ISAIAH FORETOLD OF a servant who would be truly God and yet truly man; humble to the point of flawless obedience. This man, this incarnation of God, grew up like a young plant; like a root out of dry ground. He had no form of majesty that we should recognize Him, yet He would rise …
“I Don’t Go to Church. Too Many Hypocrites!”
MY FATHER DECIDED TO quit going to church "cold turkey" just about a year after I had accepted Christ as my Savior and received water baptism.* I was fourteen and was considering becoming a pastor. My father's choice was based on his opinion that church leaders wanted more of his time and money, and the …
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Let’s Go to Theology Class: The Works of Christ
The following is a summary of my most recent lesson in pursuit of my master’s in theology at Colorado Christian University concerning the “Work” of Jesus. By Steven Barto, B.S., Psy. Grudem joins most Evangelicals in affirming that the penal substitutionary theory is the primary theory and most important way to understand Jesus’ atoning work. …
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Let’s Go to Theology Class: The Person of Christ
The following is a summary of my most recent class in pursuit of my master's in theology at Colorado Christian University regarding the Divine/Human Aspect of Jesus Christ. By Steven Barto, B.S., Psy. I found information under the heading Biblical Perspective—Jesus Christ: Both God and Man to be a great springboard for this discussion. Indeed, …
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The Gospel of John (Part Two)
By Steven Barto, B.S. Psych. IN THE FIRST PART of this study, we looked at the reasons why John chose to write his account of the way of Jesus. We saw John present Jesus as the Word who was with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit at Creation. John described Jesus as the …
“Is My Life Worth Living?”
"The purpose in a man's mind is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out" (Proverbs 20:5, RSV). "We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28, RSV). IT IS OBVIOUS THAT purpose can guide life decisions, …
A Plague of Darkness
"Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.' So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all …
Justification
MARTIN LUTHER STRUGGLED a great deal with the idea of justification and righteousness. He was so obsessed with sinning and offending God and worried he would die having failed to confess everything. He spent a great deal of time ruminating about his behavior. He unfortunately focused how he could punish himself and assure that he …
Sin’s Lost Dominion
Paul began his letter to the Romans by setting forth the theme: The righteousness of God (see Romans 1:1-17). In this letter, Paul tells us how to be right—with God, ourselves, and others. Paul also explains to us how one day God will make all of creation right. This is what is meant by restoration, …
The Billy Graham of Generation Z?
Jordan Whitmer's zeal for evangelism and vision for a movement have some comparing his ministry to that of Billy Graham. And he's only 19. Hannah Stephens was 17 and in trouble with her parents. She had gotten caught stealing their tablet computer in order to chat with strangers online and subsequently grounded. "The only places …