Teaching for today

"I will also appoint him my first-born, the most exalted of the kings of the earth. I will maintain my love to him for ever, and my covenant with him will never fail." (Psalm 89:27-28) "He will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two." (Zechariah 6:13)

"With my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please." (Jeremiah 27:5) "His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No-one can hold back his hand or say to him: 'What have you done?'" (Daniel 4:34-35)

"I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you." (Genesis 17:7) "Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant." (Hebrews 7:22)

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1) "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." (Hebrews 11:3)

How is the Lord Jesus fully God and fully man? This controversy raged in the 5th Century and was answered at the Council of Chalcedon by addressing the two natures of Christ. His deity and humanity were declared to exist "without confusion, without change, without division, without separation". This not only helps us in our thinking about Christ but should also elevate our understanding of what it means to be human and teach us how we should live out our lives in the world.

The fall of Rome in 410 saw the world many people thought was unshakable, collapse. In light of this, Augine of Hippo wrote about the city that would never be destroyed – the City of God. In outlining human history as a conflict between the City of God and the City of the World, Augine presents the true church of Christ as being independent from any place or state. Civic peace in the earthly city can help to further the City of God. But even those who dwelt within the City of God would still face trials and tribulations, until the return of Christ.

Irenaeus is regarded by some as the founder of apologetics. He was a 2nd Century Bishop of Lyons and was the first great theologian of the patristic age. His most renowned work, Against Heresies, is a defence of the orthodox Christian faith and an attack on the heresies of the day. Irenaeus was resolute in his beliefs but in his style of reasoning he actively sought to persuade and convince people of the truth.

The tombstone of Athanasius read 'Athanasius contra mundum' – Athanasius against the world. Athanasius made a solitary stand in the 4th Century in defending the truth that Jesus Christ was fully God. As a result he was repeatedly exiled from the city of which he was bishop, but Athanasius continued to show remarkable faithfulness and perseverance in the face of almost total opposition.

We have available to us the inerrant, authoritative and complete Word of God, so of what benefit to us are church creeds? Many battles against error have been fought down through the ages of church history. These battles have often been resolved by the drawing up of statements of sound doctrine. But how should we approach and value these ancient creeds in the modern world, especially in relation to Scripture?

1 Corinthians 7:23-24 says: "You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to." Professor Donnelly challenges the Christian's view of God's general and personal call on their life.

In his concluding lecture, Harry Blamires seeks to offer his encouragement to Christians as they respond and oppose secularist thinking. He especially focuses on the increasingly liberal approach to academia. At the end of this lecture he answers questions and comments on the series as a whole.

Harry Blamires continues the series, now looking at the effect in modern culture of abandoning God's rule.

Harry Blamires has been involved for decades in what he calls the "double campaign" of Christian apologetics: (1) expounding & defending the Christian faith and (2) demythologising contemporary secularism. In this opening lecture of a series of three, he explains that Christianity and Secularism are fundamentally opposed.

In a fallen world, how is it that unbelieving men and women are capable of great acts of kindness, can experience a measure of joy and happiness, and possess wonderful skills and talents? Why does God cause “his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45)? The doctrine of common grace powerfully explains the world we live in and how we should act towards unbelievers.

Does the Bible only concern itself with personal piety? Or does its authority extend across other areas, such as work, entertainment or even the life of our nation? The Psalmist says that “The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7b). To heed the words of scripture in all that we do is not only obedient but also wise. In this lecture, Gareth Burke will help us to see more clearly the application of God's wisdom to the whole of life.