The Bible offers strong warnings about the danger of “falling from grace”. But does that imply the possibility of losing the gift of salvation? This question has divided followers of Christ for centuries. Once again we are faced with a subject that seems to offer Scriptures in tension. One side can quote our Lord’s words, […]
Have been thinking that one way to understand the Bible is to see the way it tells the story of light and darkness. The first quoted words of the God who brought something out of nothing and order out of chaos are, “Let there be Light.” Then God divided the light from the darkness in […]
In “How the Mighty Fall,” author Jim Collins analyzes how once successful corporations cycle through predictable patterns of decline. In his analysis, problems begin when companies take their success for granted and begin to stray from what worked for them in the past. Collins goes on to say the tendency is for managers to overextend […]
While thinking lately not only about some bloody 15th and 16th century periods of church history, but also about the way church people continue to bitterly divide over theological and political differences, I’m reminded how important it is to try to attach authority to no more and no less than what the Bible says. In […]
The Gospel of the Kingdom begins with the good news: blessed are the poor in spirit (Matt 5:2). In other words, We are to be envied and congratulated if we see our spiritual need of the King who teaches us how to: Admit our spiritual bankruptcy Mourn our wrongs rather than defending ourselves. Inherit the […]
It takes effort to be at peace with ourselves, with our God, and with others. That may be one reason the New Testament author of Hebrews encourages us to work to rest in the living Word of God. Used to think that the reference to the Word of God as a two-edged sword referred only […]
I’m convinced that there are few callings more honorable or difficult than that of a pastor-shepherd. If we think the relationship between husband and wife is problematic, imagine the complexity involved in the relationship between church congregations and their spiritual leaders. Interestingly, the New Testament likens both church and marriage to a body and discusses at […]
If we read the Apostle Paul as a black and white thinker who wrote rule-filled letters to followers of Christ, we may be forgetting that his pre-occupation with rule keeping was a thing of the past (Philip 3:3-14). Listen, for instance, to what he wrote to the Corinthians, “The time is short, so that from […]
In a recent conversation one of our friends made a comment that I haven’t been able to forget. It was something to the effect that “You probably would all think I’m a creep. Have been married several times…” My guess is that along the way others have also made self-disclosing comments that have gotten lost […]
As indispensable as truth, good words, and faith are, what is more important… To know all there is to know… To say all that can be said… To have faith that with God all things are possible… or to love? An inspired Paul writes that knowing all that is true, and saying all that is […]
