What compels you? What drives you to do what you do? What motivates you to act? These questions arise whenever I read 2 Corinthians 5. This passage so captivates me that I plan to write six articles on it in this year’s Bible Advocate. It’s compelling, not the least because it begins with Paul saying […]
Venturing out on the lonely highways and byways of Asia Minor in the days of the early church put travelers at risk of robbers, beatings, and other perils. Seafaring journeyers also faced multiple dangers, and the apostle Paul experienced them all, on land and sea alike. Perhaps the hardest thing he had to endure was […]
Have you ever noticed that in his famous list of love’s qualities in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, the apostle Paul begins and ends the list with the same trait: patience? Although he uses two different words, showing different aspects of this important quality, they both mean patience. It is often said that the Greeks had a […]
How does Paul’s teaching on mutual submission in Ephesians 5:21 relate to his instructions on submission within specific authority structures just afterward (v. 22 — 6:9)? In Ephesians 5:21, Paul moves from general instructions for all believers to how these apply in specific relationships. To understand his words, we must read them in context. […]
“I’d like to be baptized someday, but I don’t think I’m ready yet. I need more time.” I’ve heard statements along these lines several times. Those who speak them wrongly believe that they must first be good enough before receiving the salvation that Christ offers them. Some have parents imposing this false belief on them. Others […]
In Luke 7:36-50, two people befriend Jesus. The first is Simon the Pharisee. Though the other Pharisees want to kill Jesus, Simon realizes He could be the real thing; He can heal and even raise the dead. So Simon invites Jesus home for a meal, and He accepts. Soon after they sit down to eat, […]
Jerusalem, ad 33. The fledgling church had been given a mission, a call that would challenge social norms, upend religious traditions, and identify her members as a group of radicals. It was a call they ran from. Yes, the disciples had seen Jesus resurrected. They had heard Him speak and watched Him ascend. But that […]
We cannot truly belong to Christ if we try to earn our salvation.
Biblical reasons to celebrate our good God.
