Jesus came to earth and died on the cross in order to make salvation possible. But how can we take advantage of His sacrifice and be saved? The New Testament shows how this can be done.
So what is the plan of salvation? Let us consider four points in this article.Continue Reading
When people hear the word “church,” they will likely have many different ideas about what a church should look like, how it should be organized, and what it should be doing. However, we need to understand the description of the church that is given in the New Testament. This is how we can find the Lord’s church today.
So what is the church? Let us notice four points.Continue Reading
This book is about restoring a sense of community in the local church. While many churches do a good job at engaging in Scriptural worship and following the New Testament pattern for their organization and work, the sense of community is missing in many places. Being part of a local church ought to mean being a bigger part in one another’s lives.
The author asked, “How many ‘every time the doors are open’ Christians know little about their fellow Christians? How many have perfect attendance yet don’t see anybody else outside the building?” (p. 148). Elsewhere he posed the question: “What if we realized that passively listening to lessons three to four hours per week and ‘being there every time the doors are open’ does not constitute being an active member of the church?” (p. 22).Continue Reading
“Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Hebrews 13:4).
Marriage was instituted by God in the beginning as a blessing for mankind. Sadly, this God-ordained union between a man and a woman has been corrupted, abused, broken, and disregarded in every generation since then. We certainly see this in our society and will continue to see it as long as people ignore and reject God’s plan for marriage.
The Hebrew writer said that “marriage is to be held in honor.” To hold something in honor is to esteem it and recognize it as being valuable. The same Greek word is used to describe the “precious blood” of Christ (1 Peter 1:19) and the “precious…promises” that God has given us (2 Peter 1:4). Clearly, when we see this word being used by the New Testament writers, we are reading about something that should be treasured.
What does it mean to hold marriage “in honor”? Consider a few points:Continue Reading
We often talk about the importance of preaching the gospel. But what does that mean? The gospel is foundational to our faith. Therefore, if we are to be “ready to make a defense…for the hope that is in [us]” (1 Peter 3:15), then we ought to be able to concisely explain it to others.
So what is the gospel? Let us consider four points here.Continue Reading
Many religious people are familiar with the Great Commission in which Jesus told His apostles to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15). Earlier, during His earthly ministry, He gave His apostles a more “limited” commission – to “go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:6).
When Jesus gave this “limited” commission, He told His apostles, “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matthew 10:7). However, even though their message would be confirmed with miracles (Matthew 10:8), not everyone would accept it. So Jesus gave them instructions regarding what they should do when this happened:
“Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet” (Matthew 10:14).
Jesus indicated the severity of the offense committed by those who refused to listen when He said that “it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city” (Matthew 10:15). This shows us just how serious it is for someone to reject the message of the gospel.
The same thing was done as the Great Commission was carried out as well. In Antioch of Pisidia (Acts 13:14), the Jews opposed Paul’s preaching out of jealousy when they saw that “the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord” (Acts 13:44-45). Their response led to Paul and Barnabas “[shaking] off the dust of their feet in protest against them” (Acts 13:51).Continue Reading
Virtually everyone we will meet has at least heard of Jesus, though they may have different opinions or assumptions about Him. Some may see Him as a great teacher. Others might think that he was just a Jewish rabbi. There are also those who believe that He was nothing more than a myth or a legend. Then there are believers who will affirm that He is the Son of God.
So who is Jesus? We will just scratch the surface here, but let us consider four points to help us answer that question.Continue Reading
What does “propitiation” mean? How is “justification” connected to salvation? What does “sanctification” look like in our day-to-day lives? The Bible uses some powerful words to describe God’s plan to save mankind. However, these words are not always easy to understand, especially when they are not part of our everyday vocabulary. This book explores key Bible terms that unlock the message of the gospel.
Big Words in the Bible examines five important words – Propitiation, Reconciliation, Sanctification, Justification, and Resurrection – using plain language to see how the Scriptures describe these concepts and how the apostle Paul employs them in his letter to the Romans. This book also contains an appendix with eleven additional articles to explore these topics further.
Whether you are new to the Bible and want to grow in your understanding or want a simple way to explain these core gospel doctrines to others, this book will be helpful. With a focus on the Scriptures, Big Words in the Bible helps break down these fundamental topics to shed light on the life-changing message of the gospel and the salvation found in it.
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