Did the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks represent God’s judgment against the United States? Did Hurricane Katrina devastate New Orleans because of the rampant immorality there? Is God going to send some natural or man-made disaster to punish this country for the slaughter of millions of innocent lives through the practice of abortion?
A lot of people will answer “yes” to these questions. But what does the Bible say? Jesus’ words in Luke 13 help answer this question for us:Continue Reading
When the Lord returns, He will come “dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thessalonians 1:8).
It may be understandable why those who refuse to obey the gospel will be punished. But what about those who never hear the gospel – those who do not know God? Is it really fair for God to punish people because they never heard? People have wondered this and even questioned God’s justice.
Continue Reading
“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
In the context surrounding this verse, Peter was talking about the coming day of the Lord. This judgment would not come as quickly as some thought it would, which caused them to mock the idea and believe it would never happen (2 Peter 3:3-4).
The length of time until the day of the Lord is not the result of God being slow about His promise. After all, Peter said, “With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day” (2 Peter 3:8). God is not bound or regulated by time like we are. The wait until that day is not due to God’s slowness, but God’s patience.
Continue Reading
The book of Amos primarily contains prophecies and judgments pertaining to Israel. But the book begins by listing various sins of the surrounding cities and nations, finally ending with Israel.
The words condemning each place begin with this phrase: “For three transgressions…and for four I will not revoke its punishment” (Amos 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1, 4, 6). Most of the time, this phrase was followed by just one sin. The phrase is a figure of speech which meant that the sin that is mentioned, after everything else they had done, is what caused the Lord’s patience to end and His wrath to begin. Each city or nation reached this point in different ways.
Notice in particular the words regarding Ammon:
Continue Reading
Paul told Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). The instruction to accurately handle the word implies the need to study and learn the word of God (the King James Version actually uses the word study at the beginning of the verse). Timothy was to give diligence to the study and learning of God’s word.
This instruction applies to us as well. Therefore, it is good for us to read and study the Bible on different occasions: Bible classes, sermons, home Bible studies, our own personal reading and study, etc. It is something that we ought to do our whole life. So it is good to be reminded from time to time how we are to approach the Bible. We must approach it properly so we will benefit from our time studying.
Continue Reading
There are certain times of the year when the religious world pays special attention to Jesus. One is the Christmas season in which they celebrate the birth of Christ. The other is Easter when they focus on His death and resurrection.
Why is there such a focus on these things about Jesus? Remembering a baby Jesus reminds people of the grace of God in sending Him to earth – not to mention the fact that nearly everyone loves babies. In the death and resurrection of Christ, we see a Savior who died for our sins and gives us the hope of heaven. It is no wonder why people celebrate these events. These things make people feel good. Anymore in religion, if something makes people feel good, that is what they choose to believe and practice.
But the Bible has much more to say about Jesus than just these things. Sure, we must remember the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. But by only focusing on these things and ignoring so much of what the Bible teaches about the Christ, many in the religious world have accepted another Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:4). They have molded Him to suit their desires. For this study, let us consider some of the other things the word of God has to say about Jesus that many have forgotten, ignored, or have never known.
Continue Reading
We spend our lives getting ready for what is coming in the future, both short and long term. We get ready to go to work, cook a meal, get married, retire, etc. In addition to things like these, we must also get ready and be ready for certain things that are of a spiritual nature.
What does it take to be ready? First, we have to know what needs to be done. Second, we must prepare ourselves to do what needs to be done. Finally, we must be willing to do what we have prepared ourselves to do. These will be true whether we are talking about spiritual or earthly matters. For this article, let us consider a few things for which we must be ready that are mentioned in the word of God.
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.
Available in print and digital format.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
If you have further questions about using any of the material on this site, please contact me.