Historically, American Calvinistic Baptists have been fairly unified on their understanding of the role of civil government. They expressed their views in various confessions but the the Second London Baptist Confession was their mother confession. In Chapter 24, Of the Civil Magistrate, it provides the historic Calvinistic Baptist understanding of the role of civil government. …
Fear is a natural emotion common to all human beings, and it is neither inherently sinful or godly. Our fears are often connected to the things we love the most. We may fear losing something or someone we love. Or we might fear that we will fail to obtain something we desire. We may fear …
There seems to be a fair amount of confusion today about what it means to be “under the law.” And there’s confusion about what it doesn’t mean. Some suggest that all of the members of the Old Covenant were “under the law.” Others say that for a believer to accept any commands or directives from …
Forgiveness is at the heart of the Christian faith. Christ died to forgive our sins and to reconcile us to God. And Jesus taught that His disciples must forgive those who sin against them. He said, “if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matt 6:15). Forgiveness is …
Continue reading When does forgiveness not lead to reconciliation?
John Owen (1616 – 1683) wrote a wonderful little booklet titled, Duties of Christian Fellowship: A Manual for Church Members. Our church’s pastoral intern, Andrew Graham, has been teaching it to our youth on Wednesday nights. We’ve also made it available to the whole congregation. The book is among the clearest and most concise works …
Many Christians think all sins are the same. Have you ever heard that before? Imagine someone commits a horrible crime. Let's say, for example, a man murders his whole family. And when the community hears about it, they're outraged. But then imagine that some Christians say, “We need to remember that we're all sinners.” “We …
Many people today spend a great deal of time on social media, video games, and television, so it's no wonder that someone submitted a question about how Christians should manage the time they give to entertainment. Some Christians have a very open and permissive view of entertainment. They view it as a gift of God …
Continue reading How should Christians manage time in entertainment?
There has been a good deal of debate about whether the Second London Baptist Confession of 1677/1689 (2LCF) is a serviceable confession for Baptist churches. Some have argued it's far too detailed for a whole congregation to affirm, and they suggest that a shorter confession like the New Hampshire Confession or the Abstract of Principles …
Continue reading Can a whole church really subscribe to a detailed confession of faith?
Preachers may faithfully preach thematic and topical sermons that explain the Bible. They are certainly free to preach sermons on particular texts of Scripture without preaching through whole books of the Bible. But here are some reasons that preaching through whole books of the Bible is valuable. 1. Preaching through books of the Bible forces …
Continue reading Why preach through whole books of the Bible?
Are believers in Christ required to obey any part of Old Testament law, or is all Old Testament law abolished? Both Dispensationalists and proponents of New Covenant Theology simply say that believers are under no obligation to any Old Testament law. In their view, the laws of the Old Testament are fulfilled and abrogated in …
Continue reading Are the Ten Commandments distinct from other Old Testament law?
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