What Is God?
Paul exhorted his readers in Romans 12:2 to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” This transformation is reminiscent of the transformation Jacob (“the deceiver”) underwent when he became Israel (“one who struggles with God”). Earlier in his life he capriciously deceived to get what he wanted. In his older age he realized he […]
Why the Gospel Is Mentally Satisfying
The gospel is very satisfying to the mind because it presents a very powerful case for knowing there really is life beyond the grave (1 Corinthians 15:1-58). Since Jesus was really executed and really arose the third day, it is very satisfying to have confidence that He died for our sins, giving us a basis […]
Baptism Keeps Good Company
Why is baptism important to our salvation? The answer is as simple as looking at the company it keeps. It Keeps Company With Faith and Repentance People desperately want to believe in “faith only” but the Bible teaches differently. In Mark 16:16, Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he […]
Transformed by Grace: Understanding Ephesians 2
Japanese author and novelist Haruki Murakami is quoted as saying, “Death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it.” Unfortunately, death is a part of life that everyone will experience at some point, but Paul teaches us something in Ephesians 2 that is completely unheard of in nature: the passage from death […]
The Bible
How important is the Bible? Is it more than a decoration in your home? Is it more than something that sits on your lap while you are worshiping God? Think about the contents of the Bible for a moment. The words of this book reveals the mind of God, the state of man, the way […]
What Is Justification?
Justification is from the Greek word dikaioo, and the word occurs 38 times in the New Testament. The related words in its family include righteous (dikaios), righteousness (dikaiosune), and righteous judgment (dikaiokrisia). Justification is defined by Thayer as “to judge, declare, or pronounce righteous and therefore acceptable.” He goes further to say, “Especially it is […]
Eternal Security
Extremes on a position are rarely a good thing, and that’s no exception when it comes to the doctrine of “Once Saved, Always Saved” or “Eternal Security.” Often, when one teaches this doctrine they may say, “You can commit any sin as a child of God and remain saved.” I’ve studied with people who told […]
The Parable of the Sower
First we see that there was a sower. Jesus was telling His disciples this parable to describe their purpose. The sower’s purpose in the parable may seem small but he can teach us all something. He sowed the seed on all kinds of soil, not discriminating between the soils. He did not look at the […]
Baptism: Answering or Asking?
The King James Version renders 1 Peter 3:21: “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” The translation of the Greek word eperotema as “answer” has been […]
Help Me Go to Heaven
In John 14:1-3 Jesus said, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, […]