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Does Jesus Want Christians to be Pacifists?
A pacifist believes that a Christian should not engage in violence. To the pacifist, Christ’s command to love one’s enemy prohibits them from acting in violence toward them (cf. Matt 5:44). After all, it is kind of hard to love your enemy while you are beating him up or killing him. To the consistent pacifist then, there is never any justification for aggressive self-defense or for fighting in wars. There are many modern examples of pacifism, some of them very extended in their treatment. Certain theological movements are marked by pacifism, such as Seventh Day Adventists. There are also variations, where some Christians are against forms of personal defense, while at the same time allowing for police or military involvement. As is typical of these articles, I don’t wish to write an exhaustive examination of the issue as much as I want to present a few considerations on the issue…
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10 Hallmarks of Humility for the Christian
When Jesus was asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He responded by pointing to a small child. In explanation He said, “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 18:4). Humility is linked with true greatness in the kingdom of God. The importance of humility was not just a one-time message by the Savior. It was a regular part of His teaching from start to finish. The first recorded sermon we have from our Lord in the book of Matthew starts with the admonition, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 5:3). And on the night Jesus was betrayed He instructed His disciples that the greatest among them must be servants of the others (Luke 22:26-27). Humility is a crucial pursuit for the believer. In a day marked by social media grandstanding…
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Are We Living in the Last Days?
The concept of the “last days” or end times captivates the imagination of many Christians. It conjures up vivid images of the rapture, the Antichrist, and apocalyptic events preceding Christ’s return. But what does the Bible actually teach about the last days, and are we living in them now? Intriguingly, the Bible declares we are living in the last days (but not in the last of the last days). Why We are Currently Living in the Last Days Thankfully, the Bible talks quite a bit about the issue of the last days. The Old Testament speaks about it prophetically, and the New Testament authors make it very clear that we are currently living in the last days. For example, in his sermon at Pentecost, Peter declares the dawn of the last days by quoting the prophet Joel: “And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will…
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Beyond Earthly Logic: The Riches of Giving More Than Receiving
As we navigate the Christian life and seek to follow the teaching of Scripture, we often are faced with what seems to be paradoxical teachings. For example, the Bible teaches that the first shall be last, suffering leads to glory, the poor in spirit receive the ultimate riches of the kingdom, etc. These apparent paradoxes beautifully draw our attention to the counter-cultural nature of the Christian life. Living like a Christian stands out against the way the world lives. It is counter-cultural. One of the clearest (and yet often undervalued) counter-cultural teachings is the paradoxical lesson that, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). We are taught to rejoice and be happy over what is given to us. How many times and opportunities are we asked about what we received as gifts, or what we ourselves bought? We are trained to pursue the accumulation of wealth…
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Supporting Others in Times of Tragedy: Practical Guidelines for Helping Others
Knowing how to respond to someone experiencing tragedy can be challenging, but as members of a local church community, it is our responsibility to share in one another’s crises. Scripture provides valuable guidance in 1 Thessalonians 5:14, which encourages us to admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient with everyone. These principles serve as a foundation for practical applications when speaking to someone in a crisis. But how does this look in practice? This article aims to provide three practical ways that we can comfort and support fellow brothers and sisters during difficult times. We Can Engage in Conversation Despite not fully understanding what someone is going through, we can still reach out to them and convey our love and care. It is natural to feel hesitant when addressing individuals who have experienced the loss of a loved one, fearing that we may evoke painful…
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Starting with Jesus is Terrible for Your Theology
It is good that we recognize Jesus as the sovereign Lord. But is it justifiable to start with Jesus when it comes to forming theology? Many Christians assume that is the place to start. For example, I was once listening to a podcast and the subject was raised about how we formulate our theology. One speaker said something like, “We must get our theology from the life and person of Jesus who is God incarnate. If your theology does not match with who he is, then go back to him and start over.” This is such a popular idea, there is even a book available that is entitled, Let’s Start with Jesus: A New Way of Doing Theology. In the previously mentioned podcast, one of the reasons this particular individual wanted to start with Jesus was to circumvent the validity of other parts of Scripture that seem to be quite…
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Optimistic vs. Pessimistic Eschatology: An Unhelpful Paradigm
In recent days, I have seen an uptick in lazy argumentation by people appealing to “optimistic eschatology,” pitting it against a “pessimistic eschatology.” Although there are exceptions, postmillennialists have primarily used this argument against premillennialists and amillennialists. Postmillennialists believe that, over time, the church will emerge victorious gradually by progressively triumphing over the world. In postmillennial theology, eventually most of the world will embrace the gospel, which will largely bring about the end of Christian persecution. According to this “optimistic” eschatology, Matthew 16:18 gives assurance of the church’s progressive victory over the forces of darkness, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Postmillennialists point to the great commission as evidence that Jesus has all power and dominion and is currently reigning from the Davidic throne with all that was ever intended entail (cf. Matt 28:18). All nations will bow before His rule…
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Swift Justice: The Biblical Importance of Timely Judgment
In a previous existence, I held a job where I was responsible for upholding the principles of fairness and accountability. And by that, I mean I was a high school swim coach. I loved swimming, and I loved helping others feel pain through swimming. I enjoyed the job immensely, but early on, I learned a valuable lesson about the necessity of timely justice. From the outset, I was basically doomed. Although I had been a swimmer myself, I really didn’t have an appropriate appreciation for the theological depravity of man. So, I developed a system where if someone broke the rules, they would have to submit themselves to pushups as punishment after practice. Breaking the rules included goofing off, ignoring commands, and the like. Well, after about 3 days of trying to implement this system, I realized it was a complete and unmitigated disaster. What happened was all fairly predictable.…
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Why Go to Church?
Attending church has been a long-held tradition for many people. Yet, in recent years, there has been a decline in church attendance in many parts of the world. With the rise of secularism and the availability of alternative forms of entertainment and community, many people are questioning the relevance and necessity of going to church. All that makes sense among the general population of so-called Christians, but even real Christians have ask the valid question: why do we go to church? The idea of actually going to church has become more contested, in part, due to the whole COVID situation. Churches shut down in-person gatherings and livestreamed their services. People began questioning whether there was a benefit to going to church or not. Wouldn’t watching a livestream technically qualify as going to church? I wrote an article in 2020 that explained church fellowship is essential in a technological age. Here…
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3 Ways to be Thankful in a Thankless Culture
One of the hallmarks of a degenerate society is the lack of thankfulness. This makes sense since giving thanks is an acknowledgment of God’s praiseworthiness and His goodness. Therefore, those who reject God are marked by a refusal to give thanks to God (cf. Rom 1:21). In contrast to thankless unbelievers, Christians are to be marked by constantly being thankful (Phil 4:6; 1 Tim 4:4). Thus, in honor of American Thanksgiving (sorry Canada), I want to give a few practical ways to promote a thankful heart during this season. Here are three practical ways you can stimulate thankfulness in your heart. Focus on what you deserve. This should be the ultimate prompt for Christians. As Christians, we are recipients of a thing called grace. We deserve hell and eternal damnation. We deserve nothing good, only judgment for rebelling against the Creator. Thus, how much do we have to be thankful…