Category: THEOLOGY
Who is Like You Among the Gods, O Yahweh?
Why did the Exodus happen? I’ll give you a multiple choice. A. To bring the Israelites out of slavery. B. For God to fulfill his covenant with Abraham to bring the Israelites to the promised land. If you answered (A), you would be right. If you...
We Must Live With This
“Let anyone who has no love for the Lord be accursed.” (1 Cor 16:22, NET) These are such striking words! Can they really be true? The verse seems to dangle there with no immediately apparent connection to what precedes it or follows. Paul placed this thought...
What Happens When You Die?
Death is one of those “common denominator” human experiences. We all will experience it. I’m aware of two historical exceptions—Enoch and Elijah, both of whom were simply taken up by God. I’m also aware that those Christ followers who are alive when he returns will avoid...
Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit
“My head’s kind of spinning,” my friend said as we turned to walk up the steps to yet another house in my neighborhood. We had just knocked on 5 or 6 doors hoping to engage people about their spiritual beliefs and experiences. This time out, we...
What is Truth?
Pilate, the first-century Roman governor in Judea, asked this question of Jesus in response to his affirmation that He was a king, ruling over a kingdom that is not of this world. “For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into...
It’s About Christ
When the forlorn disciples met up with Jesus following His resurrection, it made the short trip from Jerusalem to Emmaus much more pleasant. Before revealing who He was and that indeed the Christ was alive from the dead, Jesus talked with them as a fellow pilgrim...
The Ultimate “No-win Situation”
The little house was hopelessly surrounded. Innumerable soldiers with unimaginably powerful weapons prevented any hope of successful resistance or escape. Their Commander stood confidently and patiently, waiting for the barricaded rebel to show his face. After many days, a small, unarmed man strode out of the...
The Worth of Warnings (Part 2)
In Part 1 of this article we discussed the value and purpose of biblical warnings to believers—warnings about making salvation certain. Now I want to challenge you to consider four of these warnings and examine your own response to them. The Warning Not To Love the...
Unless You Believe: The Starting Place
I understand that doubts can be a problem. But in the passage below, Jesus says there is something we must believe if we expect forgiveness for our sins. Zoom in now and note carefully what Christ says about belief: And He was saying to them, “You...
When God Says, “However . . .
A curious event in Genesis 48 demonstrates how God’s work in us is never really over. Joseph was about 60 years old, and his father, Jacob, was dying. As was the custom, Jacob called for Joseph’s two sons so he could bestow the patriarchal blessing upon...