Jonah’s Decision

One of the most interesting characters in all of the Bible has to be Jonah the prophet. Just about everyone knows at least some of the story of Jonah, especially the part where he is swallowed up by the big fish (most of the stories, especially children’s stories, say it was a whale) and, after three days, is spat up by the fish unto dry land. But often we read Jonah’s adventure without really understanding what the book is all about. In the story of Jonah, we are faced with some very important issues that we all come face to face with at one time or another. They are the sovereignty of God, man’s decisions and Jesus’ resurrection. And it is God’s sovereignty that I’d like to discuss briefly here.

Faith and Works: They Are Not Opposites!

One of the ever-present issues that the church of Christ faces is maintaining a balance between what it believes and what it does. All too often, those churches that emphasize knowledge show a weakness in putting that knowledge into practice. The reverse is also often true: many churches are so immersed in what they, as a church, do that their knowledge of the doctrine of Christ and his word suffers. You often hear preachers pleading with their hearers to ensure that they do not neglect the “weightier matters of the law” while at the same time not relegating the others to second banana status. This, it seems to me, is a problem that demands our attention as the body of Christ and against which we must constantly guard ourselves if we are to be an effective organism.

The Enlightenment and the Church

For the past several months my wife and I have been watching a series on the history of the church produced by Ligonier Ministries. The presenter, Robert Godfrey, is a teaching fellow at the Ligonier School and a church historian. The programs have been extremely informative and the presenter’s wit and humor give the episodes added appeal.