The Canons of the Council of Orange (529 AD) - CANON 2

CANON 2. If anyone asserts that Adam's sin affected him alone and not his descendants also, or at least if he declares that it is only the death of the body which is the punishment for sin, and not also that sin, which is the death of the soul, passed through one man to the whole human race, he does injustice to God and contradicts the Apostle, who says, "Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned" (Rom. 5:12).

The Canons of the Council of Orange (529 AD) - CANON 1

The Canons of the Council of Orange (529 AD)

CANON 1. If anyone denies that it is the whole man, that is, both body and soul, that was "changed for the worse" through the offense of Adam's sin, but believes that the freedom of the soul remains unimpaired and that only the body is subject to corruption, he is deceived by the error of Pelagius and contradicts the scripture which says, "The soul that sins shall die" (Ezek. 18:20); and, "Do you not know that if you yield yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are the slaves of the one whom you obey?" (Rom. 6:12-16); and, "For whatever overcomes a man, to that he is enslaved" (2 Pet. 2:19).

What Does Psalm 46:10 ("Be Still") Really Mean?

There is a subtle deception taking place in the Church, and it is rapidly spreading like yeast throughout the whole body.

That deception is the belief that we can have a direct conversation with God. The belief that God will literally speak words to us if we will only "still our minds", "empty our thoughts" and listen for his "still small voice" to "speak to us".

Did God communicated directly to people? Yes, to the Prophets and Apostles. You are not one of them.

Nowhere in the Bible does God state that He will communicate to us in this way. This is a deception to encourage us to listen to another...

Read this article to learn more and guard yourself and warn others about this apostasy. http://guardinghisflock.com/2010/04/09/be-still/

Shalom,

Ryan

God the Agent of Regeneration

"Regeneration is an act of God. It is not simply referred to Him as its giver, and, in that sense, its author, as He is the giver of faith and of repentance. It is not an act which, by argument and persuation, or by moral power, He induces the sinner to perform. But it is an act of which He is the agent. It is God who regenerates. The soul is regenerated. In this sense the soul is passive in regeneration, which (subjectively considered) is a change wrought in us, and not an act performed by us."

Hodge, Charles; Systematic Theology, Volume III, pg. 31, 1877.

Playing the Pharisee Card

What do you do when you point out people who promote false doctrines and twist the Bible scriptures, and then you are accused of being a Pharisee? You need to read this article

or listen to hear this segment of the Fighting for the Faith Radio program about those who play the Pharisee Card.

Good Friday

On Good Friday many of us think about the horrible physical suffering of Jesus Christ. He was flogged to the point of near death and nailed on a cross. I can't think of a worse way to die. Picture it in your mind. Makes you shudder, right?

Some may even say, "Yes, that was horrible. But other people have died horrible deaths too."

If we only think of the physical, we miss the true magnitude of the sacrifice.

Now, think about what happened immediately after His death. His Spirit had to bear the full weight of God's righteous judgment and wrath. Not for His sins, for He was righteous and had never sinned, but for everyone who had believed and would believe. Every single sin no matter how small or how incredibly horrible, was imputed onto His Spirit.

Think of a cute, soft baby lamb. A cuddly white lamb, without stain or blemish. A perfect lamb.

That was Jesus Christ.

Think about how wretched I am and you are and the thousands of people who have not glorified or loved God every minute of their lives. That is MASSIVE and WAY, WAY, WAY, more painful than the physical suffering He endured.

That, is the true price Jesus Christ paid on the cross.

Evidence that Ancient People Were Very Intelligent (Part 3)

Once again, anthropological findings suggest that ancient people were advanced:

"Dr. Michael Petraglia of the University of Oxford led an investigation into an ancient population site in India that had been buried under volcanic debris. Beneath the ash, he discovered stone tools. A university press release related that “according to the team a potentially ground-breaking implication of the new work is that the species responsible for making the stone tools in India was Homo sapiens.”¹ This finding contradicts the evolutionary molecular clock date of mankind’s presence in India by “about 15,000 years.” But this is to be expected, since different molecules “tick” at different rates, and thus make poor clocks.^"

http://www.icr.org/article/5309/

Canons of Dordt:: Article 2: The Manifestation of God's Love

But this is how God showed his love: he sent his only begotten Son into the world, so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Canons of Dordt: Article 1: God's Right to Condemn All People

Since all people have sinned in Adam and have come under the sentence of the curse and eternal death, God would have done no one an injustice if it had been his will to leave the entire human race in sin and under the curse, and to condemn them on account of their sin. As the apostle says: The whole world is liable to the condemnation of God (Rom. 3:19), All have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23), and The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23).

Name Calling is an Argumentation Tactic for the Weak

Today, I read an excellent blog article called "Playing the Pharisee Card". This article describes one of the tactics that are used by liberal "Christians" when they are in an argument with "fundamentalist" Christians. Instead of debating why doctrines are not important based upon sound logic, the liberal "Christian" will resort to "name-calling" by calling the Christian who is arguing for the importance of Biblical doctrine a "Pharisee". As we all know, the Pharisees were enemies of Jesus Christ, and therefore no Christian would want to be called a "Pharisee".

This article reminded me of a similar tactic I like to call the "You're being judgmental." tactic. This tactic is typically used when a person wants to avoid disagreement on important doctrinal matters. Previously on this blog, I wrote about why being "discerning" (i.e. "judgmental") is not wrong but is instead an important skill that all Christians need to employ.

Although, I only remember being called a Pharisee (or Pharisaical) one time, I have called "rigid" like the Pharisees, "too literal" regarding the Bible doctrines, "hyperbolic", and a "hyper schoolgirl". Although, this "name calling" did bother me at the time, I have come to realize, just like the author of this article, that these are just tactics employed by those who don't have a good counter argument. Essentially, they know they have no ground to stand on. However, rather than re-thinking their position, they resort to regressive, name-calling tactics reminiscent of the grade-school playground (e.g. "Oh yeah? Well, well.....you're a poopy-head!").

Moral of the story: Don't be a name-calling poopy-head. Instead, to use a phase from my friends at the White Horse Inn: "Know what you believe and why you believe it." and be always "...prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15).