April 2015 - The Nicene Nerd

Grace > Wrath, Or “Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment”

Mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:13b See that verse? It says something quite beautiful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. And is this not just what we need? If judgment triumphed over mercy, we would all be doomed, for instead of Christ on the Cross for us we would ourselves all suffer God’s wrath. Yet there is a … Continue reading

Reflections on Cinderella

Last Saturday night was date night for my lovely wife and me. Since our baby Nathan is old enough to stay with his grandmother for a few hours these days, we could go out for dinner and a movie for the first time in forever. What movie did we see? Cinderella. And I will admit to the face-palming of … Continue reading

Every Eye Open If You Want to Get Saved

“Now none of this matters if you don’t already have a relationship with Jesus Christ,” the preacher says with a shift of tone. “Without Him, you can’t live an abundant life. So here’s what I want you to do. With eye head bowed and every eye closed, if you want to accept Jesus Christ into … Continue reading

Jesus Is Still Human! (And Why It Matters)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. He was lifted up and glorified, and then the Word was no longer flesh. Huh? I’ve heard it said by more than one person that Jesus is no longer human. Once … Continue reading

An Experimental Framework for Justification

Justified. So we are as believers. We stand before God in some kind of right relationship. We know that this is done because of Jesus’ work for us. But the Bible can be a bit unclear on the details. As I mentioned in a recent post, both Catholic and Protestant views have strengths and weaknesses … Continue reading

How Serious Was Jesus About Anger?

Anger. It’s an emotion we all experience. Sometimes we just get mad; we start feeling hostile and upset towards people or things. This is just a part of life, or at least that is how it too often seems. People just get angry. No big deal, right? Unfortunately for all of us, Jesus was pretty … Continue reading

Augustine on Open Theism

Ever heard of open theism? If you haven’t, open theism is an umbrella term for a variety of doctrines of God which hold this in common: God does not have total foreknowledge of all future events. For most of my readers, I’m sure this an unfamiliar and very bizarre sounding position, but unfortunately open theism does have growing … Continue reading

Witness with Your Inside Voice

Have you ever heard of a BHAG? (That’s a Big Hairy Audacious Goal, if you don’t know.) What about the book Radical? Or can you imagine a college student dressing in funny blue pants and a massive afro wig? Whether you are familiar with all of these things or not, they represent a common thread … Continue reading

How God is Simple, and Why That is Good News (Divine Simplicity and the Cross)

So I had this thought while I was taking a walk yesterday. I had been thinking about the term “holy love” which is occasionally used in theology. This brought me to the doctrine of divine simplicity. A few of you here probably already know that that means, but for those of you who don’t, divine simplicity takes … Continue reading

There Is No Life Possible in A Covenant of Works

“Do this and you will live.” This statement, taken from the Bible, has become the main basis for the idea in Reformed theology of a “covenant of works.” What is the covenant of works? Here’s Reformed covenant theology 101: In covenant theology, there are two or three primary covenants revealed in redemptive history. The first, … Continue reading