One of the most controversial statements in the New Testament is found in Ephesians 1:5 where it says: “ he[b] predestined us” It’s controversial because if God has determined from eternity what will happen to us, then where does that leave free will. It seems that everything has already been decided. If, God “chose us …before the foundation… Continue reading Predestination in Ephesians
Category: Theology
Introducing Jesus
There are four Gospels or accounts focusing on the life of Jesus. John stands distinct from the other three with Matthew, Mark and Luke being referred to as The Synoptic Gosels meaning that they can be read together. This is due to the fact that there appears to be a significant overlap of source material… Continue reading Introducing Jesus
The Spirit in Ephesians
A central theme in Ephesians is the work of the Holy Spirit. If this is a letter about God’s purpose for his church, about how to be united in love as his alternative society and about standing firm in spiritual warfare, then the Holy Spirit is crucial to all of that. But before Ephesians is… Continue reading The Spirit in Ephesians
Precursors (Faithroots Podcast)
Here’s the next in our Jesus in the Gospels:
Sealed in the Spirit
This Sunday our church begins a new teaching series going through the book of Ephesians. A key theme of the book is the work of the Spirit. We learn early on that we are sealed with the Spirit and so, we are to be filled with the Spirit which becomes the launchpad for the closing… Continue reading Sealed in the Spirit
“That’s interesting” Does theology belong in academia?
This was the question posed on Twitter by Jonathan Dowie (who has recently written a book on multi-lingual church which I hope to review soon). Jonathan then went on to highlight the problem with academic writing, in short, he said “it sucks.” His big issue was the tendency for academics to be verbose, hiding behind… Continue reading “That’s interesting” Does theology belong in academia?
Ephesians in 5 short statements
Whenever I’m involved in a teaching series, I find it helpful to get a sense of the whole shape of the book so I can be clear about its purpose, message to the church and where the bits I will preach fit in. Our church are just starting a preaching series on Ephesians. So, I… Continue reading Ephesians in 5 short statements
Introducing Luke and the Gospels
Here’s the first podcast in our new Teaching and Training series “Introducing Jesus: A look at Jesus and the Gospels.”
Introducing Jesus – new teaching series
Welcome to our new Faithroots teaching and training series, an introduction to Jesus and the Gospels. If you had the opportunity to train at Theological College, then you would have the opportunity to cover a number of key areas of study. These would be One of my aims here on Faithroots is to make all… Continue reading Introducing Jesus – new teaching series
Infant baptism isn’t a form of comfort for the grieving
Yesterday I responded to one specific argument for reconsidering infant baptism. Today, I want to deal with another from this article. Like Steve Kneale, I don’t presume that Joe Barnard is seeking to pick fights and like Steve I am not looking for one. However, I was deeply concerned by the emotional appeal to “what… Continue reading Infant baptism isn’t a form of comfort for the grieving
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