In Hebrews six we find a somewhat curious passage that has led to some confusion over the years. Hebrews 6:4-6 (KJV) “4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of…
Don’t let the enemy make you think that something is wrong with you. You are not being singled out by God. You are not being punished. You are not being cursed.
Let Him Love Through You We often talk about letting the Spirit guide us, letting the love of God be expressed through us, and so on, but how, in practical terms, can we do it? At first it may seem daunting. It can evoke thoughts of “the deeper life.” We might think it involves years…
Freedom in Christ It is for freedom that Christ has set you free. This declaration in Galatians 5:1 brings into stark contrast the difference between Life in Christ, and “life” in Adam. The bondage under which the world is held is heartbreaking in the extreme. Once you have the Spirit within you it becomes hard…
You’ve Changed You were made a new creature, a new creation, in Christ. That grimy old sin suit doesn’t fit anymore. Your stony old heart was removed and replaced with a brand new soft and loving heart. Your old self that inherited enslavement to sin from Adam was crucified and buried with Jesus and you…
The Gospel is Simple Some say that the simple good news of the unadulterated Gospel is just preaching what pleases people. The idea seems to be that knowing that Father loves and cares for us is simply what our “itching ears” want to hear. In truth, the simplicity of the Gospel is the opposite of…
Knowing God John 17:3 tells us that knowing God is eternal life. Peter shares another insight about knowing God. In 2 Peter 1:2 he wrote that grace and peace are increased in (or through) the knowledge of God. This illustrates a very important point. Knowing God is crucial to abundant life:Because He is life. Because…
Believe it and Live If you have been struggling with faith, you may feel like you are in a terrible state. You may have heard all sorts of conflicting things about salvation and how to be made acceptable to God, how to get eternal life. Maybe you’ve heard that you must confess, or acknowledge, your…
Don’t Confuse Reconciliation with Salvation Second Corinthians 5:19 tells us that “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their wrongdoings against them.” Given this fact, some have wondered why everyone does not have eternal life. Reconciliation is a two-way street. If you and I were at odds, you might choose to…
Just a Reminder With all the input our minds get from the world, it’s easy to forget who we are and what great things Christ has done. We can feel like we are just earthly fleshly people and forget that we are citizens of the kingdom of God and not of this world. The enemy…
A Breath of Fresh Air According to Romans 7:4 you are dead to the Law because of the fully satisfying sacrifice Jesus made by laying down His life for you. He did this so that you could be free to be married to Him rather than being married to rules, commands, ordinances, and regulations of…
A Little Bit of Jesus from Hebrews 1 The Spirit of God, through the author of Hebrews, meticulously made a case for the supremacy of Jesus. Here in chapter one, the focus is on how superior Jesus is to angels. To the Hebrews this was important and compelling, but it is not something most people…
A Brief Study in Romans 10 When first I was asked to publish a study on Romans 10 verses 6-8, I was intimidated by the material the verses contained. Truth be told, I have found these verses curious for much of my life. Funny thing about curious verses from the Old that are quoted in…
Studies in Ephesians No.3 Ephesians 2:1–10 (NASB 2020) 1-3“And you were dead in your offenses and sins, in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too…
It feels like humility to tell ourselves that we cannot know what God is doing, what His plans are, what awaits us when we pass from temporal life.
Higher, Closer, Deeper Many spend years trying to attain a higher kind of faith, a closer walk with God, a deeper Christian life. They read all the books, work hard at all the disciplines, search the scriptures. That’s a pipe dream. The higher and deeper life is not something attained. Despite hymn lyrics to the…
Jesus promised abundant life. Eternal life is so abundant that it never ends. It is never diminished in the least aspect. That’s as abundant as it gets. Search the Scriptures all you want, but that will never give you life. Life comes from God.It comes from Jesus.He is the only source of life. I’m not…
The use of Sarx when Referring to Jesus Two Examples Sarx is one of two Greek words that are often translated “flesh.” The other word, “soma” refers to your physicality, your body. Sarx is different. Sarx also means flesh but sarx refers to the earthy mindset that tells us that our senses are the dependable…
Tribulation Yields Maturity Romans 5:1–5 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we celebrate in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also…
Studies in Ephesians No.2 1:15-23 Referring back to what he wrote in the first 14 verses of this chapter, namely that the Ephesians to who had written were true believers who had been sealed with the Holy Spirit, Paul adds that He has heard of their faith and their love for the people of God….
Paul Quotes the 10 Commandments In Ephesians 6:1–3 Paul wrote this, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise), SO THAT IT MAY TURN OUT WELL FOR YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH.” (NASB 2020)…
Salvation Litmus Tests I recently wrote that there are no litmus tests for determining whether a person is saved. As sometimes happens, someone asked about a scripture passage that seemed to contradict my assertion. The questioner pointed out 1 John 2:3–6 “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep…
God is In Charge Joseph had a difficult life. When we think of Joseph in the Bible, we may remember his famous coat of many colors. That coat got him in a lot of trouble with his brothers. They threw him in a pit and then when a group of Midianite traders came along, the…
I’ve heard that some believers mess up from time to time. On occasion, so I’m told, some actually behave so badly that if you saw them right then you couldn’t tell them from any sinner in the world. I understand that sometimes this goes on for quite a while. No believers reading this, I’m sure,…
Walk the Walk I recently read this, “I’m saying how can you say Jesus is your savior if you’re not fully living as a Christian. You need to WALK THE WALK AND TALK THE TALK ALL THE TIME!” Not one person living on planet earth can do what this writer proposes. Remember, the standard is…
