One day, while I was studying the Gospel Presenation with a retired couple, we read this verse. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV The husband had been raised Catholic, and while … Continue reading –>
Occasionally, at church or the Adventist school where I teach Bible and evangelism, someone will ask me, “What do we believe about such and such?” My response has always been, “I don’t know what you believe, but here is what I, and many Seventh-day Adventists believe,” and I show them in the Bible what I … Continue reading –>
In the previous post we examined the oldest systems of Protestant covenant thought. The two systems to emerge we labeled as belonging to “Category A: Covenantalism.” They include both the Westminster Confession and the Second London Baptist Confession. We also had the opportunity to see that Adventist theology has a lot of similarities with these … Continue reading –>
Last Sunday, at a graduation party, I visited with one of my former students from the Adventist school where I teach and give Bible studies. She is now attending a public high school in a different city, and she told me how sad she is that at least half of her school population is self-proclaimed atheist. … Continue reading –>
As mentioned in the last post, Adventism’s understanding of the covenants is not well known either to us, our inquirers or our critics. Some critics even go as far as to suggest that Adventism’s covenant progression is an unheard-of new heresy. Part of the difficulty in responding to these charges is that, while Adventists have historically written … Continue reading –>
Every Jesus-follower knows that memorizing scripture is super important to spiritual growth. Paul the apostle said “the word of God is alive and active” (Hebrews 4:12). As such, when we memorize the words of this book we are memorizing living words. These living words have many benefits – such as power over temptation (Psalm 119:9, 11), … Continue reading –>
While theologians debate “perfectionism,” believe it or not, most of us aren’t trying to be “perfect” for the sake of being a Pharisee. We love Jesus and want to please Him, to show appreciation for His great sacrifice and love. I don’t know that the woman washing Jesus’ feet was really thinking about being perfect. … Continue reading –>
I often begin my group Bible studies by having each member share a high and a low for their week. I wonder, if we asked God how His week went, what He would say? We may have seen a child mistreated, but God cried with every child on earth who was mistreated. We may have … Continue reading –>
This quarter’s Sabbath School lessons, provide interesting discussions on predestination and election, making me examine what I believe. I became especially intrigued by the word “elect.” What does it mean, and how does one become elected? God has not elected only a select group to be saved I find nowhere in the Bible that God has … Continue reading –>
A couple of days ago John Clarke died. He dropped dead of natural causes at the age of 68 doing what he loved best; bush-walking with his family and photographing birds. John Clarke is a household name in Australia and New Zealand (Fred Dagg for NZers), well known as a TV personality, satirist and critic … Continue reading –>
