“Whatever else God’s love is, it is holy. His love is therefore characterized by the qualities that define holiness—transcendence and purity. First, God’s love is transcendent. It is set apart and different from everything we experience in creation. Second, God’s love is pure. His love is absolutely flawless, having no selfishness, wickedness, or sin mixed... Continue Reading

“Sin affects our behavior, our thought life, and even our conversation. The whole person is fallen. That is the true extent of our sinfulness when judged by the standard and the norm of God’s perfection and holiness.”   Imagine a circle that represents the character of mankind. Now imagine that if someone sins, a spot—a moral... Continue Reading

“I give thanks to God the Father. He fashioned me in His own image, and surrounded me with the wonders of His creation. He has granted me seventy-three years of life. He disclosed the glory of His Son to me. He drew me out of darkness into light, out of death into life.”   In... Continue Reading

“When self-improvement is our motivation, New Year’s resolutions become less about developing long-term disciplines and more about catering to whims that shift like the wind. Instead of trying to fulfill New Year’s resolutions for the sake of self-improvement, our motivation to be disciplined should come from recognizing we’re God’s image-bearers.”   You’re probably wondering why... Continue Reading

Unless we are willing to say that “an evangelical is anyone who says he or she is an evangelical or says he or she has been ‘born again,’” then we have to admit that we are talking more about a label of self-designation than an actual movement or network, much less a reflection of theological... Continue Reading

Reading the Bible Spiritually will lead to a Christocentric reading. As James Houston, in his essay “Toward A Biblical Spirituality” says that “being transformed by the personal presence of Christ in all the Scriptures, is what ‘exemplary reading‘ is all about. Beyond the text and page of Scripture, one is challenged and transformed by the... Continue Reading

When you and I feel like there is “no hope for a harvest” (Habakkuk 3:17), when desperation distracts us from God’s truth, and when our faith is shaken, what do we do? We can learn from sufferers like Habakkuk.   His heart pounded, his lips quivered, decay crept into his bones, and his legs trembled (Habakkuk 3:16). He... Continue Reading

I hope for the sake of the abused that they find peace and solace in the church, so long as they remember that making the church #woke or prophetic is only to bring the “conflicts of the world” back into the place where souls are looking for comfort.   Could the Pretty Good Awokening nurture... Continue Reading

World Vision —with more than $1 billion in revenue last year— is among the largest international nongovernmental organizations and widely known as a Christian humanitarian group. It got some bad press this year over reports it subcontracted relief work to an Islamic charity—a decade after the Treasury Department designated the group a sponsor of terror.... Continue Reading

“With no vision for the joy of giving and of investing in eternity, they can’t see that God’s purpose for prospering them is not so they can live in luxury, but so they can help others, support their churches, aid the poor, and reach the lost with the gospel.”   The next generation is growing... Continue Reading