Author: faithrootsdw

The danger of legalism

A big theme throughout Galatians is that we are no longer under subjugation to The Law. This meant that Galatian believers were not to be subjected to the rituals and ceremonies of Judaism.  It also meant that people were not to be excluded from belonging and fellowship on that basis.  So, an important application from… Continue reading The danger of legalism

God really is our Father

I mentioned the other day that there had been some controversy around the Archbishop of York’s comments about some people finding it difficult to refer to God as “our Father.”  Quite a few people jumped in assuming (prompted by the media headlines) that the Archbishop was seeking to stir up the old controversy about God,… Continue reading God really is our Father

God keeps his promises to David

1 Chronicles 18-20 God said “…I will make a name for you like that of the greatest in the land. 9 I will establish a place for My people Israel and plant them, so that they may live there and not be disturbed again. Evildoers will not continue to oppress them as they formerly have 10 ever since the day… Continue reading God keeps his promises to David

Brothers and sisters -changing the story

The other week, we had a discussion in our life group about how we relate together as brothers and sisters in the church. It was a practical application of some of the things we’ve been learning about from Galatians 3:28. In advance, I threw the question out to social media to see what kinds of… Continue reading Brothers and sisters -changing the story

Services saturated with Scripture

My friend, Richard Baxter makes this important point.  I think there are a few reasons why church services can feel like they’ve been shorn of Scripture reading. Daniel Blanche raises one possibility here. I agree with Daniel but I want to add a couple of other reasons here in order to help us think practically… Continue reading Services saturated with Scripture

The allegory of Sarah and Hagar

Remember that the argument being made by the agitators in Galatia was in effect that history and God’s Word was on their side. God’s covenant was with the Jewish people and it centred on two things, ancestry through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and Torah keeping.  Paul has been systematically pulling apart this claim. A look… Continue reading The allegory of Sarah and Hagar

Are Alpha and Christianity Explored partisan?

Christian Today reports that an amendment to a Synod motion on faith and prisons was defeated this week. The original motion celebrated the part faith has played in the rehabilitation of prisoners. The amendment from Matt Beer commended, “the effectiveness of courses such as Alpha and Christianity Explored in helping prisoners and detainees come to… Continue reading Are Alpha and Christianity Explored partisan?

When the way forward is the way back

We got off the aeroplane at Beijing airport and jumped into a taxi, giving the driver the details of our hotel in the centre of the city.  After over half hour of driving, we assumed that we must be getting close to our destination. Except my mum looked out of the window and said “We’ve… Continue reading When the way forward is the way back