Some Are Blind, Yet They See
John 9 is an account of the miracle Jesus worked when He gave sight to a man who had been blind from birth. The account shows the unwillingness of the parents to acknowledge Jesus as the source of healing for their son; the rejection of Jesus by the rulers who were presented with unquestionable proof […]
“I Am the Good Shepherd”
The “Parable of the Good Shepherd” is recorded between two miracles which only John records: Jesus giving sight to a blind man (John 9) and the resurrection of Lazarus (John 11). While both these miracles (as well as the teaching regarding the good shepherd) occurred in or near Jerusalem, after this discourse about the good […]
The Righteousness of God
Romans 1:16-17 says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel … therein is revealed a righteousness of God from faith unto faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith …” The good news (gospel) about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus for our sins and justification is God’s power to save […]
Right and Wrong
It is an unfortunate thing in our society, but all too real — people are trying to blur the lines between RIGHT and WRONG. In times past, nearly everyone would agree that lying is WRONG and “honesty is the best policy.” Today, folks will say that it is okay to lie in some situations if […]
“I Was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day”
In Revelation 1:9-10, John, the writer of the book, explained that he was exiled to the island of Patmos for the word of the Lord and the testimony of Jesus. He wrote, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day.” The writer did not explain to the churches what day that was. We must assume […]
A Child-Like Faith
John 9 records the story of a blind man to whom Jesus gave sight, the consequence of which was that not only did the man have the blessedness of precious sight, but the miracle Jesus worked on him produced a trusting faith which was child-like in its nature. The faith of this man is like […]
Religious Correctness
Political correctness is a pressure put upon our society to avoid specific terms and criticism of certain groups. For instance, it is politically incorrect to condemn homosexuals and their sinful lifestyle (cf. Romans 1:26-28). Just as there is pressure in society, there is pressure among religious people. We will call it “religious correctness.” For example, […]
Receiving the Spirit
When a discussion of the Holy Spirit is entered into, folks often become “mystical.” This is true of various points about the Spirit, including receiving the Spirit. What does it mean to “receive the Spirit?” John wrote, “I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes…does not receive us” (3 John 9). To reject John’s teaching was […]
Who Changed the Sabbath?
We have recently written about the Sabbath in this space and published YouTube videos on the subject. One of Jim’s recent videos on the Sabbath garnered several comments so I wanted to go over the doctrine one more time. One YouTube commenter charged that no evidence can be found that God changed Sunday into the […]
True Disciples
John 8:31-59 is an exchange between “those Jews who had believed him” and Jesus. Understanding how John generally used the word “Jew” in his gospel will help the student to understand this exchange between Jesus and those “Jews” who believed in him but who, at the conclusion of the exchange, wanted to kill Him. In […]