What can we learn from other religions?

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Can Christians learn any wisdom from other religions? Certainly! Our own Scriptures tell us that the God who spoke in many and various ways to our Jewish fathers (Heb 1:1) has not left himself without a witness among the Gentile nations. (Rom 1:19-20; Acts 17:22-28)

There are at least three good reasons for Christians to study other religions.

First, to appreciate our own religion better by contrast. We fallen creatures need contrast to appreciate anything.…

The deity of Christ

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‘As a matter of methodology it is a great mistake to confine our response to [an] attack on the deity of Christ to those parts of the New Testament which specifically describe Christ as God. There is no doubt, as we shall see, that the New Testament does very often describe Christ as God. But the proof of His deity is much wider than that. We simply must not allow Jehovah’s Witnesses to limit the debate to the narrow question, Does the Bible call Jesus God?…

Love – the greatest thing

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‘The greatest of these,’ writes Paul, ‘is love.’ (1 Corinthians 13:13)

John Stott (The Contemporary Christian) poses the question, ‘What is the chief distinguishing mark of a Christian?’  Various answers might be given:-

1.  Truth.  Certainly, sound doctrine is vital to the health of the church.  See 1 Tim 6:12,20; 2 Thess 1:14; 2 Thess 2:15; Jude 1:3.  But ‘if I…can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,…but have not love, I am nothing’ (1 Cor 13:2).…

Sin and suffering

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  1. Human sin is a general factor in explaining the presence of pain and suffering in the world, Gen 3:14-19; Rom 8:20-22.
  2. Sin is sometimes a causal factor in personal pain and suffering, Rom 1:18-32.
  3. There is not always a direct causal relation between suffering and sin, Job; Jn 9:2.
  4. Suffering can always be the occasion for a person to draw near to God, Jas 5:13-16.
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Signs of new life

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Like a newborn baby, the new Christian,

1. cries, Rom 8:15
2. hungers, 1 Pet 2:2; Heb 5:12ff; 1 Cor 3:2
3. moves, Tit 2:14
4. rests, Ps 131:2 127:2
5. grows, 2 Pet 3:18…

Four maxims about justification

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The Puritan Thomas Watson lays down ‘four maxims or positions about justification.

1 That justification confers a real benefit upon the person justified. The acquitting and discharging of the debtor, by virtue of the satisfaction made by the surety, is a real benefit to the debtor. A robe of righteousness, and a crown of righteousness, are real benefits.

2 All believers are alike justified: justificatio non recipit magis et minus. Justification does not apply to some more than to others.!…

Inducements to sanctification

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It is the will of God that we should be holy, as saith the text, ‘This is the will of God, your sanctification’ (1 Thess 4:3).  As God’s word must be the rule, so his will, the reason of our actions. This is the will of God, our sanctification. Perhaps it is not the will of God we should be rich, but it is his will that we should be holy. God’s will is our warrant.…

Happiness

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Happiness comes:-

  1. when we make the Lord our God, Ps 144:15; Pr 16:20.
  2. when we have a secure moral base, Pr 29:18; Ps 128:1.
  3. through effective relationships with others Ps 133:1; Mt 19:18-19; 1 Cor 13.
  4. to those who are merciful, kind, generous, and compassionate, Pr 14:21.
  5. to those who see their work as a gift from God, Gen 2:15; Pr 12:27; 1 Thess 4:11; 1 Thess 3:6ff.
  6. to those who are truly wise, Pr 3:13; Php 4:5 ff.
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The sluggard – sermon notes

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Here are notes of a sermon on work, based on relevant passages in the book of Proverbs.

Work is, of course, a major part of most people’s lives.  For many people, work (in the form of paid employment) takes up half their waking hours.  And then there’s all the other kinds of work that people do – housework, school-work, voluntary work and all the rest.  Many people – especially women – work long and unsocial hours caring for children and families, and this is surely one of the most valuable kinds of work of all.…

The land as a gift

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The Creator of the whole earth (Ps 24:1-2; 47:4) and unique Owner of Palestine (Lv. 25:23) made the patriarchs trustees of a land fit for kings, flowing with milk and honey (Dt. 31:20). He promised to give it to their descendants as a permanent inheritance (Gn. 17:8; Ex. 32:13). The occupation of the land, to be taken by stages (see 13:1-7), was launched dramatically by Joshua. It was then ‘allotted’ by God to Israel’s tribes by casting lots, (Nu 33:50-54) and so became their inalienable possession which noone could take forcibly from them.…