Do We Have to Forgive Someone if They Don’t Repent?
We often think to ourselves, “I can’t forgive someone who won’t apologize.” “Forgive? Don’t you know what they did to me?” Or “How can I forget what they did?”
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
Only for a Time
"As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away."
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
Enjoyment East of Eden
The book of Ecclesiastes can seem confusing and foreign, perhaps even a little scary in places.
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
The Main Ingredient in Effective Prayer
The main ingredient in effective prayer is emphatically not us.
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
The Doctrine of the Standing or Falling Soul
“If justification is confused with regeneration or sanctification, then the door is opened for the perversion of the gospel at its center."
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
Must We Choose between Winning the Argument and Winning the Person?
If we understand arguing as offering reasons in support of one’s claims and assessing the reasoning put forth by someone holding an opposing position, I think we’ll see that to pit winning an argument against winning a person is unwarranted.
The word “win” together with the word “argument” evokes, in the minds of many, images of an adversarial, hostile, and competitive encounter, a fight to the finish with a victor and a vanquished, a belittling gloater and one shamefully gloated over. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Some people are uncomfortable with... Continue Reading
7 Things You Need to Know about the Silence of Jesus
Our Lord masters the art of the silence for us, so that we might speak better for him and so that our words may be conformed to his words.
It appears that the many words of the crowd have won. Jesus didn’t even defend himself (Luke 23:9). In his quietness, we hear no eloquence, no powerful reproaches, no clear condemnation of wickedness. The loud speaking of the people appeared to have defeated the silence of Jesus; yet, nothing could be further from the truth.... Continue Reading
When Your Christian Liberty Becomes a Sin
We are called to let love drive our decisions with a specific goal in mind.
In many Christian circles, Christian liberty can be taken for granted and we can easily forget what it is all about. Our liberty can easily be used in a way that is harmful. But how can we know if we’ve crossed “the line”? Can drinking alcohol or eating meat be considered wrong before God? Scripture provides... Continue Reading
They Never Saw This Coming
“Say to Joseph, ‘Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” (Gen. 50:17)
I do hope you have felt this type of desperation. I do hope you have entered into this type of pleading. I hope this not out of a twisted desire for your suffering but a biblical desire for your joy. I hope this because their pleading looks remarkably similar to the posture of the sinner... Continue Reading
Surprised by Trials
Preparing for Unexpected Suffering
This lack of preparedness was exposed by my shock when I received my diagnosis. I thank God now for revealing through leukemia that my faith was shallower than I thought and, over time, helping me to surrender to and trust him in deeper ways. A year ago, at age 46, my life as I... Continue Reading