Category: Biblical Principles

What are the general truths that should guide our thinking in all areas of life? Here are some possibilities.

The God of the Second Chance: A Personal Testimony

  

I was a young man on fire for the Lord. At age 22, just after graduation from college, I became part of the ministry of the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). As an on-air radio announcer, I played contemporary Christian music and offered whatever spiritual insights a 22-year-old could possibly offer. Then my church started a Christian school and looked around for someone with a degree of some kind to become its headmaster. My radio, television, and film degree seemed to… Read more »

Lewis: Discerning Good & Evil

  

The apostle Paul notes that “the god of this world [i.e., Satan] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel.” Scripture also talks often about how those without the truth are walking in darkness. C. S. Lewis picks up on this theme in Mere Christianity when he explains how sin warps our understanding of our very sinfulness: The right direction leads not only to peace but to knowledge. When a… Read more »

Finney: Selfish Prayer

  

Whenever Charles Finney writes about prayer, we should listen attentively. He knew what he was writing about, not as theory but from practice. And always with Finney, the motive of the heart is central. Here’s how he connects the two in his Revival Lectures: Prayer, to be effectual, must be offered from right motives. Prayer should not be selfish, but should be dictated by a supreme regard for the glory of God. A great deal is offered from pure selfishness…. Read more »

Lewis on the Nature of Good & Evil

  

Writing to his friend Arthur Greeves in 1933, C. S. Lewis offered these thoughts on the nature of good and evil: I think one may be quite rid of the old haunting suspicion—which raises its head in every temptation—that there is something else than God—some other country . . . into which He forbids us to trespass—some kind of delight wh. He “doesn’t appreciate” or just chooses to forbid, but which wd. be real delight if only we were allowed… Read more »

Finney: The Motive for All of God’s Actions

  

Why does God do what He does? Is He aiming at something in all His actions? Is there a “good” at the end of His actions or is whatever He wills “good”? While this may sound rather picky, it does affect our view of God’s character. Charles Finney believes, God’s ultimate end, in all He does, or omits, is the highest well-being of Himself, and of the universe, and in all His acts and dispensations, His ultimate object is the… Read more »

Lewis: On Knowing God’s Will

  

Life lived outside of the will of God is not really life at all. That’s something I’ve learned from experience. C. S. Lewis, in a pithy comment in his science fiction book Perelandra, puts it this way: “To walk out of His will is to walk into nowhere.” That goes beyond truth; would it be permissible to call it “true truth”? Christians should always be examining themselves to ensure they are not wandering around in “nowhere” territory. One of the… Read more »

Lewis: The Intrusive God

  

A lot of people don’t mind the idea of a god of some kind; they just don’t want him/it/whatever to be too personal or make any demands. Avoiding accountability for one’s actions is a very human trait, and I don’t mean that as a compliment. C. S. Lewis touched on this issue in his book Miracles: Men are reluctant to pass over from the notion of an abstract and negative deity to the living God. I do not wonder. Here… Read more »