And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ - Acts 26:14 These were the words that met Saul's ears at the moment of his conversion experience. First, it is notable that Jesus says that Saul is persecuting Him, even though Jesus Himself had already ascended into heaven several years prior. This gives deeper meaning to the idea of Christians

If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. - 1 Corinthians 8:2 Studying theology can be dangerous business. There are so many different topics to study, and so many different opinions to consider. Sometimes it can bring more confusion than clarity. Perhaps the greatest danger, however, in studying theology is the spiritual pride and complacency it seems to bring about in so many souls. Jesus rebuked the scribes and Pharisees so harsh

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. Last week we began to explore what is known as the ransom theory of atonement. There are several places in Scripture where we are told that Christ's death "ransomed us." But at no point does Scripture declare who specifically this ransom was paid to. Because Scripture is silent on this issue, does thi

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. - Mark 10:45 Over the two-thousand years of Church history we have seen the development of many so-called atonement theories. Some of these include Penal Substitutionary Atonement, Vicarious Satisfaction, Christus Victor, and Recapitulation among many others. The atonement is perhaps the deepest and most ineffable of all theological topics. Its basic meaning can easily be un

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. (Acts 9:1-2) Luke, the writer of Acts, tells us in chapter 11 of his book that the followers of Jesus were first called "Christians" in Antioch at some point after the movement began. N

Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself - John 6:15 Place yourself for a moment back two thousand years ago in the land of Roman-occupied Israel. Word has been spreading that a wonder-working rabbi from Galilee could possibly be the long-awaited Messiah! And you have finally just seen him for the first time. You sat at his feet and listened as he taught with an authority unmatched by

And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. - Matthew 14:28-29 Everyone knows it is impossible to walk on water. But what about when God commands it to be done? What is more fundamentally real: The laws of physics or the Word of God? Surely most people in the world would say the laws of physics are more real. But the child of God defines reality i

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand - Matthew 3:2 The word "repentance" is a polarizing word to say the least. To some people it is no more than a dry and dusty old religious term. To some it is a hateful and hurtful word mostly used to tear others down. And yet to others, repentance is like a note of heavenly music bringing joy to the ears. What is repentance? The Greek word in the Bible is metanoia - a word made up of the prefix meta and noia which comes from the w

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing - James 1:2-4 Imagine a battalion of soldiers commissioned by the king to go map uncharted territory of a newly conquered land. In order to create a detailed map, these soldiers would need to familiarize themselves with every part of the ter

If we have found favor in your eyes,” they said, “let this land be given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.” - Num 32:5 At this point, the children of Israel have been traveling in the wilderness for nearly 40 years. They have arrived at the Promised Land given to them by God Himself. All that is left to do is cross the Jordan River and take possession of the land. But three tribes out of the twelve tell Moses that they would rather inherit t

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you - John 15:7 (Originally posted 6/29, Re-posted 7/3 due to technical issues) What an amazing promise this is. It may even sound too good to be true. This is, in fact, why we should be confident that it is a promise of God. No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined the things God has prepared for those who love Him. This indeed is God's promise to us: that if we

Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours - Mark 11:23-24 This is certainly one of the most profound statements in all of the Bible. Many people have chalked this statement up to exaggeration on Jesus's part - but I t

The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one - John 17:22 Jesus says these words as part of His "high priestly prayer" in John 17. Only moments before Judas arrives to betray Him, He is speaking intimately with the Father about His disciples and the future of the Church. It can be easy to skim past these words in verse 22, but if we pause to meditate on them, I believe there is luscious, revelatory fruit just waiting to be plu

So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. - Luke 14:33 Jesus says some pretty radical things in the Gospels. From "unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no life in you" (John 6), to "unless you hate your parents, spouse, children, and your own life you cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14). Why does He use such strong and provocative language? It wasn't simply to offend people, and it certainly wasn't arbitrary. It was

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. - 1 John 3:16 Thank You Jesus for revealing what true love is. Your love is confirmed for us, not through our circumstances, but through the Cross. There You declared Your eternal love for the entire world once and for all. With Your arms stretched wide, You called forth all mankind to come find shelter in Your embrace. Even to this day Yo

Preserve me O God, for in you I take refuge - Psalm 16:1 God of all creation, You indeed are our refuge. You are like an impenetrable fortress in time of war. You are like the wings of a mother bird covering her chicks. You are like the strong arms of a loving Father wrapped around his son. We are at home in You, O God. Nothing can ultimately harm us when we abide in You, Jesus. There is safety in Your presence, and comfort under Your mighty rule. Your heavenly love casts out

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also - Matt 6:21 Our heart is our life. What we love is who we are. Life is not about accumulating material goods, or even about accumulating spiritual knowledge. Life is about the transformation of our hearts. It is about becoming men and women whose hearts love God and love like God. In the end, we will not be judged based upon how smart we were, how hardworking we were, or how many good deeds we did, but upon how well we

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. - Heb 11:6 According to the writer of Hebrews, there are two conditions that must be met before someone will seek after God. First: belief that He exists. If someone does not believe God exists, then they cannot possibly seek after Him. No one spends time investing into something they think is fake or illusory. Second:

But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. - Romans 14:23 Here Paul gives us a very interesting definition of sin. According to Paul in his letter to the Romans, sin is "whatever does not proceed from faith." The NLT renders this phrase, "If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning." Now this is not the only definition of sin, but it is an extremely valuable one. These