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Man-Made Tradition vs Apostolic Tradition

...in turn, teach the churches the "traditions" passed onto them. These early Christians well understood the difference between the “man made traditions” which Jesus warned against, and those of apostolic origin. Bishop of Carthage, Cyprian, who was a prominent early leader and writer (c. 250 AD), sums up the view on human tradition rather well, when he says: ...what presumption, to prefer human tradition to divine ordinance, and not to observe that God is indignant and angry as often as human tradition relaxes and passes by the divine precepts … for custom without truth is the antiquity of error. Cyprian, Epistle 73:3,9 In contrast, he also says this...

Kirk Cameron And The Biblical Case For Annihilationism

...s clear teaching on hell is known as eternal conscious torment. We firmly believe that this is the only correct biblical view. (source) Yet beneath the noise of social media grinding its gears is something far more ordinary and far more Christian: a believer wrestling seriously with Scripture, or as some would say, “being a Berean” (Acts 17:11). This is something we all should be doing, forming our views and doctrines from Scripture, not out-of-context social media video snippets and memes. Whether one agrees with Cameron’s conclusions or not, what is happening is not the abandonment of orthodoxy, but the resurfacing of a long-standing and legitimate t...

What is Contemplative Prayer?

...tions may teach this, I would say that is not the true essence of this ancient practice. Read; meditate; pray; contemplate I would never defend, nor advocate, any practice of emptying your mind, as this would be contrary to Scripture. What the bible repeatedly states is that we should be filling our minds with the things of God and scripture; focussing purely on God!   So let's take a look at the three basic tenets of this type of praying: silence, waiting, and meditating.   Silence Being silent before the Lord is not an unbiblical position. Nor is finding some quiet alone time with yourself and God. In fact, this is what Jesus instructed (a...

Lent: Day 1 - The Didache

...Day One: the Didache (in full) Who: Written by an anonymous author, possibly multiple sources compiled into one book at a later date. The title translates as “the teaching”, or in its full tithe: teaching of the Twelve Apostles. What: The Didache is basically a church handbook with a summarised collection of the basic teachings of the Church and Gospel, aimed at local church leaders and new converts. Why: Tradition has it as being a collection of the apostles teachings, so it was probably written to preserve this information as they grew older or died, or moved away from the communities they planted. When: Between 70-100 AD The Didache is one of my...

Do Christians And Muslims Really Worship The Same God?

...These teachings cannot both reflect the same God. 5) Can God Be Seen? What the Bible and Qur’an Say A final and often overlooked difference between YHWH and Allah lies in how (or if) God can be seen or encountered. The Bible: God Became Visible in Christ The Bible teaches that while God is Spirit and invisible by nature (John 4:24), He chooses to make Himself known in tangible ways — ultimately in Jesus Christ. ✅ John 1:14, 18 — “The Word became flesh and lived among us… No one has ever seen God; it is God the only Son… who has made him known.” ✅ Exodus 33:11 — “The LORD used to speak to Moses face to f...

An Examination of Conditional Immortality (Part One)

...ables and teaching on those who will be locked or thrown outside of the Kingdom, and it becomes clearer that this is a figure of speech displaying the anger of those people who aren’t allowed in, rather than any physical torment or fire put on them; Luke 13:28There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrown out. After analysing these texts, phrases and the underlying Greek words, I find it just threads everything together and keeps the whole of Scripture consistent in the message of the Gospel: turn to God and have life, else go your own way in sin and e...