One Baptist’s studies in biblical, historical, systematic, and practical theology

  • It Is Not Good For Man To Be Alone, Part 2

    In my last post, I briefly discussed how the aloneness of Adam signified an intentionally incomplete aspect of God’s creation. God purposefully made Adam alone with a goal in mind. In this post I want to begin the discussion about how God met that goal with the creation of Eve by addressing the meaning of…

  • It Is Not Good For Man To Be Alone, Part 1

    With the next few posts I want to discuss some aspects about God’s creation of mankind and explore the significance of relationships and marriage from a creation-oriented perspective. In other words, I want to see what can be learned about relationships and marriage from the creation account and then apply. To start, I want to…

  • Don’t Try Back Handsprings Without Training

    Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way. (Proverbs 19:2 ESV) This Proverb really struck me today, firstly because its meaning isn’t as obvious as other Proverbs (it isn’t for me, anyway). In other translations the Hebrew word for “desire” is instead rendered “soul.” After looking more…

  • The Battle For Careful Speech In The World Of Facebook And Other Social Media

    One thing the Lord has really been working on in my own heart is the issue of careful speech. American Christians in particular face extra challenges due to living in a culture that encourages self-expression and individuality. One of the products of this culture I believe is the explosion of blogging, Facebook, and other forms…

  • How To Acquire Christian Zeal: Holiness, Part 2

    In continuing the series discussing the holiness that produces Christian zeal, I want to take a look at following passage from Paul to the church in Corinth. What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them…

  • How To Acquire Christian Zeal: Holiness, Part 1

    Haven’t had time to write today, but wanted to share this challenging and convicting quote by J.C. Ryle from his great book Holiness which I’m currently reading: You may say, “It was never meant that all Christians should be holy, and that holiness, such as I have described, is only for great saints, and people of…

  • Christians, We Are Commanded To Be Zealous For Christ

    Did you know that Christians are commanded to be zealous for the Lord? It’s not just a recommendation or a goal. Christians (and not just full-time ministers) are expected to be fervent in spirit. I find this incredibly self-convicting, and I hope to convict you as well. Let me explain. Paul said to the church at…

  • Christians Do Not Fear Men

    Lately I have been thinking and praying a lot about taking on more active responsibility as a Christian. I’m asking God to help me with the fears of the unknown–you know, those intimidating “what if’s” concerning matters we have little or no experience with? According to Scripture, there is nothing we should ultimately fear except…

  • More On The Burden Of Spiritual Disciplines

    When our zeal for Christ is glowing hot, spiritual disciplines are never a duty. Why? Because increasing our zeal is the equivalent to increasing our appetite for food. When we focus on dying to ourselves, putting away our sin, thirsting for righteousness, our appetite for spiritual food increases. By pursuing holiness, we are inevitably drawn…

  • Can We Idolize Our Children? A Biblical Response

    A few days ago my four-year old asked my wife why Sunday was called “Sunday.” My wife went on to explain about how some pagan peoples named days of the week after pagan gods, and that some of those pagan peoples worshiped the sun as a deity. My daughter thought it was strange to worship…