America on America

Food for Body and Soul

The Love Grenade

Ad of the Month

The Masked Arminian Pastor #17

Corky's Grenades

Corky Velveeta has an arsenal of his own grenades. They are ever present in a compartment within his Romans 9 costume. He calls them his pets and each one is named "Ben" because the truth of God's Sovereign Grace has "been" in the Bible from day one. This grenade is a "light" grenade that produces a spectacular flash of light to any Arminian that might be present. 

Noah's Ark in On-Line Photos

For Googlers:

To enlarge right click on pic and a pop-up pops up. Choose "Open image in new tab". Then, click on new tab located now at the tab bar at the top. Now you will be able to increase the size with the little, tiny magnifying glass provided. Thanks goes to Walter Kovacs for bringing this problem to my attention a second time.

Arminian Antics #92

Hunger Games

To "Dis" Grace

Christians and profanity: What does the Bible say?

by Hal Lane

“What’s the big deal about profanity?” It’s a question I sometimes hear from young people who consider profanity a normal part of modern communication. Indeed, some Christian leaders in supposedly “cutting-edge” ministries use profanity in their presentations in an attempt to relate to the street language many unsaved people use.

What is profanity? The word profane literally means “outside the temple.” The term originally identified people or things that were secular as opposed to religious. The proliferation of profanity in American culture indicates secularization and an attack on Christian values. Media ratings of movies, music and videos continue to use language as a criterion, but standards of censorship on public airwaves are clearly eroding.

Profanity is used for shock value in expressing anger and humor. The words often are associated with sexuality and filth. Names of the Deity are used to bring additional potency and irreverence to the expressions. It is worth noting in our politically correct culture that the blasphemous use of the names of God and Jesus Christ are not regarded as “hate speech.”

The Bible recognizes the power of words. God spoke His creation into existence, and the gift of speech is one aspect of man’s creation in the image of God (Gen. 2:19-20). In the revelation of God’s law, words as well as actions are assigned moral values. Lying, blasphemy, taking the Lord’s name in vain, and cursing are examples of sinful speech forbidden in the Mosaic Law.

The New Testament also commands believers to be pure in speech by controlling their tongues: “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who are made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things should not be this way” (James 3:9-10). Christians should honor the purpose of speech by using our mouths to praise God and leading others to obey the Lord through faith in Jesus Christ. Every word we speak should be “gracious” and “seasoned with salt” (Col. 4:6). We should always ask, “What would Jesus say?”

Christians are called upon to live differently and to act differently than the world of unbelievers. I do not need to speak profanity to win a cursing unbeliever anymore than I need to drink alcohol to win an alcoholic. The words of Scripture have all the potency and power we need to reach the heart of the lost.

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, LORD, my rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

Hal Lane is pastor of West Side Baptist Church in Greenwood, South Carolina, and chairman of the trustees of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

Isn't that Special?

The Masked Arminian Pastor

A Very Common Error Among Preachers, Teachers and Theologians

I see this theological error everywhere. Some of the giants of the faith have made it. Theology books have included this error when discussing the person of Christ. It appears in the ESV Study Bible on a chart on page 2495. I have made this mistake myself in the past. This is a very important distinction in the very words of Scripture.

Jesus is referred to (see 1 Corinthians 15:45) as the "LAST ADAM" (not the second) to show that he is not one of a possible series, but the ONLY alternative to the first Adam.
A few verses later (1 Corinthians 15:47) the word "second" does indeed occur in connection with Christ.

1st man was of the dust of the earth
2nd Man from Heaven

...and here "second Man" (not last) is very appropriate for two reasons:


1. Adam in his innocence was man as God created man, man as God intended him to be, true man. When sin entered the race, man ceased to be man as originally created (for sin always reduces rather than adds. Consequently, Jesus Christ in His sinless humanity was indeed the "second Man", the ONLY figure in history since the fall to stand as fully man in the world!


2. The whole point of His mission as the second Man "from Heaven" was that He might not be the LAST MAN, but rather, the beginning of a new series, the foundation of a new humanity, the "first born" among many brothers. (Romans 8:29)


However, His "success" as "the second Man" depends on His relation to us as "the Last Adam".
(It helps me to think of Noah as the "second Adam" because he was the one God gave the same charge to replenish the earth - note: the Bible never calls Noah the second Adam, it is just to help me remember that Noah fulfilled this role already.)


A full treatment of this is in chapter 14 of "The Glory of Christ" by Peter Lewis. (published by Moody)

Blood Shed

I have heard many a preacher say that Christ blood was spilled at the cross. This is not so! The Greek is more precise, and so should we be if we want to communicate God's purpose and redemptive plan. The Bible NEVER says Christ spilled his blood on Calvary. It ALWAYS uses the word "shed". 

"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
                                                                                       Matthew 26: 26-28

Rob Bell Produces New Movie

For cryin' out loud...click on the poster so youse guys can read the fine print!

Arminian Antics #72

The First Large Print Bible

Arminian Antics #62

Two Things Granted

Gary Larson and Ephesians 6:1-3

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.