Month: November 2017
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Faith and the Sea of Life
Don: Faith is often mentioned alongside grace. works, and will; as well as alongside two sort-of subsidiary words: belief and hope. Metaphorically, we are on a sea of life which is sometimes tumultuous, stormy, violent, and always unpredictable. It is comparatively quieter and safer to remain on land. But the grass seems greener on the…
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The Fear of Faith?
Jay: Last week we ended with a mention of the incident where Jesus walked on the water. Matthew, alone among the Gospels, recounts that Peter tried to walk on the water too: Immediately He [Jesus] made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the…
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Of Figs, Faith, and Doubt IV
Jay: Last week, we began to delve into the relationship between faith, grace, and “works”. These three verses address each in turn (emphasis added): Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves,…
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Of Figs, Faith, and Doubt III
Jay: Does faith come from within us, or externally, from God? In either case, what is our responsibility for maintaining it? Is faith without works dead, as James said? Does faith naturally result in good works, or must they be striven for? Was Rahab’s placing of the scarlet cord in her window her “work” that…