Question: I recently read the book, The Da Vinci Code. I know that it is fiction, but it has caused me to question everything that I’ve always believed about Jesus. How do we know that Jesus is God in the flesh and not simply a good teacher? Answer: For two thousand years, critics have chipped […]
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Israel – Like No Other Place on Earth
Israel is like no other place on earth. To an aged wanderer, it was the Land of Promise: “To your descendants I will give this land” (Genesis 12:7). It was the land of a proud man who limped away with a new name after his encounter with God: “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, […]
Read MoreThe Spirit Who Is Not a Ghost
I did an “unearthly” thing last week. In fact, I did it twice. Thinking back over my lifetime, I have done many adventurous things. I’ve even done a few crazy things; some I think would qualify as mischievous, risky, and on a few occasions, dangerous. To retain the little bit of respect I have built […]
Read MoreGrace Is Life
God’s nature exudes grace. We can rely upon that truth because we can see that God’s deeds exude grace, both in our lives and in Scripture. From start to finish, God’s Word reveals His grace to those with eyes to see and ears to hear. Even from the first chapter of the Bible, we see […]
Read MoreAlternatives to Grace
Isaiah 44:22 NLT If I choose not to risk, if I go the “safe” route and determine not to promote either salvation by grace or a lifestyle of grace, what are the alternatives? Four come to my mind, all of which are popular these days. 1. I can emphasize works over grace. I can tell […]
Read MoreHow Much Proof Is Enough Proof?
I was talking to a lady over breakfast the other day. It was a church breakfast, where some people had been invited who were “casually curious” about matters of faith and the existence of God. I was there to answer any and all questions with grace, and not get too bogged down in the jargon […]
Read MoreWhat a Friend We Have
I have been spending a lot of time in John’s Gospel recently. It’s a wonderful book to come back to from time to time. It reminds me a bit of snorkelling – crystal clear shallows revealing the life of Christ in bright detail; and yet all the while knowing that there are mysterious depths of […]
Read MoreA Sheltering Tree
Shortly before his death, Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote Youth and Age in which he reflected over his past and the strength of his earlier years. To me, the most moving line in this quaint work is the statement: “Friendship is a sheltering tree. . . .” How true . . . how terribly true! When […]
Read MoreThe Freedom of Forgiving
Have you been hurt so deeply that you feel trapped by the pain? Living with the memories of the offense feels like you’re locked in a stone fortress. Roaming the dark hallways, you search for an escape from the looming images of betrayal that line the walls. No way out appears, save one—the way of […]
Read MoreThe Full Gospel…And Nothing More
In Bible college I sat under Dr. Charles Ryrie for a course in soteriology—the doctrine of salvation. He opened the first lecture with this instruction: “Take out a piece of paper. You have less than one minute to share the gospel with a stranger, or he’ll be lost for eternity. Write down what that person […]
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