What is the Gospel?
"Sometimes the term gospel refers broadly to Jesus’ work of justification and sanctification for and in His people, and sometimes it refers narrowly to Jesus’ work of justification."
Godfrey makes the case that sometimes the word “gospel” refers more broadly to all the New Testament fulfillment of what was promised in the Old Testament. It is in this sense that Mark uses “gospel” when he says in chapter 1, “the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Mark is... Continue Reading
God the Father and Our Adoption
Becoming a Christian means coming into the Father-Son relationship, a relationship enacted and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
By nature, Jesus Christ is the beloved Son in whom the Father is well pleased. By grace, united to the Son, we are beloved sons and daughters in whom the Father is well pleased. What a stunning truth. May it prompt and control our worship and prayers and our whole outlook on life. Author’s... Continue Reading
Christians are People of Truth
One clearest marks of a Christian is that he or she is marked by truth.
Tell the truth. Be marked by truth. The only way this is possible is to have a life that is transformed by Jesus Christ. When you are born again, you have a new heart with new motives and suddenly your loophole deceitful schemes violate your heart in a way that they never did before. Not... Continue Reading
The Ever-Present “Next” Of Following Christ
The closer we come to Jesus, the more time we spend with Him, the more acutely aware of our own sin we become.
When we first start following Jesus, the “next” might be that we need to attack some moral impurity. Then the “next” might be the easier-to-hide sins of greed and pride. Then the “next” becomes how to live like a Christian in marriage. Then the “next” is how to die to our own preferences and desires... Continue Reading
The Widow and Her Bad Investment
Was the widow’s offering a bad investment? Not at all, and Jesus commends her for it.
So this poor widow “gave everything she had” to the Temple, and yet–as Jesus Himself immediately warns–in 37 years the Temple would cease to exist. What a bad investment! It would be like sinking all of your savings into a business that then goes bankrupt. Or like a pastor pouring himself into serving a congregation... Continue Reading
3 Mistakes We Make When Seeking the Will of God
God’s will isn’t meant to only be sought; it’s meant to be walked in.
Though we might posit the question under the guise of innocence, the vast majority of the time we’ve already made up our minds as to what we want to do. We aren’t really asking God what His will is, then – we are really asking God to agree with the decision we’ve already made. ... Continue Reading
The Bible Is Authoritative But Not Always Normative
Both the Old and New Testaments must be interpreted in terms of its respective historical contexts.
The Old Testament was written in the context of a Hebrew theocracy. The New Testament was written in the context of a small, persecuted church struggling in a pagan Greco-Roman culture. We do not live under the Old Covenant Theocracy, nor do we live as a tiny minority in a Greco-Roman culture. Although everything is... Continue Reading
An Historic Faith
The historical character of Judeo-Christianity is what distinguishes it from all forms of mythology
“To be historic it has to have special significance and special impact on life. So the Bible is the record of God’s historic works of redemption within the context of space and time. Take the Gospel and its message out of the context of history, and Christianity is destroyed altogether.” “Once upon a time….”... Continue Reading
What Gospel-Centered Prayer Looks Like
The ultimate purpose of these petitions is to bring glory to the God who redeems
First, Paul prays that the love of the Philippians “may abound more and more.” Paul provides no specific object. He doesn’t say “that your love for God may abound more and more” or “that your love for one another may abound more and more.” I suspect he leaves the object open precisely because he wouldn’t... Continue Reading
Three Important Contexts for Bible Study
Each book of the Bible was written at a specific time, and that historical background is important
“The best way to grasp the literary context of a passage is to read it yourself. Unlike historical context, where we mostly need to depend on experts, any ordinary person with a Bible can see the literary context. When studying a smaller passage of Scripture, it is a good practice to read the entire book... Continue Reading