Experiencing the love of God as made known to us in the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ is essential to unburdened, joyful obedience to God’s commands.
Tag: Atonement
How to Know if You Are a Christian (2 Corinthians 13:5)
How can you know if your faith is genuine? In this sermon from 2 Corinthians 13:5 we examine how the Apostle Paul instructs his readers to test themselves to see if they are united to Christ. The goals for this sermon are (1) that those who have not found salvation in Christ would run to Him and (2) that those who have would find greater confidence in Him.
Non-Resistance and Substitutionary Atonement – Part Two
Substitutionary atonement leads us to understand biblical love as self-sacrificing, doing good to others and blessing them even when they don’t deserve it—and yes, even when they are our enemies. It is inherently illogical to accept substitutionary atonement while also taking up arms and using political and military force. Militance does not aid the gospel of Christ. Militance murders the gospel. Read More
Non-Resistance and Substitutionary Atonement – Part One
When we love our enemies and refuse to return evil for evil, we follow Christ’s example of love. Read More
Podcast: Powerless Absolution [Touchpoints]
The nature of Christ’s atonement is becoming a common discussion. It’s an important one, since the atonement is a foundational tenet of Christian doctrine. The atonement is no secondary or tertiary issue. Christ atoning work is essential to the gospel. His work on the cross is what makes it possible for sinful men to be reconciled to a holy God. Our salvation rests upon Christ’s atonement. So what we believe about it is of utmost importance. Listen Now
Podcast: Third Culture and the Loss of Biblical Authority
The authority of Scripture is unquestionably one of the fundamental issues of our time. Other presenting issues (such as the atonement, hell, sin, etc.) reveal the underlying issue. We don’t think of ourselves as operating under the authority of the Bible. Sure, we reference the Bible when it supports our view. We use it to validate our opinions, but we don’t allow it to shape them. Until Scripture is the absolute, unquestioned authority, we still have work to do. Listen Now
Podcast: Hold Fast to Christ – Hebrews 4:14-16 [Expositions]
Persevering faith is not oriented inward, where we dig in, work harder, and do better. Rather, it is oriented outward. Our faith—our confidence—is in Christ. We are to hold fast our confession that Christ has accomplished salvation for us and we will be saved if we put our faith in Him. Listen Now
Podcast: Consider Christ – Hebrews 3.1-6 [Expositions]
In his call to faithfulness the author of Hebrews is careful to point us to Christ. We are to “give heed to the things we have learned,” not neglecting the salvation God offers us. But the all-important question is: where is that salvation found? In the law? In Moses? In some other historical figure? In some other moral code? No, but salvation is found in Christ. We confess Christ, our mediator, our High Priest, our Saviour. We must consider Him, see His person, see His greatness, and put our faith in Him. Listen Now
Liberal Conservatives
As Anabaptists, we typically think of the conservative/liberal paradigm in terms of outward appearance. We need a paradigm adjustment. Read More
Podcast: Liberal Conservatives [Touchpoints]
Liberals look just like the rest of us. Listen Now