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Theology

In Blog, Feelings, Theology on
August 16, 2021

My Feelings are Valid, or Are They?

My feelings are valid!

If you’ve followed any female influencer who prioritizes self-love and self-care for any length of time, you’ve probably heard this phrase before. Or perhaps you’ve even used it yourself. We live in a culture that highly prizes, validates, and affirms one’s feelings, whether they be good or bad. And this culture is even trying to train us to always speak in a way that will never leave anyone out, offend anyone, or hurt anyone’s feelings. Rene Descartes, a French philosopher who lived in the seventeenth century, once said, “I think, therefore I am.”[1] But is appears our culture has changed this to, “I feel, therefore I am.”

Many people today find their identity in how they feel, so they want their feelings to be validated because that then validates their identity – who they are as a person. But the problem with this phrase is that not all feelings are valid. Therefore, as believers, we cannot and should not affirm those feelings which are in fact invalid.

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In Attributes of God, Blog, Theology on
August 2, 2021

He is Righteous

Nobody likes a self-righteous person. Nobody likes those people who always think they’re better than everybody else. Nobody likes those people who always try to one-up others. But, if you think about it, you’ve probably acted in a self-righteous way at some point in your life. There’s probably been a time when you’ve believed you were better, smarter, or stronger compared to someone else, whether you verbalized that thought or not. There’s likely been an instance where you did something to one-up another person. We don’t like self-righteous people (and the self-righteous side of ourselves!) because we know that nobody is altogether righteous and nobody is really more righteous than somebody else. Everybody sins! There’s only one Person who truly is more righteous than anybody else, but He never puts us down because of it-

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In Blog, Christian Living, Theology on
July 19, 2021

Worldliness vs. Godliness

One thing I’ve noticed about many believers in this day and age is that they are beginning to look more and more like the world. They share the same beliefs. They use the same language. They champion the same causes. The one thing that used to differentiate between believers and unbelievers – the truth of God’s Word – is now being thrown away and cast aside as untruthful, untrustworthy, and unloving.

This is alarming because Christians are called to be holy and set apart (2 Peter 3:11), to not be conformed to the ways of the world (Romans 12:2). What is even more alarming is that many of these Christians don’t even realize they’re slowly slipping into worldly beliefs and convictions. We then, as believers, need to look to how the Bible characterizes both worldliness and godliness to determine what kind of life we are living and ensure we remain on the right path.

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In Blog, Names of God, Theology on
July 5, 2021

He is Jehovah-Raah

Sheep aren’t exactly known for being smart. They are defenseless against predators. They can get stuck on their backs. They can’t swim, so they can easily sink and drown in water. They can eat grass down to its roots, which destroys whatever pasture they’re in. Sheep have even been known to walk off cliffs. This is why shepherds are so important! The shepherd watches over his sheep constantly and protects them from predators. Sheep know their shepherd’s voice and follow him to safety and green pastures. If a sheep falls on its back, the shepherd sets them back up on their feet. Sheep are completely dependent on their shepherd.[1]And this leads us to an amazing truth about God-

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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.

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