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Showing posts with the label Rob Ventura

Stay on the horse

This quote is from Spiritual Warfare: A Biblical and Balanced Perspective.  It certainly applies to the extremes that one finds in regard to that topic. But I think it can apply to more than just spiritual warfare. Living the Christian life is not merely about mastering one truth or even a set of principles. Rather, it is learning to think and act biblically. We must be reminded of certain truths frequently so that we don't become unbalanced or myopic in our view of the Christian life... Making a similar observation, Martin Luther once noted that Christians are often like a drunk trying to get on his horse. First, the drunk falls off one side, only to climb back up and fall off the other side. 1 For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, and Newton's 3rd law doesn't just apply to physics. For every bad teaching, there is probably an opposite but equally bad teaching. If we're not careful, we'll be like Luther's drunk who never stays on th...

Put On the Full Armor of God

... but understand at this point that wearing spiritual armor is an essential element of putting on Christ and apply the new life of grace in Him; it is not something separate. Putting on God's armor is taking what God has so richly supplied in His Son and appropriating it personally each day. When we put on God's armor, we are doing more than applying a technique or method. We are doing something personal; we are putting on Christ Himself. Since Christ is all-sufficient, everything that we need to be covered is found in Him. All truth is connected to Him (John 14:6). All righteousness has its source in Him (1 Cor. 1:30). He is the central subject of the gospel of peace , for He is our peace (Eph. 2:14) - and so on through the list (Eph. 6:14-17). Clinton Arnold explains that,  therefore, "knowing the truth of who we are in union with Christ, cultivating the virtues of this new identity, and using the resources available through this new relationship are at the heart of w...