The Names of Christians: “Workman”
In 2 Timothy 2:14-15, Paul challenged Timothy to be an approved workman. He was to keep reminding Christians of the dangers about which Paul had been writing. He was also to warn them before God to “strive not about words.” Fighting over mere words is a waste of time; it is “to no profit” and […]
The Real Evidence of Our Sincerity
What is your first impression of these stories? A young man explains that he places great importance on his health and that he wants to have clear, strong lungs. He is a habitual smoker. A lady speaks strongly about her commitment to her husband, while she is involved with another man. A member of the […]
Joy in Christ: Live Righteously
There is a general principle in life that we reap what we sow. Paul wrote, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the […]
Can We Change Sin? #4
What If We Are Ignorant of Sin? Sometimes people want to change sin by claiming their ignorance. Yet, no matter if we are smart about sin or not, God will still punish the wicked. In 1 Timothy 1:13, Paul declared that he committed sin ignorantly but he still needed mercy. If he would have been […]
Eternity in the Heart
Solomon said that God set eternity in the hearts of men (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Solomon experienced every earthly pleasure possible and made this tremendous statement. “Eternity” refers to a deep abiding awareness of something beyond this life. In every human soul is a God-given awareness that there is “something more” than the darkness of this world. Michael […]
Needed: Faithful Christians
If you had a car that failed to start every seventh day, you wouldn’t call it faithful. If you had a watch that was usually accurate but failed once every ten days, you wouldn’t keep it. If your hot water heater greeted you with cold water every fourth morning, you wouldn’t consider it very reliable. […]
We Can’t Have It Both Ways
Many people are critical of God — some even using it as their primary reason for rejecting His very existence. For one reason or the other, they are critical of Him because He does not: (1) directly intervene to protect innocent from serious birth defects, fatal injuries, or crippling diseases; (2) directly intervene to stop […]
Joy in Christ: Love the Scriptures
In our continuing series on “Joy In Christ,” the subject we will now consider is a love of the scriptures. The child of God takes joy in God’s book. Psalm 119:103 says, “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Jeremiah 15:16 says, “Thy words were found, and […]
Can We Change Sin? #3
What if We Look at the Opinion of the Majority? In the previous post, we began exploring ways in which people now want to change sin. This we will consider the opinion of the majority. Look at how many people accept premarital sex, but that still does not make it right! Paul said, “Flee fornication. […]
The Names of Christians: “Athlete”
In addition to military metaphors in 2 Timothy 2, Paul is also fond of athletic metaphors (2 Timothy 2:5). The Christian must be spiritually a good athlete. Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:12, “Fight the good fight of faith.” The goal of an athlete is to be “crowned” (cp. Hebrews 2:7, 9), the wreath given […]