Lazarus & a Vital Lesson in the Love of Jesus
ARTICLE • “If Jesus really loves me, he would….” How would you complete the sentence? For Martha and Mary, the test of Jesus’ love was whether he would heal their brother, Lazarus. Jesus exposed their short-sighted assumptions by letting Lazarus die, so they could learn that Christ is no mere means to our ends in life—he is the Source and Substance of life itself.
Read time: 9 min
From Suspicion to Salvation: Understanding Jesus’ True Identity
SERMON • Who was Jesus, really? John 10:22–42 narrates Jesus’ unequivocal claims to deity as the Good Shepherd, as the Giver of eternal life, and as God the Son. Listen in to better grasp how Jesus affirmed his true identity while averting an angry mob intent on killing him for blasphemy.
49 min
Mixtures of ‘Smoke and Light’
DEVOTION • “A smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory” (Matthew 12:20).
Read time: 3 min
Coram Deo: Moment by Moment Before the Face of God
DEVOTION • “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).
Read time: 2 min
Feast on God’s Word: A Call to Daily Scripture Meditation
ARTICLE • Discovering the lost art of meditating on Scripture will feed your soul, nourish your life, and strengthen your walk with God. Here’s how to get started.
Read time: 5 min
What’s Your Hope? How Jesus is Better than Winning the Powerball
DEVOTION • “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Rom 15:13).
Read time: 3 min
Scripture and Transgender Identity Construction: How Genesis 1:26–27 Reorients a Subjective Sense of Gender Identity with Objective Reality
PAPER • This research paper explores the realignment of transgender self-perception with biblical anthropology, rooting one’s authentic identity in God’s original and immutable designs for biological males and females.
Read time: 81 min
Pursuing the Abundant Life in the Spirit
DEVOTION • “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple” (Ps 27:4).
Read time: 2 min
Christian Marital Counseling: Eight Approaches to Helping Couples
Book Review • Everette L. Worthington Jr., editor, Christian Marital Counseling: Eight Approaches to Helping Couples (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2000). 254 pp. $31.
Read time: 12 min
The Plot of the Gospel of John
ARTICLE • Writing explicitly to inspire readers’ faith in Jesus Christ (John 20:31), the apostle John masterfully crafted the plot of his eyewitness account of Jesus’ ministry, death, and resurrection.
Read time: 6 min
Why Doesn’t God Just Fix Our Problems?
DEVOTION • The story of the Brazen Serpent in Numbers 21:4–9 illustrates why God may, in fact, provide grace in the midst of a crisis rather than immediately removing the crisis.
Read time: 3 min
“Husband” Is a Verb Too
ARTICLE • Husband has its origins in Old English, derived from the Old Norse, “húsbóndi,” which means “cultivator of a house.” The word combines “hús” (house) and “bóndi” (tiller of soil). How might this imagery inform your household?
Read time: 3 min
Jesus: Incarnate Christ, Eternal God
SERMON • Embroiled in debate with Jesus, the Jewish leaders ask: “Who do you make yourself out to be?” To paraphrase Jesus’ two-fold response—which both shocks and infuriates his critics: “I am both the promised seed of Abraham and the God of Abraham. I am the ‘I Am.’”
38 min
Christology of the New Testament
PROJECT • Comprised of five lecture outlines on Christology, this teaching project provides an overview of the person and work of Jesus Christ from the pages of the New Testament.
Read time: 41 min
Beware of Ritual without Relationship
DEVOTION • Hosea 6:6: “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”
Read time: 2 min
Overcoming Sin and Temptation
Book Review • John Owen, Overcoming Sin and Temptation, ed. Kelly Kapic and Justin Taylor (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2006). Kindle Edition. 466 pp. $22.
Read time: 18 min
Counseling a Husband Exhibiting Avoidant Attachment Disorder
PAPER • Attachment theory and its related attachment style paradigms may be of benefit in describing unhealthy relational patterns in marriage, but Scripture diagnoses and treats the root causes of so-called ‘avoidant attachment style.’
Read time: 54 min
The Mystery of Marriage
SERMON • For many, marriage is little more than a social contract in which two lovers team up to relentlessly pursue their own pleasure. God, however, designed marriage to be radically God-centered. Marriage exists primarily as a joyful, human picture of the union of Christ and His Church. As such, our marriages must not mimic ever-changing societal norms but echo the eternal love story of Jesus and His Bride.
49 min
How Do We Know Which Books Belong in the New Testament?
Q&A • Five crucial characteristics mark all writings included in the New Testament and no writings that have been left out. These are the five “criteria of canonicity.”
Read time: 4 min
Resist the Devil by Resisting the Devilish Impulse to Distrust God
DEVOTION • James 4:7: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.“
Read time: 4 min