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Theology

In Blog, Salvation, Theology on
September 7, 2020

The Great Debate

During the Protestant Reformation, there were five phrases that were popularized and used to describe the key teachings of protestants, and they all began with the word sola, which is Latin for “only” – solo Christo (Christ alone), sola scriptura (scripture alone), soli Deo gloria (to the glory of God alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and sola fide (faith alone).[1]

These phrases may already seem familiar to you, especially if you have read some of Paul’s letters. Nearly everyone who has been in church for a significant amount of time knows Ephesians 2:8-9 by heart –

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV

But if you turn a few more pages in your Bible to the book of James, you’ll find a very different message-

“You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” James 2:24

So, which is it? Are we saved by grace through faith, or are we saved by our works?

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In Attributes of God, Blog, Theology on
August 24, 2020

He is Holy

“Holy Priceless Collection of Etruscan Snoods, Batman!” 

This is just one of the hundreds of odd “holy” exclamations made by Robin (Burt Ward) on the 1960s Batman TV series.[1] Though we may not exclaim phrases quite so random as this one, people in our culture do exclaim other “holy” phrases when they are surprised, astonished, or in disbelief such as Holy Cow, Holy Moley, Holy Guacamole, Holy Mackerel, Holy Smokes, and other less savory exclamations. The word “holy” is also used in an exclamation in the Bible-

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In Blog, Identity, Theology on
August 10, 2020

Who We Are

There’s an interesting little buzzword that has increased in popularity over the last few years. It’s called “intersectionality,” and the idea of intersectionality has become so common in recent times that it seems like nearly everyone is accepting it. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, here is how the Oxford Dictionary defines it-

“The interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.”[1]

Basically, intersectionality is the idea that one’s primary identity is found in their race, gender, class, sexual orientation, etc., and that identity reveals how disadvantaged or discriminated against one is in life. For example, according to intersectionality, the low-income LGBTQ minority woman is considered the most disadvantaged in our society, but the high-income straight white man is considered the least disadvantaged in our society. While there are several issues with the idea of intersectionality, the main one is this – it’s unbiblical.

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In Attributes of God, Blog, Theology on
August 3, 2020

He is Gracious

There once was a kid named John. John was a rule-breaker. He cheated on tests. He lied to his parents. He was mean to the kids he didn’t like. One day, as John was walking around the video game store, he saw a game that he’d been wanting to get for WEEKS, but he didn’t have enough money for it. So, he grabbed the game, looked around to see if anyone was watching, and ran out the door. But John was caught. His father was called to pick him up. John apologized to his father, not only for his theft but for his other sins as well, and his father forgave him without chastising or berating him. He paid for the stolen game and took John home. Instead of making John pay him back for the game, he let him keep the game for free. Then, he took John to Disney World for a week. While many would say this is poor discipline or bad parenting, others could call it grace.

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In Blog, Common Questions, Theology on
July 20, 2020

Does God Accept All Religions?

“Many paths lead from the foot of the mountain, but at the peak we all gaze at the single bright moon.”[1]

You’ve probably heard something similar to this before. This quote was written by the Buddhist monk Ikkyu, and it basically means that you can reach God and salvation through whatever religion you choose to practice. Our culture today loves and embraces this idea. They preach that you should be able to believe and practice whatever you want to believe and practice and that what’s true for you may not be true for somebody else. In fact, the Ligonier State of Theology Survey found in 2018 that sixty-five percent of American adults agree with the statement that “God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.”[2] But can this really be true? Does this statement agree with the truth we find in the Word of God?

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