I spend the majority of my time in Bible study re-learning things I thought I knew, and this is especially the case in the Old Testament. I’ve written before of the story of King David and how I learned that he wasn’t the paragon of virtue I was taught that he was. In the same way, the prophet Elijah isn’t without his flaws. The real point is, if we don’t see these men as flawed, we miss the real point of their stories.
Read moreJonathan Edwards vs Charles Finney: On the Causes of Conversion and Revival
Jonathan Edwards’s view on the causes of conversion and revival is more biblical than Charles Finney’s because Edwards maintains the biblical tension of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility in conversion—between God’s immediate and mediate actions—while Charles Finney loses that tension by overemphasizing the responsibility of man and the mediated nature of God’s work, and thereby loses grip on some key doctrines like the depravity of man and the sovereignty of God.
Read moreAugustine vs. Cassian: On the Tension Between the Sovereignty of God and the Responsibility of Man
Augustine’s view of the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man is more biblical than Cassian’s because he honors the paradox of compatibilism presented in the biblical text while Cassian charges ahead too far into the mystery of God’s character and ends up diverting from other biblical doctrines, like original sin and the free will of man, in order to make this paradox more comprehensible.
Read moreThe Light of the Moon in the Dark Night of My Soul
Four weeks ago I was standing on a beach on the coast of Georgia, watching the full moon rise over the water, bearing my soul to a dear brother in Christ about my sin, the foolish pride of my heart that led me to question God and doubt His goodness, grace, and mercy; but today my thoughts are the exact opposite, and I find it an odd coincidence that I'm here, on yet another beach...
Read moreA Theology of the Will of God
The will of God connects His omnipotence to the created world in His providence, but it's no simple thing.
Read moreThe Sovereignty of God on Display in Deuteronomy
Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal, the place where Moses preached the book of Deuteronomy (Source).
In Deuteronomy God is center-stage...The purpose of the book is to put God on a pedestal to be examined next to every other ancient near-eastern god, and so in Deuteronomy we find some of the most powerful theologies about God and His sovereignty.
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