The entire gospel depends on the Incarnation. God could not have died an atoning death for our sins if He had not become a human being who was capable of being killed. So to leave this out of our “gospel” is to drain the gospel of its main meaning.
Hatred comes straight out of hell. Sexual sin is an abomination that will damn your soul, but if things like pride, anger, and selfishness are in your heart, you are already farther down the road to hell than if lasciviousness was your only problem.
In Christ, we are assured of being protected from the wrath that will be poured out on the rebellious and disobedient. But even in Christ, we must not fail to take God’s wrath seriously. There are none among us who don’t need to be warned.
The gospel’s value does not lie in its power to remove the difficulties of this life; its power is the promise of resurrection to eternal life (1 Peter 1). May God help us, against the spirit of our age, to put the emphasis where the apostles put it.
As you consider obeying the gospel, many of the “what ifs” will be frightful. I won’t insult you by saying that your path will be easy. But this much I know: if God commands it, it can be done. Our prayer is not for ease but for boldness.
Heaven is the reason why people become Christians. At least, that’s what life in Christ was about in the apostolic age. Its “end” or intended goal was not a better world right now — it was, as Peter saw clearly, “the salvation of your souls.”
Yes, by all means investigate the “churches of Christ.” But when you visit, you’ll need to look deeper than the name and ask lots of questions. That designation expresses a noble idea, but a congregation is not “of Christ” just because it says it is.
As you look for a faithful congregation, don’t be misled by the attractions of entertainment masquerading as religion. You’re searching for the Lord’s people, so “examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
You can’t read what happened in Antioch in Acts 11:19-26 and imagine those people downplaying their duties to the Lord’s church in their locality. The entire New Testament assumes that Christians will be members of local groups of saints.
Because the truth is indestructible, the church built upon it is indestructible. The gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Satan could not prevent God’s Son from accomplishing His mission, and he cannot destroy the church which the Son built.
In Christ, we are assured of being protected from the wrath that will be poured out on the rebellious and disobedient. But even in Christ, we must not fail to ...
The gospel’s value does not lie in its power to remove the difficulties of this life; its power is the promise of resurrection to eternal life (1 Peter 1). May ...
As you consider obeying the gospel, many of the “what ifs” will be frightful. I won’t insult you by saying that your path will be easy. But this much I ...
Heaven is the reason why people become Christians. At least, that’s what life in Christ was about in the apostolic age. Its “end” or intended goal was not a better ...
Yes, by all means investigate the “churches of Christ.” But when you visit, you’ll need to look deeper than the name and ask lots of questions. That designation expresses a ...
As you look for a faithful congregation, don’t be misled by the attractions of entertainment masquerading as religion. You’re searching for the Lord’s people, so “examine everything carefully; hold fast ...
You can’t read what happened in Antioch in Acts 11:19-26 and imagine those people downplaying their duties to the Lord’s church in their locality. The entire New Testament assumes that ...
It is not the church building but the members of God’s spiritual family who make up His “house,” as made clear by the translation “household” in the ESV. This marvelous ...
The character of God is the key to the assurance of our salvation. God being who He is, we do not doubt that He desires for us to overcome every ...
The new Christian needs to know that he has embarked on a process of spiritual growth. Many texts speak of this, but none more clearly than Ephesians 4:15,16 where Paul ...
There are some things about God’s plan for the church that to our modern “common sense” seem foolish or unworkable, but those things reflect the “manifold wisdom of God” just ...
In an age when people think there is nothing to the gospel except each person’s individual opinion, we need to keep the emphasis on the authoritative statement of the gospel ...