You know that verse about mission in the hymn “I cannot tell”, do we really believe it? The words go: I cannot tell how He will win the nations, How He will claim His earthly heritage,How satisfy the needs and aspirations Of east and west, of sinner and of sage. We sing it with gusto – or… Continue reading Do we really believe that God is sovereign?
Category: Theology
Sanctification Romans 6:15-22
Available to watch here I frequently say that our relationship with God means that we must allow him to disagree with us through his word. In what ways has God challenged and disagreed with you through his word? In my case I remember one specific challenge being that as a pastor, my responsibility is not… Continue reading Sanctification Romans 6:15-22
How not to be a heretic – be teachable
One of the people who has been right at the centre of the EFS controversy has been Wayne Grudem. When the charge of heresy is made it is primarily targeted against Grudem and Bruce Ware. This is understandable because I have to admit that out of the “EFS” proponents, it has been their language that… Continue reading How not to be a heretic – be teachable
How not to be a heretic – preaching the negatives
One well known preacher allegedly once said that if we are to preach the Gospel properly, so that it’s full force is heard, then we are likely to be accused of being anti-nominans. An anti-nomian (against law) is someone who believes and teaches that the law only applied before Christ, we are now under grace… Continue reading How not to be a heretic – preaching the negatives
The difference between heresy and error -another worked example
I’ve been talking about the difference between error and heresy and in my most recent article, I argued that Scripture and not church courts and councils is the final authority on such matters. As I was looking at Acts 15, I realised that we had a helpful case study regarding the difference between the two… Continue reading The difference between heresy and error -another worked example
The court for determining heresy is the court of Scripture
Since my last article on the difference between heresy and error I’ve had some push back. The question has come “how do we decide if it’s error or heresy?” It’s been suggested that the risk is that it becomes my opinion against someone else’s. Don’t worry though because my Presbyterian friends have offered a solution.… Continue reading The court for determining heresy is the court of Scripture
An excuse for sin? (Romans 6:1-14)
You can also watch this back (with discussion exercises) here When I started work after University, my workplace had a clocking in system. Each week we would collect a time card and then put it into a machine to be time stamped when we arrived in the morning, started and finished our lunchbreak and went… Continue reading An excuse for sin? (Romans 6:1-14)
No! Error isn’t always heresy
I’ve recently revisited the “EFS/ESS” controversy, a theological disagreement about how we talk about the Father and the Son in Trinitarian doctrine. As I mentioned in my previous article, some people have been quick to use the “H word” accusing their interlocutors of falling into heresy. Now, charging people with heresy is a serious thing.… Continue reading No! Error isn’t always heresy
Could aliens exist and would it matter if they did?
Another one of those questions put out on twitter. I suspect that what has provoked the question is that the possible existence of extra-Terrestrials and UFOs has been in the news recently due to reports that the Pentagon takes their existence seriously and treats reported sightings from military personnel as credible. Now, I remain sceptical.… Continue reading Could aliens exist and would it matter if they did?
EFS/ESS – revisiting a recent Trinitarian controversy
Every so often, a little debate about the Trinity and specifically about the relationship of the Father to the Son rears its head again. You may have heard it referred to as either The Eternal Subordination of the Son” (ESS) or “Eternal Functional Subordination” (EFS). The debate got particularly heated back in 2016, people started… Continue reading EFS/ESS – revisiting a recent Trinitarian controversy
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