One of the first lessons you learn in Sunday school is that there are four Gospels—four different accounts of the life of Jesus. What we sometimes forget, however, is that only one of them, the Gospel of John, claims to be an eyewitness account. John’s recall of his participation in the ministry of Jesus, his […]
Very often we celebrate the soteriological advancements of the Reformation for the church and individual Christians alike. We remember with gratitude the soothing, Christ-exalting doctrine of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Could we ever remember and laud this rediscovery of the biblical gospel too much? One underrated advancement that people […]
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) The opening words of John’s Gospel take us back to the opening words of Moses’ gospel—the Pentateuch, the opening words of the Bible. They introduce us to the divine Word who was present at the Creation, […]
The work of Bible translation has been an exciting and unifying endeavor for generations of American and other Western evangelicals. Translators were recruited from among our best and brightest church members, and churches themselves went with them by financially supporting this brave new work. We were all in a hurry to gift the world with […]
There once was a man who claimed to be in possession of a lost painting of Leonardo da Vinci. Upon hearing this claim, the curator of a prestigious museum asked him if it had ever been appraised. “No,” said the man. “No one outside my family has ever seen the portrait, but all of us […]
It has almost assumed the status of “a truth beyond reasonable doubt” in Christendom that the Gospel of John is the most theological of all the Gospels.1 What is not argued, however, is that the Gospel of John is also the most apologetical of all the Gospels. It is literally stuffed from stem to stern, […]
The old proverb “God is in the details” means that it’s in the small and seemingly insignificant minutiae of an event that we see the truth and intent behind it. (This why graduate students painstakingly work their way through five-inch-thick books in the stacks of the university library!) There are certain details—the color of the […]
“Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” (Matt. 18:21–22) “Pray then like this . . . ‘Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.’” (Matt. 6:9, 12) “If one has a complaint against another, [forgive] each other; as the Lord […]
Rachel Hollis has done a lot of things. Growing up in a tragic family situation, she moved to Los Angeles in her teens, married a marketing professional in the entertainment industry, worked as an event planner, had four children and fostered others, took up blogging, started a business, wrote novels, ran marathons, and describes herself […]
I’m going to make an assumption. It’s risky, but I think I’m on safe ground. I’m going to assume that if you’re reading this, there’s a strong possibility that your world is white—your closest friends are white, your most trusted mentors are white, your pastor is white, the last several books you read were by […]
Before I leave my house, I engage in a ritual of sorts. I pat each of my pockets, feeling my wallet, phone, and keys. It isn’t until I actually touch them that I am confident I have them. Even though it’s common to say “Seeing is believing,” touch is the most important sense we use […]
