The gospel presentation of the modern American church tends to go one of two directions. The more conservative churches say, “You are a sinner, alienated from God by your sin and bound for hell. But Jesus gave His life on the cross to win God’s forgiveness for you. If you will admit you are a sinner and put your faith in Christ, when you die, you will have eternal life in heaven.” The liberal churches say, “God is love and He loves sinners like you. He has a good plan for your life. So put your faith in Him and…

I’ve been preaching on foundational themes found in the early chapters of Genesis over the last few weeks. This week I have arrived at Genesis 3 – the story of the serpent tempting Eve and all the repercussions that follow her decision.  It’s a tough passage to narrow a focus which is meaningful but will also fit within 25 minutes. An entire library of books has been written on this passage. This is the starting point for the theology and anthropology of every serious Christian systematic that ever took root in the church.  And many of those are at odds…

In reading over Genesis 3 this week – the “fall” of Adam and Eve – I am struck once again by what is NOT there. There is no overt anger from Yahweh. He expresses care and compassion for them by clothing them with garments of skin.  The snake and the ground receive a curse, but – although there are consequences for them – Adam and Eve themselves are not cursed. The consequence of their actions is expulsion from the garden, specifically so that they will not have access to the Tree of Life. If they cannot eat from the tree,…

Remember Paul’s famous lines about how intentional he is in making his presentation of the gospel as persuasive as possible? 19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law…

In a short blog post entitled How Does “Dying for Our Sins” Work?, author Brian Zahnd raises some good philosophical questions which are hard to answer by those who hold to Penal Substitutionary Atonement  (PSA is the belief that on the cross God the Father poured out His wrath against His Son who was carrying the sins of the world. Proponents of PSA hold that only after His wrath was satisfied could God forgive sinners.)  Zahnd does a great job of contrasting what Scripture conveys about the work of Jesus on the cross with the main tenets of Penal Substitutionary…

While preaching these last two Sundays in a row about Sabbath rest, I ended up exhausted. It wasn’t exhaustion coming from work – it was all family fun, in the shape of Samuel’s and Hannah’s graduations and all the travel and activity associated with both. Picking Caleb up at the Chicago airport late Friday night, followed by an early morning graduation ceremony, really did a number on me this past weekend. After preaching on Sunday, I grilled steaks for Mother’s Day lunch and then Melissa took Caleb to the Indianapolis airport while I took a nap. It was a THREE…

I recently reread Jonathan Edwards’ famous sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. It’s hard to imagine that many people, especially among Calvinists, speak of this sermon in glowing terms. I find it sickening. In my preaching lately, we are taking a look at Scriptural themes which are first mentioned in the opening chapters of Genesis and then go on to be developed throughout the rest of the Bible. Looking at God’s response to Adam and Eve’s famous misstep in the Garden of Eden, it is remarkable how “chill” God is in His reaction to their disobedience. He…

The answer was “Yes” … at least “slightly”. Only slightly? It is worth asking the question: Does MY faith result in greater risk-taking in my personal, social, and work life? Some boldness in facing life’s challenges can prove very beneficial. The article reminds us that “people tend to be irrationally risk averse”. It seems to me that when it comes to taking some calculated risks – as in all aspects of life – our faith should make more than a slight difference! We definitely find encouragement towards great boldness and courage in the pages of Scripture. Here are a couple of good reminders: Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and…

 Psalm 139  13 For you created my inmost being;you knit me together in my mother’s womb.14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;your works are wonderful,I know that full well.15 My frame was not hidden from youwhen I was made in the secret place,when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;all the days ordained for me were written in your bookbefore one of them came to be. Psalm 139:16 is a key prooftext for the idea of Exhaustive Determinism taught in most Calvinist circles. The idea is that,…