Understanding the Gospel Imagine standing at a crossroads, knowing that understanding the gospel of Jesus Christ is the key to making a choice that determines your eternal destiny. Every person faces this reality, whether they realize it or not. The gospel reveals God’s power, mercy, and the path to eternal life. For two thousand years,…
Parable of the Wedding Feast: The Meaning Behind Jesus’ Teaching In the Parable of the Wedding Feast, Jesus told of a man who was ejected from a wedding for being improperly dressed — a vivid story with a powerful spiritual message. This parable teaches that God’s invitation is open to all, but only those clothed…
This title might sound unusual, but the Bible makes it clear — good people don’t go to heaven. In Mark 10:18, Jesus said, “No one is good except God alone.” Similarly, Paul quotes Psalm 14: “There is no righteous person, not even one; there is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks…
Bob Dylan Was Right: A Reflection on Choosing Whom We Serve It’s claimed that, in 1979, this iconic songwriter/singer became born again. He wrote several songs that would suggest his conversion from Judaism to Christianity. It is still debated whether or not he returned to his Jewish roots in the early 1980s. Whatever the case,…
You may be surprised to learn that the Lord never intended His local churches (assemblies) to have two classes of people – Clergy and Laity. There is no outline in Scripture for a ruling class made up of priests, bishops, pastors, ministers, cardinals and so on. Very simply, the Lord Jesus was and is to…
Sometimes, when talking to a person that doesn’t understand something we’ve said, we might rhetorically ask, Are you blind? Or, we might say, “Why don’t you see what I’m saying?” The word “see” becomes interchangeable with the word “understand.” There’s an incident recorded in chapter 9 of the Gospel of John with this same usage of…
It’s easy to say, “Do not be afraid.” The list of things to be afraid of is endless, and fear is among our earliest experiences, even in infancy. If not managed properly, this emotion can dominate one’s life. Fear, however, does have a positive component, which I addressed in an earlier blog. The Cambridge dictionary…
“I never knew you; depart from me” are words of utmost dread spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ. We’ll delve into the significance of this declaration, its intended recipients, and the specific moment in which it will be stated. The wider context for these words is found in Matthew 7:21–23: “Not every one that saith unto…
Whether you’re religious or atheist, most people are curious about the end of the world. For this blog, “world” includes earth and the rest of the universe. We all have the sense that the world will not go on forever. Even the 2nd law of thermodynamics supports the notion of an end to all thing’s…
In all of Christendom, there’s no subject debated more than whether a person is saved by grace or works. Salvation is either through God’s grace or man’s efforts. One camp believes that a person is saved solely by trusting that the Lord Jesus paid the full penalty for their sins. The other camp believes…