Israel is not the church, and the church is not Israel. But Scripture gives the church warrant to learn from Israel. For example, Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10: Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things...
Some view Christians as being brainless zombies who simply believe whatever their religious authorities tell them. While this observation may characterize Christendom as a humanized form, the Bible encourages people to diligently seek understanding and commends those...
The believer continually has the blessed opportunity to gaze upon Christ in God’s Word, the glories of our Lord progressively transforming us into His likeness (2 Cor. 3:18). Let us look into the face of our Lord Jesus from a few selected passages. He is the Son...
I was saved by grace through faith in Christ in my late teen years and began my Christian life with no biblical foundation. When I first encountered the concept of election and predestination as a young convert, I naturally consulted with Christian leaders in my...
Paul’s gospel, like his theology, is God-centered. God is magnified and manifested in His Son. God and Christ work together. “Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all...
Ronald Gregor Smith supplies the world’s answer to this question: “So far as historicity is concerned...We may freely say that the bones of Jesus lie somewhere in Palestine, but the Christian faith is not destroyed by this admission”1 Yet, contrary to this conclusion,...
Easter Sunday and April Fool’s Day are two days that rarely come together on the calendar. It happened in 1956 and again in 2018. There is an appropriate verse in the Bible for such a rare occasion: “Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how...
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...
Isaiah 53 is the gospel in the Old Testament. Many Jews and most rabbis will not read it. In fact, they are forbidden to read it.1 It concerns the vicarious sufferings and death of Jehovah’s Servant who we know and believe is Christ Jesus, our Lord. As a nation the...
“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.””Luke 2:13-14 The birth of a child was a very special occasion in Israel, particularly if the...
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...
In chapter 15 of John, the Lord Jesus Christ gives believers a powerful exhortation when he says, “Herein is my Father glorified that you bear much fruit; so shall you be my disciples” (John 15:8). We are told that we are to glorify the Father and bear much fruit if...
The universal body of Christ provides immediate “membership” to believers in Christ (Rom. 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 12:12-13; Eph. 4:3-4). This world-wide universal body of Christ is composed of all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. The local church assembly needs not to offer...
The apostle John wrote in his first epistle, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13, NASB). The believer has peace with God, eternal security independent...
“When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” Exodus 12:13 The blood on the lintel secured Israel’s peace. There was nothing more required in order to enjoy settled peace, in reference to the destroying angel, than the application of the blood of sprinkling. God...
People intuitively demand justice. Unfairness and unrighteousness move them to indignation. If their rights are trampled on, they revert to the revolutionary-era motto: “Don’t tread on me.” Perceived wrongs produce anger and lasting bitterness, often leading to...
Perhaps the most serious consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic is the impact on the church. Almost every local church has experienced some degree of division over differing opinions and reactions. This is regrettable to say the least, particularly in light of Paul’s...
Silence in Practice In 1 Timothy 2, Paul first instructs men (not women) “to pray everywhere while lifting up holy hands”; 1 Tim. 2:8). The lifting of hands while leading God’s people in prayer followed the practice of Jewish priests and kings (Lev. 9:22; 1 Kgs....
A Plea to Return to New Testament Principles Romanticism, characterized by its emphasis on the glorification of the past, was at its peak in the first half of the nineteenth century. Not surprisingly, its influence was at work in the ecclesiastical world of...
“Question authority” was the self-defining cry of the baby boomer generation. A half century on from the adoption of that credo, their children and grandchildren see no need to question it, for they believe that authority resides in themselves. In an age where truth...