Having Trouble with The Doctrine of Election? Start Here (Part 2)
Posted on May 10, 2017 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
Man’s Free Will
Another objection raised to the doctrine of election is man’s free will. Christians will object to election by saying that man is free to choose or reject the Gospel and therefore, it is man’s free will that determines his eternal destiny. But this understanding of free will is mistaken, and applying this understanding to salvation is unbiblical.
First, I absolutely agree that man has free will. In fact, most theologians and pastors and Christians that believe the doctrine of election also believe in man’s free will. The difference, however, is our understanding of free will. The Bible makes it clear that “no one seeks after God,” (Rom. 3:10-19) and that “no one can come to [Jesus] unless the Father…draws him,” (John 6:44) and “everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light.” (John 3:19)
In these verses we come to understand that the will of man is bent on evil and rejection of God. There is no one that will, of his own free will, choose God (Rom. 3:10-19). In fact, the human will is so captive to sin that no man has any desire for God and prefers the darkness over the light (John 3:19). This means that the idea of free will is true. But it also means that if given a choice man will always choose sin, the darkness, and always choose to reject Christ.
When given the choice between sin and Christ, man will always choose sin. Continue reading…
Having Trouble with The Doctrine of Election? Start Here (Part 1)
Posted on May 9, 2017 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
God’s Sovereignty
Nearly every Christian, when asked, will say that they believe God is sovereign. It’s almost a no-brainer. But, understanding exactly what that means is far more difficult and shows that many Christians don’t believe God is sovereign.
The word sovereign means, “possessing supreme or ultimate power.” Some of the synonyms for sovereign include: absolute, unlimited, unrestricted, total, and unconditional. So when we talk about God being sovereign we are referring to the fact that He has complete and total power in this world.
This isn’t hard to understand given the fact that God create the world. The One that creates something typically has complete authority and control over that thing that has been created. Believing that God has complete and total control over the earth and universe He created should be a fairly easy concept to understand.
In a theological sense, when we speak of God’s sovereignty, we are speaking of the reality that everything that happens in this universe happens by a direct act of God, or because God has allowed it to happen. In other words, there is nothing that happens in this universe that does not first pass through God for approval. This truth has propelled some to believe that God is the cause of sin, but that is patently false. Man’s sinful heart and lust is the cause of sin and, as we will see later, man’s free will leads only to sin.
Regarding salvation God’s sovereignty is a critical aspect that is misunderstood by many Christians. Some choose to reject the biblical doctrine of election because, in their words, “it’s not fair.” But, as we will see, the doctrine of election and God’s sovereignty cannot be divorced. Continue reading…
President Trump Rewards Pro-Life Voters by Removing Obama Era Rule
Posted on May 3, 2017 in Life, Public Policy by Nathan Cherry
President Donald Trump appears to be keeping his word and rewarding pro-life voters that helped put him office. His latest pro-life “thank-you” allows states to defund Planned Parenthood.
Pro-life votes are seeing fruit from their decision to put Donald Trump in the White House. After 8 years of seeing virtually no remotely pro-life bill signed into law by President Obama, several executive orders and now a senate bill have given pro-life Americans optimism.
House Joint Resolution 43 allows states to withhold federal money from Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers if they choose. Since a majority of Americans don’t think tax money should be used to fund abortion, the new legislation is one that is sure to find bi-partisan support.
The Obama administration barred states from withholding federal funding from Planned Parenthood with a rule issued by the Department of Health and Human Services in December of 2016, just a few weeks before Obama left office. This is not terribly surprising, as Obama stands as the most pro-abortion president in American history.
But in his first few weeks in office, President Donald Trump has already made a pro-life impact with several actions, which, according to a recent article include: Continue reading…
What Everyone Needs to Know About Choosing a Financial Planner (And Why You Need One)
Posted on May 2, 2017 in Money by Nathan Cherry
When it comes to investing, I truly wish I could get everyone to work with a financial planner. Many people will say they have a “financial adviser,” though too many people are referring to the person that oversees their 401(k) at work when they use this term when they should be referring to a financial professional that does more than look at their retirement account once a year. But I am talking about a qualified financial planner.
Now, anyone can call himself a financial planner. There are actually no laws governing who can use the term and refer to himself as a financial planner. That is a problem; and one that every person seeking quality financial help needs to remember when interviewing people to be their financial planner.
When I speak of a financial planner, I’m not talking about the insurance guy that says he offers “financial services,” or the local financial adviser that got his CFP (Certified Financial Planner) designation and suddenly offers “financial planning services.” Genuine financial planning is a comprehensive service that will entail every aspect of your finances both now and into the future. Anyone that hands you a “financial plan” and says “we’re all done” is not a true financial planner and is not offering comprehensive financial planning services.
So how can you find a good financial planner? Continue reading…
Maryland Will Take Funds from Low-Income Families to Pay for Abortion
Posted on April 26, 2017 in Life, Public Policy by Nathan Cherry
A new law will go into effect on July 1 taking $2 million from low-income families and giving it to Planned Parenthood.
A law requiring Maryland taxpayers to fund Planned Parenthood if the federal government defunds the abortion merchant will go into effect on July 1. The law sat on Gov. Hogan’s desk but did not receive his signature or a veto. This means, without his support, the law will go into effect. Why the self-described pro-life governor did not veto the legislation is unclear.
The law stipulates that if the federal government defunds Planned Parenthood, Maryland will take $2 million from the Medicaid fund for low-income families and give it to the abortion chain. Another $700,000 from the state’s general fund will also be given. Rather than helping low-income families with their healthcare, Maryland has decided to prioritize abortion. And all of it will be paid for with our tax money.
Commenting on news that the law would go into effect, Karen Nelson, the CEO of Planned Parenthood of Maryland told The Hill:
“As Marylanders, we must remember that a state solution does not change the fact that politicians in Congress are trying to prohibit millions of people from accessing care at Planned Parenthood. It’s incumbent on all of us to keep up the fight for women. No state should have to step in to fulfill the federal government’s responsibility to ensure everyone has access to care.” Continue reading…
Judas Shows Us Why the Doctrine of Election is So Important to Understand
Posted on April 25, 2017 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
The issue of election is one that every Christian must wrestle with. Our understanding of this critical doctrine will inform how we share Jesus with others and our view of God.
Judas was a devil.
That reality, captured in the words of Jesus in John 6 is a truth we need to understand. We cannot gloss over the fact that Jesus called a devil to be one of his disciples as it has a lesson concerning salvation we must learn.
Some would say that if we only make our churches cool enough, make them “inclusive,” or “approachable,” that people will come and will find Jesus. But this understanding of the Gospel and the purpose of the church is wrong. The Bible makes it clear that “no one seeks God.” (Rom. 3:11) Even more blunt than that is the truth that Jesus spoke when He told us “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” (John 6:44) In these verses we have clear teaching that no one is seeking God, no one is looking for salvation in Jesus. In fact, no one has the ability to “find Jesus” unless the Father first draws that person. And Judas is a perfect example of this truth.
Judas was a devil. And yet Jesus called him to be a disciple. Some might be tempted to think that Jesus did this because He believed He could convert Judas. We might be tempted to think that if only Judas spent enough time with Jesus and the disciples, he would see the light, have faith, an be saved. And yet, at the end of 3 years of walking with Jesus every day, Judas was a devil. Judas saw every miracle, he heard every word, and He watched the Son of God heal the sick, calm the storm, and raise the dead. And at the end of it all, Judas was a devil that died and went to hell. Continue reading…
Have You Begun to Catechize Your Children? Should You?
Posted on April 20, 2017 in Family, Theology by Nathan Cherry
Have you ever thought about catechizing your kids? What if it is a critical step in spiritual formation and you aren’t even aware of it?
Most Protestant parents have never given catechism a first thought, much less a second-thought. Our Protestant churches, Baptist in particular, don’t consider catechism important and give no effort to teaching parents its importance.
In this short video, however, Tim Keller gives a few reasons why catechism is an important aspect of spiritual formation in children. Rather than relying solely on the church to teach and train kids parents are to be intimately involved in this process. (If the video doesn’t appear automatically, please refresh your browser.)
Catechism, meaning memorization, is not something only Catholics do, although we tend to think of Catholics when we think of catechism. Catechism is the process of spiritual formation designed to impart biblical knowledge and teach children God’s word. And, as Keller points out, “memorization always leads to mediation.” This memorization and meditation is one of the key benefits of catechism. But it’s also critical for spiritual formation in a culture that is saturated with information. Continue reading…
Experiencing Sex Before Your First Kiss – We Have a Porn Problem
Posted on April 18, 2017 in Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
When I was in high school dating was a big part of life for me. Each weekend was an attempt to make plans with friends and girlfriends to get together and do something. Activities included bowling, pool, movies, and church youth group activities. At the end of the night my biggest hope was that I would get to kiss my girlfriend goodnight.
Things have certainly changed.
A disturbing survey of 600 Australian girls and young women, ages 14-19, has just been released. The survey reveals that more often than not, sexual acts wit boys precede kissing, or anything else. A recent Fight The New Drug article reports:
“In the survey report, entitled Don’t send me that pic, participants reported that online sexual abuse and harassment were becoming a normal part of their everyday interactions. And while the behavior seemed so common, more than 80% said it was unacceptable for boyfriends to request naked images. Sexual bullying and harassment are part of daily life for many girls growing up as a part of this digital generation. Young girls are speaking out more and more about how these practices have links with pornography—because it’s directly affecting them. Pornography is molding and conditioning the sexual behaviors and attitudes of boys, and girls are being left without the resources to deal with these porn-saturated boys.”
The survey and the article go on to report that it is becoming common for many girls to provide sexual favors to boys in exchange for snuggling and kissing. This is creating a generation of girls that experience sexual acts before they even have their first kiss. Continue reading…
5 Tax Tips You Don’t Want to Miss Out On
Posted on April 13, 2017 in Money by Nathan Cherry
Now that the “most wonderful time of the year” is behind us, it’s time for the most dreaded time of the year: tax season. But if you take advantage of these tax breaks you can make this time of a year a lot more jolly.
We can all agree that no one likes paying taxes. As a financial professional I spend time talking about taxes with a lot of people and nearly everyone agrees that they don’t like paying taxes. I did run into one person that said she did not mind paying taxes and, frankly, I had no comment for that. I don’t know where to go when someone says they don’t mind taxes.
For most of us though, taxes are not something we enjoy. But they are necessary. Since we have to pay taxes we should at least know about the different tax breaks we can take advantage of to help reduce our tax burden. Let me share 5 valuable tax breaks with you.
Tax Break #1: The retirement account deduction.
This is one tax break in which everyone can participate. Contributing to a retirement account is an essential part of a good retirement plan. But it’s also a way to reduce taxes each year and see some real savings at tax time. If you have a 401(k) through your employer you can elect to contribute a percentage of your pay, and might even get a matching contribution from your employer. If your employer has no retirement plan, don’t worry, open an IRA for yourself and begin contributing. You get the same benefits as an employer plan but with more flexibility in your investing and withdrawal options. Continue reading…
Should a Woman Be Allowed to Kill a Living, Breathing Baby Already Born?
Posted on April 11, 2017 in Life by Nathan Cherry
Should it be legal to kill a baby born alive after a botched abortion?
That is, surprisingly, a hotly debated question. From the left all the way to the right, people on both sides of the abortion issue are discussing whether a child that has been born alive after a botched abortion should be allowed to live or not. Let’s take a moment to consider the merits of the issue.
For some people, the abortion issue is complicated. There’s the line, some extensions of the line, the grey areas, and the loopholes. Very few people, despite what you might hear from the media, support abortion on demand through an entire pregnancy. Far more people support abortion restrictions as a pregnancy progresses later in the term.
For a larger percentage of the population abortion is filled with what-ifs and lines to be crossed. Someone might claim to be pro-life but support abortion in the case of rape. That’s not a pro-life position. That’s supporting abortion. If abortion is morally wrong, and it is, then it’s always wrong. The circumstances for the conception of a child don’t change the reality that killing a living human being is wrong. Supporting abortion the case of rape then, is also wrong.
As we understand the humanity of the unborn and the torture that abortion inflicts on their very real human bodies, the belief that abortion is an atrocity that has no place in society is growing. Though we have not yet banned abortion, we have done well with limiting abortion on a state and even (somewhat) on a federal level. For example, partial-birth abortion is illegal in most states in the United States as a result of a law enacted in 2003 and upheld by the Supreme Court. Continue reading…