Is Israel the Chosen People of God?

 We must not assign a special or mystical status to the modern-day secular nation of Israel. They are a people just like every other people on earth who needs to repent and turn to Christ. If judgment day were today, all who reject the Lord, Jews and Greeks, would be one in hell, delivered over to the wrath of God for rejecting Christ. And while the New Testament does allude to a national revival that will come to the people of Israel in the future (Romans 11), that revival is solely and squarely because they will one day abandon their secularism, leave their paganism and idolatry behind, and bowed the knee to King Jesus.

I share this because there is nothing covenantally or spiritually significant about modern-day Israel. Sure, they are people made in the image of God. And, politically, I do agree that they are an expedient ally in the Middle Eastern region. But, from a covenantal standpoint, they do not have God’s favor upon them in any unique sense. They are the branch that was cut off and we are the branch that the Lord’s pure grace has grafted in.

To finish this article, go to Is Israel the Chosen People of God? 

 By KENDALL LANKFORD

What’s in a Title?

What's in a Title?

 Should titles have a different role for men and women in the church? 

O. PALMER ROBERTSON NOV 8, 2023

Current discussion in the evangelical community buzzes about titles, especially the use of church officer titles for women. Should a woman be called a “minister?” A “pastor?” An “elder?” A “deacon?” In some ecclesiastical circles these questions have little significance. But in other church communities more strongly committed to the Bible as God's infallible Word, the question of church titles for women can be vigorously debated.

During a recent church meeting, one argument seemed quite persuasive for allowing women to be called deacons, if not pastors and elders. The person framed his statement something like this.....

Church Attendance

 28% of Americans attend church weekly

The latest General Social Survey found 49% of adults in the U.S. say they believe in God with no doubts. Only 6.8% said they did not believe in God while 7.5% were agnostic. The rest of the population expressed some kind of doubtful belief in God or a higher power. 

Over 60% of respondents said they have not experienced a turning point in their lives when they committed themselves to Christ. Thirty-eight percent said they have.

And  28% of Americans attend church regularly, 32% never attend, and 40% attend infrequently. 

Jesus said in Revelation 2:15-16, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”

Answering Pro-abortion Arguments: “What About the Life of the Mother?”

  

What is the biblical response to complicated medical situations in pregnancy?

The main thing to consider regarding these rare and difficult situations is how doctors and others can do their best to maintain the lives and health of both the mother and the baby (or babies). All are image bearers of God and deserve respect and care, before and after birth. “Pro-choice” advocates mainly offer one choice for the mother: the death of her child. They want to keep allowing the murder of babies for any reason—even for instance, if the baby is a different sex than what the parents were hoping for (with female babies being more often “selected” for termination in a twisted irony for those who would mistakenly call abortion a women’s rights issue). But we, as Christians, can come alongside these women and families in these difficult circumstances and offer hope and help, while respecting all these precious lives and encouraging their health and survival.  (from Answers in Genesis)

 

Images of Christ: Reconsidering a Common Exception

Larger Catechism question 109 states

“What sins are forbidden in the second commandment?

 The sins forbidden in the second commandment are, all devising, counseling, commanding, using, and any wise approving, any religious worship not instituted by God himself; the making any representation of God, of all or of any of the three persons, either inwardly in our mind, or outwardly in any kind of image or likeness of any creature whatsoever; all worshiping of it, or God in it or by it; the making of any representation of feigned deities, and all worship of them, or service belonging to them; all superstitious devices, corrupting the worship of God, adding to it, or taking from it, whether invented and taken up of ourselves, or received by tradition from others, though under the title of antiquity, custom, devotion, good intent, or any other pretense whatsoever; simony; sacrilege; all neglect, contempt, hindering, and opposing the worship and ordinances which God hath appointed.”

Common Rationale #1

The common objection to this portion of the catechism usually concerns images of Christ. Specifically, men taking this exception will acknowledge that images of Christ should not be used for worship, but they see no problem with images being used for didactic purposes, by which they mean that they see no problem using images of Christ to teach children. This is so common an exception it’s often called the “Jesus Storybook Bible exception.” However, the problem is that images of God will be connected to worship and that education should be connected to worship.

As always, we should begin by considering scripture itself. Exodus 20:4-6 says, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶ but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

What’s frequently overlooked when considering the second commandment is the fact that it contains two imperatives, not one. In forbidding idols this commandment does not simply say “You shall not worship them.” It says much more than that. It first says in verse four that you shall not make them. Significantly, the language does not say “You shall not make them in order to worship them.” The Hebrew conjunction ‎ לְמַעַן generally translated “in order that” is conspicuously absent. Verse four is a separate sentence in Hebrew as well as English. The second commandment has always been “you shall not make any idols” and “you shall not worship them.” No Israelite could ever make an image of God or any other gods and plead its acceptability on account of its not being used for worship, but only didactic purposes.

Continue reading ...

 

Finnish Member of Parliament is Acquitted of ‘Hate Speech’ for Quoting the Bible

Today in Finland, lawyers for Member of Parliament Paivi Rasanen and Bishop Juhana Pohjola will make their final arguments defending the two against “hate crimes” charges for publicly expressing their Christian beliefs. While intended to suppress Christianity and criminalize the Bible, with ramifications for the entire West, the prosecution has also created opportunities to proclaim Christian theology all over the world, Rasanen told The Federalist in an exclusive interview last week.

“I was happy to have the possibility to also tell the gospel—the solution to the problem of sin—in front of the court and in front of the media,” she said. Speaking about the first day of her trial, which occurred in January, Rasanen said, “When so many people were praying for the day, God also answered the prayers. It was quite a hard day, but I thought it was a privilege to stand for the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion and stand for the truth of the Bible.”

Watch an interview with Paivi Rasanen here.

Paivi is a great example of a Christian standing firm for the truth of Scripture in the public square, using the free speech in her country to speak for Christ.

The Importance of Gathering for Worship

 The Importance of Gathering for Worship

by Jon Payne January 18, 2022

Is gathered (in-person) worship optional for Christians? The question is a profoundly relevant one, especially in our day of endless online services and superficial views of public worship. The Bible’s answer is unmistakably clear: No, gathered worship is not optional. In fact, it’s a divine requirement for every follower of Christ. Indeed, unless providentially hindered by legitimate impediments such as illness or perilous weather, believers are commanded to assemble for worship in the context of a biblically constituted church (Heb. 10:24–25)—that is, a local body of believers who are under the loving shepherding care and discipline of qualified elders. These elders oversee the souls of Christ’s flock and faithfully execute the preaching of the Word, the administration of the sacraments, and the public prayers (Acts 2:42; 14:23; Eph. 4:11–16; 1 Tim. 3:1-13). Gathered worship in a biblical church is, therefore, a nonnegotiable—an essential mark and means of Christian piety, discipleship, and witness. The church is certainly more than the sacred assembling of believers on the Lord’s Day, but it is never less than that.

Continue Reading......