Theological Treatises

  Movie Review: "A Great Awakening" Lesley and I just returned home from seeing the premier showing of the movie, "A Great Awakening."  It was really good--one of the best movies she or I have ever seen.  The casting is outstanding; the acting is fantastic; and the plot line is wonderful.  I do not know who produced this movie--but they should be congratulated on doing excellent work; and; more than that, for being unashamed of the gospel of grace.   The way the producers weave the themes of the American Constitutional Convention (held years after the end of the American Revolution), with savory effects of The Great Awakening, is masterful.  The man who plays Benjamin Franklin is so well-cast, that you could almost imagine this being the original Benjamin Franklin.   George Whitefield is the main character in the movie; and he is also spectacularly-cast.  His voice, his demeanor, and his ways are completely convincing; and...

  Walking In Heaven In the old King James Version, Philippians 3:20 reads this way:  "Our conversation is in heaven."   The Greek word for "conversation" can mean "citizenship," or even "commonwealth."  The point is, that for the regenerate saints of the true church, our "conversation," our life, our "citizenship," is indeed,  "in heaven" --even as we still dwell here on Earth, as the church militant.   . . . In fact, our most  real  "conversations" or lifestyles, or actions are in heaven, (even now).  They are the most  authentic  ones/the most  satisfying  ones/and the most  enduring  ones.   So, the obvious questions that must be answered, are,  "What  does this  mean?"   And,  "How  is this  achieved?"  . . . For the Christian saint to  "live in heaven,"  is to have his or her  mind  there,  united  to Christ and Hi...

  The Fear of God I confess, that for a long time I do not think I really understood what the Bible (mostly) meant, by the phrase,  "The Fear of God,"  or, " The Fear of the Lord."  . . . I knew that it was  not  a carnal, fleshly, slavish "fear" of a deity that would squash myself and other sinners if we did not obey; and who was always angry and perturbed.  I also knew that it had to be  more  than "respect" or "reverence"--though, clearly, those things are important, too. . . .   So, I have come to  believe  that  "The Fear of God"  is the  realization  that the one, true, holy, sovereign, powerful, and loving Triune Deity is  so inscrutably wise and wonderful --in both "positive" and "negative"  ways,  that my only  reasonable  response to Him, is  fear .   Think about it  this  way: should we not  fear  a God who could create the universe that ...

  The Hidden and Inner Life of The Saints of Christ's Church In Colossians 3:3, the Apostle Paul wrote these words:  "For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God,"  (ESV).  In Psalm 25:14, King David penned this sweet phrase:  "The secret of the L ORD  is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant,"  (NASB).  The aforementioned Paul also left this instruction to the Philippian church, in Php. 3:15-16:  "Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained,"  (ESV).   What  I desire to  say  in this paper, is that all of us  have  a "hidden" "inner" life.  Those who  love  God by sheer and sovereign grace, have this "hidden" life,  "With Christ in God."   This means that the church's regenerated saints have an inn...

  Our Lord Jesus Christ and Genghis Khan OK; so just  last  night I (inadvertently) came across Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's,  "Jesus Christ and Genghis Khan"  comment.  Today, I checked to see if it was real, or AI-generated.  (It is being reported to be authentic.)  Then, I saw the prime minister's apology.  I accept his apology. . . .   Still, it dawns on me, that this is an  interesting  comparison: our Lord Jesus, and Genghis Khan.  Mr. Khan was apparently quite a Chinese warrior, living in the late 12th/early 13th centuries.  But, compared to our Lord Jesus Christ, Genghis was quite "tame" as a military man.   Mr. Netanyahu explained that he was quoting the American historian Will Durant, when he (the prime minister) said what he did, about the Lord Jesus Christ and Genghis Khan. . . . If Will Durant really believed what he was quoted as penning, he (Durant) had...

  How Should We View Our Christian Lives On Earth? The longer I live, the more I think the question (posed in our title), needs to be answered, (as best as we  can  answer it).  Life on Earth, for all of us mortal creatures is extremely tenuous.  We do not ever know if we will draw our next breath, or not.  So, one thing we should face right away, is the fact that there are absolutely no guarantees that our lives will be prolonged; and we *are* assured that they will eventually come to an end in death (unless we are alive when Jesus returns in His last advent).   Now, the way for sincere regenerated Christians to view their lives down here on this fallen planet--in the church militant/the kingdom of God on Earth--is *entirely* through the "lens" of the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity.   If  and  as  we do this, we make our existence here not only meaningful; but also, in a v...