We feel enormously uncomfortable distinguishing between those who are Christian and those who are not within the church. John doesn’t. In fact, he has left the church tests by which to identify genunie Christianity from false. The reason this matters … Read more
Tag: Obedience
1 John. Reprise. Keep yourself from idols
John wants uncertain and damaged communities to have certainty, assurance in God. The certainty that John wants Christians to have is a discerning and tested assurance – not an unexamined fundamentalism. His path to certainty and assurance are truth (about … Read more
2 Thessalonians 3.1-18. Deliver us from evil (Advent 4)
Paul wants the Thessalonians to be protected from evil from within and without. The evil they face takes the forms of persection (chapter 1), false teaching (chapter 2) and false living (chapter 3). What Paul writes about church discipline in … Read more
Leviticus 26:1-26. Blessing and curse
We are used to promises and penalties in our commerical contracts. What Leviticus addresses in its closing clauses is the carrot and stick of relating to God under the old covenant. These themes carry through into our lives now and … Read more