Gospel Living

D.A. Carson preached in the eighth session of the 2017 G3 Conference.  His topic was, "Soli Deo Gloria." NOTE:  All content of the G3 Conference is protected under copyright law.  You can share content, but we ask that you place a link back to the G3Conference.com website or YouTube.com channel when you share.

And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”  10  And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11  And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12  so that ‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’  13  And he said to them, ‘Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?’ ” An unfortunate reality of this fallen world are physical ailments and handicaps, such as hearing loss.  It’s a result of the indwelling sin that touches every fiber of our being.  Our first parents smuggled it into our genome.  As a result, we naturally have ears to hear the words of Christ, but we’re born spiritually deaf, and just to be doubly-sure, some still place their hands over their ears. God must cure spiritual dea...

2            O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?             How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah 3            But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;             the Lord hears when I call to him. We can’t allow the court of public opinion sway our commitment to God and to Scripture.  It may even be that those who seem godly turn aside.  Despite the pressure, how much those around us press, we stand in full confidence in the Lord. We are all “sons of men,” naturally sinful.  Yet, the heart of sin manifests in various ways, and those standing against God’s king need to remember that they are but men.  They try to turn what is good about the king into a reproach or shame.  It’s a w...

While some churches do not, many seek to honor God by making accurate Bible teaching a priority.  However, it is possible even for sound, expositional churches to falter in fellowship; those who begin well sometimes finish poorly.  How can a church family to grow in its love for one another?  How can they experience more unity in Christ?  The Apostle Paul calls us back to basic gospel principles.  He reminds us that we must first have a proper understanding of where we stand in relation to Christ, in our shared past, present, and future.  In this way alone, we can avoid the prejudice and presumption that may otherwise poison true agape within the fellowship. This message was preached at Cornerstone Community Church on December 15, 2013, based on Ephesians 2:1–10. Listen to the MP3 download here .

A majority of professing evangelicals agree with the statement that human beings are basically good, a clear repudiation of the biblical view of human fallenness. The irony here is that while we decry the baleful influence of secular humanism on the culture, we are busy adopting secular humanism’s view of man. It is not so much that the secular culture has negotiated away the doctrine of original sin, as that the evangelical church has done so. R. C. Sproul, Willing to Believe: The Controversy over Free Will (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1997), 20. I'm an optimist by nature, but theology and real life must meet.  It helps us in our dealings with Craigslist , for example. We cannot blame the culture's eroding influence on the church if we are unwilling to adopt the Bible's authoritative declarations concerning man, sin, etc.  Nor can we blame sinners for acting like sinners in their dealings with us.

One of the controversial discussion points within Christianity is the question of free will.  If God knows all of the future, furthermore, knows it because He predetermined the end from the beginning, then how can humans be said to have free will?  It seems very much that we have free will.  How are God's sovereignty and human will compatible?  While not answering the question directly, Triablogue points to an excellent Mel Gibson flick to provide an example of how predestination and free will go hand-in-hand .

On Sunday, I had the opportunity to begin teaching the lesson on salvation from the course "Fundamentals of the Faith" provided by Grace Community Church . This should only be a two-parter, depending upon how long-winded I become. Here is the outline: I. INTRODUCTION The debate on these issues has carried on since the time of the Apostles. This is because Scripture seems to both affirm God's sovereignty and man's responsibility in salvation, creating tension. Hopefully, this lesson will help you have a better grasp of the issues involved in order to bring you more reason to rejoice in your salvation. A. God’s indictment of man According to Romans 3:10–12, what are six things man is guilty of? None righteous Isaiah 64:6 (filthy garments) None who understands Ephesians 4:17,18 (understanding darkened) None who seeks God All have turned aside Isaiah 53:6 (all turn own way) Useless Titus 1:6 (worthless deeds) None who does good B. The fallen nature of ma...