Shame and guilt are often confused in people’s thinking. What are they, and how do they differ? More important still, how might we be set free from the debilitating effects of shame? Here are ten things to keep in mind....
When I left Islam to follow Jesus, I didn’t know what it would cost me. I hadn’t realized what it would take to deny myself, lay my life down, and take up my cross (Matt. 16:24)....
The most famous verse in the Bible, at least among Christians, is John 3:16. But do we really understand what it means? Here are ten things to keep in mind as you reflect on it....
The immediate answer to the question posed in my title is, Yes, of course. Each individual Christian has the immeasurable privilege and joy of knowing and enjoying the love God has for them in Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:5; Gal. 2:20)....
Those who self-identify as Open Theists deny that God has exhaustive, meticulous foreknowledge of all future events, including (especially) the morally responsible decisions of human beings....
Worship involves our bodies as well as our hearts and minds. Our posture tells a story. It makes a statement to God and to others about the state of our souls and the affections and passions of our heart....
Those who self-identify as Open Theists deny that God has exhaustive, meticulous foreknowledge of all future events, including (especially) the morally responsible decisions of human beings....
Keep ReadingWhere will believers in Jesus spend eternity? It won't be on a cloud or a star in some distant galaxy. It will be on the sanctified and redeemed soil of the new earth. Here are ten things you should about what eternal life will be like in the new heaven and new earth. (1) According to Revelation 21:1 this present earth and the heavens above will "pass away" when Jesus Chri...
Keep Reading Worship involves our bodies as well as our hearts and minds. Our posture tells a story. It makes a statement to God and to others about the state of our souls and the affections and passions of our heart....
Keep ReadingWhen I read Paul's words in Colossians 1:24, "I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake," I shake my head. It isn't because I don't believe what he says. It's because I struggle to identify with his experience. I've lived a rather sheltered, comfortable, and safe life here in America. I honestly have no idea what my brothers and sisters in Christ on the other side of the gl...
Keep ReadingHistory, according to one cynic, is nothing but "the succession of one d___ thing after another." Unfortunately, many Christians would agree, although one hopes they wouldn't use precisely the same terminology! The fact is, people wonder why the history of Christian theology is worthy of our time and energy. Facts, dates, and dead people do not inspire much excitement, and...
Keep ReadingNo biblical text so vividly portrays for us the true meaning of Christmas as does 2 Corinthians 8:9. There the apostle Paul wrote this: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich" (2 Cor. 8:9). In what sense was Christ "rich" or "wealthy"? I want you to think wi...
Keep ReadingShort answer: probably not. But that doesn't mean there aren't ways in which to determine with a high degree of probability whether or not God exists. Many have tried to articulate various arguments believed to be decisive in demonstrating that "God" exists, none more famous than the so-called "Five Ways" of Thomas Aquinas. Thomas died in 1274, just shy of his fiftieth bir...
Keep Reading[You may have read about Lady Gaga's comments regarding Vice-President Mike Pence's wife. If not, brace yourself. Michael Kruger has written a perceptive analysis of her absurd perspective. It was published on January 22 at Michael's blog, https://www.michaeljkruger.com.] Michael Kruger By now, plenty has been written on the issue of Mike Pence's wife teaching at a Christi...
Keep Reading[This article by Andrew Wilson was first posted at the Desiring God website (www.desiringgod.ord] last week, on June 17.] Andrew WilsonPastor, King's Church, LondonJanuary 17, 2019 It is a strange quirk of the contemporary church that arguably the most common way of handling the charismatic gifts, at least in the West, is the only one that simply cannot be defended from Sc...
Keep ReadingA week or so ago I was alerted to a video (https://vimeo.com/275908702) that focused on the amazing creative power of God, both in terms of the massive size of the universe as well as the incredibly small world of molecules and atoms. It may be helpful here at the start to remember that we count from million to billion to trillion to quadrillion to quintillion to sextillio...
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