Was Jesus Perfect?
His miracles, words, compassion, and forgiveness served to reveal his identity, power, and purpose as God the Son.
The testimony of Jesus friends and enemies alike is that he never did any wrong. At his trial, the judge announced Jesus to be innocent and yet sentenced him to death in order to appease the mob and the social censures of the day. The testimony of the Scriptures insist upon Jesus’ moral and spiritual perfection, “God... Continue Reading
Getting the Gospel Right
Getting the gospel right is crucial. It is a matter of spiritual life and death. If you miss this, it does not matter what you get because you will miss God.
The gospel that Paul preached to them proclaimed salvation by grace alone received through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. This message is great news for sinners because it reveals that salvation, from first to last, is God’s work and not dependent on anything in us. It eliminates any basis for pride as well as any... Continue Reading
True and False Christians
If you don’t believe in your heart, your entire life is a lie and you remain in darkness. You aren’t righteous, and you only appear to be a Christian.
The Lord Christ does not want us to brag about being a Christian or, as in the case of Nathanael, being an Isrealite. It’s not enough to say, “I am baptized,” or even to say, “I am a bishop,” “I am a cardinal,” or “I am a preacher.” You must believe in Christ and live... Continue Reading
Risky Calvinists
Life is risky. But riskier far is to fear earthly terrors and not live humbly before God’s face.
Jesus instructed us as much when He said not to fear that which can kill the body, but not the soul. But to fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Mt. 10:25). As faithful Christians, you must not run the risk of fearing likelihoods. You must fear the Living God. ... Continue Reading
Loving God and Studying Theology
Students can easily start to treat the holy as common.
Many students whose love of God dims as they study theology are confusing knowing about God with knowing God. Students who do this can easily start to treat theology like any other academic field of study and God becomes an object to be dissected, a list to be memorized. One of the questions I... Continue Reading
Angels, Demons, and Spiritual Warfare
Be alert, be prayerful, be equipped, be wise and be assured.
The devil and his demons are real. There is a war on. We have our part to play, especially by prayer. Even so, God’s people need to keep a sense of proportion. Christ is victor and the demonic is on borrowed time. Christ must always be in the foreground of thinking and living and not... Continue Reading
God’s Sovereignty and Our Responsibility
To say that God is sovereign is to express His almightiness in every area.
Some people object to the idea that God knows all events in advance of their happening. Such a view, some insist, deprives mankind of its essential freedom. Open theists or free-will theists, for example, insist that the future (at least in its specific details) is in some fashion “open.” Even God does not know all... Continue Reading
Jesus in the Gospel of John—the Light of the World
He entered our darkness because that is where we were held captive.
Light and life go together. When Jesus declares Himself to the light of the world, He does so against the backdrop of darkness. “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12). Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying,... Continue Reading
The Most Popular Bible Verse Among Unbelievers
If you are one of these people that isn’t afraid to turn the light on in a dark room, don’t be surprised if the person living in the room reminds you of the first verse of Matthew chapter seven.
Exegetical errors will abound if you isolate this text and try to give meaning to it; you have to read the text in its context and understand the verses before and after the text you are studying in order to come to a proper conclusion. For years, John 3:16 was the most popular Bible... Continue Reading
Ridley, Latimer, And Cranmer: The Oxford Martyrs
"We shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out."
All three men were brought before the commissioners and each was told he had been proved wrong and was given opportunity to recant. Each refused. They were condemned as heretics. One of the most interesting bits of Oxford history is the story of the Oxford Martyrs and the statue by which they are remembered.... Continue Reading
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