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In Bible Study, Blog, Thanksgiving on

November 22, 2021

But God

When the clock struck midnight on January 1, 2021, people were ecstatic to leave the woes and troubles of 2020 behind. However, it appears that 2020’s issues followed us into 2021 and, in some cases, became even worse. People are still contracting and dying from diseases, often without any family or friends beside them as they take their final breaths. Workers are still being let go from their jobs, even though there is an ongoing nationwide worker shortage. Small businesses are still facing product delays, and the threats of inflation keep rising and rising. Corrupt world leaders are still enacting laws and policies that oppress their constituents, getting bolder and more authoritarian by the day. And many churches are still parroting the slogans and jargon of our secular culture and beginning to move away from biblical Christianity.

With all these things happening in our culture, country, and world, it may seem hard to find something to be thankful for this year. But we, as Christians, have a lot to be thankful for regardless of what’s going on around us. Whenever we’re feeling discouraged or disappointed, we just need to remember two little words: “But God.”

Tristany

3 Comments

In Blog, Reformed Theology, Theology on

October 11, 2021

The Five Solas

There are so many false gospels out there today that are unfortunately very popular amongst some who claim to be Christians. The prosperity gospel teaches that one will be healthy and wealthy when they come to Jesus. The self-love gospel is hyper-focused on loving the self and doesn’t place much emphasis on sin or repentance. The social justice gospel preaches that Jesus came to stop oppression rather than to save sinners. Some believe that Jesus isn’t the only way to salvation. Others believe you have to do good works to earn your salvation. And those with a progressive view of Christianity spout ideas like the Bible isn’t the Word of God, homosexuality isn’t a sin, and hell doesn’t really exist.

Knowing and preaching the true gospel is important for many reasons. The Bible tells us that those who teach are held to a higher standard and will be judged with greater strictness (James 3:1). God’s Word also tells us that those who preach a gospel that differs from what’s written in it is cursed or, as the New Living Translation puts it, condemned to hell (Galatians 1:9). They will be judged and condemned because they are essentially leading people to eternal spiritual death, and Jesus once said that it would be better for these false teachers to have a millstone tied around their neck and drowned (Matthew 18:5-6).

These may seem like harsh words, but they highlight the extreme importance of having a proper view of the gospel. It is only when we know and understand the foundations of our faith that we can share the true gospel with others. You may be wondering, Well, what are the foundations of our faith, of Christianity, of the gospel? You don’t have to figure them out on your own. Thankfully, the Reformers formulated five phrases based on the truths of Scripture to describe the pillars of the gospel, and they all begin with the Latin word for alone – sola.

Tristany

2 Comments

In Blog, Reformed Theology, Theology on

June 21, 2021

The Calvinist’s Favorite Flower

What is a Calvinist’s favorite flower? A TULIP.

If you understood this joke, you’re probably a fellow theology nerd. Welcome to the club! If you didn’t get the joke, no worries. Today we’re going to talk about Calvinism and TULIP, so hopefully you’ll understand the joke by the end.

Let’s start with what Calvinism is. Calvinism, or Reformed Theology, is a branch of Protestantism whose beliefs are based on the teachings of John Calvin and other reformers. Calvinists emphasize things like the grace and sovereignty of God, predestination, and justification through faith. I learned about Calvinism for the first time a few years ago. After doing some research about their beliefs, I discovered that I, myself, was a Calvinist, and I developed a deeper affection for God and His Word and a thankfulness for His merciful salvation. Their main teachings are summarized by the acronym, TULIP, and we’re going to look at each letter of this acronym and how each teaching is supported by Scripture.

Tristany

1 Comment

In Blog, Easter, Theology on

March 29, 2021

Once for All

I’ve lived in Florida my entire life, so hurricanes are something I’m very familiar with. A few years ago, category 5 Hurricane Irma was headed towards Florida just a couple weeks after Hurricane Harvey had absolutely devastated the state of Texas. In the days leading up to her landfall, the models projected that the storm would hit our area. Because we lived near the coast at the time, we were ordered to evacuate due to the potential of flooding.

Our family boarded up our windows, packed up our most valuable items, and drove to a friend’s house that was just outside of the evacuation area. After seeing news coverage of what Harvey had done to Texas, I was scared about what might happen to us, and I didn’t sleep much the night that Irma hit. But, by the grace of God, the storm weakened and moved east, and the worst damage we saw near our home was debris on the roads and some uprooted bushes.

Natural disasters, though scary, are natural, and we almost expect to witness at least a disaster or two during our lifetimes. There’s a natural disaster in the Bible, though, that seemed rather unnatural, and its results were likely frightening to those who lived in the area at that time. The cause of this unnatural disaster was the crucifixion of Jesus.

Tristany

1 Comment

In Blog, Names of God, Theology on

February 15, 2021

He is Jehovah Rapha

Don’t you just hate going to the doctor’s office? When I was a kid, I was always afraid to go to the doctor’s office because it seemed like I got a shot every single time I went there. Even today, I avoid it as much as I physically can. Though we often dislike being seen by doctors when we’re sick, we know that their medical advice is often very good for us and our physical health.

We aren’t the only ones who fight against what is good for us.

Tristany

1 Comment