It Didn’t Seem To Matter What The Witch Said

The Transforming Power of Mercy In C.S. Lewis’ novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,1 one of the characters, a boy named Edmund, betrays his siblings and is complicit with evil, having been manipulated by the book’s antagonist, a villainous character known as the White Witch. This treachery persists until a moment late in […]

“Religion” is a Useless Word

I would contend that in our modern English, the word religion is not a helpful word and we should avoid using it. To take groups of people with such vastly different ways of thinking and living in the world and put them all into the one bucket of religion is not respectful to any of […]

Put On The New Self: Colossians 3:1-11

We have come to our fifth and final movement in Paul’s letter to the Colossians (3:1-4:18). Up to this point, the letter has been dense and deeply theological. However, at the beginning of the third chapter, the apostle pivots and the remainder of the letter is very practical in nature. In these last two chapters, […]

Where The Gospel Meets COVID-19

Disease, Decay, and the Promise of a New Creation This topic needs no introduction. The pandemic that is COVID-19 (meaning coronavirus disease 2019, also commonly referred to simply as “coronavirus,” which is the term that will be used hereafter in this article) is impacting every facet of life in the Western world. At the time […]

A Tale of Two Rich Men

Following Jesus When it’s Costly Jesus revealed the radical dedication expected of his disciples when he declared, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”1 Jesus asks his followers to abandon their ambitions and follow him wherever he calls them to go. For those who seek […]

Shadow and Substance: Colossians 2:16-23

Overview of Verses 16-23 Paul’s tone in this passage is urgent; the apostle wants to make it abundantly clear to the Colossian church that the false teachers among them have no connection to Christ or his body. The Colossians do not have to listen to those who would try to tell them they must observe […]

Running Away from God

Answering the Call with Conviction To be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, we must hear His call and pick up our cross and follow Him wherever He calls us to go.1 Let us hear His voice assuring us, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go […]

Who is Jesus?

The Identity of Jesus in the Scriptures Who is Jesus of Nazareth? This question has been starting heated debates since the days of Jesus’ ministry nearly two millennia ago. The Scriptures give us a surprising portrait of us Jesus as the one eternal God who has become human and show us that the earliest Christians […]

That You May Believe

John’s Invitation to Faith and Life Many Christians acknowledge the Gospel According to John as a major landmark in their journey toward personal faith in Jesus Christ. This is because the primary goal of the Gospel is to convince its audience to believe in Jesus. Near the end of his Gospel (20:30-31), John: 1. Acknowledges […]

In Word and Power

Pursuing the Living God Through the Written Word “…our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction” (1 Thessalonians 1:5 ESV). In the 20th and early 21st Centuries, orthodox American Protestantism has largely consisted of two camps: 1. Evangelical churches focused on […]