Historically, in the Western Christian tradition, the good news of the saving message of Jesus Christ has been linked closely to the doctrine of justification by faith alone.[1] In short, according to the Reformed tradition, upon the exercise of faith, a person is united to Christ by the powerful working of the Spirit. Having been…
My firstborn child turned 10 years old today. Today I have been a father for a decade. So, Dustin, what have you learned? I can sum up the majority of the lessons I’ve learned in this one sentence: if you want to be a father, you have to be a man. And I don’t mean…
Here are a few lessons Psalm 51 teaches us about God: He is just in His judgments. Our sins our before Him and against Him. He breaks our bones and convicts us of sin. Then He restores us so we can rejoice in our salvation. His mercy is abundant. His love is steady and enduring.…
This Sunday I’m starting to preach through Galatians. I think the main thing Paul is doing in Galatians is calling his readers back to the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the theology of Galatians, it seems the gospel is unpacked in terms of justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. In short,…
No one enjoys feeling trapped. When you feel trapped, you feel suffocated, pressed in, like there’s no way to escape. Many Christians live feeling like they are trapped in sin. While we experience the joy of Christ changing us through the power of the Spirit, there always seems to be certain sins from which each…
*This post is by Stacy Thorpe, Ministerial Coordinator for Care & Counseling, South Campus (Bethlehem Baptist Church). Empathy is being talked about a lot in our culture right now. It is simply defined as the ability to understand and share in the feelings of others. This sounds like a good thing, yet as Christians, how…
In the next two weeks, I am spending some time reading various things on abortion. As I’ve read thus far, I’ve been (once again) absolutely appalled at the numbers behind this evil and lamentable reality. Given the current moment we live in, and the approaching presidential election, I thought it would be worthwhile to cite…
Neglect. Unintentional neglect of each other in your marriage. Both the friendship & physical intimacy begin to wane. Affirmation. Someone of the opposite sex is really kind to you. She notices you, compliments you, affirms you & you feel respected. Enjoyment. The compliment turns into a conversation. Maybe a lunch together. Your time feels good…
I sat down in the hallway, exhausted. I had finally put all four children down for a nap after a very difficult morning. One child was screaming and crying in protest, throwing things at me from his bed. I released a deep sigh, trying to shut out the screaming, and opened my Bible. I sat…
