February 2011 - Servants of Grace

The Destiny of the Unevangelized and the Nature of Hell

Posted by Dave Jenkins | Feb 28, 2011 | Academic Work, Academic Work, Destiny of Unevangelized, Nature of Hell, What is the Gospel?, What We Write About | 2 |

The Destiny of the Unevangelized The question of what happens to those who have not heard of Jesus has serious theological and practical implications on nearly every aspect to our Christian life. The exclusive view states that it is impossible to attain salvation apart from hearing the Word since faith comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of God (Romans 10:17). The restrictivist view states that those who have heard the gospel are those who have made a conscious decision to accept it, but those who have never heard the gospel are judged on the basis of what they know or should have known. I will begin this essay theologically by discussing how general and specific revelation from Scripture clearly teaches that those who have not heard the message of Jesus will not be saved. The knowledge of God’s existence, character, and moral law, which come through creation to all humanity, is often called general revelation (because it comes to all people generally). General revelation comes through observing nature, through seeing God’s directing influence in history, and through an inner sense of God’s existence and his laws that he has placed inside ever person. General revelation is distinct from special revelation which refers to God’s word addressed to specific people, such as apostles, and the words of God spoken in the personal address, such as at Mount Sinai...

Around the Blogs 2/28/2011

Posted by Dave Jenkins | Feb 28, 2011 | Resources, What We Write About | 0 |

Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 47, Judges 19, Ecclesiastes 5, Psalm 48, Proverbs 15, Isaiah 47, Luke 2, 1 Corinthians 2, Galatians 1, and 2 Peter 1. Seven Cautions for Christians Part 4 and 5: http://www.joethorn.net/2011/02/25/theology-still-seven-cautions-for-christians-4/ http://www.joethorn.net/2011/02/25/theology-still-seven-cautions-for-christians-5/ The Lost Tools of Discipleship: http://www.whitehorseinn.org/blog/2011/02/27/whi-1038-lost-tools-of-discipleship/ How to Encourage your Pastor by Dr. Thom Rainer: http://www.thomrainer.com/2011/02/how-to-encourage-your-pastor.php To Hell with Hell by Kevin DeYoung: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2011/02/26/to-hell-with-hell/ Quote of the Day: “Eighty and six years have I served him, and he never once wronged me; how then shall I blaspheme my King, Who hath saved me? …You threaten fire that burns for an hour and is over. But the judgment on the ungodly is forever.” ~Polycarp~...

Reflections at 30

Posted by Dave Jenkins | Feb 26, 2011 | Academic Work | 2 |

Today, for my 30th birthday, I decided to do something a little different. I decided to write on a few things I’m thankful for at 30. Five Things I’m thankful for The first thing I’m thankful at thirty for is for the grace of God. I’m thankful that Jesus saved me from my sin and adopted me as His child. I’m thankful for at thirty is how God used mistakes in my life to refine my character and make me the man I am today. The second thing I’m thankful for at thirty is my beautiful wife, Sarah. Outside of Jesus saving me, my wife is the best gift I’ve ever received from God. She is my best friend, my best advisor and closest confident. I love her more everyday and with every passing moment. My wife has been a voice of reason in many situations and circumstances. She has also been my greatest cheerleader and encouragement to me in serving within Servantsofgrace. She not only supports Servantsofgrace Ministries, but she has supported my work as a student- giving of her time to help me improve my writing (she’s extremely intelligent about English grammar). For this and for a hundred things, sweetheart, I want to thank God, and for His work in you for being such an awesome godly wife. I love you. The third thing I’m thankful for...

The Power and Love of God

Posted by Dave Jenkins | Feb 25, 2011 | Academic Work, Psalms | 1 |

Synthesis and Outline of Psalm 62. Summary: God’s people sing Psalm 62 to foster confidence in the care of God, especially as they are faced with people who use power and wealth to oppress them. The temptation in such a case is either to despair or else to seek security in power and wealth rather than in God. The simplest way to follow the thought in the psalm is to observe how the addresses shift: from a description of “my soul” and God (vv.1-2), to speaking directly to and about the attackers (vv.3-4), then back to “my soul” and God (vv.5-7), on to exhorting the whole of the worshiping congregation (vv.8-10) and finally back to a description of God’s trustworthiness (vv.11-12). Outline: I. My Soul Waits for God’s alone (Psalm 62:1-2). The Psalmist opens Psalm 62 by stressing how “my soul” relies on God in silence. A) The Psalmist emphasizes that God is the only reliable hope (Psalm 62:1). B) The description the Psalmist gives of a trusting soul is there to set an example for the people of God that every believer should aspire to the quiet faith he describes (Psalm 62:1-2). II. To the Attackers: We Know What You Want (Psalm 62:3-4). A) The Psalmist speaks against those who attack a man using lies and injustice (Psalm 62:3) B) The purpose of singing Psalm 62 is to...

Around the Blogs 2/25/2011

Posted by Dave Jenkins | Feb 25, 2011 | Resources, What We Write About | 0 |

Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 46, Judges 18, Ecclesiastes 4, Psalm 47, Proverbs 14, Isaiah 46, Luke 1, 1 Corinthians 1, 2nd Corinthians 13, and 1 Peter 5. The Distinguishing Marks of a Quarrelsome Person by Kevin DeYoung: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2011/02/24/distinguishing-marks-of-a-quarrelsome-person/ A Milestone in the Betrayal of Marriage by Dr. Albert Mohler: http://www.albertmohler.com/2011/02/24/a-milestone-in-the-betrayal-of-marriage/ What is Present when kneeling to pray in Jesus name by Dr. John Piper: http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/what-is-present-when-kneeling-to-pray-in-jesus-name How to Slay Sin Part 3: http://www.gty.org/Blog/B110224 Quote of the Day: ‎”It is the Shepherd who seeks the sheep, and not the sheep that seek the Shepherd.” ~A.W. Pink~...