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Mike Riccardi

God and Evil: Why the Ultimate Cause Is Not the Chargeable Cause

  • Semi-Technical
  • Mike Riccardi

If God is the ultimate cause of all that comes to pass, including evil and sinful things, can he be rightly charged with unrighteousness? This article considers the discussion on how to reconcile the problem of evil with a good God. It explains with some biblical illustrations that though God is the ultimate cause of all things, he is never the efficient cause of evil, and thus is not blameworthy for it.

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When Does Error Become Heresy?

  • Technical
  • Mike Riccardi

This article seeks to show when theological error becomes heresy. It explains what are the fundamental doctrines of Christianity, and the distinctions therein between error and heresy.

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The Minister as a Waiter

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article discusses the responsibility of the minister to serve, and it does so by showing five parallels between the minister and a waiter.

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2 Corinthians 7:1 – Promise-Driven Practice

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article is an exposition and application of 2 Corinthians 7:1, which offers a concise doctrine of sanctification.

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2 Corinthians 6:17-7:1 – Come Out from Them and Be Separate

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article offers an exposition and application of 2 Corinthians 6:17-2 Corinthians 7:1.

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2 Corinthians 8:9 – Christmas Grace: The Gospel of Self-Imposed Poverty

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article is an exposition and application of 2 Corinthians 8:9.

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How to Kill Your Neighbor

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article considers the sins of gossip and slander. It shows how destructive these are, as Scripture calls them murderous, and it shows what a follower of Christ should do when faced with slanderous reports.

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2 Corinthians 6:14-15 – The Radical Difference between Believers and Unbelievers

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article outlines the fundamental antithesis between the believer and the unbeliever, through the lens of 2 Corinthians 6:14-15.

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2 Corinthians 6:14 – Unequally Yoked

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article is an exposition and application of 2 Corinthians 6:14.

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2 Corinthians 5:5 – Resurrection Hope: Strengthened to Serve

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article is an exposition and application of 2 Corinthians 5:5.

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2 Corinthians 5:2-4 – Life, Death, Resurrection: The Minister's Priorities

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article is an exposition and application of 2 Corinthians 5:2-4, which is to be a minister's perspective on life, death, and resurrection.

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2 Corinthians 5:1 – Resurrection-Driven Ministry

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article is an exposition and application of 2 Corinthians 5:1.

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2 Corinthians 5:16-17 – We Recognize No One According to the Flesh

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article is an exposition and application of 2 Corinthians 5:16-17.

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2 Corinthians 4:10-11 – Life in the Midst of Death

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article is an exposition and application of 2 Corinthians 4:10-11.

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2 Corinthians 4:8-9 – Power in the Midst of Weakness

  • Semi-Technical
  • Mike Riccardi

This article is an exposition and application of 2 Corinthians 4:8-9.

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2 Corinthians 4:7 – The Orienting Principle for Christian Ministry

  • Semi-Technical
  • Mike Riccardi

This article focuses on a fundamental principle for Christian ministry: the contrast between the glory of the new covenant ministry and the shame of the new covenant minister. This comes from 2 Corinthians 4:7.

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2 Corinthians 5:9 – Pleasing to Him: Our Supreme Ambition

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article is an exposition and application of 2 Corinthians 5:9.

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2 Corinthians 5:6-8 – Absent from the Body, Present with the Lord: Our Settled Preference

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article is an exposition of 2 Corinthians 5:6-8.

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Raised for Our Justification

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article discusses the implications that the resurrection of Christ has for our justification.

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The Resurrection and the Person of Christ

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  • Mike Riccardi

What did the resurrection mean for the Lord Jesus? This article offers some considerations from a biblical and theological perspective. It discusses how Christ in his resurrection functioned as the last Adam, the Son of David and Israel's Messiah, the fulfillment God's covenant promises, and the vindication of his own testimony in his ministry.

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An Objection to God's Sovereignty That Proves It

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  • Mike Riccardi

Since no one can resist God's will, how is it fair that he still finds fault? This is the objection Paul anticipates in Romans 9:19. This article shows how to make sense of the objection, which itself is a proof of the sovereignty of God.

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Brothers and Sisters in Christ

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article discusses how Christians relate to one another, as brothers and sisters in Christ. This designation dominates the thinking of the apostle Paul in his letters, especially the letter to the Philippians.

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The Peculiar Glory of the Incarnation

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article reflects on the wondrous conjunction of the excellencies in Christ as the God-man, the Word made flesh. As examples, it ponders how the uncreated Creator was created, or how the fountain of living waters knew what it was to become thirsty.

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Philippians 4:18 – Giving as an Act of Worship

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article exposits and applies Philippians 4:18, about cheerful giving.

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God Meant It for Good: Evaluating Divine Permission

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article considers how we often try to reconcile the sovereignty of God with evil. It shows that God does not merely permit evil, but ordains it.

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2 Corinthians 3:3 – The Living Letters of the New Covenant

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article offers an exposition and application of 2 Corinthians 3:3.

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Suffering for Christ: A Gift of Divine Grace

  • Basic
  • Mike Riccardi

This article shows from passages like Philippians 1:29 how suffering for Christ is a gift of God's grace, established and used by him.

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Theories of the Atonement: What Happened on the Cross?

  • Popular
  • Mike Riccardi

This article outlines the various views and theories concerning Christ's work on the cross: the ransom theory, the satisfaction theory, the moral influence theory, the governmental theory, and penal substitution. Though all have pieces of truth in them, the final view is the most thoroughly biblical.

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Romans 8 and the Extent of the Atonement: Help from John Murray

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  • Mike Riccardi, John Murray

This article includes an excerpt from John Murray's Redemption Accomplished and Applied, in which he discusses Romans 8:31-39 in relation to the question of the extent of Christ's atonement for sinners.

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1 Corinthians 15:42-44 – The Heavenly Citizen's Prospect

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article considers what our bodies will be like when glorified, and it draws from 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 to do so.

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Gagnon on Arsenokoites: The Bible on Abusive Vs. "Committed" Same-Sex Relationships

  • Semi-Technical
  • Mike Riccardi

This article responds to the notion that Christianity and homosexuality are not mutually exclusive. Some say that the word translated "homosexuals" does not refer to committed same-sex relationships but to abusive male-male relationships. This article provides a cogent refutation by Robert Gagnon.

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A Love That Sharpens

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article exposits and applies 2 Corinthians 2:4.

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2 Corinthians 2:3 – Biblical Love: Seeking My Joy in Your Joy

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article is an exposition of 2 Corinthians 2:3, on mutual joy.

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Philippians 2:10-11 – Jesus: Yahweh in the Flesh

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article is an exposition of Philippians 2:10-11.

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2 Corinthians 1:18-20 – Gospel-Driven Integrity

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article is an exposition of 2 Corinthians 1:18-20.

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A Profile of Integrity

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article is an exposition of 2 Corinthians 1:12-13.

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Gospel-Shaped Gentleness

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article offers five characteristics of the gentleness that God wants us to have as followers of Christ.

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Obedient unto Death: Looking to Good Friday

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article describes the horror of dying on a cross, which included the curse of God as the worst of it all.

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The Christian's Pursuit of God-Given Joy

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  • Mike Riccardi

How are we supposed to obey the command to rejoice in the Lord if true Christian joy is a gift of God? This article answers, suggesting the use of means, such as Scripture reading, prayer, fellowship, creation & providence, and obedience.

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No Distasteful Duty: Rejoicing in the Lord Always

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article discusses the nature of Christian joy. It explains how joy is a duty, it is more than an emotion, and joylessness is a sin.

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The Flower and Life of True Religion

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article shows how central Christian joy is to the teaching of the New Testament, and thus to the Christian life.

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Philippians 4:1 – Investing in Your Crown of Exultation

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article is an exposition of Philippians 4:1.

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Philippians 3:20 – Eagerly Awaiting the Saviour

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article offers an exposition of Philippians 3:20, on our heavenly citizenship.

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Philippians 3:20-21 – Pressing on to Holiness

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article is an exposition of Philippians 3:20-21.

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On the Incarnation: Avoiding Heresy and Pursuing Humility

  • Semi-Technical
  • Mike Riccardi

Of what did Christ empty himself when he became human? This article discusses the so-called kenotic theology, regarding the incarnation of Christ, and it shows that in fact Christ added by emptying.

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Very Much Better

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article considers three reasons why the believer can look upon the prospect of death with joy and anticipation, as Paul did in Philippians 1:23: it will be the end of limited knowledge, the end of sin, and bring more of Christ to the believer.

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Presuppositional Apologetics: An Evaluation

  • Semi-Technical
  • Mike Riccardi

This article offers an evaluation of presuppositional apologetics, giving reasons why the author deems it the best model: it is consistent with the nature of man and salvation, it argues in accordance with reality, its own presupposition remains consistent with its epistemology, and it puts on display the glory of Christ.

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Presuppositional Apologetics: A Summary

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article defines and explains what presuppositional apologetics is.

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Is It True That Jesus Never Addressed Homosexuality?

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article engages with the notion that the Lord Jesus never addressed homosexuality in his ministry. It shows among other things how this is an argument from silence, it rests upon special pleading, and all of Scripture is the Word of Christ.

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Slaves of Christ

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article discusses what it means to be a slave of Christ.

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Why Rebuke? To See Jesus

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article reflects on the purpose of admonitions: that we might share in the holiness of God.

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Giving, Receiving, and Inviting Rebuke

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article shows from Scripture the importance of believers giving rebuke, receiving rebuke, and of inviting rebuke. The book of Proverbs in particular is cited.

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Fellowship and Confrontation

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article considers the call for Christians to admonish one another, as an important part of their fellowship.

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Fellowship and Conversation

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article shows how Scripture defines fellowship in the church: it is an objective reality, grounded in one's relationship with the triune God, accomplished by the atoning work of Christ.

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A Cry from Those Who Long for His Appearing

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article unfolds the meaning of the second petition of the Lord's Prayer, "Your kingdom come." It reflects on both the "already" and "not yet" aspects of God's kingdom.

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The Driving Force of Your (Prayer) Life

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article discusses the first petition of the Lord's Prayer, "Hallowed be your name." It shows why this first petition is first.

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Learning to Suffer Well: Hoping in God's Character

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article shows how the prophet Jeremiah did not mourn as one who was hopeless, but he set his hope entirely on the character of God. The article urges this exercise upon believers today as well.

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Learning to Suffer Well: Trusting God's Absolute Sovereignty

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article demonstrates by way of Lamentations and Job that we need to acknowledge the sovereignty of God even in painful circumstances

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Learning to Suffer Well: Weeping with Those Who Weep

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  • Mike Riccardi

From the life of the prophet Jeremiah, this article explores how to suffer along with God's people.

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Evangelism and the Extent of the Atonement

  • Semi-Technical
  • Mike Riccardi

This article explains the relationship between the extent of the atonement and evangelism, quoting part of J.I. Packer's Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God.

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Christmas: The Word Tabernacles among Men

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article offers an explanation of John 1:14 and its mention of the Word dwelling among us. The article considers the Old Testament background, namely, the tabernacle as it's introduced in Exodus.

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The Gospel of the Glory: What Makes the Good News Good News

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  • Mike Riccardi

What is it that makes the good news the good news? This article, in considering 2 Corinthians 4:4, shows that the gospel is the glory of God in the face of Christ.

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2 Corinthians 4:6 – God's Remedy: The Shining of the Light of Life

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article considers 2 Corinthians 4:6, and how God shines in the hearts of his elect to give us the light needed to see things as they actually are.

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Orators and Heralds: Audience-Driven Vs. Obedience-Driven

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article spells out the historical difference between an orator and a herald. The former adapted his message to his audience in order achieve desired results; the latter had his message set for him by another, and so he was not results-driven but obedience-driven. The Corinthians wanted an orator, but Paul was a herald.

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The Transformation of the Will

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article makes use of the words of John Owen to explain how Scripture can teach both that the Holy Spirit transforms the will and that we are to do the very things that the Spirit is said to do. Our wills do not undergo violation in sanctification, but transformation.

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2 Corinthians 4:5 – We Do Not Preach Ourselves

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  • Mike Riccardi

What does Paul mean in 2 Corinthians 4:5 when he says, "We do not preach ourselves"? This article weighs in, offering an exposition of this verse in context. Preaching ourselves will never solve the world's problem.

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2 Corinthians 4:4 – The World's Problem: Blindness to Glory

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article is an exposition of 2 Corinthians 4:4.

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Amusing the Goats or Calling the Sheep?

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article shows from the teaching of Paul (2 Corinthians) and Christ that success in ministry is measured not by numbers but by sounding the voice of the Shepherd in the gospel message, and calling his sheep who know that voice into his fold.

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Bahnsen on the Role of Reason

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article includes an excerpt from Greg Bahnsen's book Always Ready, in which he makes a case for using reason in our apologetics.

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Great Is Thy Faithfulness, Lord unto ... Thyself

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article starts with a consideration of 1 Samuel 8 and moves to a discussion of the faithfulness of God as the basis for his gracious forgiveness. And then it outlines what ought to be the nature of our response to God's forgiveness.

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The Spirit Led Me To...

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  • Mike Riccardi

This article reflects on the saying that starts off with, "The Spirit led me to..." The author shows that this is typically used as a seal of authority, and thus ultimately goes astray, since our authority today is the Word of God.

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Sanctification: Monergistic or Synergistic?

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  • Mike Riccardi

In response to the question whether sanctification is a work of God alone or of God and man together, the author answers: neither! He explains that we work out what God works in—yet all the while, it is his power at work.

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