In the ancient cultures of the Middle East, there was a concept we know as Agency. The central notion of agency is this: that one person would send another as a representative to carry out his bidding with all the authority of the sender. In this teaching we look at this concept in the relationship between God and his son …
Biblical Servitude
In our contemporary world, the idea of Service often has a bad connotation. People tend to associate it with diminished value and a lack of self-worth. But from a scriptural perspective, a person simply will not go far with the Lord unless he or she learns first to be a servant. From the prophet delivering the Lord’s message, to the …
The Walk of Humility
The Bible teaches, “Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Pridefulness, also called self-righteousness, is the affliction of the natural man and carnal Christian alike going back to Adam’s rebellion. “Better to be lowly in spirit,” scripture continues, “and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.” Pride’s only antidote to Pride is Humility. …
Matthew 6 and 7
These two chapters are the latter part of Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. He shares in them the wonderful wisdom of God on a variety of topics; among them is Jesus’s instruction to “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” Herein is the secret to the godly life – to seek Him above all. This represents the difference …
The Value of Godliness
The Epistle of Titus starts: “Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness…” Godliness is a genuine, true relationship with our God. It is so far beyond mere religion. To the world, the person who talks to God is considered devout, …
Who Was Hezekiah
Hezekiah was a king of Judah. He ruled for 30 years between 716 and 686 BCE. He was one of the few kings “who did right in the sight of God.” Hezekiah did several notable things that set him apart from other, lesser kings. The first was to clean the temple thoroughly upon his coronation of all the idols his …
The Church of the Spirit
When we talk about Christianity, we must be clear with our terms. By far the majority of Christians throughout the world are cultural Christians. This simply means that Christianity has become engrained within their cultures, and faith is something one does. He wears the label “Christian,” but the label has more to do with his family background and upbringing than …
Original Sin
Original Sin. It’s more correctly called, Adam’s Sin. The Humanist will call it, The Human Condition. Whatever the name, it describes the moral and spiritual degeneracy that afflicts all of humankind. So why is humanity, endowed with such intelligence and ability and created in the very Image of God, so depraved and destructive as a race? Is it a lack …
The First Epistle of Peter
This letter was written to encourage the scattered Christians to maintain hope while suffering. The intended recipients of 1 Peter appear to have been facing significant hardships as a result of social and governmental opposition to their faith in Christ. In this Study of 1 Peter 1 and 2, Peter reminds these believers to stand fast, to endure persecution, to …
Matters of the Heart
Why is the heart important? Well, from a biological point of view, it sustains life. Without the heart pumping the life-giving blood, the body would quickly die. The same is true spiritually. The heart is the well-spring of life. When it is allowed to become infirm with sin, a person’s spiritual life quickly deteriorates. This is why God, our concerned …