Should we seek book, chapter, and verse to determine what to believe and practice? After being baptized, Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. The record speaks of three temptations that came at the end of those forty days and forty nights. In each of those … [Read more…]
“For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline” (2 Tim. 1:6-7). Timothy had a gift of God within him through the laying … [Read more…]
They were dark days in Judah’s history. Israel had long ago fallen into Assyrian captivity, Assyria had fallen to the Chaldeans, and Judah was ripe for judgment. The prophet Habakkuk was witnessing great wickedness, injustice, and disregard for God’s law in Judah. He was troubled by it and questioned God: “O Lord, how long shall … [Read more…]
“‘And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.’ This He said, signifying by what death He would die.” (John 12:32-33). By His being lifted up upon the cross in His sacrificial death, Jesus would draw men to Himself. Jesus said to Peter and Andrew, “Follow Me, and … [Read more…]
“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (Hebrews 9:27-28). When Jesus appears a second time, it will be … [Read more…]
“And Elisha returned to Gilgal, and there was a famine in the land. Now the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said to his servant, ‘Put on the large pot, and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.’ So one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found … [Read more…]
What matters in the way you live your life before God? One man answers that what matters in life is not your religious beliefs and practices but that you are a good neighbor and citizen, doing good deeds for others. While practicing good toward others is part of being a Christian, it is not equivalent … [Read more…]
The Calvinistic doctrine of imputed righteousness says that Christ’s perfect obedience is reckoned to us as if it were our own. “To declare that by him alone we are accounted righteous, what else is this but to lodge our righteousness in Christ’s obedience, because the obedience of Christ is reckoned to us as if it … [Read more…]
A Christian is asked, “Why do you want to grow spiritually?” Here are some good answers he may give. Because God commands me to – 1 Peter 2:2 Because I want to obey God and please Him – 2 Corinthians 5:9 Because I have tasted that the Lord is gracious – 1 Peter 2:3 Because … [Read more…]
“Time heals all wounds” is a proverb that suggests that with the passing of time the hurts that we experience will diminish and eventually be healed. We find some truth in the saying when we consider our own experiences in the loss of a loved one; the pangs of that loss decrease with the passing … [Read more…]