Growing In Grace

Have you ever met a Christian somewhere and began chatting with them? Did you have a feeling of joy as you realize that this is another person that has been captivated by the grace of God in Christ? They say there is a special bond between a pair of brothers or sisters, and in moments like the one I just described we get a far clearer understanding of why Christians have used brother and sister language. But have you ever been in one of these situations and then the person says something that causes you to instantly hold your breath? Maybe you even get a lump in your throat and that feeling of camaraderie is instantly gone? I ask this question because if you have been a Christian for any time at all I imagine that you have had many such instances, and some of the feelings and reactions are incredibly justified. For instance I once had a conversation where the person knew lots of biblical truth but when pressed, their understanding of Christianity was boiled down to...

This is a subject that has really grieved me at times because it has, on occasion, seemed to be a focus of theology that can turn our eyes away from the ultimate purpose of worship which I discussed in the last post. While eschatology is very important, it seems that it has been made the main focus, or even the only area of theological study for many Christians. I know many Christians that can tell you extensive information about eschatology, they can take you to the verses and argue for the pre-trib rapture, the seven year great tribulation, the war of Gog and Magog etc. But sadly many of these same people would be hard pressed to expound their knowledge of the attributes of God: His goodness, righteousness and wrath, knowledge, power, etc. And I know very few Christians that have had any contact with the more abstract things found from studying the doctrine of God such as His transcendence and immanence, necessity, aseity, Trinity, etc., and yet some of these doctrines ar...