The sad truth is that we can’t get ourselves pre-qualified for God. We sure are a bunch of sinners and we can’t save ourselves. But the happy news is Christ has already gotten all of us pre-approved on the cross! God’s righteousness comes through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who have faith in him. There’s no distinction. All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory, but all are treated as righteous freely by his grace because of…
The whole world is hunting for peace, wholeness, and hope. But these things can only be found in a very unlikely place: the empty tomb of Jesus Christ. Because of the resurrection of Jesus who was crucified for our sins we can be made right with God. And when we are through faith right with God we receive peace upon peace. It’s not outwardly peace but inner peace right where we are. And when we have first peace with God,…
Don’t worry if you can’t understand the suffering of Jesus. You can still embrace Jesus. Don’t worry if you can’t figure out the mystery of faith. You can still enter the mystery of faith. Don’t worry if you can’t analyze the happenings of Good Friday. You can still trust that Jesus carried your sins on the cross. Carrying his cross by himself, he went out to a place called Skull Place (in Aramaic, Golgotha). That’s where they crucified him—and two…
Have you ever been so broken, shattered into zillion little pieces, that you were sure there was no hope for you? Or are you heart-broken right now? There’s good news for broken people! In Jesus all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies! There’s hope because of Jesus’ blood that poured down from the cross! He [Jesus] was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the…
Peter is one of the Bible characters whose spiritual growth impresses me time after time. He was passionate for Jesus from early on yet he didn’t first really understand what it meant to live for Jesus. But Peter was willing to learn, first from Jesus and later on from the Holy Spirit. Peter’s story is an encouraging example of heavenly spiritual formation, what it really means to grow in grace. Just think…Peter was the one who cut off the ear…
Do you have engrams, memory traces, of God? Has God touched you in such a way that there’s been a physical alteration in your living neural system? I hope so. Just like the men who fought along Saul: Along with him went courageous men whose hearts God had touched. (1 Sam. 10:26, CEB) When we have been touched by God, we are marked by God for good. When we have experienced God’s love and grace, our brains will always carry…
Too often people are satisfied with spiritual comfort food. Or even worse: junk food. But as we know, we don’t stay healthy that way. Junk food of comfort food may give us great experiences for our taste buds or give us an illusion of being well fed but we stay -in long run- malnourished. Then we don’t even crave for real food anymore. There will come a time when people will not tolerate sound teaching. They will collect teachers who…
Did you know that there are more biblical prophecies on the second coming of Christ than prophecies on the first coming? The central theme in Christianity is to wait for the second coming of Jesus Christ to complete his saving work. Come, Lord Jesus! Therefore, stay alert! You don’t know what day the Lord is coming. But you understand that if the head of the house knew at what time the thief would come, he would keep alert and wouldn’t…
Just the other day someone on Twitter told me “if you [are] talking to God you are askew. If he talks back you are insane.” That pretty much sums up how the world sees Christians. Praying makes you eccentric but if you claim God is talking back you are crazy. But how else could we be in a relationship with him if we did not communicate with each other? God is alive and well. Why wouldn’t he want to talk…
I have always wondered why people insist that Christianity is about being good. That all decent, good people are going heaven. Hence our salvation would be based on works or our behavior. But the Bible is telling us the polar opposite: You are saved by God’s grace because of your faith.This salvation is God’s gift. It’s not something you possessed. It’s not something you did that you can be proud of. Instead, we are God’s accomplishment, created in Christ Jesus…
