The word "life" appears 47 times in the ESV translation of the Gospel of John. "Life" is translated from three primary Greek words--"Zoe," "Psuche," and "Bios." One appears in the Gospel of John more than any other. One appears only a few times. And one doesn't appear at all. The Reason for This Study I recently returned home from my second trip to Kenya. God has graciously … [Read more...]
Wisdom from Above: How to Recognize it in Your Life
"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy" (James 3:17). This verse was the foundation for a letter of encouragement I recently wrote to a young man. What follows is not a verbatim reproduction of the letter I wrote to the young man. Rather, it is an expansion of the thoughts I … [Read more...]
Providence: I Am Confident James Did Not Plan to Stop and Talk
The skies were clear. The sun was bright. There was a gentle breeze. And it was bitterly cold. It was only 11 degrees. I would soon meet a young man named James. I’m quite confident James was not planning to stop and talk to me. I’m no less confident that our meeting was a visible example of God’s divine providence. What Is ‘Providence?’ The 1828 edition of Webster’s … [Read more...]
On Free Will: a Dead Man has the Free Will of…..a Dead Man
Just this last Saturday, during my church's Men's Bible Study, one of our elders led us through a wonderfully edifying study of Chapter 9 of the 1689 London Baptist Confession. The subject matter: free will. In this article, I will make some brief comments regarding this important chapter of the confession.. In doing so, I hope to show that a dead man had the free will of.....a … [Read more...]
“Do Not Hinder Them” by Justin Peters: A Review
There is no wasted ink in this short work by Justin Peters. Every page of "Do Not Hinder Them" contains important scriptural truths. The author biblically addresses an issue that has, for far too long, plagued the visible Christian church--the issue of false conversion among young people in the church. He addresses the issue by hitting head-on the sensitive subject of the … [Read more...]
Memes: Might You be Dishonoring God?
What are Memes? What are "memes?" For today's social media-savvy world, it might seem like a silly question. However, there are still quite a few folks (probably in my generation and older) who have no idea what memes are. Dictionary.com defines the term "meme" this way: "A cultural item in the form of an image, video, phrase, etc., that is spread via the Internet and often … [Read more...]
Sounding Off: Things That are NOT the Gospel and Other Thoughts
This article introduces the first in a series of article, under the title "Sounding Off." Introduction While the abolition of abortion can result from the worldwide proclamation of the gospel, the abolition of abortion is NOT the gospel. From time to time, my mind races with thoughts regarding one subject or another and, for better or for worse, I put the proverbial pen to … [Read more...]
