Doctrine Isn't Practical?

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"All doctrine is practical, and all practice must be based on sound doctrine. Doctrine that is not practical is not healthy doctrine, and practice that is not doctrinal is not rightly based."

-- Charles Ryrie (in Balancing the Christian Life)

It seems that in a lot of churches today doctrine is a dirty word. I have often heard the misguided statement that doctrine isn't practical. People label doctrine as boring or irrelevant to their daily lives. The fact is that doctrine is vital to the Christian life. The above quote by Ryrie reinforces my view that doctrine is practical. Dr. Albert Mohler has written a great article along these same lines. You can find it here:
http://www.albertmohler.com/2004/07/02/why-doctrine-matters-2/ .

Why Couldn't Esau Repent?

What a terrible thing to want to repent and not be allowed to. Why would God withhold repentance from Esau who was obviously broken in spirit? Unfortunately for Esau, that seems to be what Hebrews 12:17 is saying. Here’s the verse in its immediate context: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. Heb. 12:15-17 (KJV) You are probably familiar with the story from Genesis chapter 25. Esau, the firstborn, returns from an exhausting day in the field and is hungry. He asks for some of Jacob’s stew and Jacob offers to sell a bowl of stew to Esau in exchange for Esau’s birthrigh...

The Abusive Positive Confession Heresy

I was asked today whether I believed in the "power of the tongue". The Christian who asked me this is from a charismatic background. What she wanted to know is if I believe that we can speak negative things into existence in our lives. Is it possible for me to create my own bad circumstances, i.e. cancer, sickness, tragedy, etc. by speaking them into existence? She referenced the fact that God created the universe by simply speaking. The implication is that words have power and, since we are created in God's image, our words have power also. Since God's words can create, then we, His image-bearers, should also be able to create with our words. We can literally speak things into existence, negative or positive. This idea is called "positive/negative confession". This is a heretical idea with no Scriptural support. The Got Questions? website ( http://www.gotquestions.org/positive-confession.html ) has a good refutation of ...

The Lord's Supper and Eating Unworthily

By far the most popular passage in Baptist churches concerning observing the Lord's Supper is 1 Corinthians 11:17-34. A particular focus has been placed on verses 27-31 quoted below from the King James Version that many of us grew up with. 27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. (1 Cor. 11:27-31 KJV) photo courtesy of www.freeimages.com Pastors often point to these verses as a warning to would be participants in the ordinance that they should first examine themselves so that they don't partake unworthily ...

Doctrinal Matters

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