Category: Sin
You Cannot Because You Will Not, But If You Will, You Can
The Bible makes no secret of the fact that God works first in a sinner becoming a Christian. Conversion happens at his initiative, not the sinner’s. “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy” (Rom. 9:16). The redeemed are those who...
Liam Loopert, Self-duped: A Brockton Dialog
A Brockton Dialogue James, the student: How faithful does one have to be in order to be a true Christian? The wise Mr. Brockton: To church or to God? James: Doesn’t one imply the other? Mr. Brockton: Faithfulness has many drivers, which can be deceiving. But...
What Jesus Thought Was Wrong with the World: And How It’s Different Than Most People Think
Most people think there’s something wrong with the world. Ask almost any of our nation’s recent immigrants and they’ll tell you that without hesitation. That’s because when they came here to find something better they were fleeing something worse, usually violence or poverty. But it’s not...
The Eyes of God and The Sins of Men
It is a well-known fact that crime increases when it is dark and decreases when there is adequate lighting. A burglar is not as likely to break into a car parked on the street in broad daylight as he is at 2:00 AM. The reason is...
Understanding Man’s Inability
The Bible speaks of two kinds of people: those who have been “born again” (John 3:3, cf. James 1:18), and those who remain in their sinful corruption—the “natural man” (1 Cor. 2:14). Only the person who understands the gospel and believes in Jesus Christ will be...
Understanding the Fall of Man
Adam and Eve were the only two human beings (apart from Christ) to enter into life with a will that was truly free. Unlike every one of their descendants, they alone began life with the ability to reflect God’s holiness—the ability to remain sinless. But things...
What We Will See Next
You may wish to know what is next in this world. Let me tell you what is about to come with certainty: Men and women “will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” Though that statement was made by a man named Paul who...
God Is Good All The Time
My daughter recently returned from a five-week medical mercy outreach to Madagascar with an internationally known Christian organization. Soon after arriving, and after witnessing an almost overwhelming level of poverty, hunger, and urgent medical needs, one of her co-volunteers expressed this thought: “I could never believe...
The Binding of Satan as Seen in the Birth (and Survival) of Jesus
Jesus once said, “No one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man” (Mark 3:27). The “strong man” Jesus was alluding to was Satan, and his house was this world—Satan’s realm of influence and power. The Old...
Truth . . . or Consequences
It was the moment of decision for my three-year-old son. He had been misbehaving and the matter had been brought to my attention by one of his older sisters. Sitting down, my eyes were at the same level as his. I asked him to tell me...
