I recently wrote about “sola Scriptura” or “faith alone”. The point is that Christians don’t only have Scripture on its own in isolation. They do have things like experience, their ability to reason things out and prophecy. The point is that Scripture alone and uniquely is our sole authority for knowing and serving God. So,… Continue reading These things alone
Tag: Grace
The man who got trampled to death
One of my favourite Bible events is in 2 Kings 7 where some lepers discover that the siege of Samaria has been lifted and go to tell the King that there is food outside the city. The king’s officer whom he relied on for advice was sceptical, cynical even. So the prophet tells him that… Continue reading The man who got trampled to death
John MacArthur 1939-2025
News broke overnight that John MacArthur has died. He was pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California. MacArthur was perhaps most known in recent years for two major controversies, first there were question marks about significant pastoral and church discipline issues in his church, second his resistance to Covid restrictions. I’ve written about… Continue reading John MacArthur 1939-2025
Grace working backwards
The other Sunday, I preached on Nehemiah 13. At the start of the chapter, God’s people are reminded that the Moabites were meant to be excluded from the assembly of God’s people. Afterwards, my dad, who was visiting, reminded me of the case of Ruth, she was a Moabite and yet was welcomed into God’s… Continue reading Grace working backwards
The difference between Jesus and Santa
I once made the mistake of provocatively stating that “Santa” about as close as you can get to the Anit-Christ. The mistake I made was not checking who was in the room. One of the youngsters in the church was present. Fortunately, I made the mistake in a Bible study/prayer meeting and not in a… Continue reading The difference between Jesus and Santa
Servitude
The popular version of the Joseph story runs that Jacob spoils his son and is at fault for the brother’s jealousy. This is exacerbated by Joseph’s arrogant boasting about his dreams. However, being sold into slavery changes Joseph making him good, wise and just. Is that a fair rendition? Well, there have been clues along… Continue reading Servitude
Sold
Joseph continues to work for his father. However, there is no doubt that the combination of the bad reports he was passing back to his dad, the favour shown by Jacob and the dreams made for an uneasy working relationship between the brothers. Read Genesis 37:12-36 Jacob sends Joseph to check in on his brothers… Continue reading Sold
Spiritual Warfare in Ephesians
What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “Spiritual Warfare”? You perhaps think first of all about demon possession and exorcism, perhaps too about witchcraft and sorcery. Perhaps you will have in mind some famous secular films like the Exorcist or popular level Christian literature. Well you would not be wrong to think about… Continue reading Spiritual Warfare in Ephesians
Can babies sin? Navigating a current controversy
Apparently, the latest dispute to occupy people’s head space and get a thousand fingers tapping passionately at their keyboards, is the question about whether or not it is possible for babies to sin. The big claim has been that if you are reformed, then you should recognise that babies sin. The practical focus seems to… Continue reading Can babies sin? Navigating a current controversy
The perfect law
James’ emphasis on practical faith could be mistaken for legalism. How does this fit with the Gospel? Well James now helps us to think about what it means to obey the Law of God, specifically as it relates to favouritism. A look at the text (Read James 2:8-13) The Law is “the royal law” of… Continue reading The perfect law
Faithroots 