I  have always been surprised that people who claim to be followers of Christ attempt to use Scripture, taken out of context, to avoid the obvious implication of the teaching of biblical principles. Over the years I have encountered people who wanted to argue that...

What is discipleship, anyway? There could be a number of answers to this question, but central to what it means is that Jesus becomes Lord of my life in daily practice. James Smith defines it this way: In short, if you are what you love, and love is a habit, then...

No translation is a truly literal translation. There is just no such thing. But some are more literal, more formal equivalent than others. Differences are a matter of degree. Now here you can see some of the most common translations available today. Formal equivalent...

The angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” —Luke 1:28 We don’t know much about Mary, but the culture of the day suggests that this resident of the small town of Nazareth was young, and her offering of...

Imagine you can’t play the piano and I asked you to play Amazing Grace. Would it be easy or hard? Would it help if you tried really, really hard to play Amazing Grace? This is how many people try to live the Christian life. They hear a sermon on gratefulness. They try...

God is a God of reason (Isaiah 1:18), and He has created us as rational creatures in His image (Genesis 1:27; Colossians 3:10), so surely He intends for us to utilize the gift of reason. God wants us to take an intelligent step of faith in the light of good evidence,...

Imagine a Canadian caterpillar chomping away on a plant in September. You whisper to this caterpillar, “You better get started. Winter is coming.” “Where do I need to go?” responds the caterpillar. Mexico. How far is it? 3000 miles. He doesn’t really understand how...

Who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity, equal with God the Father and God the Son in nature, but separate in personality from them. Is the Holy Spirit a person? The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity, and as such, He has...

Is Christian living easy or hard? Is it easy or hard for you to live the Christian life? I have asked this question to thousands of Christians and consistently they will answer with resolve, “Hard!” Then, I show them this familiar verse: For my yoke is easy and my...

We want to talk about how we can be people who give thanks in all things, but before we do, let’s explore some of the benefits of gratitude. Nothing predicts happiness like gratitude. No single activity more reliably predicts your happiness as the practice of...

Truth, reason, and clear thinking are important because Christians can be doctrinally deceived—that is, they can succumb to false doctrine. Ezekiel 34:1-7 clearly affirms that God’s sheep can be abused and led astray by wicked shepherds. Moreover, Jesus warned His...

Why do so many struggle so deeply to live the disciple’s life? Why are so many church attenders so much like the world? How can we effectively make disciples? Well, it’s complicated.   I have been struggling with the questions above for years. I would find a...

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 PETER 1:3 GOD IS NOT the only one working in salvation. We must choose to...

Some today believe Melchizedek was a preincarnate appearance of Christ. They believe Hebrews 7:3 supports this view: “He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest...

Tithing is as old as history itself. When Abram left Ur of the Chaldeans on a pilgrimage of faith, he was promised God's blessing in order that he and his descendants would bless the peoples of the earth. Abram and his nephew Lot, you remember—along with their...

And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” —Luke 1:46–47 When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary in Galilee, he gave her life-altering news: she was going to birth the Savior of the world. Then the angel delivered more...

The Bible says that if you are a Christian, the kingdom of God is within you; the King has come to live within your heart (see Luke 17:21). When you pray “Thy kingdom come,” you are saying, “God, You are the King. You live in my heart. And I want Your kingdom...

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 PETER 3:9 I FIND IT INTERESTING that repent is the very first word out of Jesus’ mouth in his...

What does the Bible teach about sheol? The common word for “hell” in the Old Testament is sheol, which means “the grave,” where people go when they die. In the King James Version, sheol is translated “hell” thirty-one times and “pit” three times. When both saved and...

The Concept of Ḥesed THE CONCEPT OF ḥesed is important to understanding the book of Ruth since it is used to describe both secular and divine-human relationships. Unfortunately, it is a Hebrew word that no one English word can begin to convey accurately. Being...

How much is enough? I had just arrived in Cambridge for my Ph.D. work. I knew nothing about the town but wanted to worship on my first Sunday morning in England. I had no mode of transportation other than my feet. So I started off through the park on my quest for a...

Who is the devil? Originally the devil was named Lucifer, one of the angels that worshiped God. He fell because of pride. The devil is the origin of evil, the force behind evil today, and the personification of evil. How does the devil carry out his work? First, the...

Shine among them like stars in the sky. —Philippians 2:15 NIV There’s something almost magical about Christmas lights. You can take a simple tree, a humble mailbox, even the most neglected of homes and drape it in sparkling, twinkling Christmas lights and voilà! They...

What is a demon? A demon is a fallen angel with the power of intellect, emotion, and will. Demons are incorporeal beings who are invisible to humans. They carry out the work of the devil on this earth. What is a demon like? The word for demons in the Greek language is...

God is the subject of the first sentence of the Bible. “In the beginning, God.” He is also the subject of all that comes thereafter. And herein lies one of man's fundamental problems, which ultimately and inevitably leads us into rebellion— We think we are the subject...

What is an angel? An angel is a living being who has a personality (intellect, emotion, and will). Angels do not have physical bodies, but can manifest themselves physically. Angels are powerful, but they are not omnipotent; wise, but not omniscient. There are great...

With the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. ROMANS 10:10 IN JOHN’S GOSPEL, Jesus tells Nicodemus, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal...

Following is an incomplete list of what you have in store after your immorality is found out Your mate will experience the anguish of betrayal, shame, rejection, heartache, and loneliness. No amount of repentance will soften those blows. Your mate can never again say...

When God said, “Let there be light,” there was! But take note that he didn’t design the light holders—the sun, moon, and stars—until four days later. During creation, light was bounding about willy-nilly until it was corralled into designated positions. Recently I was...