In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus used the analogy of four kinds of soil to teach that hearers have different hearts — just as the seed sown by a farmer doesn’t always fall on productive soil, the gospel doesn’t always fall into receptive hearts.
Who’s to say what is “impossible”? It’s a strange world, is it not? Let us, then, be open-minded enough to admit the possibility that the resurrection COULD have happened — and then have the courage to assess the historical evidence fairly.
In addition to being our High Priest and King, Christ is our Judge (John 5:26,27). For those who have accepted the gospel faithfully, the coming judgment holds no fear, only love. But one way or the other, judgment is coming. Of that we may be sure.
Either we should accept that the resurrection occurred and obey the gospel that is based upon it — or deny the resurrection and dispense with the gospel as nothing more than a myth whose believers are “most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:19).
Thomas declared that he would need to see Jesus for himself in order to believe He had been raised from the dead. But later, when Jesus appeared and Thomas was present, Thomas drew exactly the right conclusion: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28).
The apostle John wrote to his brethren urging them to ground themselves in what they had been taught by the apostles (1 John 1:1-4; 2:24; 4:1,6). If they left this teaching, they would have departed from Christ (1 John 2:18,19; 2 John 9-11).
The apostles were eyewitnesses of Jesus after His resurrection. And they were not just disciples of Christ; they were the definitive, authoritative emissaries of Christ. They could regulate the practice of the church in its foundational period.
God’s plan is to repair the damage of sin (its “corruption”) and transform us into people who think and act as creatures made in His image. In fact, He plans to makes us into people who have the same character as His Son, Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29).
We may “know” that Jesus died for us, but in too many cases, the significance of what we know hasn’t really sunk in. The devil is perfectly content for us ...
If the gospel of Christ is true, we’re not in good spiritual health if we’re not in a right relationship with the God who is our Creator — and that ...
Sin is the rebellion of our will against God’s will. The gospel of Christ proposes to transform us back into people who submit to the will of their Creator. So ...
We have to stretch our minds to accept that there could be books written in human language that ultimately came from God’s own spirit (2 Peter 1:21), but that is ...
What have we done with what we’ve heard, however much or little that may be? The real question is not whether we’ve heard, but whether we’ve listened. We’ve “heard” enough ...
The heavens declare the glory of God. Every part of the world is full of wonder, obviously, but isn’t there something special about the sky? We need to admire it ...
Paul argued that God’s “eternal power and divine nature” are clearly seen “in the things that have been made.” Many have agreed, including Joseph Addison, who was no fool when ...
As the head, Christ is deeply concerned about the body’s healthy functioning. He died to make the church possible, and having done that, there is nothing He wouldn’t do to ...
Sacrifice is what shows the extent of love. Christ did more than say words of love concerning us; He gave Himself for us. So let’s celebrate Christ’s sacrifice. And let’s ...
In its universal sense, the church consists of those who have been saved by Christ. Sometimes, however, the church forgets that it has been saved — or even that it ...
Christ’s glory is closely related to the glory of His people. These people — broken and fallible, but forgiven and growing in holiness as they learn from their mistakes — ...
If we’re thinking rightly, we will drink in every bit of truth that God has shared with us about Himself, eagerly wanting not only to know it but to act ...