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Our annual celebration of the Resurrection is upon us. I thought we ought to look at it for a moment. There are some today who question the Resurrection of Christ. Oh, they're okay with a "spiritual resurrection" of sorts. You know, spirituality is quite popular today. I mean, it's a popular theme that when someone dies they're "up there in heaven, looking down on us." Nice. And that was Jesus, too ... right? No, not right. The bodily resurrection of Christ is not negotiable, nor is it minor. The Resurrection assures us that there is a God. Its violation of…  ( Click for more )

All parents aim to bring their kids up to be responsible adults. Some better than others, sure, but there has to be something of that in every parent-child relationship. We want them to learn to "stand on your own two feet", to be brave and strong and ... you know, all those good things. We would like them to be self-sufficient. It is, after all, the American Dream, isn't it? I wonder how much the "American Dream" has messed up American Christianity. That kind of thinking, at least. We seek to "stand on your own two feet", to "live the dream",…  ( Click for more )

How can I know if I'm saved? I am not going to ask, "How can I know if you are saved?" or "How can you know if I am saved?" I'm just pursuing the question, "Is there any way that I can have some assurance that I am among the elect, that I am a genuine believer, that I am not among the 'many' who will come in front of the Judge believing I actually was saved only to be told, 'I never knew you'?" I don't want any of the people that I love to believe they're saved only to find out they're not, and I certainly don't want to find myself in that boat. So what…  ( Click for more )

For a major portion of my Christian life one of my biggest concerns and prayers have been for the Christians who aren't. We don't have to name names. I wouldn't want to try. But you know the type. They go to church or went to church. They often call themselves Christians. They're often quite sure they are. They may even be really nice people. But there's something ... missing. Something absent. They don't seem to actually have a living, active relationship with the living Christ. It's more of a system or even an unconscious thing with them. They nod and they go through the motions…  ( Click for more )

Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? (Romans 2:4)Romans 2.4" href="http://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Rom%202.4" class="rtBibleRef">

I'm sure you've seen that one before. Indeed, we really like that one. "It's His kindness that leads us to repentance." Meaning, "Not His wrath or His judgment or all those crazy threats about Hell. No, we are drawn to Christ by His kindness and not 'scared to Him' by fear." But ... is that what it means? Jesus was not shy…  ( Click for more )

We know we are supposed to love God and love our neighbors. We know we are even supposed to love our enemies. We know we are to love our spouses and our families. Lots of love going on here. So it is no surprise that we are not told merely to love but to "fervently love". Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. (1 Peter 1:22-23)

That's…  ( Click for more )

For He [Christ] was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. (1 Peter 1:20-21) What do we get from this? Well, we know that Christ was foreknown before creation. Therefore, He is an eternal being. We know that God raised Him from the dead and glorified Him. We know that His resurrection is the basis of your faith and hope being in God. But did you catch that little statement from Peter? He…  ( Click for more )

We all know that the Bible commands, "Honor your father and your mother" (Exodus 20:12). In fact, Paul points to this one in the New Testament to urge children to obey their parents (Ephesians 6:1-3), which would certainly indicate that this command is still in effect in the New Covenant. Of course, almost immediately the objections come out. "Well, sure, when you're a kid, but not after you grow up and leave the house!" Or, "Oh, yeah? What if they're lousy parents?" And so it goes. The question is worth examining because, as it turns out, we're told…  ( Click for more )

A syllogism is a common form of a logical argument. It takes two or more propositions (that are assumed to be true) and draws the required conclusion (which, if the propositions are true, is unavoidable). The classic syllogism is one like this: All humans are mortal. Socrates was human. Therefore, Socrates was mortal.

Neat and clean. Consider, then, the standard syllogism that puts an end to God -- the problem of evil. God is all-powerful, so He can prevent evil. God is good, so He would want to prevent evil. Evil exists. Therefore, there is no God.

The problem with…  ( Click for more )

I dislike much of my nighttime dreaming. Most of the time it is spotty, a flickering and dark dream not in a spooky way, but in a literal sense. I can't see well. The lights come and go. Typically, they are not well lit. I don't like trying to operate in situations without light. Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. It is built on the Hebrew alphabet and is 176 verses of what might be called "An Ode to God's Word." One I'm sure you've heard is Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105)

That's all well and good, except these…  ( Click for more )

There is a tendency in human beings to identify ourselves in particular groups. "I'm an American." "I'm a woman." "I'm gay." "I'm a Jones." "I'm black." Along a lot of different lines, but we all seem to use this for identity. The most common, I think, is family. It's inherent just in our identification -- the last name (at least in American culture). This recent Christmas that fell on a Sunday, producing the dilemma of "church or family", made me ask the question of identity. Who are we? Oh, sure, we are lots of things.…  ( Click for more )

It isn't hard to find religion in the human race. It seems to be "hard-coded", so to speak. Atheists are few. And it takes very little effort to find stories about people who "went on a search for God" and either found Him or didn't. Funny thing, though. The Bible disagrees. The Bible says, "No one seeks for God." (Romans 3:11) Now, wait a minute! We can objectively see that lots of people seek for God. How can the Bible make such a claim? Well, from a biblical perspective, it makes perfect sense. Scripture says that humans "by their unrighteousness…  ( Click for more )

The problem of Theodicy is the problem of evil. If there is a Sovereign God, how can there be evil? Conversely, if there is evil, whether moral or just bad things happening, what does that say about God? Lots of people have taken lots of approaches to this from lots of angles. There is the, "See? Proof that your god doesn't exist" on one end and the "The existence of evil proves the existence of God and, oh, by the way, He intends it for His good purposes" on the other. Of course, most people are somewhere in between. It is my conviction that most people are…  ( Click for more )

This is the key, isn't it? We -- we Christians -- all know it. It is the event, the point, the aim. What we pray for, want, hope, and work toward is to get as many as possible to accept Christ as their personal Savior. That's the phrase. "Accept Christ as your personal Savior." Where did that come from? You see, I find (with my tendency to examine words) that it irritates me, like a seed in my teeth. There's just ... something ... wrong. What is it? It's that word, "accept". It sounds like a condescension. It sounds like someone in a superior position deigning…  ( Click for more )

It appears that we've shifted another word definition -- "hypocrisy". It is a popular accusation against many people with morals, Christians especially. But just what is it? The word used to mean "a feigning to be what one is not : the false assumption of an appearance of virtue." The word comes from the Greek, hupokrisis, which was actually a theatrical term. It referred to the masks that actors wore when they played a part in a play. That's the idea: putting on a mask. Appearing to be what you are not. (Thus the "feigning" in the original definition.)…  ( Click for more )

Remember the story of Job? First, he suffered the loss of all he had -- his livestock, his servants, even his children. His response, while tearing his robe and shaving his head in anguish, was, "The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." (Job 1:21) The author of Job says, "In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong." (Job 1:22) Next, it became personal. Sitting in ashes, he scraped at the "loathsome sores" that covered him from head to toe (Job 2:7-8). His wife asked, "Do you still hold fast your integrity?…  ( Click for more )

Skeptics and purists alike are quick to point out that December 25th is not Jesus's birthday. Indeed, the singularly most common answer given from all sides as to why Christians celebrate the birth of our Savior on December 25th is that the early church was simply redeeming a pagan holiday. That answer is everywhere. It is true ... right? Maybe not. The truth is that the Bible tells us nothing at all about what time of year Jesus was born. Oh, there are hints. There were, for instance, shepherds in the field. That is not a year-round occurrence. Some suggest it was lambing season,…  ( Click for more )

It is not very often that I actually hear anyone, especially a Christian, voice the idea that "God owes me" something. It is, conversely, very rare that I find anyone who doesn't believe it's true. They believe that God owes them something or other even if they would never say it. A non-Christian friend asked me the other day about a "theological dilemma" that was nagging at him. "Isn't it true," he asked me, "that the Bible has lots of places where God destroyed lots of people? You know, like Noah's Flood or Sodom and Gomorrah or the killing…  ( Click for more )

This is the key, isn't it? We -- we Christians -- all know it. It is the event, the point, the aim. What we pray for, want, hope, and work toward is to get as many as possible to accept Christ as their personal Savior. That's the phrase. "Accept Christ as your personal Savior." Where did that come from? You see, I find (with my tendency to examine words) that it irritates me, like a seed in my teeth. There's just ... something ... wrong. What is it? It's that word, "accept". It sounds like a condescension. It sounds like someone in a superior position deigning…  ( Click for more )

This is a marvelous passage from Hebrews. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

I really like it. I like the imagery of running the race. On one hand, it is work. On the other, it is of limited duration. I love the…  ( Click for more )

Psalm 100 A Psalm for Thanksgiving. Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth. Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations.

While we give thanks this Thanksgiving Day, let's remember to Whom we are giving thanks…  ( Click for more )

Over the centuries of Christianity there has been an internal debate about whether or not Christians are required to be pacifists. Some have said, for instance, that it's wrong to be a Christian in the military. This was put forth in the early church. Others argue that Jesus said, "All who take the sword will perish by the sword" (Matthew 26:52), so we must not bear arms. On the other side, they point out that the early church opposed Christians being in the military because being in the military in their day meant mandated idolatry, and Christians are certainly not to…  ( Click for more )