There are many who view sanctification as primarily a matter of human exertion. It is very natural for us to want to sanctify ourselves – to cultivate a sense of spiritual independence and self-sufficiency so that we can be in control of our spiritual lives. We are tempted to glorify the life of the victorious,... Continue Reading

Did the Israelites really believe that something they built with their own hands turned the Nile to blood and destroyed all the firstborn of Egypt? Indeed, the Israelites seem less-than-intelligent to many modern readers. Were they that senseless, or are we as modern readers missing something when we read the story?   “How could they... Continue Reading

The biblical record of the creation of people by God is very different than what we see in other ancient Near Eastern accounts. In Genesis 1, mankind’s creation is the very crescendo of God’s creative activity, and so theologians call people the “crown of creation.” And, unlike any other element of creation, God makes humans... Continue Reading

The fall of another pastor means the agony of another church, as yet another community of Christians grapples with the fallout of their pastor’s great sin. The fall of another husband means the agony of another wife, as she bears the weight of her husband’s immorality. The fall of another leader means the disquiet of... Continue Reading

Forgiveness is not reconciliation or reuniting with that person. Reconciliation takes two parties to agree and come together. Forgiveness is an act of faith which is not necessarily forgetting. Here are three things to remember about forgiveness and why it is always necessary.   This question is a perennial problem. Everyone has been hurt by... Continue Reading

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul contrasts three of the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit (i.e. tongues, prophecy and knowledge) with three of the ordinary gifts of the Spirit (i.e. faith, hope and love). He then says that the extraordinary gifts would cease and pass away, while the ordinary gifts would remain. Finally, Paul teaches that love is the greatest... Continue Reading

Squandering time and living and leading lazily are foolish. Like all sin, laziness can slowly creep into our lives and leadership. If we fail to address the temptation to move toward laziness, we become unfaithful in our leadership. Here are five warning signs.   The people of God have always understood laziness to be a... Continue Reading

A proper understanding of the language, message and purpose–together with its role and place in the Bible–teaches us that Ecclesiastes is focused on life in this fallen world, but in light of and with a view toward eternity.  Here is a biblical worldview/theology of life—one that is characterized by the fear of the Lord and... Continue Reading

James says that Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. He was just a man. He was like us. He had a nature like ours. And being just a man, being like us, having a nature like ours, he prayed fervently and God heard. The point is not that we should be righteous... Continue Reading

Whoever loses sight of the truth of Scripture regarding our justification before God loses sight of the unmerited grace of God in the Gospel. When we forget about our justification by faith alone in Christ alone we inevitably put ourselves back on the “never enough” hamster wheel of good works. However, when we remember the... Continue Reading