Last time we talked about how the Bible is a more reliable source of self-identification than one’s culture. When we define ourselves based on our desires rather than on something as unchanging as the Word of God we’re either being dishonest or unaware of how our current culture affects our sense of who we think …
Is the Bible Outdated? (Part 1 of 2)
If I’ve heard it once I’ve heard it a thousand times that the Bible is outdated and therefore can’t be trusted to speak to our modern world. Our 21st century western culture has evolved past 1st century times, where it’s message and mores were more relevant. We’re better informed today about how the universe works …
A parable about you, Jesus, and some other friends* (A summary of Romans 1-3)
A friend who's a new follower of Jesus asked me to give him some input on how to read Romans. I shared this simple parable on how to outline the first three chapters. Thought I'd share it here. You and four friends won tickets for a trip to Hawaii on an ocean liner. On the …
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How To Know If You’re A Legalist (Three tests and a test case) Part 4 of 4
Some other observations about legalistic types from the story of the Prodigal's big brother: They tend to miss the party: “He refused to go in …” (Luke 15:28) Lots of legalist-leaning Christians are like that. They may be, in one sense, “holy,” but it’s never a happy holiness. They’re too busy keeping their halo on …
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How To Know If You’re A Legalist (Three tests and a test case) Part 3 of 4
Now that we've looked at the three tests to identify legalism: rules, reasons, and resources, I propose a New Testament test case. A test case of a legalist – The son who missed the party (Luke 15:11-32) We’ve all heard the prodigal son parable. The youngest son couldn’t wait for his dad to die, so …
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barney wiget 