The “Book of Life” is a New Testament concept with deep roots in the Old Testament (Exodus 32:32-33; Daniel 12:12; Malachi 3:16). Believers during Old Testament times were saved by grace, through faith, as they honored the old covenant. When Jesus initiated the new covenant He told His disciples, “rejoice that your names are recorded […]
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How Does the Death of Jesus Save Me?
Question: I’ve been told that Jesus died for my sins. What does that mean exactly? How could the death of Jesus help me get to heaven? What does the death of Christ save me from? Answer: One way to understand the meaning of the death of Jesus is to imagine a courtroom scene in which […]
Read MoreGetting Past Guilt: Overcoming Barriers to Feeling Forgiven
Puritan minister Richard Baxter warned about the emotional toll of carrying unnecessary guilt: “That sorrow, even for sin, may be overmuch. That overmuch sorrow swalloweth one up.”1 In his wonderful old English, Reverend Baxter captured the feelings of people who have not experienced forgiveness. Grief over past sins plunges them into a depth of sorrow. […]
Read MoreA Good Man or the God-Man? The Case for the Deity of Jesus
“Who do people say that I am?” (Mark 8:27) Jesus asked this question two thousand years ago, and the answers are still coming in: a rabbi who preached compassion, a brilliant leader who touched the hearts of thousands, a misunderstood innovator who died as a martyr. His enemies said He was a devil, a rabble-rouser […]
Read MoreWhat the Bible Says about Lust
What the Bible Says about Lust God’s Word speaks to the depths of our sensual desire. Moral compromise is challenged by the truth of God’s unwavering standard of holiness. The Bible offers words of wisdom and instruction, prompting us to trust God for our deliverance from worldly desire. The following passages reveal the destructive power […]
Read MoreProtecting Your Marriage from Its Greatest Threat
“We never intended to fall in love. We were just friends at the office,” the woman confessed through bitter tears. Her affair had finally come to light, and she and her devastated husband sat in their pastor’s study, desperately trying to mend their shattered marriage. Their story is another tragic statistic in an alarming workplace […]
Read MoreWhat Do I Do When I Feel Lonely?
Question: I don’t like coming home to my apartment. It’s cold and dark. The first thing I do is turn on the television just to hear some human voices. I eat alone, flip channels, maybe do a little reading, and then go to bed. I’ve been in and out of relationships, and none of them […]
Read MoreIs God Really in Control?
Do you ever find yourself wondering, “Does God really have things in hand here, or is my life spinning out of control?” I have. Trusting in Jesus Christ at age 18, I soon concluded that if I simply did enough of the right things, my Christian life would be a steady climb toward maturity. Numerous […]
Read MoreCommitting to the Road Less Travelled
M. Scott Peck began his book The Road Less Traveled with this truth: “Life is difficult.”1 Writing this reality or reading it is one thing; accepting it is another. Are you wrestling with the struggles of life today, knowing that changing your circumstances is not one of your options? You’re not alone; the difficulty of […]
Read MoreI Walked Where He Stood
It doesn’t take a Rhodes Scholar to guess the country of the following towns, though the names may be strange-sounding: Offenbach Wurzburg Darmstadt Bad Kissingen Mannheim Aschaffenburg Heidelberg Schweinfurt Worms Bischofsheim Ludwigshafen Coburg The land of beer steins, sauerkraut, liverwurst, and black bread; overflowing flower boxes; cuckoo clocks; wide, winding rivers; deep-green woods; gray-stone houses […]
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