The Trinity of Sin Is Overcome
In Psalms 32:1-2 and 51:2-3, David used three different words to describe the fullness of our sin: transgression (pesha‘), iniquity (‘avon), and sin (chatta’ah). As transgressors, we willfully disobey the One to whom we owe our allegiance. In our iniquity, our hearts have been twisted. And as sinners, we woefully miss the mark of God’s […]
Augustine: The Word Became Flesh
All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like a flower of the grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures forever ~ 1 Peter 1:24-25 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ~ John 1:1 The […]
Becoming Baal
The psalmist declared, “those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them” (Psalm 115:8). In his great book, We Become What We Worship, G. K. Beale articulates, “What we revere we resemble, either for ruin or restoration.” If we worship a lesser god, a god other than the God […]
The Heretic Within
History is filled with people who used the Bible to justify their desires and plans. For example, Adolf Hitler once declared, “Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord.” Cult leader […]
God Includes You
We include our friends in our plans, in our lives. When someone gives you great seats to a game, you think of friends you can invite. When Memorial Day or Labor Day rolls around, you include your friends in the plans for the cookout. Jesus declares that as His friend, you know the Father’s business […]
God Shows His Greatness
When something great happens in our lives, we call our friends. If we have great news to share, we tell people we love. Moses enjoyed a close friendship with God, and God showed Moses His greatness. The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. . . . […]
Our Identity As Children
Romans 8:14-16 says, All those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children. The phrase […]
Not Only Servants
In John 13, Jesus washes His disciples’ feet, holding high the value of serving. He challenges them to embrace their identity as servants. Moments later Jesus tells His disciples that they are more than servants. He calls them friends. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. […]
Living Our Identity
Our identity in Christ necessitates rejecting an identity built on something else, on something less. In the research behind Transformational Discipleship, believers consistently showed that they know this to be the case. When asked about denying selfish impulses, believers expressed their understanding of the privilege of living a new and transformed life. Transformation is seen […]
The Spiritual Discipline That Impacts Everything
In our research behind Transformational Discipleship, we discovered that engagement in one particular spiritual discipline positively impacts engagement in every other spiritual discipline (giving, serving, sharing the gospel, fasting, praying, etc.). In other words, while the other spiritual disciplines are important, engagement in one of these (from a research vantage point) does not necessarily increase […]