Jesus and the Four Thieves
Dec 09All were thieves, deserving punishment. One was a betrayer, ending his life in suicide; one was a beneficiary, though only for a time; one was a berater, destined for hell; but one was a believer, receiving salvation and eternal life. Jesus, who received the penalty for thievery, can save even the thief, for He came “that they might have life, and . . . have it more abundantly.”
Can a Christian Not Sin
Oct 16Our text commands us to sin not! But then, it also reminds us that Christ is our great advocate before the Father. He is righteous and has already taken our sins away as our propitiatory sacrifice, so “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (I John 1:7).
The Unknown God
Sep 06The people of Athens were known to be quite religious, worshipping a host of nature gods. They even had set up an altar "to the unknown god." Paul pounced on this point of contact to declare unto them the God they didn’t know.
What is justification?
Mar 08“But no, rather, I also count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them to be dung, so that I may win Christ and be found in Him; not having my own righteousness, which is of the Law, but through the faith of Christ, the righteousness of God by faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable to His death; if by any means I might attain to the resurrection of the dead.” Philippians 3:8-11 In its theological sense, justification might be seen as a purely legal term. It describes what God declares about the believer, not what He does to change the believer. In fact, justification effects no actual change whatsoever in the sinner's nature or character. Justification is a divine judicial edict from God Himself. It changes our status only, but it carries ramifications that guarantee other changes will follow.
Backsliding. Watch that first step!
Feb 25“And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle … But David tarried still at Jerusalem. And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.” II Samuel 11:1-2