A survey of heresies
http://www.solasisters.com/2012/07/survey-of-heresies.html
Communion with the Triune God
John Owen ‘picked up on a theme found in Augustine, namely, communion as the “enjoyment,” or possession of and delighting in the triune God. In Augustine’s “On Christian Doctrine,” one chapter is titled, “The Trinity the true object of enjoyment.” There, Augustine wrote, “The true objects of enjoyment, then, are the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, who are at the same time the Trinity, one Being, supreme above all, and common to all who enjoy Him.”’…
Erastus of Corinth
‘During the eighteen months he was in Corinth (Acts 18:11) Paul evidently converted a man named Erastus, who provides an interesting cross-cultural link in the Corinthian church. One of the most imposing structures in Corinth was the fourteen-thousand-seat theater, located northwest of the forum and renovated about five years before Paul arrived. About this time (c. 50, during the reign of Claudius) a large stone plaza was also laid at the northeast corner of the theater area.…
Is religious belief culturally determined?
If you were born in the UK, then your religion (if any) would probably be Christian. If, however, you were born in Morocco, you would probably be a Muslim. This shows (so the argument goes) that religious belief is not something that determined by a calm consideration of the evidence, but rather by where, and by whom, you were raised.
There is, however, a rather glaring problem with this argument, in that it applies to the pluralist who thinks that all religions are equally valid (or equally invalid). …
Thoughts on thankfulness
The class was set a task to write a short paper on “Things I Am Most Thankful For.” One small boy put at the top of his list, “My glasses. They keep the boys from punching me and the girls from kissing me.”
‘As the Lord loves a cheerful giver, so likewise a cheerful thanksgiver.’ (John Boys)
‘The Christian is suspended between blessings received and blessings hoped for, so he should always give thanks.’ (M.R. Vincent)
Bible commentator Matthew Henry, after being robbed, wrote in his diary: ‘Let me be thankful.…
Incidental references to ‘spiritual gifts’ in Paul’s letters
It is sometimes thought that because the ‘charismata’ are directly discussed only infrequently in Paul’s writings, they were regarded by the apostle as the marks of an immature church, and needed to be discouraged or actually suppressed.
However, it is at least as plausible to argue that Paul took the exercise of spiritual gifts more or less for granted in the churches, and he felt the need to discuss them in detail only when there were problems (as at Corinth).…
The blind men and the elephant
A famous Indian fable tells of a number of a blind men who try to describe an elephant. One, touching its side, declares that it is ‘like a wall’. Another, feeling the tusk, think that it is ‘like a spear’. Yet another, encountering its trunk, says that it is ‘like a snake’. Other contenders are ‘like a fan’ (the ear), ‘like a rope’ (the tail) and so on.
The intended moral of the story is clear: no-one has a monopoly on the truth. …
John Stott on 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
A summary of a sermon preached by John Stott at All Souls, Langham Place, in 1984. A recording of the sermon is available here.
Verses 1-3 – Introduction
It was a miracle that there could be a church in such a place as Corinth. It was notorious for sexual immorality, overseen by the Temple of Aphrodite. If a church can be planted in Corinth, it can be planted anywhere.
Paul had been called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. …
Flavel on Jesus’ cry of dereliction
‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ (Matthew 27:46)
Here is a summary of Ch. 33 of John Flavel’s great work, The Fountain of Life.
Here, says Flavel, ‘are words that might rend the hardest heart.’
The manner of the complaint
Note what our Lord complains of. ‘It is not of the cruel tortures he felt in his body, nor of the scoffs and reproaches of his name; he mentions not a word of these, they were all swallowed up in the sufferings within, as the river is swallowed up in the sea, or the lesser flame in the greater.’…
Mt 26:57-68 – Jesus before the Sanhedrin – sermon notes
Matthew 26:57-68
This sermon was preached in two parts. The first part was followed by a time of sung and spoken confession.
This Powerpoint presentation was used:-
Part 1 – Four portraits
(a) Caiaphas – perverted justice.
‘Looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death,’ v59.
Looking for the expedient solution – Jn 11:49f “It is better that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”…