Ben Zornes

Living and Dying to Show the Preciousness of Christ

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And They Saw

And They Saw

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It might be said that the most crucial component of faith is that it sees. After all, as Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith is more than wishful thinking. Faith is spiritual eyesight. The god of this world, however, works overtime to blind our vision of the eternal glories and realities of God Almighty (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Photo Credit: Christopher JL via Compfight cc
Photo Credit: Christopher JL via Compfight cc

I stumbled across a verse that I’ve probably read dozens of times by now, but this time it smote my heart with an earnest desire for the same. In Exodus 24:10, we read of Moses and the 70 elders of Israel, “And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.” They saw the God of Israel. That simple statement, followed by the description of His throne, ought to pierce our hearts with conviction, for we treasure so many earthly things when held before us-through the evidence of Creation, the truth of God’s Word, and the inner light of our conscience-is the surpassing glory and worth of Jesus Christ (i.e. the God of Israel made flesh). [Read more…] about And They Saw

Bildad Had Sound Doctrine

Bildad Had Sound Doctrine

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In my recent journey through the book of Job, one thing that had always puzzled me about the story of Job seemed to grow 6951253530_707108d13aclear. I’ve always been curious why the advice and counsel of Job’s friends–Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar (all relatives of Abram, by the way)–is full of profound truths about our God that the Bible teaches elsewhere; yet, in the end they are rebuked by God. These guys seem to be staunch defenders of the faith, do they not? Here is some of what they say, full of pretty good doctrine!

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The Contract

The Contract

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Whenever I walk someone through the Gospel, I typical rely heavily upon Romans 6, where Paul teaches us that if we have been baptized into Christ, then we are baptized into His death and resurrection. Further, we are raised and seated together with Him in heavenly places (as Eph. 2:1-9 declares). A few months, I got the itch to do some form of creative, allegorical writing. What came out was my attempt to articulate how a soul should walk through the promises of God’s Word. It does us no good to merely know truths about the Gospel and never reckon them as ours. As Hudson Taylor well said, “I am dead and buried with Christ—aye, and risen too and ascended; and now Christ lives in me, and “the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” I nowbelieve I am dead to sin. God reckons me so, and tells me to reckon myself so. He knows best. All my past experience may have shown that it was not so; but I dare not say it is not now, when He says it is. I feel and know that old things have passed away.” So, this is my humble attempt, and probably not a very good one at  that, to help souls grasp the great truth the Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and sending forth of the Spirit was done for us. Meaning, in our stead, for God’s glory and our everlasting joy! I know this is an incomplete articulation, but may it speed you along on the path of faith in Christ!5012499490_56d744d022

The prisoner sat in his cell awaiting the day of his punishment. The Punishment? Death. Aymün, the prisoner, knew he deserved it, and there was no question in his mind that when the summons came to stand before his judge, he would not be spared. The King’s law was clear, and since the King was also judge of the land, Aymün knew he had no excuse. The consequence of violating the law was clear: “Every violator of the King’s Law will receive death as the punishment.”

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The Recipe for Spiritual Starvation

The Recipe for Spiritual Starvation

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Scripture warns us to take heed over 60 times, and each of these instances would provide a profitable meditation for our soul. We are exhorted, when we think we are standing, to take heed lest we fall (1 Cor. 10:12). The nature of man’s soul is such that we can be starving spiritually, and yet think ourselves healthy and robust merely because we do a whole bunch of spiritually oriented things. Modern Christianity is filled with many instances of this standing but actually falling paradox.11197799356_ffd65dfbb0_o

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Bamboozling Our Inner Pharisee

Bamboozling Our Inner Pharisee

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Jesus once told a parable about two sons. It went like this: “A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not (Matthew 21:28-30 KJV).” He then poses a question to the Pharisees, but before we get there, it will be helpful to describe the context of why Jesus told this particular parable. [Read more…] about Bamboozling Our Inner Pharisee

Beware Erasmus

Beware Erasmus

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Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (27 October 1466 – 12 July 1536)

Beware Erasmus.
In a recent foray through David Daniell’s meticulous biography of William Tyndale, I have been stirred more than once by this simple warning: “Beware Erasmus.” It has become a slogan I have begun to frequently whisper to my soul, (for reasons that shall soon become clear) to provoke me to stay on guard against the enchanting fumes of pride. We recognize the perceived deadness of the previous generation and we refuse to follow in that path; we, instead, want a robust and living spirituality. I’ve seen my peers pursue this healthy desire in two very unhealthy ways.
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Ben Zornes