The Fall
I recently heard a Christmas sermon which purported to offer a broad overview of the Biblical story leading up to Jesus. Unfortunately, this sermon was flawed in ways which are…
Cleansing Or Curse?
Most scholars believe that the book of Mark was the first gospel written, probably around 65 AD. There is strong evidence that Mark relied heavily on the eyewitness testimony of…
Bad Tenants
The theme of fruitfulness is found throughout the scriptures. Isaiah chapter 5 tells the story of a landowner who carefully cultivated a vineyard, anticipating a rich harvest of good grapes.…
The Vineyard
Isaiah chapter 5 contains a song about a landowner who made every effort to cultivate a flourishing vineyard: "My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug…
The Nature of Grace
Amazing Grace is almost certainly the most widely known Christian song of all time. This beloved hymn was written by John Newton, an English slaver trader who later became an…
Scripture Alone?
Martin Luther was an Augustinian monk who launched the Reformation by posting his 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany (then part of the Holy…
Blessed Assurance
Frances "Fanny" Crosby was born in 1820 just north of New York City. She was blind for most or all of her life. Her blindness might have been congenital, or…
Salvation and the Spirit
It's not at all unusual to hear Christians talk about the time when they were "saved" in the past tense. Perhaps this salvation event occurred when they were a child…
Vindication of the Righteous
In Matthew 13, Jesus tells this very brief but revealing parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When…
Standing Before the Pearly Gates
When people think about salvation, there are lots of ideas which fill their minds. In Revelation 21, John describes a vision of "the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down…