When someone says “That’s just your interpretation,” or when critics slander conservative Christians as believing not just in the infallibility of the Bible but in the infallibility of their interpretation of the Bible, the next step is almost never to strive for a supposedly better interpretation. The critics don’t mean to dive deeper into the... Continue Reading

While pornography can excite us for a time, it never lasts—it only ever leaves us feeling empty and unsatisfied. In contrast, God in Christ offers eternal joy, lasting satisfaction, and contentment that transcends our circumstances. No matter what stage of the journey you’re at in finding freedom from porn, look to Jesus. Renew your commitment to... Continue Reading

Remorseful without repentance, Judas committed suicide (Matt 27:3-11). Having seen Jesus condemned to death, Judas was now filled with sorrow and regret—but not with repentance or faith. His response was not that of a changed heart, but of a pained heart. We see him confess his guilt to the Sanhedrin, but not to God or to His... Continue Reading

Consider chapter three of Hebrews. In verse 12, the preacher has to say some hard things to some in the congregation. He must warn them of having an “unbelieving heart” which could lead them to “fall away from the living God.” But notice how he begins the verse. He writes, “Take care, brothers…” Brothers. He is... Continue Reading

Adam showed his faith in God’s promise to save him by naming his wife Eve, which means the mother of all living (Gen. 3:20). Indeed, the seed of the woman, Christ Jesus, would fulfill all his Father sent him to do so that all who believe in him would have life in the presence of... Continue Reading

When we read the story of Rahab in Joshua 2, we are meant to understand that story in light of the exodus backdrop. The scarlet thread recalls the blood of the unblemished lamb. The window in Rahab’s house recalls the doorposts and lintel of an Israelite home. Impending divine judgment was true for both Exodus... Continue Reading

First Corinthians 12:22 informs us that God sees the weaker parts of the church as necessary. Moving toward a ministry for nontypical or disabled individuals and their families requires at least two things. First, church leadership must understand the important role that these individuals have in the church and be committed to making all things accessible... Continue Reading

When the disciples come to understand Jesus’s words and actions after his resurrection, it is because they understand that Scripture prophesied Jesus’s death and resurrection as the climax of redemptive history. John expressly tells us this: “When, therefore, he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture... Continue Reading

Hebrews is an expositional and pastoral warning not to return to the shadows of Judaism now that Christ the substance has come and to look fully upon the beauty of Christ and remain faithful through trial and persecutions. The fact that it also provides us with some of the clearest theology for how the New... Continue Reading

Christian, the compass of suffering points true north to God’s eternal dwelling place. Therefore, “build not your nest here,” but seek and “desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one” (Hebrews 11:16).19 Your Lord will graciously sustain and bear you through your pain and suffering in this life, and in his timing, usher you into... Continue Reading