Backsliding, Reparative Therapy, Being ‘Above Reproach,’ and Did David Rape Bathsheba?
An encouragement, some important links, and the latest TheoBros podcasts.
“Backsliding begins with dusty Bibles.”
—Charles Spurgeon
From Yahoo!
A Lafayette, Indiana man quickly sprung into action to save five children from a burning house after it went up in flames early Monday morning.
A camera worn by a police officer arriving on the scene captured the moment Nicholas Bostic, 25, was running out of the home while carrying a 6-year-old child to safety.
Bostic told police he was driving by the home when he saw it was on fire, according to NBC affiliate WTHR in Indianapolis. He pulled over and ran inside the house, where he found four children, ranging in ages 1 to 18.
When we think of danger, we usually think of running into a burning building to save a child, bungee jumping, or swimming in a pool during a lightning storm. All of these are certainly dangerous, but the danger of parachuting out of a plane or swimming with sharks pales in comparison to neglecting regular, consistent Bible reading.
Jeremiah 17:5-6 says,
“Thus says the Lord: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.
He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come.
He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.”
The person who trusts in himself is doomed to a fruitless, pointless, hopeless existence. He is “cursed,” which means he is separated from the glorious joy of God’s presence, wisdom, and fellowship. He wanders aimlessly through life, is filled with confusion rather than clarity, and lives in constant fear of the world around him.
Such is the life of those who neglect their Bibles and lean on their own understanding. Jesus put it this way in the parable of the wise and foolish man in Matthew 7:24-27:
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
You might be a risk-taker, but don’t you dare gamble with your soul. Pick up your Bible, read it, pray through it, memorize it, and make it your life — before it’s too late.
Important Links:
“When I dismissed reparative therapy as harmful, I was running roughshod with over-generalizations…”
“Using the common understanding of rape to mean one person violently forcing himself on another, this interpretation is not supported by the Bible. There is no indication from the text that rape led to Bathsheba’s pregnancy. Other Old Testament passages depicting violent rape (Genesis 34:1–2; 2 Samuel 13:14) use different terminology than this account. Nothing in Scripture supports the idea that David overpowered Bathsheba and forcibly defiled her.”
“One of the greatest hindrances to faithful ministry in our day has been an uncrucified lust for the world’s praise.”
Check Out the Latest ‘TheoBros Podcast’ Episodes
The inimitable, always-classy Colin Lundstrom joins my humble, meager attempt at a podcast to share about his health journey.
In this episode, I talk about the James Webb Telescope, Russell Moore’s “Dereliction of Duty.” I offer advice for young men headed for ministry, and then answer questions about Bob Kauflin and Aaron Rogers.
Episode 25: Expository Parenting, Greater Than Aaron, Mark Dever, Limited Atonement, and Discernment with Josh Niemi
It was a pleasure chatting with Josh Niemi. Josh Niemi is the founder of Expository Parenting Ministries and the author of the books Expository Parenting and Greater Than Aaron: The Supremacy of Christ’s Limited Atonement. He’s married to Jill, and they have three children.
"Mark Driscoll, Ergun Caner and the Factions and Fictions of Evangelicalism"
https://theopolisinstitute.com/mark-driscoll-ergun-caner-and-the-factions-and-fictions-of-evangelicalism/