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Nov 2018 28 Nov 28, 2018
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Two weeks ago, at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in Denver, Colorado, I engaged in an encouraging and edifying conversation with three friends: Andrew Wilson, Tom Schreiner, and Ligon Duncan. I did not have long for my presentation: a mere 20 minutes. But I did take the opportunity to pose a question for Tom and Ligon, both of whom, like Andrew and me, are complementarians. My question was stirred by something Tom wrote in his book on spiritu...Read More

Nov 2018 26 Nov 26, 2018
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Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is mentioned in three of our four gospels. It is found in Matthew 12:22-32; Mark 3:22-30 and again in Luke 12:10. Many Christians are burdened by the thought that they may have committed this sin, or they live in paralyzing fear that some day they will. It behooves us to examine precisely what Jesus meant. (1) The religious leaders had just witnessed Jesus cast out a demon from someone and they concluded from it that Jesus was himself posses...Read More

Nov 2018 21 Nov 21, 2018
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Last week, together with some 2,700 others, I attended the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in Denver, Colorado. The theme of this year’s gathering was the Holy Spirit. On the first day of our meeting I participated in a three-hour panel conversation (debate?) with three good friends: Andrew Wilson, Tom Schreiner, and Ligon Duncan. Andrew and I defended the position known as Continuationism (all spiritual gifts continue to be given by God and ...Read More

Nov 2018 19 Nov 19, 2018
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The Bible never encourages Christians to be gullible or naïve. We are to exercise discernment. After all, as the Apostle John said in 1 John 4:1 – “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” In this passage John is talking about non-Christians who prophesy falsely. Their fundamental error and what exposes them as unregenerate is their denial tha...Read More

Nov 2018 13 Nov 13, 2018
Nov 2018 12 Nov 12, 2018

All genuine, Christ-exalting, Christ-enjoying worship is in or through or by means of the Holy Spirit. This is what Paul meant when he said: “For we are the [true] circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh” (Phil. 3:3). His point is that the Spirit evokes worship, directs our hearts and minds to Christ in worship, reminds us of all the right reasons for worship, and empowers and energizes us fo...Read More

Nov 2018 8 Nov 8, 2018
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Nov 2018 7 Nov 7, 2018
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[This article was published yesterday (11-6-18) by Crossway at their blog, www.crossway.org.] There is no indication that our world’s fascination with angels and demons is in decline. Rarely does a day pass that we don’t hear of someone’s alleged encounter with either a holy angel or a fallen demon, together with news that a new TV show or film on Netflix will feature either or both of these species of spiritual beings. Sadly, though, there is a lot of...Read More

Nov 2018 5 Nov 5, 2018
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That title may have put you off, but if you are still reading, I trust you will recognize how critically important this issue of Kenosis is to our understanding of the person of Christ and the incarnation. (1) The word translated kenosis is related to the Greek noun kenos and the verb kenoo. Kenos has the sense of empty or to no purpose and kenoo means to deprive of power or to make of no meaning or effect. It is the verb form that is found in Philippians 2:7 (see also ...Read More