Jesus brings division. He understood that this would be the case. He did not want his disciples to misconstrue the impact of his coming into the world: “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword” (Matt. 10:34).1 He knew that people would […]
In his epistle to the church in first-century Colossae, the apostle Paul expressed his thanksgiving for the faith that the Colossians had in Jesus Christ and for the love which they had for one another. Faith and love are the two indispensable elements found in the heart of every true Christian. But they only stand […]
Central to the biblical teaching concerning the human condition is the doctrine of the fall of man from an original righteousness into the depths of sin. The Reformed theological tradition has strongly emphasized the pervasive impact of sin upon man in its affirmation of total depravity. This does not mean that every person is as […]
It was on Pentecost that Peter proclaimed that Jesus was delivered over to crucifixion by the “foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23). For centuries the church has rightly understood that God knows beforehand the things that will happen in history. Interestingly enough, the apostle also here refers to the basis of the divine foreknowledge: “Him, being […]
The recent, intense media coverage of Islam has provided a reminder of the power and grip that legalism holds upon the human mind. It is a perennial view that we must keep the divine law and thereby earn heaven by human merit. Five centuries ago, Martin Luther drew a radical distinction between the gospel of […]
Jesus ordained the Holy Supper with the short declaration, “This is my body.” He followed this statement with the equally succinct affirmation, “This is my blood” (Matthew 26:26, 28). The very simplicity of these statements along with the profundity of the realities proclaimed by the sacrament itself— accompanied by our human weakness and lack of […]
John begins his Gospel with a glimpse into the life of the Godhead. It is an indication of what he intends to do in his book—to unveil significant truth concerning the mystery of the Trinity. The apostle in his prologue invites us to leave the humdrum thoughts and concerns of everyday life to fix our […]
The revelation of God as three distinct persons is one of the deepest commitments of the Gospel of John. Practically speaking, it means that when the apostles stood face to face with Jesus Christ, they knew that they were in the very presence of the ultimate reality, God Himself. The position of Thomas regarding Jesus […]
In his epistle to the church in first-century Colossae, the apostle Paul expressed his thanksgiving for the faith that the Colossians had in Jesus Christ and for the love which they had for one another. Faith and love are the two indispensable elements found in the heart of every true Christian. But they only stand […]
Holy Scripture maintains the fundamental doctrine that God takes the initiative and speaks to the human race in a number of ways. Two of the principal channels of the divine communication are mentioned in the opening sentence of the epistle to the Hebrews. The apostle here calls our attention to a progression in the revelation […]