The gospel is the good news to the condemned and sinful. Those who believe it are acquitted of their guilt before God and set free! But how can God set free those who are clearly guilty of sin? There must be a fair and just basis for the acquittal. We learn the answer from the gospel story itself—that Jesus Christ was our substitute.
Jesus had spent three years ministering to the people and training his disciples. Now the time had come for him to fulfill the main purpose for which he had come to earth: to sacrifice his life as payment for our sin. He would then rise again so that others could be raised to live with him. To prepare for his death, he arrived with his disciples at the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. During Jesus’ time in the garden, he faced the most difficult trial of his earthly life.
God’s creation is awe inspiring and wondrous. He made the universe with incredible power and precision. But how does he rule the universe? By what means does he sustain the physical world he created? This post will show that God rules the universe by immutable laws, which are an extension of his mind and power.
Some people say a truly loving God could never be angry with anyone. Others say the Bible teaches that God is by nature a wrathful God. I believe both are wrong. But the Bible clearly speaks of God’s wrath, and not just a few, but many times. So, how could a loving God get angry? And why? In this post we will look at Scriptures that answer these questions.
Jesus once told a parable about two men who were at the temple praying. At the end of his story, one man went away justified, while the other did not. What does it mean to be justified by God? Some think it’s a complex theological word that average believers should quickly pass over. Though the meaning is profound, it’s actually quite understandable.
Many people wonder: Is God kind and compassionate, or angry and accusing? We all would like to think he is loving because we hear that he is. But does he really love us, or is this just an advertisement to get people to join a religion or a church? How do we really know? We know by looking at Jesus Christ, the One who is God in the flesh, and by Christ’s compassion for all he met.
Some people claim that since we can’t see God, finding him is impossible, so we shouldn’t waste our time seeking him. For them, God is just an interesting discussion topic. But many throughout history have claimed to have sought God and found him. All throughout Scripture God tells us to seek him. Why would God invite us to seek him if it’s impossible to find him?
The Pharisees and Sadducees play a very large part in the story of the gospel. Who were they and what did they believe? Why did Jesus confront them so strongly? And can we learn anything from this history? Are there any groups today who think and act in the same way?
“What is truth?” Pontius Pilate’s infamous question to Jesus during his trial seems sarcastic, maybe even cynical. Was he asking to find ultimate truth? No, probably not. But it’s a legitimate question—what is truth? Is it real, or just an illusory concept? Are there really absolutes as opposed to just ideas? And what is Christ’s kingdom of truth?
The cross has always been the symbol of the Christian faith. Everyone knows it symbolizes the death of Christ. In the historical record, it was the means by which the Romans executed their criminals. So what did Jesus mean when he told us to carry our cross? In the popular view today, it’s a metaphor for any form of discomfort, like having to put up with people we don’t like, or having a responsibility we really don’t want. But in the Bible, in its simplest and purest form, the cross means unjust suffering and death.
