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Recent Posts
- What is the Church?
- A Brief Analysis of the Millennial Kingdom
- A Brief Analysis of Israel in History and Prophecy
- Psalm 23
- Not of Works
- Reasons why we obey God
- A Commitment of the Heart
- When God Said “Do Not Pray”
- The Basics of Prayer
- The Meaning of Sin
- Treating Others with Dignity
- Helping the Poor
- Why Believers Show No Grace
- The Noetic Effects of Sin
- Original Sin
- The Worthless Person
- Bible Promises that Strengthen our Faith
- God’s Righteousness in the Future
- The Righteous Lifestyle of the Believer
- A Dispensational View of God’s Righteousness
- God’s Righteousness Imputed to the Believer
- God’s Righteousness at the Cross
- God’s Righteousness and Justice
- Biblical Righteousness: A Word Study
- The Righteousness of God
- God’s Favor Toward His People
- When a Believer Perpetually Sins
- What it Means to Follow Jesus
- The Lord’s Supper
- Christians Paying Taxes
- When Believers Hide
- Living in Babylon
- Divorce and Remarriage?
- Christianity is not a Religion
- Honor the Lord From Your Wealth
- Living By Grace
- The Characteristics of a Christian Leader
- God the King Maker
- What is Integrity?
- The Basics of Grace
- The Plain Interpretation of Scripture
- Religious Syncretism
- The Gospel in two Minutes
- God the Holy Spirit
- Jesus is God
- An Ambassador for Christ
- The Doctrine of Simultaneity
- Seven Kinds of Death in Scripture
- The Sin that Leads to Death
- The Sin of Idolatry
Author Archives: Steven R. Cook, D.Min.
What is the Church?
The church refers to the body of Christ which began on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2. It is comprised of Jews and Gentiles who have accepted Jesus as Savior. The church exists universally as an organism, the global presence of Christians who form the body of Christ. The church also exists locally as an organization, a nearby assembly of believers who gather together for Bible study, worship, fellowship, and the practice of the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The Christian church is a mystery not revealed in the Old Testament and is separate from Israel, having a different identity and purpose. Continue reading
Posted in Church, Dispensationalism, Hermeneutics, Hot Topics, Israel
Tagged dispensational distinctions, Dispensationalism, dispensationalism and the church, Does the church replace Israel?, Ecclesiology, Gentile Christians, Israel and the church, Jewish Christians, Jews and Gentiles, The body of Christ, the church and Israel, the church as an organism, the church as an organizatio, The church as the body of Christ, The church in the New Testament, the early church, the first century church, the house church, the living church, the local church, the meaning of ecclesia, The meaning of ekklesia, The purpose of the church, the study of the Church, The universal church, What is dispe... dispe... dispensationalism?, what is the church, what is the ekklesia
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A Brief Analysis of the Millennial Kingdom
The Bible reveals two aspects of God’s rule over His creation. The first is His universal rule in which He sovereignly decrees whatsoever comes to pass and “works all things after the counsel of His will” (Eph. 1:11). The second is God’s earthly rule in which He governs through a human mediatorial administrator. The first account of such a rule is found in Genesis where the Lord assigned Adam and Eve to rule over the whole world (Gen. 1:26-28). Continue reading
Posted in Christian Theology, Dispensationalism, Israel, Prophecy
Tagged a dispensational view of God's kigndom, Are Christians advancing God's kingdom?, are we living in God's kingdom?, Are we living in the kingdom?, Is Satan ruling now?, Is Satan the god of this world?, Is the kingdom being advanced now?, is the kingdom now, is the kingdom on earth?, Is the millennial kingdom literal?, Israel rejected the kingdom offer, Jesus offered the kingdom to Israel, The church is not living in the kingdom, the kingdom God, The kingdom in prophecy, the kingdom of heaven, The kingdom on earth, The Messianic kingdom, the millennial kingdom, The universal kingdom, what does the Bible say about the kingdom in prophecy, What does the Bible say about the kingdom?
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A Brief Analysis of Israel in History and Prophecy
Both Covenant and Dispensational theologians agree that God made promises to Abraham of land, seed, and blessing (Gen. 12:1-3; 13:13-17; 15:17; 17:26; Deut. 29:1-29; 30:1-10; 2 Sam. 7:16; Ps. 89:33-37; Jer. 31:31-33). The difference lies in that Covenant theologians believe that God has fulfilled all those promises to Abraham, whereas Dispensationalists believe God will fulfill those promises in the future. Continue reading
Posted in Christian Theology, Dispensationalism, Hermeneutics, Israel, Prophecy
Tagged Are the biblical covenants still in effect?, Biblical Covenants, biblical promises, covenant promises, Dispensational theology and Israel, Does Israel have a future?, Dr. Andy Woods, Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum, God loves Israel, God promised the land to Israel, Has God already fulfilled His promises to Israel?, Israel future, Israel in history, Israel in History and Prophecy, Israel in prophecy, Israel present, Isreal past, Jesus is the promised Messiah, Jesus will sit on David's throne, The Abrahamic covenant, the Abrahamic promises, The future of Israel, What is Israel's future?
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Psalm 23
The 23rd psalm is known and appreciated by many, but it belongs personally only to those who call God their shepherd. It is a song of David’s confidence in God who faithfully provides for him. David pictures God as a shepherd who guides, provides, and protects (vss. 1-4), and as a dinner host who nourishes and refreshes His guest (vs. 5-6). One gets the impression that David wrote this psalm at a time when he was experiencing hardship (perhaps when he was fleeing in the wilderness from Absalom). The psalm reveals a confidence in David’s soul, no doubt the result of his relationship with God and his trust in the LORD’s goodness and loyal-love. Whatever threat David was facing, he could rely on God’s goodness and lovingkindness, and David knew the end of his life would be “in the house of the LORD forever” (vs. 6). Continue reading
Posted in Biblical Exegesis, Christian Theology, Living by Faith, Suffering & Persecution
Tagged A psalm of David, David as shepherd, David killed the bear, David killed the lion, faith in troubling times, God as our Shepherd, God as Shepherd, God is with me, God's love and goodness, God's loyal love, God's shepherds feed His people, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul, I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever, I will fear no evil, Jesus is the good Shepherd, Jesus is the great Shepherd, Lie down in green pastures, Psalm 23, Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, the 23rd Psalm, The Lord is my Shepherd, The meaning of chesed, The name of the LORD, the name of YHWH, The valley of the shadow of death, You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, Your rod and staff comfort me
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Not of Works
Christians are saved by what Jesus accomplished for us at the cross and not by any good works we produce. Good works should follow salvation, but they are never the condition of it. Continue reading
Posted in Christian Theology, God's Grace, Hot Topics, Salvation
Tagged Are good works necessary for salvation?, do good works save?, Does God accept our good works?, God's riches at Christ's expense, good works do not save, How we are saved, Jesus paid it all, Must we do good works to be saved?, Not of works, we are not saved by good works, we are not saved by human works, We are saved by faith in Christ, We are saved by God's grace, We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, works do not save
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A Commitment of the Heart
Good and evil reflect a commitment of the heart, and this commitment determines our values and actions, either good or bad. Who are you? Are you one who has set your heart to turn away from God and live as you please? Is your will more important than His? Or, are you one who has an honest and good heart that welcomes God and His Word and who submits yourself to doing His will? I hope it’s the latter. Your words and actions will show it. Continue reading
Posted in Christian Theology, Hamartiology, Hot Topics
Tagged a commitment of the heart, agapao, Good and evil, Hebrew ra, Is there a good heart?, is your heart bad?, is your heart evil, is your heart good?, Love for God, love of evil, love of good, the evil heart, the heart of man, the orientation of the heart, the reason for evil, the source of evil, the source of good, what comes out of the heart, who are you?, why do we disobey God?, why do we do evil?, why do we do good?, why do we sin, why is the heart bad?, why is the heart evil?, why we disobey God, why we love the approval of men and not God, why we love the darkness, why we obey God
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