Category: Salvation
Free from the Law! What Does That Mean?
When I was a boy, our church used to sing a hymn called “Free from the Law, O Happy Condition!” Little did I know that being free from the Law was so important! Here’s a short explanation—a primer so to speak. Jews Were Under the Law...
When Do Christ’s Sheep Become His Sheep?
“But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep” (John 10:26) I once heard a man read the above verse and ask, “When does a sheep become a sheep?” The question is a good one, and has importance in the dialogue in John...
Crumbs of Mercy
The Gentile woman’s daughter was demon-possessed. Having heard about Jesus from others and learning that he was in her region of Tyre and Sidon, she came and begged him to cast out the unclean spirit. Jesus’ response at first sounds less than gracious, even harsh: “Let...
Remember
The first three chapters of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians contain only one imperative—that is, he only asks them to do one thing: remember. Other than that single instruction, mentioned in 2:11 and then repeated in 2:12, the first half of the letter is Paul’s list...
Jesus on Forgiveness
When we wish to learn as much as possible about something, and when there is a singular renowned expert on that particular subject whose teaching happens to be plentiful and immediately accessible, it would seem unwise to spend a lot of time looking elsewhere for our...
Repent! (While You Can)
Repentance is, in one sense, simple. In biblical terms it may be likened to a U-turn in one’s heart and life. It involves no complex formula, but is simply to turn away from sin and self and a worldly mindset and life, and turn to God...
Getting from Here to There: How We Obtain the Inheritance
The inheritance for the Christian begins with eternal life, a transformed body, new heavens and a new earth, and extends literally to all there is. We are co-heirs with Christ, meaning all that Christ has received in his ascension and final victory over evil, we will...
Can These Bones Live?
In his classic book, The Cross and the Switchblade, David Wilkerson remembers his transition from pastoring in rural Pennsylvania to evangelizing the teenage street gangs of 1950s New York City. One gang, the Mau Maus, figures prominently in the book because of its unusual hardness and...
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...
