Tradition – Originally written at Beggar’s All Reformation and Apologetics in 2016. μάτην δὲ σέβονταί με διδάσκοντες διδασκαλίας ἐντάλματα ἀνθρώπων “And in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrine the commandments of men” Mark 7:7 ἀφέντες τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ … Continue reading
From the Excellent video: “The Failure of Eastern Orthodoxy” A very well-done video with lots of historical information and analysis. Demonstrates the clear ways that Eastern Orthodoxy left the true Biblical faith by adding man-made traditions and practices slowly over … Continue reading
I finally forked up the money to buy the massive comprehensive book, “Baptism in the Early Church”, by Everett Ferguson. I am looking forward to digesting this massive book of 953 pages! I am skipping around right now and just … Continue reading
Protestants can hold to the promise of Matthew 16:18 and Ephesians 3:21, without falling for the typical historical arguments that Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox make about “where is, or are the true apostolic church” or churches ? ; or … Continue reading
Another well done video about how Turkey became Muslim. Originally the land what is known as Turkey today was mostly Greek – Part of the Byzantine Christian Empire. It was not “Turkey” in NT days nor in church history until … Continue reading
Dr. Gavin Ortlund is right; and he provides evidence and reasoned argumentation on his position on the Canon of the OT (Apocrypha books, so called “Deutero-canonical”) vs. the Roman Catholic position and against the argumentations of Nicea 2 (787 AD) … Continue reading
From the Strange Fire Conference in 2013, Steven Lawson speaks on what John Calvin thought of regarding Calvinists who were Charismatics.
Introduction Having previously considered the sinfulness of the state in which man fell, we now consider the misery of that state. The Baptist Catechism, Question #22 Q. 22. What is the misery of that estate whereinto man fell? A. 22. All mankind by their fall lost communion with God,¹ are under his wrath and curse,² […]
Historically, various opinions and debates surrounding the doctrine of Christ’s descent has led to it being a neglected topic. Many Evangelical churches have given little attention to this important doctrine. While the descent is a credal line confessed in the Apostle’s and Athanasian Creeds, many believe it to be unbiblical; consequently, the line is removed.[1] However, […]
Part 4 of “For Sam Shamoun: There is no healing apart from repentance”. In order for this post to make sense in the larger context, you have to go and read parts 1-3. See Part 1 here. See Part 2 … Continue reading
*For other installments from this series, see here. Introduction In previous installments, we considered the relationship God had with Adam in the garden, Adam’s breaking of the covenant, the fact that Adam represented his natural seed, and the state in which Adam’s sin brought man into. The next question focuses on the sinfulness of that […]
Many have wondered how we got the Bible. Most Christians know the Bible came from God, yet He did not just drop it out the heavens or it just appeared out of nowhere. There have a been many classes in seminaries and Bible colleges on this as well as bo…
Originally written in 2014 at Beggar’s All. I have edited it some and added some. Be Careful the way you communicate the issue of the canon in the early church Andy Stanley, Pastor of NorthPoint Community Church outside of Atlanta, … Continue reading
Note: Part 1 and Part 2 of this series. Passage of Focus: Galatians 4:4-5 (cf. Psalm 22:22-24) It has been well said that one of the central themes in Scripture could be summarized as follows: “God is redeeming a people by His Son, for His Son, to His own glory.”[1] When contemplating the totality of […]
*Note: Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 of this series can be accessed here (insert links to articles). During the first half of the twentieth century, few Christian figures were more active in contending for the faith than J. Gresham Machen (Jude 1:3).[1] When confronted with the face of theological liberalism in the Presbyterian Church […]
Note: Parts 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of this series. Barring anything unforeseen, the United States of America was forever changed on June 26, 2015. In the wake of Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court formally legislated every state to license marriages between same-sex couples, and to recognize all marriages that were lawfully performed out of state.[1] […]
Introduction Last time we left off talking about sin. Namely, whether our first parents sinned, the definition of sin, and the nature of that sin our first parents committed. Now we begin to look into the effects of the preliminary sin committed by our first parents. This will take up a few articles, including this […]
Passage of Focus: Matthew 1:18-25 (cf. Isaiah 7:14) Are you content with being regarded as a fool for Jesus Christ? This question gets to the heart of what it means to be a Bible-believing Christian while dwelling in the midst of an unbelieving world. From the earliest days of the church age, followers of Jesus […]
*Note: Parts 1 and Part 2 of this series What is truth? For the human race, few questions are more recurring—and few pursuits are more elusive—than identifying absolute truth in reality. Even the most intellectually astute philosophers seem no closer to satisfying this inquiry in the twenty-first century than during the era of the Pre-Socratics. […]
Introduction In the last article, we considered the covenant made with Adam. In the next few articles, we will consider how Adam broke that covenant, in addition to reflecting on the effects it had upon the world and his natural offspring. Body Question 16 Q. 16. Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein […]
*Note: Part 1 of this series can be accessed here. Christians have a history of being misunderstood in the public square. Within just three decades after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, a paradigm would be concretized for how the majority of believers in the West would experience life over the next two millennia. […]
Introduction Generally speaking, God providentially preserves and governs all that He has made. In a particular way, however, God has providentially condescended and entered into covenantal relationships with human beings to establish and regulate kingdoms. The first covenantal arrangement between God and man is the subject we will consider in this installment. Question Q. 15. […]
Introduction God has decreed all things that come to pass, and He carries out His decrees in two distinct, yet related ways. The first is creation, God’s external work of initiation. The second is providence, God’s work of continuation. In this session, we will cover divine providence in general, and next time we will look […]
Q. 13. How did God create man?
A. 13. God created man as male and female in His image, in knowledge, righteousness, holiness, and with dominion over the creatures. (Genesis 1:26-28; Colossians 3:10; Ephesians 4:24).
Introduction In this article, we move from God’s internal act of decree to His first external act of creation. Specifically, we will consider creation in general, and next time, we will look at the creation of man. Question Q. 12. What is the work of creation? A. The work of creation is God making all […]
“Living out a distinctively Christian ethic is not contingent upon the government implementing Old Covenant civil law, nor does the furthering of God’s kingdom entail infringing on the religious liberty of unbelievers.”
Scripture Over the Church and the Devastating Results of Not Following that Rule An Evangelical Introduction to Church History, Part 4 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Barbarian Invasions after Augustine died in 430 AD up until Islam came in … Continue reading
Faith Alone: The Evangelical Doctrine of the Reformation, by R. C. Sproul From the Council of Orange in 529 AD to the Council of Trent (1545-1563) – An Evangelical Introduction to Church History, part 3 See Part 1 An Evangelical … Continue reading
In Modern Day “Konya”, known as “Iconium” in Acts 14 – ” The Tomb of the Sufi Mystic known as “Mowlana” (Persian) or “Mevlana” (Turkish) The Tomb of “Mevlana” (Turkish) or “Mowlana” ( مولانا – Farsi), the Sufi mystic, Jallal … Continue reading
A Short Summary View The Amplitheatre in Ephesus mentioned in Acts chapter 19 Photo by Ken Temple (Ephesus, Turkey) This article is by no means exhaustive, but here are some highlights from early church history with references and sources … Continue reading
