A Holy Nation

Christians are a nation of priests. But not an Old Covenant priesthood to offer sacrifices. A New Testament priesthood whose function is witness to the excellencies of God. To the extent that we don't do so, we fail in our calling. The fundamental call to every biblical church - almost the foundational definition of a biblical church - is to declare to the world the praises of him who called us out of darkness.
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Is Cultural Relevance a Fallacy?

There is a great danger, therefore, in only letting the Bible say what our culture will allow it to say. If we write off anything we disagree with as merely cultural in its time, then the Bible will never challenge our own cultural assumptions. We will capture the Bible within the gravitational field of what we already think or are prepared to hear. If Jesus had decided he could only say what was culturally acceptable then he wouldn't have been crucified. He wouldn't have been offensive enough.
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Relative Morality

If relative morality tends to the negative precisely because it is relative, biblical holiness is awe-inspiringly beautiful and positive precisely because it is not relative. God is the most beautiful being. People are morally beautiful to the degree that we submit to him, delight in him and model his character.
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Living in the Glory of the Greatest Person

The kingdom of God, dwelling in the house of God, is the reason we were created. King David said – one thing I will ask of the Lord, this will I seek, that I might dwell in his house. The reason God wants a kingdom, is the display of his glory and the enjoyment of his glory by us, which is the best thing. The reason he wants to conquer and rule over people is so that those who submit will enjoy the greatest person. The reason he punishes those who won’t is because they deny the infinite goodness, faithfulness and glory of God. They take the most precious thing and declare it to be worthless to them. That is why sin is serious, not because it is bad, but because it is an offence to infinite goodness.
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