Why has legalism always been so attractive? Because it promises us one thing that human beings have craved since the time of Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden: control. Legalism tells us the lie that we can be in charge of our relationship with God. It insists that if…

Why is it so hard for us to trust God when things aren’t going well? Hebrews 3:7-11 contains a quote from Psalm 95, which is in turn a meditation on the way the people of Israel rebelled against God in Exodus 17, not long after they had been released from…

How should a Christian deal with serious moral problems in society? In our increasingly polarized and strident world, lashing out at those who disagree with us is becoming more and more common, and we all too often combine our attacks on ideas with those who hold them, accusing our opponents…

“But you’re the minister!” That’s what one of my church members said, pointing out an issue that was very important to her. She just didn’t understand why I needed to take the situation to the session, but instead expected me to put my foot down and solve the problem right…

So, if we are to be ambassadors for Christ, urging those around us to be reconciled to God (5:20), how can we do our job more effectively? Of course we can study the Scriptures, learning more about the message we need to deliver: that Christ died for all who trust…

What do you think is the most important part of the gospel? Is it living in a godly way? Is it the material blessings we receive? Is it trying to right the social wrongs we see all around us? Is it feeling at peace with God and with other people?…

Why is it so hard for us to love one another? Many times it is because of our differences: we don’t see the world the same way, we don’t have the same preferences, and we aren’t working toward the same ends. Differences often lead to conflicts, not just in Washington,…

Many times, when we are having trouble figuring out what to do, it’s because we are asking the wrong question. The people in Corinth knew that idols were phony, and so they knew that any meat that had been offered to idols was not magically altered in some way (10:19)….

We all want to be winners. We all want people to think well of us. Common sense dictates that it is desirable to be rich (I Corinthians 4:8), prudent, strong, and distinguished (4:10). Much like the people of ancient Corinth, we modern Americans tend to admire the knowledgeable, the competent,…

“If you’d just think about things the way I do, if you would just get over your unreasonable scruples, everything would be fine, and we’d have no more quarrels.” That’s undoubtedly the way the Jewish and Gentile believers thought about each other in Paul’s day, as they disagreed about whether…