This is the third in a series of articles on the Incarnation. So far in this series, we have established that the Incarnation means the eternal Son of God took on human flesh in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. As such, Jesus is one person in two distinct but undivided natures: human and divine. In addition, we’ve explored how these two natures work together as the eternal Son of God adds sinless humanity to His deity via the miracle of the virgin birth. In this article, we summarize 10 … [Read more...]
Jesus as the God-man
This is the second in a series of articles on the Incarnation. If Jesus is fully divine and fully human, how are we to understand the way in which these two natures work together? At times, Jesus exhibits the fullness of deity – demonstrating His sovereign control over nature, forgiving sins, receiving worship, and knowing the thoughts of human beings. But He also displays the full range of humanity – getting hungry, growing tired, and, occasionally, not knowing certain things such as … [Read more...]
The doctrine of the Incarnation
This is the first in a series of articles on the Incarnation. Lorenzo Snow, fifth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, once claimed the Spirit of God fell upon him and revealed a principle that has become an apt summary of Mormonism: “As man now is, God once was; As God now is, man may be.” In other words, the God of this world once was a mere human who attained deity, showing us the path to our own godhood. This principle of “eternal progression” is a stunningly … [Read more...]
How false religions undermine Scripture
Evangelicals may disagree about many things, but we stand together on the non-negotiables that define the Christian faith: The Trinity, justification by faith, and the inspiration and authority of the Scriptures, to name a few. Many false belief systems, from Mormonism to Islam, profess a high regard for the Word of God. But, in fact, they deny its inspiration, inerrancy, or preservation and thus reject the Bible as supremely authoritative. Specifically, false religions employ four … [Read more...]
Three personal questions about God
This is the last in a series of articles contrasting Allah and Yahweh. Muslims and Christians agree that there is one God but understand Him differently. While it is politically correct to say Christians and Muslims worship the same God, no Muslim or Christian who truly understands his faith would agree with that statement. In fact, we can see that Christians and Muslims worship distinctly different Gods by asking three personal questions: (1) Does God know me? (2) Does God love me? (3) … [Read more...]
The Islamic inquisition
Christians and Muslims agree that God is one. Christians believe in a triune God: one being in three persons. But Islam’s understanding of Allah as a monad – monolithic and non-relational – creates two significant challenges to a consistent doctrine of God in Islamic theology. First, how do Muslims reconcile their belief that Allah is eternal and self-existent with their belief that the Qur’an also is eternal? It seems either that the Qur’an came into being, or there are two eternally … [Read more...]
Understanding the Trinity
This is the third in a series of articles contrasting Allah and Yahweh. The doctrine of the Trinity sets Christians and Muslims apart. In fact, to suggest to a follower of Allah that God has a Son, or that God exists in tri-unity, is to commit the unpardonable sin of shirk, which damns a soul to hell. Islam is unwavering in its belief in Allah as a singular being – monolithic, distant, and unknowable. He only relates to people in acts of the will, not out of an eternal nature that is … [Read more...]
The oneness of God
This is the second in a series of articles contrasting Allah and Yahweh: Muslims and Christians agree that God is one but understand oneness differently. The Islamic doctrine of tawhid, or absolute oneness, is more than strict monotheism. Tawhid celebrates Allah as singular, indivisible, and monolithic. Muslims insist that Allah has no “partners.” To say that Jesus is the Son of God, or that God exists as a Trinity, is to commit the unpardonable sin of shirk. But the Qur’an does not … [Read more...]
Tawhid and the Trinity
This is the first in a series of articles contrasting Allah and Yahweh. Muslims and Christians agree there is one God but disagree as to His name, nature, and attributes. The god of Islam is Allah, meaning “the god” in Arabic. In the days of Islam’s founder, Muhammad, this meant that of all the tribal gods worshiped on the Arabian Peninsula, Allah was the only true deity. Key to the Islamic concept of God is the doctrine of tawhid, or absolute oneness. It’s more than strict monotheism. … [Read more...]
The downward spiral of depravity
Romans 1 is a graphic depiction of human depravity, which is not a steep vertical fall, but a descending spiral of ungodliness that begins with rejection of God’s revelation and ends with a fateful last step into outer darkness. It’s a story we should tell more often because it cuts to the chase. Paul doesn’t promise happiness, wealth, or comfort to the sinner who receives Jesus as Savior. Rather, he warns those who persist in rebellion against God of the peril they face when the divine … [Read more...]
Homosexuality: Answering objections to Scripture
Christians often find it difficult to have meaningful conversations with people struggling with same-sex attraction. To a great extent, that’s our own fault for delivering biblical truth with a sledge hammer rather than with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15-16). Even so, it’s hard to carry on a civil discourse when you’re accused of being a homophobe engaging in hate speech. What’s more, some LGBT supporters express such hostility toward Christians that they won’t listen to a biblical … [Read more...]
Why is hell forever?
The doctrine of hell is disturbing. The very idea of suffering and separation beyond the grave elicits a wide range of responses, from anguish to anger. The possibility of departed loved ones languishing in outer darkness only adds to the grief of those laying flowers on their graves. Some atheists cite hell as a reason to deny the existence of a loving God. What’s more, Anglican cleric John Stott, who wrote the influential book Basic Christianity, found the idea of eternal suffering in … [Read more...]
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