Tag: Christianity
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Hebrews and James for Today
The old traditional hymn rings in my ears when reading epistles like Hebrews and James. “I have decided to follow Jesus… No turning back…” The Christian faith has serious demands placed upon it, demands that cannot be cast aside lightly. There is no turning back, there is no quitting, and there is no room for…
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False Teachers in Peter, John, and Jude
In some circles of modern theology, the topic of false teachers is avoided. Yet, the general epistles of Peter, John, and Jude can’t seem to leave the topic alone. This was a present danger in the first century and the danger has not left. We should be clear about a few things: (1) This is…
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Rooted in the Resurrection
The Corinthian congregation was riddled with problems. Paul had to address numerous things that would be repugnant, even to our morally depraved society. A sectarian spirit permeated this group (chs. 1-4). Sexual immorality “of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles” (1 Cor. 5:1b). Folks were eating with no regard for…
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Lessons from I Corinthians
The gospel calls us to do things that seem ignorant compared to the “enlightened world” around us. This may be more evident in Paul’s first Corinthian epistle than in other places. In chapter one Paul argues, “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being…
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Lessons from Acts
God works through His people. One of the greatest truths as a reader passes from Luke’s gospel to Acts is that Jesus started something (Gospel) and His people continue it (Acts). Consider Peter’s comments when he begins his sermon to Cornelius: The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus…
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Lessons from Romans
If every Christian would regularly read chapters one, two, and three and remember they fit in there with everyone else, Christianity would be better for it. Paul seems to write every epistle with a deep awareness of who he once was and who he would still be were it not for the gospel of Jesus…
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Lessons from Galatians
There is only one gospel. Within the framework of salvation, the Bible story, and certainly any discussion of theology, we must hold the viewpoint of no compromise. The gospel is a singularity, just like God who orchestrated it, the Bible that reveals it, and the cross of Christ that initiates it. Paul admonished his readers…
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It Isn’t Just Stopping the Bad…
The Christian life is mistakenly simplified to mean, “stop doing bad things.” The truth, however, is much deeper and richer than this shallow view. Instead, the repeated admonitions in the NT are, “Stop doing bad and start doing good!” Paul admonishes such actions in plenty of places. Briefly consider Paul’s exhortations at the end of…
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James on Practical Christianity
The practical admonitions of the epistle of James have lost none of their potency over the last two thousand years. Perhaps the most intriguing one is the first one James mentions: “Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials” (Jas. 1:2). While Paul nowhere states the truth as clearly…
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Roman World Politics
Our culture understands the pressures of living in a politically charged environment. But probably not to the same degree the first-century audience would have. It is hard to read Romans without considering its political challenges. Consider Romans 1:1-4: “Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,…
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