The Conviction of Things Not Seen
Faith is the belief in things you can not see, but just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean nothing’s there.
Faith is the belief in things you can not see, but just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean nothing’s there.
My wife has a friend who recently lost a child, still-born I believe. In the aftermath, an article written by Dr. Albert Mohler (from 2009) about whether or not infants who die go to heaven, was posted on Facebook. Shelly read the original article from Dr. Mohler’s website to me the other night.
There are many places Dr. Mohler went off the rails, but the first is when he makes the statement about Ambrose: “His first error was believing in infant baptism, and thus in baptismal regeneration. Baptism does not save, and it is reserved for believers – not for infants.”
Facebook is a pretty good place to learn about a segment of the population. Of course, that segment consists of mainly your friends and family, but it’s still a good place to get a finger on the pulse of what people are thinking.
Recently, I posed two questions to my Facebook timeline:
In Genesis 22 we read of how God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. It sounds like the beginning of a terrible story, but God intervenes, stops Abraham from killing Isaac and provides a ram to take his place and they all lived happily ever after.
When discussing this passage, the question often asked is: could you take the life of your only son? Could you have the faith of Abraham?
In Christendom there is a constant ongoing battle between it’s members. Christians love to argue about everything: denominations, politics, Scripture meanings; but one ongoing debate from the very beginning (Remember Peter and the Judaizers? Galatians 2) is whether or not the law of God still stands. At either end of the pendulum swing stands anti-nomians and pietists.
An anti-nomian is one who, by definition, is against the law of God. We live in an age of grace and are not held accountable to the law anymore is the typical anti-nomian mantra.
I was watching a promotional video for a leadership conference taking place in Atlanta later this year, and one sound bite from one of the speakers was something that you frequently hear from many a pulpit on any given Sunday: “At the end of your life, you will give an account…”
I personally can’t think of a more horrifying thought.
This is often used in conjunction with the equally terrifying phrase, “God looks at the heart.” I really don’t want God looking at my heart. It’s dark in there.
Most of us, if ever called to describe ourselves think, “I’m a good person, I don’t insert evil act here or insert heinous thought here”. But the truth is, we are evil. At our core, we are dark miserable sinners in need of a perfect Saviour.
I went to the polls like a good citizen yesterday. As I checked in, I chatted with the ladies at the first table about my name (“Wow, you’re a third. Must be some kind of royalty.”), where I live (“I live right down the lane from you.”) and if I was the guy who bought the antique shop across from the Post Office. At the second table I was surprised to see ballots for every conceivable party under the sun.
Unlike a good citizen, I am ashamed to admit to you, with the exception of three candidates, I had no clue who to vote for. In fact, I’ve been so out of it lately that I didn’t recognize over 90% of the names on the ballot.
I am a chiropractor by day. In short, this means I make a living by removing spinal misalignments that are creating neurological interference (defined as vertebral subluxations) which affects how the body and the brain communicate with each other.
This interference creates symptoms of all kinds varying from the simple back ache, to migraines, to all out serious digestive disorders and even death.
Recently, I posted a statement on Facebook and Twitter: “A disappointing trait of modern American Evangelicals is their inability to see themselves as merely beggars.” This prompted some to ask me to elaborate on what I meant. The following is that answer.
“We are beggars: this is true.”
These are the last words written by Dr. Martin Luther.