Browsing Tag:

Sin Nature

In Blog, Fruit of the Spirit, Theology on
September 15, 2024

Doing Good

Nobody wants to be called a “do-gooder.” Like the name suggests, a do-gooder is a person who does good things. However, the good things a do-gooder does are often not as helpful as they’d like them to be. Their actions are often ineffective, pointless, or even just downright annoying. Even worse than being called a do-gooder is being called a “goody-goody” or a “goody two-shoes,” which implies that you do good things just to please those in authority and that you look down upon those who are not as good as you.

The Bible calls Christians to be good, to do good. In fact, goodness is one of nine attributes listed in the Fruit of the Spirit, the characteristics of the person who is filled with the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). But what does it look like to practice goodness according to Scripture, and how can we avoid earning these monikers as a result of our good deeds?

Read more
By
/
In Biblical Theology, Blog, Theology on
October 23, 2023

Pierced for Our Transgressions

Sometimes it’s the smallest of things that hurt the most. Brushing a hand along a page and getting a paper cut, feeling its sting whenever you flex your finger. Grabbing onto a piece of wood only for it to give you a splinter, leaving you sore and swollen with the possibility of infection. Hearing an unkind word from a friend that ruins your day or perhaps even ruins that relationship.

Reaching for a beautiful rose to only be pricked by a thorn.

These are all little things, but they all can leave us in significant pain, whether physical or emotional. When Adam and Eve took a bite of that forbidden fruit in the Garden, it probably seemed like such a small thing to them. After all, it was just a piece of fruit. It appeared to be delicious, something that would appease both their physical hunger and their thirst for knowledge. But their seemingly small act of disobedience brought the Fall, affecting the entire world and everything in it.

Read more
By
/
In Blog, Feelings, Theology on
August 28, 2023

Am I Enough?

You are enough.

Or, at least, that’s what everybody says. That’s what’s on the t-shirts and the coffee mugs and the pastel Instagram graphics. It’s the mantra of every female empowerment influencer. You are enough. Having a bad day? You are enough. Dealing with “toxic” friends? You are enough. So frustrated with your kids that you can’t get through the day without a glass of wine? You. Are. Enough.

This little phrase is quite popular these days, especially amongst women, even amongst some Christians. These three words are meant to be encouraging, inspiring, empowering, to remind you that you’re doing the best you can do and that’s okay. But while the phrase may make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, it shouldn’t be automatically accepted as authoritative truth. As with everything else, we ought to take it to the Bible and see how it lines up with the teachings of Scripture.

So, what does the Bible have to say about this? Does the Bible teach that we are enough?

Read more
By
/
In Blog, Common Questions, Theology on
February 14, 2023

Are Humans Good by Nature?

Are most human beings inherently good? Most people would say yes. Of course, there are evil people out there: dictators, terrorists, rapists and serial killers. There is no doubt that these kinds of people are sinners, and very few, if any, would argue that they are “good” in any sense of the word. However, they would likely argue that the majority of humans are good by nature, and while we all have our shares of failures and foibles, most of us do not reach this level of evil in our lifetimes.

According to The State of Theology survey done by Ligonier Ministries in 2022, seventy percent of Americans believe that everyone is born innocent in the eyes of God, and sixty-six percent agree with the statement, “Everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature.” Perhaps these are not surprising numbers when we consider our secular culture and its atrophied sense of what sin is. However, the survey also shows that professing Evangelicals share these beliefs. Sixty-six percent of Evangelicals agree that humans are born innocent in God’s eyes, and fifty-seven percent believe that most humans are good by nature.[1]

Like with everything else, Christians ought to root their beliefs and understandings of the world in the infallible truths of Scripture. What is the Bible’s take on this question? Are humans good by nature? To answer this, we must go back to the beginning.

Read more
By
/
In Bible Study, Blog, Genesis on
November 6, 2022

The Better Adam

It’s no secret that we live in a cruel and sinful world. You just have to turn on the news or take a scroll down Twitter to catch a glimpse of the terrible events and horrific headlines that are happening every single day. Countries are being demolished by war, natural disasters, and political tensions. Inflation rises as people can no longer afford their basic necessities, like food, housing, and baby formula. Criminals are going virtually unpunished while everyday citizens are being targeted and attacked for what they believe in. Our children are being inundated with godless ideologies at every turn, and the evangelical church is moving farther and farther away from biblical Christianity.

Our world is a dark place, full of wicked men and evil schemes. Sin abounds in every corner and crevice of the earth. And all this death and destruction we see on a daily basis stems from the actions of one man: a man named Adam.

Read more
By
/