Protestants and images of Christ

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:4-6)

When God delivered the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai the application of the second commandment was clear to all. Having come out of the land of Egypt, the Israelites had been surrounded by idol worship, the many Egyptian gods depicted in the form of statues and hieroglyphics. The children of Israel had been living among the Egyptians for many years and had been influenced greatly by that idolatry. Evidence of this was clearly seen by Moses as he descended from the mount to find the people worshipping a gold calf which they had instructed Aaron to build. This was not to be the last time that the people would turn to idol worship, indeed not until they had endured seventy years of Babylonian captivity did they finally turn from it.

The awe of God

Psalm 33:8 says 'Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him'. This verse gives us a principle which ought to govern every aspect of our lives; namely that we should be in awe of God; having that feeling of fearful wonder coupled with adoration. The Collins English Dictionary gives two definitions of awe; Firstly that of it being 'overwhelming wonder, admiration, respect, or dread' and secondly that it is 'power to inspire fear or reverence'. These definitions do go some way to explaining how we ought to be in awe of God, and the effect that awe should have upon us. So much of the awe of God has been lost in today's church, and one reason for this must surely be that we do not have the right understanding of the person and nature of God.

The need for a 'breach of the peace'

Twice within the last week baptist pastor Josh Williamson has been arrested in Perth, Scotland whilst preaching in the open air. The allegation was that his preaching was causing, or was likely to cause a breach of the peace. What many people do not realise is that a 'breach of the peace' is exactly what the United Kingdom currently needs. By that statement we do not mean that there is a need for public disorder or violence, but that there is a a need for people to be shaken out of their indifference to the gospel, their lives disturbed and changed by the preaching of the word of God. Throughout our land the vast majority of people are peacefully unaware of their need of salvation. Their lives are comfortable and they have all the possessions that they require. They are living for pleasure and for self, and have no desire that anyone would disturb them. The same is true also of many Christians. They have become indifferent to the spiritual condition of the land and are content to drift along through life without seeking to win the lost for Christ. Just like the lost their peace also needs to be disturbed and their conscience awakened to the need of the hour. Are we involved in behaviour that liable to cause a breach of the peace in a spiritual sense? If not then we ought to be, that people would find true peace and rest for their souls. Let us commit ourselves to disturbing Britain's peaceful neglect of spiritual matters and may there be regular breaches of the peace throughout our nation as men and women are directed to the cross.

Whitewell guest speaker's acceptance of homosexuals

From 22nd to 29th September Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle in Belfast in holding its 'Alive Belfast' mission. The guest speaker at this event will be Jay Lowder of Jay Lowder Harvest Ministries in Texas, USA. Several Christian websites have made reference to the fact that during this mission he will be addressing the issue of suicide and how he suffered with the same feelings himself yet found a reason to live through Jesus Christ. Considering the high suicide rate in the Belfast area, and amongst young people in particular, no fault can be found with Whitewell for undertaking such a venture. Where there is cause for concern however is in their guest speaker's views on homosexuality, and how he believes the church should react to it. 

Unconsidered difficulties for Christians in the face of moral decline

There is currently no pressure group making greater advances in today's society than that which advocates the cause of homosexuality. Almost on a weekly basis it appears that decisions are made to accommodate their desires, with anyone who opposes it being labelled as a bigot and homophobic. The recent law to allow gay marriages in England and Wales has already given rise to one homosexual couple launching legal action to force the Church of England to carry out gay marriages on their premises. Beyond the area of homosexuality, stories have been run recently by the BBC on 'polyamorous relationships' where four people live in simultaneous relationships with each other. Meanwhile in Kenya two men have announced an agreement to marry the same women in a wife sharing deal. When we consider such immorality we often think of its general effect of society, and of the pressures which churches and Christian businesses will be placed under, yet we often forget the difficulties which will arise for individual Christians in their normal daily life as such standards become more widespread and accepted.

Repentance unto life

What is repentance? We could answer the question cynically by saying that repentance is something which is rarely mentioned, for in many churches today it is no longer preached upon, the truth of the gospel being watered down so much that sin and repentance are absent from most sermons. The seeker sensitive method of preaching is employed instead, leading men to preach only upon that which the people wish to hear. The need for sinners to repent is not popular, therefore it is disregarded and left out of the message. Yet however unpopular and unpalatable the doctrine of repentance many be to sinful man, it is a necessary part of true conversion and something which needs to be repeatedly brought to the attention of those who are outside of Christ. Question number 87 of the Shorter Catechism describes repentance unto life as 'a saving grace, whereby a sinner out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavour after, new obedience'. This statement gives a very clear description of what true repentance is, identifying five distinctive characteristics:

Was Christ really punished for our sin?

The Presbyterian Church (USA) recently created controversy with its decision to drop the hymn 'In Christ Alone' by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend from its new hymnal. The reason for this decision centred around some of the lyrics found in verse two which stated 'on that cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied'. The presbytery committee in charge of the new hymnal had wanted to substitute 'the wrath of God was satisfied' with 'the love of God was magnified'. When the authors refused their permission for this change, the committee then took the decision to drop the hymn rather than include it with the original words. The reason for their taking issue with the words of that line centred around the word 'satisfied' and its link with the doctrine of penal substitution; that Christ as our substitute bore the wrath of God on the cross which we deserved and so satisfied the divine law. So are the PCUSA right in their view that the cross is not an instrument of God's wrath or did God really punish Christ on the cross?

Why Integrated Education is detrimental to the future of Protestantism in Northern Ireland

In 1981 Lagan College was opened as the first integrated school in Northern Ireland, with the purpose of educating Roman Catholic and Protestant children side by side. Today some 22,000 children attend over 60 integrated school across Northern Ireland, at both primary and secondary level. The issue of integrated education has become prominent once again in the media over recent months, and all of the main political parties in Northern Ireland have come out in favour of a single educated system. Whilst some have described their preferred option as being shared education, as opposed to integrated education, the differences between the two are minimal for they both have the same purpose, to break down barriers between the Protestant and Roman Catholic communities in Northern Ireland. It is clear that the future of education in Northern Ireland will be strongly influenced by the shared/integrated model with more children being educated this way.