In Scripture, the term “redemption” has a very broad application. It is used for the process of buying back the personal property of inheritance and of persons (Lev. 25:51-52; Ruth 4), the ransom of a man’s soul (Ps. 49:8), salvation, justification, and forgiveness of...
Mankind’s history is the tale of two men: the first Adam and the last Adam. The former linked humanity with sin, condemnation, and death. The latter links them with righteousness, purity, and immortality (Rom. 5:12-21; 1 Cor. 15:46-57). This second man was not merely...
Sanctification is simply the process of spiritual growth by which God progressively makes us more like His Beloved Son, our Savior. The natural outgrowth of this process is that believers will live godly lives for the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul reminds us...
One of the greatest privileges that every Christian possesses is access into the very presence of God. Romans 5:2 reminds us that we have “access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” We rejoice not only because we are...
The Lord’s imminent return for His Church provides hope, comfort, and encouragement for the believer. Therefore, the Bible instructs the Church, consisting of all true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, to watch and wait for His return. Our hope is not in politics,...
“But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.” 1 Corinthians 11:31 First Corinthians was written to believers in the brazenly corrupt city of Corinth. All manner of evil prevailed in ancient...
This article looks at the significance of baptism for those who have trusted Christ as their Lord and Savior. There are several baptisms in Scripture, among others John’s baptism and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. There are specific characteristics related to each...
The wonder that God was manifested in the flesh! The Scriptures affirm that Christ is the eternal Son of God, an equal member of the Godhead (John 1:1; Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3). The Bible also teaches that the Father sent the eternal Son into time, with Christ taking upon...
The foundation for a well-functioning society was established by God in Genesis 1. In the beginning of our Bibles, we find answers to important questions such as: What is life? What is the origin of life? What is gender? What is marriage? What is work? Clearly, the...
The New Testament is the only sufficient and authoritative constitution of the church. An understanding of New Testament ecclesiology (the doctrine of the church) will disclose the autonomous and independent nature of the local church. To be autonomous is to be...
I was not raised in a church that practiced head covering. I had been taught it was cultural but felt uncomfortable with this reasoning. Where do you stop with that kind of thinking? I personally decided to study the topic of Headship and became convinced of its...
The subject of crowns and rewards for the Christian is not a salvation doctrine. Salvation is a gift according to Ephesians 2:8-9 and other scriptures: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of...
Someone once said, “The book of Revelation is not hard to understand—it is hard to believe!” What they meant by the words “hard to believe” could be open to interpretation, but one thing is for sure: Revelation is trustworthy because the author is Jesus...
It has been my privilege to be part of an international group studying the Scriptures by Zoom. Just recently, we began a study of the Gospel of Matthew. What a blessing this has been! In the opening verses of chapter 1, we have the genealogy of Jesus Christ, which...
Jesus of Nazareth is the unique, one-of-a kind Person in all of history. Having witnessed His miraculous calming of the sea, His disciples asked in wonder and amazement, “What kind of a man is this?” (Matt.8:27). Jesus clearly and directly claimed to be God when He...
Since the time of the early Church, saints have had difficulty being alert to participating in the work of the Lord and supporting His workers. Paul says that only the Philippian assembly gave financially to provide for his practical needs as he went forward with the...
All of the attributes of God taken together tell us who He is. They are all there in perfection and in harmony with each other. However, there is something different, not more important but different, about His holiness: Holiness is the only attribute of God that is...
The Lords response to the rich young ruler who came to Him was, “There is none good but One, that is, God” (Matt. 19:17). The word He uses signifies moral quality, good in contrast with evil. It is sometimes said of people: for example, Joseph of Arimathea (Luke...
When Naomi and I were engaged to be married, a brother in Christ offered us this advice: “The world will work relentlessly to separate you.” This warning alerted my wife and me to our need for constant maintenance of our relationship. Since the Scriptures use marriage...
The purpose of all patterns and types in Scripture is to declare the glory of God through metaphoric form. The pattern of order for the Church to follow is for this purpose—it declares God’s wisdom and grace in the Church (Eph. 3:9-11). God is presently using the...