This teaching examines the vital place the Gospel accounts should have in the lives of Christians today. While recognizing legitimate distinctions between biblical administrations and the importance of understanding to whom a passage was originally addressed, it challenges the tendency to let those distinctions diminish the value of the Gospels or the Hebrew Scriptures. All Scripture contributes to the larger …
Who Decides What Is True?
Imagine that someone you care about calls you after a painful disagreement. They explain what happened, what was said, and why they were hurt. Their account seems reasonable, and by the end of the conversation, you feel certain that you understand the situation. Later, you speak with the other person, and the story sounds entirely different. The facts are the …
The Love Behind the Ten Commandments
Perhaps no portion of the Bible is more widely recognized than the Ten Commandments. People throughout the world are familiar with them, yet they are often misunderstood. Many see them primarily as stern demands that must be obeyed to avoid God’s judgment. Others regard them as merely “Old Testament law,” applicable only to the people of Israel before the Messiah …
Pride: Why God Opposes the Proud
Few statements in Scripture are more sobering than the words, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). Pride was the first sin committed against God, which makes it especially important to recognize for what it is: a direct challenge to His authority. Most Christians understand that pride is wrong, but James says far more than …
What Are You Seeing?
As I reflect on my own spiritual journey, one truth has become increasingly clear over the years. My relationship with God and my Lord Jesus Christ is revealed far more by how I live and treat others than by what I claim to believe. Looking back, I can trace the patient work of God’s Word transforming my life through years …
Knowing Isn’t Enough
Over the years I’ve begun to notice a dangerous misconception taking root among believers, the idea that understanding the Word of God is the same as living it. It has taught me a simple but sobering truth: knowing the Word of God isn’t enough. Information alone doesn’t change a life. Agreement alone doesn’t produce faithfulness. Unless truth actually moves us to act, …
Beyond Bible Knowledge
On December 30, 2024, at 8pm, TLTF had a group of Christian believers unite on a Zoom call to pray. We opened with a beautiful video narration of Jesus’ last prayer before he was taken in the Garden of Gethsemane to be crucified. That prayer is one I’ve never really taken much time to meditate on, but it is profoundly …
Prayer: The Bridge to God’s Willingness
The concept of faith is not the sole factor in the ‘equation’ that governs our lives. A thorough examination of the teachings of the Bible reveals that prayer, the intensity of spiritual warfare, and the support of fellow believers also play significant roles in shaping our experiences. The fervent prayers of God’s people hold great significance in the fulfillment of …
Pure or Impure: The Choice is Ours
The Old Covenant beliefs were frequently faced with the possibility of becoming “impure” or “unclean” before God. Many things could create this state of uncleanness, like touching a dead body, or having open sores. In the condition of uncleanness, they were disqualified from certain rights and privileges relating to association with others and to temple worship. In like manner, New …
Back to Basics
Ever since I first heard the truth of God’s Word, my desire has been to share it with as many people as I can. Clearly, the best way for each of us to do that is to both live and speak that truth, like Jesus did. The first step in doing that is to know the truth. Titus 1:1“Paul, a …