Most of us at some point in our lives have sat in math class, staring at a sheet of paper containing all kinds of equations, some of which quite literally looked like Greek to us! We spotted one of the problems, and we just happen to remember that the teacher worked it out on the board a … Continue reading God requires that you show your work
In Isaiah 44, the prophet tells the story of a man who goes to his forge and builds an ax, another draws up a plan, takes the ax, and goes out to a stand of trees which he has grown and cultivated. He picks one that is just right for his purposes, he cuts it down, … Continue reading A lie in my right hand
Growing up in the Lord's church, I would always hear people use the phrase "faithful" to describe other Christians. Typically, it had to do with their spiritual health, although in many cases I suspect it was based on whether we saw them at worship every week. "He's a faithful Christian. She's faithful to God." Or … Continue reading If God is faithful, why would he reject me?
In I John 2, the apostle John warns the early church of the coming of (and in some cases, the current existence of) false teachers who posed a serious threat to the Christians throughout the region. And in doing so, he makes a statement that I think has been misused in a very dangerous way. … Continue reading “But they were never of us…” – what did John really mean?
Think about that statement for a bit. Many of you who believe as I do that baptism is essential for the remission of sins may initially think "that can't be right! We have to be baptized. It's a command, and when we obey it, we do something. That makes it a work!" But consider how works … Continue reading Baptism is not a work