Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim - Part Three

THEME: An Important Principle

This week’s lessons recount the renewal of the covenant under Joshua, in fulfillment of God’s words to Moses.

SCRIPTURE:
Joshua 8:30-35

This is precisely what we have recorded as being fulfilled in Joshua 8. All Israel were standing on both sides of the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, facing the priests who carried it. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses, the servant of the Lord, had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel. Afterwards, Joshua read all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses just as it is written in the Book of the Law.

Think and Act Biblically from James Boice is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Think and Act Biblically and the mission of the Alliance.

Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim - Part Two

THEME: Curses and Blessings Fulfilled

This week’s lessons recount the renewal of the covenant under Joshua, in fulfillment of God’s words to Moses. 

SCRIPTURE:
Joshua 8:30-35

Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim are in the high country about 25 miles north of Ai and a little bit to the west. Now Ai, as we saw when we were studying these initial battles, was at the high end of the approach road that Joshua and the armies used as they moved into the country from the Jordan. Jericho, that great fortified city, stood at the lower, eastern end of the road. And Ai, a smaller fortified city, stood at the higher western end. After they had taken Ai, the Jewish armies possessed the high country. And they were free to proceed either to the north or to the south in establishing an even stronger hold upon the country. That’s what they would have been expected to do.

Think and Act Biblically from James Boice is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Think and Act Biblically and the mission of the Alliance.

Calvin and Philosophy

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Calvin and Philosophy
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John Calvin was eclectic in his approach to philosophy. That is, he could pick and choose what parts of a given philosophical system to accept, reject or ignore.

But there was no question whether he would use philosophical ideas or not. The employment of philosophy was inevitable and necessary. A responsible theologian deliberately chooses philosophical presuppositions for himself. If he does not, the presuppositions will choose him. The Bible does not provide us with a full-blown world-view which would include scientific understanding of natural phenomena and philosophical presuppositions about reality. Calvin derived these either directly from reading philosophical works or from the general intellectual culture of his age.


John Calvin was eclectic in his approach to philosophy. That is, he could pick and choose what parts of a given philosophical system to accept, reject or ignore.

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Uncreating Adam Part Two

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Uncreating Adam: Part Two
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With magisterial grace, the Bible weds Christian theology to the male/female distinctions in God’s creation of marriage. Space permits only a brief consideration of this mysterious and intricate knot.

Adam and Eve are one flesh, but they are not one person. Their union is vital and real, yet for that to be the case, their distinct identities endure. Adam is not Eve, and Eve is not Adam. This personal and gender distinction is a sine qua non of marriage itself.

This article is part two of a two-part series. Read part one here.

Marriage, History and Theology

With magisterial grace, the Bible weds Christian theology to the male/female distinctions in God’s creation of marriage. Space permits only a brief consideration of this mysterious and intricate knot.

The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals is member supported and operates only by your faithful support. Thank you.

Place for Truth is a voice of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Place for Truth and the mission of the Alliance.

Pastoral Reality: Ecclesiastes-Style

I have come to believe that some of the most helpful pastoral reminders for any man preparing for ministry comes from the book of Ecclesiastes. After all, it was written by "the Preacher!"

I've noticed a growing trend in ministry. I highly doubt that it is something new. It manifests itself in things written or said by pastors in large, seeker oriented churches that have been "successful"--from the world's point of view--and it surfaces in things written or said by pastors of small, theologically robust churches that have been "successful" in not doing what large, seeker oriented churches do.

The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals is member supported and operates only by your faithful support. Thank you.

Christward Collective is a conversation of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Christward Collective and the mission of the Alliance.

Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim - Part One

THEME: Curses and Blessings Prophesied

This week’s lessons recount the renewal of the covenant under Joshua, in fulfillment of God’s words to Moses.

SCRIPTURE:
Joshua 8:30-35

It’s agreed by most Old Testament scholars that the heart of the Old Testament law is the book of Deuteronomy, and that the heart of Deuteronomy is the list of blessings and curses that are found in chapters 27 through 30 of that important book. Deuteronomy presupposes an eternal covenant established by God with His people. But it goes on from that fixed point to discuss the principle of blessing and lack of blessing which is based on either the obedience or disobedience of the people to the revealed law of God, which is where this list of blessings and curses comes in.

Think and Act Biblically from James Boice is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Think and Act Biblically and the mission of the Alliance.

Beware of Vain Philosophy But Do Seek and Love True Wisdom

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Beware of Vain Philosophy, But Do Seek and Love True Wisdom
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In Colossians 2:8, Paul warns Christians to, Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Does this command preclude philosophizing?  That is, does God forbid “the love of wisdom”?  Hardly! 

In Colossians 2:8, Paul warns Christians to, Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals is member supported and operates only by your faithful support. Thank you.

Place for Truth is a voice of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Place for Truth and the mission of the Alliance.

He Who Has Ears

Some accuse the Protestant emphasis upon the preached Word as pastor-centric and non-engaging, but such an accusation assumes too little about the listener's responsibility in corporate worship. Every individual in the congregation has responsibilities when the Word of God is preached. As we listen to the Word preached we want to aim at listening to it astutely, attentively, reverently, prayerfully, and responsively.

Some accuse the Protestant emphasis upon the preached Word as pastor-centric and non-engaging, but such an accusation assumes too little about the listener's responsibility in corporate worship. Every individual in the congregation has responsibilities when the Word of God is preached. As we listen to the Word preached we want to aim at listening to it astutely, attentively, reverently, prayerfully, and responsively.

The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals is member supported and operates only by your faithful support. Thank you.

Christward Collective is a conversation of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Christward Collective and the mission of the Alliance.

Ai, the Second Victory - Part Five

THEME: The Key to Victory

This week’s lessons recount Israel’s victory in their second attempt to conquer Ai.

SCRIPTURE:
Joshua 8:1-29


LESSON:

So when we look at this battle of the Jewish troops at Ai, we learn a great deal from the fact that there was no miracle this time. But notice that even though it was won by non-miraculous means, the victory was every bit as complete and every bit as much of a triumph as the victory that had been won at Jericho. You see, what God requires of us is not the experience of the unusual, but, instead, that kind of faithful obedience in everyday life, which really is the key to victory. From Israel’s point of view, the conquest of Jericho was no different than the conquest of Ai. In both cases, all they did was obey God in terms of His instructions for the battle. In one case they marched around the city, blew their trumpets, and shouted. In the other case they carried out a plan of military strategy. It was God who was laying out the strategy and giving the victory as it pleased Him. 

Think and Act Biblically from James Boice is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Think and Act Biblically and the mission of the Alliance.

Ai, the Second Victory - Part Four

THEME:The Normal Christian Life

This week’s lessons recount Israel’s victory in their second attempt to conquer Ai.

SCRIPTURE:
Joshua 8:1-29


LESSON:

Let me also point out that it’s not merely that God operates in different ways in different people. God also operates in different ways in our own lives, entirely apart from other people. At one point in your life, you have a particularly thrilling experience. Things just seem to go so well for you. You’ve been testifying to God’s grace to a neighbor, and the neighbor becomes a Christian. And not only is the neighbor a Christian, but the neighbor testifies to their family, who also become Christians. And you invite them to your church and everybody is so pleased with what is going on.

 

Think and Act Biblically from James Boice is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Think and Act Biblically and the mission of the Alliance.

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