Ten Looks at Jesus, Part 1
Eternity Past to the Cross
What sustained Jesus on that dark Friday we now call “Good,” on the single most horrible day in the history of the world? Joy. He saw ahead and was satisfied enough that what joy he tasted even then sustained him through the agony, distress, and anguish. Unlike the animals who stood in temporarily as substitutes for God’s... Continue Reading
For Religious Liberty
Why My Kids and Yours Need Religious Freedom
The kingdom of God will not be advanced by the sword. Peter wanted to pick up the sword in the Garden of Gethsemane. “We’re not going to build the kingdom that way,” said Jesus. You cannot point me to a single verse in the New Testament—there is not the slightest whiff in the New Testament—that... Continue Reading
Tis the Season for Christology: How the Hymns of Christmas Teach Right Doctrine
Neither cultural darkness nor theological apathy is new. Still, this season is uniquely full of songs proclaiming that hope, and articulating the theological realities that ground that hope.
Christmas announces His lordship over all creation. His life, obedience, death, and resurrection ensure that the darkness will end, and that He is the light that comes into the world and reveals the truth about everything. In this and every season, there is hope. This invites us to sing along and share these truths with... Continue Reading
Not A Very Flattering Picture
The biblical depiction of people as sinners is a sobering one.
Unredeemed sinners are fully haters of God does not mean salvation instantly turns us into complete lovers of God. Saved sinners do not become perfect overnight. While justification is fully the work of God and takes place at the moment of conversion, sanctification (dying to self and growing in grace as we become more and... Continue Reading
The Final Judgment
Revelation 20:11–15 is perhaps the most explicit text about people’s receiving final judgment based on their deeds.
Christ’s justifying penal substitutionary death is the price paid “once for all” (Heb. 9:12; see 9:26–28), and the good works done within the context of Christian faith become the inevitable evidence of such faith at the final judicial evaluation, when the believer is openly acknowledged and acquitted before all. Christ’s work (both His death and His... Continue Reading
Six Steps to Offering Specific and Practical Help to a Family Living with Disability
It is important to remember that the goal of offering practical care is to be the hands and feet of Christ.
Each church will have a unique approach to gathering a care team to support a family in need. In some cases, life groups or community groups will “adopt” a family. Other churches may already have an existing care ministry that can assemble a team. If your church already has teams in place to deliver meals... Continue Reading
The Light of the Knowledge of the Glory of God
God Himself is the One who must turn that light on, and He is willing.
What is your own perception of God? Do you find Him glorious through and in the Lord Jesus? And isn’t that what we need for salvation and for all the walk of faith? For repentance. For humility with hope. For worship. For stability. For courage. For perseverance. For gentleness. For faith’s endeavor. For generosity. For... Continue Reading
Confronting Death: Does Everyone Rest in Peace?
What Does God Say?
An unbeliever’s suffering doesn’t end with their physical death. A worse fate awaits them in the afterlife. What a tragedy! The unbelieving dead don’t rest in peace. Insisting that they do sounds humane and kind, but it’s seriously misaligned with what God teaches in the Bible. “God will say to those on his left ‘Depart... Continue Reading
Listen to Your Elders, Not the Experts
You don’t need a peer-reviewed study to know it’s a bad idea to give a five-year-old an iPhone.
It is not age-old wisdom, but credentialed expertise that engenders our trust nowadays. We take our cue not from grandpa and grandma and their advice of “a little bourbon on the gums,” but from experts in psychology and sociology penning peer-reviewed studies that tell us obvious, common-sense verities. Several years ago my wife and... Continue Reading
The King Came in Rags
The King Wasn't Who We Expected
Our righteous, suffering King came to be crushed and made a grief offering in order to count sinful people like us righteous (v. 10–11). Jesus was numbered with the transgressors and bore the sins of many in order to intercede for us before God (v.12). Our mighty King will indeed make kings shut their mouths... Continue Reading
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 336
- 337
- 338
- 339
- 340
- …
- 561
- Next Page »