Linkathon!
What are the greatest dangers to Christianity today?
Can a Christian lose salvation?
Being a biology teacher in a Christian school…
Evangelicals and spiritual formation…
Your favorite verse in Job may not mean what you think it does…
4 little known facts about the Bible that suggest it can be trusted…
If you can’t so no, your yes means nothing…
How to avoid the folly of the Pharisees…
Matt Redmond’s random thoughts…
MacArthurs first salvo against the “social Gospel”…
How much power do secrets have over the Christian?
The Tom Chantry trial continues…
Much thanks as always to EricL…support him at top right…
Regarding the MacArthur link, this paragraph fairly summarizes his main point this week:
“Sometime after I entered full-time ministry, it dawned on me (to my profound shock) that the greatest threats to biblical truth typically arise from within the fellowship of professing believers—and it is a relentless parade of attacks. Looking back through church history, I realized that’s how it has always been. There has never been a time when false doctrines, harmful methodologies, unwholesome practices, bizarre beliefs, poisonous ideologies, and false teachers weren’t troubling the church of God—often with seriously divisive and otherwise spiritually destructive results.”
On this point, that the greatest threats to the church and sound doctrine, come from within and not from without the church, I entirely agree. Luther also taught as much.
Ironically, to a Lutheran, MacArthur is one of the very inside threats he is writing about. But on the overall point, he is correct. Anyone can identify an atheist or manifest sinner; false doctrine by wolves masquerading in sheep’s clothing is more difficult to identify and mark, especially by saints who are very trusting and not well studied.
Warnock’s article Can a Christian Lose His Salvation is so whacked out I can’t believe it – Heck I can’t even understand his point.
Did he really say to be saved we must be obedient and he made a New Year resolution to do such???
I don’t know who he is – anyone know?
MLD,
I should have read that link before I posted it.
Warnock has been around as long as I have and often has had good insights.
This article is not one of them.
My apologies.
Only read the link on How to Avoid the Folly of the Pharisees….I think the point he’s making is that God’s standard is so above what the greatest of perfectionists can attain, that we all fall short of the glory of God. Would you agree that’s what he’s saying, because, duh (sorry for the attitude), isn’t that what scripture says? We are nothing without Him.
Those seeking Catholic mystical practices to connect with God are not connected to God. You can’t improve upon the filling of the Holy Spirit — and that isn’t done through so-called spiritual exercises. How sad for those empty vessels who have to find counterfeit experiences to fill up on.
Ms. ODM
1. The article did not mention “mystical practices”.
2. You set aside 2000 years of Christians who have followed disciplined spiritual exercise as a part of spiritual development… which you obviously do not know.
3. I find it amazingly arrogant that you feel competent to decide what is and what is not “counterfeit experiences”.
3. To judge Christian brothers and sisters by calling them “empty vessels” is simply appalling…
Just saying…
Spiritual exercises are simply an extension of being filled with the Spirit.