Jesus Loves Me, This I Know! Romans 8:31b-39 “31b …If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God…
The Power of a Transformed Mind A few years back, I renovated one of our bathrooms. This part of our house is very old and was constructed using the Jenny-Lind technique. After so many years, it is no longer square. Truthfully, it is more of a trapezoid. When you build something that must fit fixtures…
Translating Scripture There are many translations of the Bible. Some feel strongly about one or the other. In this little article, I want to discuss Bible translation using Romans 12:2. Before we begin, please understand that I am not a Bible translator. I am not an expert in the ancient languages. These are simply my…
Thoughts on the Role of the Spirit The Spirit guides us into truth. He is active in causing us to see sin in our lives. The Holy Spirit prompts believers toward godly behavior and attitudes, but He does not convict believers. The definition of “convict” is: “1) declare (someone) to be guilty of a criminal…
Reading the Old Testament Sometimes reading the Old Testament can make a person nervous. There are a few things that are important to keep in mind when reading scripture in general, and the Old Testament in particular. What we call the Old Testament is the Hebrew Scriptures. These were for the Jews and written before…
Trust with Abandon One of my most purposefully remembered scripture passages is Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. (NASB) When it comes to our faith in Jesus Christ, if…
This Grace in Which We StandA Study of Romans 5:1-11 Amazing grace; hyper-grace; cheap grace. We hear a lot about grace in church. Ask any Christian how someone can be saved and you’ll be told that it is by grace we are saved. Grace is mentioned outside of church too. We say grace; we refer…
Sanctification-An Introduction The Greek Word for sanctification is the same one translated “holy.” The word is ἁγιάζω (hagiazō) and it means, Hallow, Holiness, Holy, Sanctification, Sanctify, Consecrate. It is the same Greek word translated “saints,” which means “holy ones.” Both sanctify and holy mean “set apart.” We typically assign “holy” a sense of pure and…
A Brief Testimony I grew up in the church. I was raised in one of the more legalistic denominations and taught that my salvation might be impermanent. I studied the Bible. I was trained as a lay minister and assigned to a church. I preached a legalistic message and grew angry with those who suggested…
The Power of Sin Paul said in Romans 7 that he does things he does not want to do. He says that if he does not want to do them, then it is no longer he who does it. He blames it on sin living in him. So, which is it? Is Paul the one…
What is Our Nature? When I speak of our “nature,” I am referring to our hard-wired inherited traits. When we were born of the flesh, we inherited our traits from Adam. Therefore, though not everyone sinned in the same way as Adam (see Romans 5:14), all are sinful right from the start. It is the…
Dividing Soul and Spirit There has been a serious lack of clarity in the Church about the difference between our spirit and our soul. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our…
Is There Bad News in the Good News? 2 Corinthians 5:6–11 6Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7for we walk by faith, not by sight— 8we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent…
Justification from Sin Justified means acquitted, found not guilty, declared or made righteous in the sight of God. Justification then, declares that one is not guilty of sin. If one is not guilty of sin, then one is in fact righteous. One of the problems we may have with our understanding of sin and justification…
Worship by Wandering Around John 4:23–24 23“But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.” 24“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (NASB95) For many years, the…
Does The Holy Spirit Keep You From Doing What You Really Want? Galatians 5:16-17 (KJV) 16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to…
Justification by Works? In James Chapter 2:21-24 James says, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM…
Mercy and Grace Are Yours Hebrews 4:15–16 (NASB95) 15For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy…
Your Brother Jesus Hebrews 2:9-11 “9 But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. 10 For it was fitting for Him,…
The Introduction The book of Hebrews is introduced with some truly wonderful words. Hebrews 1:1-4 1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through…
You Have Rights It is common for people to say that we are all children of God, but that is not true of those who have not been reborn. They have been born of Adam’s seed. They have been born of flesh, born of water. That is their lineage and from that they inherit only…
A Brief Study of Hebrews 10:32-11:3 The book of Hebrews is filled with new covenant truth. Written to the Hebrew people, it holds great value for everyone who has been steeped in the traditions of the church. This brief passage is one that many find problematic and unsettling. Often it seems unclear and at first…
Jesus The Lamb of GodPart Three When the time had come for Jesus to lay down His life (as Isaac did figuratively by allowing Abraham to place him on the altar) Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples. That the death and resurrection of Jesus should happen at Passover is not a coincidence. It was…
Jesus The Lamb of GodPart Two In addition to getting forgiveness and cleansing from sin, we get the Lamb of God inside us to sustain us as we travel toward the promised land. The fullness foreshadowed in Exodus 12:26-27 (KJV). This passage describes the reason the Israelites were to continue celebrating the Passover each year….
Jesus, The Lamb of God Part One This begins a series of posts about the work Jesus finished at the cross. We will start with the foreshadowing found in the Old Testament and then see its fulfillment in the New. So, we will get started by beginning at the beginning. After Eve and Adam had…
