Ironmen

"The Plan of Grace"

2005-10-21T09:22:00.000-07:00

With each chapter that we cover from "The Christian Life: A Doctrianl Introduction" by Sinclair Ferguson we will have a post for everyone to comment on.

This weeks chapter was Chapter 3, the Plan of Grace.

A few Questions for you:

What did you think of the chapter?

Was it something new for you?

Are there any other Scripture passages other than those in the chapter that come to mind?

*Respond to these questions, ask your own questions, or give us your thoughts by commenting to this post.*

Queen of Sciences vs. Tetragrammaton

2005-10-11T07:56:00.000-07:00

This quote from C.H. Spurgeon reminds us what practical doctrine really is:

“In too many cases the sublime truths are held in abeyance under the pretence that they are not practical; whereas the very fact that they are revealed proves the Lord thinks them to be of value, and woe unto us if we pretend to be wiser than He.”

Excerpt taken from "Lectures To My Students"
XXIII On Conversion As Our Aim
pg 336

Spurgeon's words are amazingly applicable to the Church today. Unfortunately we have a lot of people who walk around calling themselves Christian, but when doctrine is discussed they are found to be more than lacking. People have become afraid of doctrine in large part because they do not understand how intensely practical it really is. Many have become squemish about doctrine because they have seen the results of bad doctrine. This is understandable, but no less dangerous.

Dr. Daniel Ebert (Clearwater Christian College)
"There is a parallel between this reaction against theology and the Jewish Tradition, which avoids the pronunciation of the Sacred Name or Tetragrammaton (YHWH). The desire not to violate the third commandment, and take the Lord's name in vain, was a noble one. But the over reaction of not pronouncing the Tetragrammaton at all, resembled superstition, and in the end has led to a lack of proper knowledge. Today no one knows for sure how the Divine Name was originally pronounced. So it is with theology. Those who fear its abuse, and avoid doing it at all, render a disservice to the Church. In the end there is the loss of true knowledge, which is essential to the health of God's people. The proper course is not to avoid theology altogether, but rather to do it responsibly."

We must fight to preserve sound theology by emphasizing its practicality. We must not relinquish the doctrines that God has given to us, or else the generations that follow us will have nothing to stand on. When God revealed these truths He did so because they would be profitable to us; so let us labor furiously to take advantage of God's gift and be sound theologians.

We must not neglect biblical Theology; we must fight to preserve the "queen of sciences."

*This post was originally posted by Paul Shirley on Sept. 29th, 2005.*

Next Meeting

2005-10-06T06:34:00.000-07:00

Don't forget, next Tuesday the 11th we will be meeting at the church to continue our discussion on practical theology.

Continue to be in prayer for our meeting. Pray that our conversation would be seasoned with salt, and that we will honor God in what we do.

*Remember: Tuesday the 11th at 6:00am.*

Why Theology Matters

2005-09-29T08:07:00.000-07:00

Hanging over my place of study as a perpetual reminder of the inseparable link between good doctrine and practical Christian living and, thus, the importance of biblical theology to Christian ministry, is this incisive observation from Maurice Roberts in his wonderful book The Thought of God (p. 10):

The Reformers were first and foremost religious men...Their writings evidence this fact. None more so than Calvin's Institutes, which is a book about religion rather than a textbook on theology. The pages of Calvin's writings are instinct with a sense of the ineffable greatness of God and our consequent obligation to love, serve, obey and enjoy him. Calvin is not content to inform the mind. He challenges the conscience and warms the heart. His motive is to save his hearers, not just educate them.

Men, we must educate our minds scripturally with the goal of stirring our affections, resulting in transformed lives, all to the glory of God!

Practical Doctrine

2005-09-28T09:30:00.000-07:00

Ironmen

2005-09-28T08:17:00.000-07:00

Iron sharpens iron,
So one man sharpens another.

Proverbs 27:17