80 results found
An Open Letter to the Christian Disheartened by Ongoing Temptation
D. A. Carson, John D. Woodbridge
That you are experiencing rounds of temptation is not as unusual as you might suppose. From the inception of the church believers have found this pilgrim way to be strewn with multiple temptations.
10 Things You Should Know about Christmas
The primary purpose for observing Christmas is remembering Jesus’s birth.
What Is Distinct about the Theology of Ephesians?
Why has this small letter had such a big impact on the church? The answer, at least in part, is due to the depth and diversity of topics emphasized in the letter.
Help! I Can’t Get Control over My Tongue
There is an intimate path between our words and our heart. Our speech simply puts on display what is produced in the heart–whether good or evil.
Good Bible Reading Requires Humility
The first step in reading the Bible in the power of another is to begin with humility. It begins with the renunciation of pride.
Godly growth and change happens through 5 influences and circumstances: God, Scripture, wise people, suffering, and you.
5 Truths about God’s Unity of Simplicity
God’s unity of simplicity means that God is one with himself, selfsame and indivisible in his being and operations, and God is not composed of parts.
How Scripture Empowers Personal Holiness
God wants Christians to share his holiness and to present themselves as slaves of righteousness, which will result in holiness.
Should We Pray in, for, or to the Holy Spirit?
While it is possible for Christians to pray to the Spirit, for the Spirit, and in the Spirit, the Bible overwhelmingly focuses on one of these.
Personal Actions of The Holy Spirit
Erik Thoennes meditates with us on who the Holy Spirit is and what he does.
The glorious good news of Jesus is that you and I can change. Part of the problem is we often try to change in the wrong way.
What Was the Holy Spirit’s Role in the Incarnation?
Joel R. Beeke, Paul M. Smalley
Christ would not be the God-man apart from the power of the Spirit forming his humanity from Mary’s flesh. God’s promises hinge upon this great work.
The Problem with Trying to Portray the Holy Spirit
As we strive to know the Holy Spirit the way he makes himself known in Scripture, we are constantly tempted to add a few details, to quietly nudge the Spirit in the direction of being more immediately vivid.
We were made for closeness to others and to God through Christ, and yet it doesn’t always feel as though we can grasp God’s nearness to us.
My Breakthrough in Scripture Memory
Maybe the breakthrough could come with some simple change in perspective. What if Scripture memory really was about today?
Why Sanctification Is Not Passive
Sanctification is absolutely essential to the life of faith—so much so that Scripture frequently treats holiness as the identifying mark of a true believer.
Are You Frustrated by Others’ Spiritual Immaturity?
The Holy Spirit guarantees that he is at work. He will continue to be at work until it is completed on the day of Christ Jesus.
Matthew Y. Emerson, Brandon D. Smith
The eternal communion of Father, Son, and Spirit is the grounds for our communion with him and one another. Our triune God, simple and perfect for all of eternity, has always been the one God.
Devon Provencher, Jessica Robyn Provencher
How can we avoid unintentionally communicating to our littles untrue things about God?
Faith is much more than a one-time decision; it is a lifestyle lived with the presence, promises, and call of God always in view.
“Why Have You Forsaken Me?” Understanding Jesus’s Cry on the Cross
Matthew Y. Emerson, Brandon D. Smith
The crucifixion is a good case study in showing how a careful Trinitarian framework can help work through thorny issues related to the Trinity and salvation.
On the side of God’s infinity, there is a complete chasm between God on one side and man, the animal, the flower, and the machine on the other. On the side of God’s infinity, He stands alone.
Nativity Scenes, T-Rexes, and the Gestalt Shift
One of the most powerful human experiences is when one construal is replaced with another, when a shift in the Gestalt happens and we come to see in a different way.
A Brief History of the Doctrine of the Work of the Holy Spirit
Many people will be surprised to discover that the work of the Holy Spirit was not developed as a doctrine until after the Protestant Reformation.
How to Read (and Not Read) the Bible
We have to read the Bible as literature, but we also have to recognize that it is unlike any other book we know.
Why Bible Study Should Always Lead to Worship
Anytime we spend time gazing at who God is as he’s described in the Scriptures, we cannot help but be drawn into worship.
Have You Ever (Really) Read the Bible?
True understanding of Scripture comes when we set aside our earthly and sinful desires and instead seek God's glory.
If you are responding to Jesus and following him, then you are praying.
Podcast: Common Misconceptions about the Trinity (Fred Sanders)
Fred Sanders explains why the doctrine of the Trinity is essential to the gospel, highlights why Trinitarian analogies are of limited value, and responds to the charge that three-in-one is inherently illogical.
What Ministry “Freshness” Means
More than anything else, we want to guard our relationship with God with a sense of urgency, and deal with anything that hinders that relationship. Our primary desire is God.