As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
I experienced all kinds of weather playing eight years of high school and college football in Wisconsin—from the burning heat of August to the frigid cold of November. I only remember one snowfall, during a practice in my last season in college. But I remember rain—lots and lots of rain and, especially, lots of mud.
“Some theologians argue it’s wrong to forgive an impenitent offender, while others say it’s wrong not to. Let’s review the arguments for both options and see if we can find a solution.” - TGC
“A humble man, his point was that work often seemed like a necessary evil…. But is this how we should think of our jobs, as meaningless?” - Ligonier
The term ἀδιάφορα (adiaphora), literally, matters that are to be viewed with indifference or that make no difference, does not appear in the Christian Scriptures and does not feature significantly in Christian Theology until the Reformation era. The term does, however, predate the Christian period by several centuries, being well-established in Greek philosophy/ethics. For instance,
“Am I … determined to please Him in everything I do, or am I about my own profit, seeking to game the system to my best ability so that I can get what I want within the rules?” - Kevin Schaal
“He works through us to love our neighbor; he works in and through and with us in his presence to meet our neighbors’ needs….Work is a response to the work that he did for us.” - IFWE
“First, let me remind readers that there is no way that the Apostle Paul (who wrote these words) is accidently contradicting himself. If Paul is anything as an author, he is intentional. So if this isn’t a contradiction, what’s going on?” - Kenneth Berding
“Russell and Jay discussed several of the faith and work concepts found in Russell’s book, Immanuel Labor: God’s Presence In Our Profession. Below is a partial transcript” - IFWE
“Distinct yet inseparable explains who God is and how God works in his world. It explains what he has created us to be and how he has called us to live within the church.” - Challies
An article at Proclaim & Defend last week raised the question “Do We Still Believe in Backsliding?” For me, the answer is, “Yes, but not in the way you mean.”
In general, we should describe the Christian life using biblical language in a biblical way. When we do that, we avoid a lot of misunderstanding or misemphasis. So, considering the topic of backsliding, we should start with three questions:
Discussion