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
Tag: election
Growing an appetite for God’s Word
I believe that two crucial ingredients need to be present in any local church that wants to thrive. These are prayer and Bible study/teaching. Both are important because they are signs of hunger to know God more and more. Having said that, sometimes it can feel like hard work to encourage these things. Why? Well,… Continue reading Growing an appetite for God’s Word
Unconditional Election
The other day I started to write about the 5 points of Calvinism, often referred to under the mnemonic “TULIP”, Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Perseverance of the Saints. It’s worth remembering that whilst this has become a shorthand summary of reformed theology, it was intended as a specific response to specific challenges at… Continue reading Unconditional Election
Calling
One of the things about the Transfer window is that you get all kinds of rumours. For example, this year, there are a few rumours doing the rounds concerning Billy Sharp, Sheffield United’s veteran and prolific striker. He has been linked with my home team, Bradford City. The only thing is that he gets linked… Continue reading Calling
Love and Hate, Sovereignty and Freedom: A Copernican revolution in Romans 9
A lot of people struggle with Romans 9. It isn’t the easiest of Bible passages to follow as Paul delves into some deep and complex reasoning. However I think the primary problem that people have with the passage are the following verses that we might find uncomfortable; not so much difficult to understand as hard… Continue reading Love and Hate, Sovereignty and Freedom: A Copernican revolution in Romans 9
Through the Fire
Today’s #DailyDose from Isaiah 43:1-13 points to God as the Lord and Saviour who created, redeemed and calls us. We discover doctrinal truth -that Christ is fully God and pastoral hope that no-one can snatch us from His hand.
Irrevocable gifts and calling – the danger of out of context Bible verses
One of the biggest dangers to healthy life is our ability to rip Bible verses out of context and misapply them. One such example is this verse: 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable[1] I’ve heard this verse used by people to justify continued support for people who seemingly had a gifting or… Continue reading Irrevocable gifts and calling – the danger of out of context Bible verses
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