Why Creation Matters, Part 13: Hebrews

By DOlinger on

Hebrews resents a picture of the person and work of Christ that is unrivaled for breadth, depth, and expression anywhere else outside the Gospels. The author points three times to the centrality of Creation in his theology.

Now That Took Faith!

By Paul J. Scharf on
Ironside came from a Plymouth Brethren background and was self-taught, but clearly had a superior intellect. His path may not offer the best model for modern preparation for ministry, and his approach may not be universally applicable. He read incessantly, and had the ability to speak and write eloquently, skillfully and powerfully, but with simplicity.

Gifts That We Do: Faith, Hope, Love

By Filings on

“In a word, God grants us faith, hope, and love, and then we believe, hope, and love. Augustine famously explained this dynamic in his Confessions by saying: ‘Give what you command, and command what you will’ ” - Wyatt Graham

The Dying Thief’s Remarkable Theology

By Filings on

“Unlike Thomas, who believed after seeing the risen Lord of glory, this thief believed while looking upon a man hanging on a cross under God’s curse (Gal. 3:13). Many witnessed Jesus raise the dead and still refused to believe. This man watched Jesus die and believed He was a King with a kingdom.” - Ref21

Myths of Faith #4: God Will Say “Yes” to My Prayer

By Aaron Blumer on

Read the series.

I groaned when I read the first sentences of a WORLD magazine article that appeared a while back: “My husband lost a week’s pay. It must have fallen out of his pocket at the hardware store.” I’d sure hate to be that guy! I don’t even want to think about what losing a week’s pay would do to my family’s budget.

Myths of Faith #3 - It's Being Sure of What God Will Do

By Aaron Blumer on

When my dad was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer years ago, I experienced a faith-collision. On the one hand was the strong likelihood that glioblastoma was going to take his life within two or three years. On the other was the fact that “with God, all things are possible.”

Of course more than one of us asked God to heal Dad. We asked God to use the medications, to lead us to some undiscovered cure, to make surgery more effective than it normally is for this disease.

What collided was my faith in what God could do and my uncertainty about what He would do.

Myths of Faith #2 - It’s About the Amazing and Unexplainable

By Aaron Blumer on

“If you can explain what is going on, then God isn’t doing it.”

It’s a great sound byte. Several respected Christian leaders have taught it. And it certainly feels true. In many congregations it would be a reliable “amen!” line. However, not only is the statement itself false but it reflects a damaging and unbiblical way of thinking about faith and Christian living.

Myths of Faith #1 - You Have to Have Much

By Aaron Blumer on

Sometimes the most basic topics in Christian teaching are home to the most abundant confusion. Perhaps faith is one of those topics. Several misunderstandings are commonly heard in preaching and teaching on the subject. A short list would include the following:

  • You have to have much faith to experience the power of God.
  • Exercising faith means seeing God’s hand in the dramatic and unexplainable.
  • Healthy faith is believing that God is going to act in a particular way.
  • In prayer, faith is believing that God will certainly grant the request.

Some of these notions have the benefit of superficial biblical support. But if we strip away what “everybody knows” about faith, table our fond sentiments, and look at what Scripture actually says about these ideas, what do we find?