener, Professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary and author of numerous books, most recently the excellent two-volume Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts (Baker, 1,172 pages), has written a 24-page critical review of John MacArthur’s new book, Strange Fire. You can read it in its entirety at www.pneumareview.com....Read More

Nov 2013 15 Nov 15, 2013

In a previous article we looked at the heretical theology of the British monk, Pelagius. Here we turn to examine yet another heretic, Faustus Socinus (or, Sozzini; 1539-1604). Socinus is generally regarded as the founder of the movement that bears his name (Socinianism). The best sources for understanding the Socinian system of thought are Faustus Socinus’s De Jesu Christo Servatore (1594), his commentary on the prologue to John’s gospel, and the Racovian Ca...Read More

Nov 2013 14 Nov 14, 2013

Kim Riddlebarger, author of the excellent book, A Case for Amillennialism (Baker), has just posted a review of my book, Kingdom Come: The Amillennial Alternative (Christian Focus). You can read it at www.modernreformation.org.  ...Read More

Nov 2013 14 Nov 14, 2013
4

There was perhaps no greater theological debate in the history of the church than that which occurred between Augustine and the British monk, Pelagius. We know very little about Pelagius (350-425) prior to his conflict with Augustine. Evidently he taught for a short time in Rome toward the close of the 4th century. He fled to North Africa in 410 (preceding the invasion of the Goths) and there engaged in his dispute with the famous Bishop of Hippo. He later went to Pales...Read More

Nov 2013 13 Nov 13, 2013
2

In the book, Are Miraculous Gifts for Today? Four Views (Zondervan), I engaged with cessationist Richard Gaffin on the significance of the book of Acts for the debate over the perpetuity of spiritual gifts. Here is the substance of that exchange. Gaffin argues that "Acts intends to document a completed history, a unique epoch in the history of redemption -- the once-for-all, apostolic spread of the gospel 'to the ends of the earth'" (37-38). But Luke nowhere says this. ...Read More

Nov 2013 12 Nov 12, 2013

Yet another argument one often hears from cessationists pertains to the alleged negative assessment in the NT regarding the nature, purpose and impact of signs, wonders and miracles. I had been taught and believed that it was an indication of spiritual immaturity to seek signs in any sense, that it was a weak faith, born of theological ignorance, that prayed for healing or a demonstration of divine power. Some are even more pointed in their opinion. James Boice, in his c...Read More

Nov 2013 11 Nov 11, 2013
4

At the recent Strange Fire conference, Tom Pennington presented a case for the cessation of certain spiritual gifts. Among the points he cited (some of which I’ll address in subsequent posts) was the so-called “cluster” argument. I never cease to be amazed (see, I’m not even a “cessationist” when it comes to being amazed by cessationists!) at how consistently this argument is brought out and rehashed, in spite of the fact that it has b...Read More

Nov 2013 9 Nov 9, 2013

“And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for...Read More

Nov 2013 8 Nov 8, 2013
4

N. T. Wright is much in the news of late, but not merely for the release of his magnum opus, "Paul and the Faithfulness of God." He also has weighed in on American political events, insisting that it is "unthinkable" to us "in Britain" that American evangelicals would stand opposed to Obamacare. May I simply direct you to the superb response by William Evans at www.theecclesialcalvinist.wordpress.com. Blessings!...Read More

Nov 2013 8 Nov 8, 2013

“And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for...Read More

Nov 2013 7 Nov 7, 2013
2

“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Peter 1.13-16). God wants to transform your life! He wants to cha...Read More

Nov 2013 6 Nov 6, 2013
3

One often hears the cessationist defend his view by arguing that signs, wonders, and miracles are “the signs of a true apostle.” According to the cessationist, since apostles no longer exist, neither do the signs, wonders, and miracles that allegedly attest to or confirm their ministry. To quote cessationist Norman Geisler: “the ‘signs of an apostle’ passed away with the times of an apostle” (Signs and Wonders, 118). The passage they ...Read More

Nov 2013 5 Nov 5, 2013
1

In the previous article I argued that the NT spiritual gift of prophecy is not the same as OT prophecy, that it operates at a lower level of authority, and that it does not result in “Scripture-quality” words of revelation. But this would appear to pose a problem for those of us who are continuationists. Here is why. All prophecy is based on revelation. In 1 Corinthians 14:30 Paul wrote, “If a revelation is made to another who is seated, let the first ...Read More

Nov 2013 4 Nov 4, 2013
15

The single most oft-heard argument by cessationists in defense of their view that revelatory spiritual gifts such as prophecy and word of knowledge are no longer given by God to the church is that this would pose a threat to the finality and sufficiency of Scripture. How can we argue that the canon of Scripture is closed, asks the cessationist, if we believe that God is still “revealing” inspired truths to contemporary Christians? This is a critically import...Read More

Nov 2013 2 Nov 2, 2013
3

How do we know that the Bible is in fact from God? Wherein lies our assurance? I recently read two interesting answers to this question, both of which, I believe, are true. The first comes from Andrew Wilson and the second from J. I. Packer. Here is Wilson’s explanation, originally found at his blog (www.thinktheology.co.uk) under the title, “Why Accept the Authority of the Bible? A Twelve Step Argument.” I saw an intriguing exchange on Twitter the ot...Read More

Nov 2013 1 Nov 1, 2013
4

Often in an effort to discredit the contemporary practice of speaking and praying in tongues, some will insist that it is an ecstatic experience in which a person yields to some overwhelming power that induces an altered state of consciousness or some form of chaotic religious frenzy. Regardless of what Montanus and his followers did in the early church, and regardless of what some on the far fringes of the pentecostal world might do in their purported exercise of this s...Read More