EXPOSITION: Chapter 1:18-32 False Gospels. Our passage under consideration is the opening one of a far larger section (1:18-3:20). This larger context demonstrates that man, universally (Jew and Gentile), is under sin and that there is no question of his justification apart from faith. It picks up the theme of the epistle presented in v. 17 that the Gospel is the "... … [Read more...]
God Speaks
This teaching stream explores how God Speaks.
God is relational and rational and therefore speaks to us. First, God's self-disclosure has already occured for every person through direct apprehension, through our own humanness in the world external to us and the one within. Second, he speaks more fully through his Word, incarnate in Jesus Christ and inscripturate in the Bible, in rational propositional form. Third, he speaks through various charismata (spiritual gifts) such as prophecy, though not with the canonical authority of Scripture.
Read: God Speaks
God communicates with us in four ways:
- The Creation & Conscience (his Cosmos)
- The Bible (his Word)
- The Incarnation (his Son)
- The Charismata (his Spirit)
The Incarnation: Renovation of the Cosmos
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a … [Read more...]
Revelation & the Inescapable God: Foundations in Christian Worldview
The Inescapable God “… we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter” Isa 28:15 – Part 3 of 3 – An Inescapable Revelation The fact of creation declares that all people – every nation, race, age and gender – are unceasingly face to face with the living God. This however raises an important question. If God’s revelation is inescapably clear … [Read more...]
Reality & the Inescapable God: Foundations in Christian Worldview
The Inescapable God “… we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter” Isa 28:15 – Part 2 of 3 – An Inescapable Reality The foundation of any worldview is its view of origins. What a person accepts as ultimate will shape everything else. The biblical worldview is grounded in its doctrine of creation, which, in contrast to naturalism’s … [Read more...]
Rationality & the Inescapable God: Foundations in Christian Worldview
The Inescapable God “… we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter” Isa 28:15 – Part 1 of 3 – An Inescapable Goal The goal of fallen man[1] throughout history, as defined in Genesis, is “to be like God, knowing [or determining] good and evil” (Gen 3:5). While man’s place in the cosmos, as a creature, is found in total dependence on his … [Read more...]
