Nature versus nurture, free will versus environment, personal responsibility versus predestination — these are all arguments that are often on our minds but are rarely solved.  Perhaps the reason they are never given a satisfactory conclusion is because the truth lies somewhere in the middle.  As humans, we don’t always like tension, and we want a solid answer that, in this case, might not be there.

Everyone has a background that is going to determine how they see the world, but humans are also free moral agents that can choose how to respond to what they see.  To complicate…

With our limited perspective and limited wisdom, it is sometimes difficult for us to understand God’s methods for bringing about His will.  This is one of the places that requires faith, because it is not a situation we can see and readily understand the purpose of.  We must have faith that God’s work is for the good, even when we cannot see His purposes.  We must have faith that His methods will bring about the best result.

We read about God’s character of goodness, righteousness, and honesty, and so we sometimes believe that he only people who should have…

We live in a culture that demands proof for any claims that are made.  Perhaps this is because with unlimited and immediate access to all manner of factual information, we believe that any claim must be demonstrable with only a few clicks and a quick search.  However, this mentality has a hard time dealing with statements of truth that are not limited to collected data points.  Further, this kind of ignorance can lead to unbelief because it makes us the arbiters of truth as we examine all of the facts.  This is not to say that a healthy dose of…

In coming into a new year, there is so much focus on looking forward, and letting the past go, that it almost seems dangerous for us as a culture.  There may be much that happened in the previous year that is imperfect, hurtful, or even dangerous, but that doesn’t mean it should be completely forgotten.  The reality is that we made it through all of that, because here we are.  Beyond that, there was much to be thankful for in the last year that will continue to be beneficial in the future.

When we forget the things that happen…

Living lives without integrity often has natural consequences that are quite unpleasant.  One consequence of pretending to be something, but not being that in truth, is that it requires removing self-reflection and self-awareness.  This is becoming easier in our society through our obsession with chemical substances that alter our perception, and also an obsession with privacy.

Privacy is a new concept for humans, because traditionally we have had communities to keep our lives consistent with our claims.  However, when we remove all correcting voices, we never hear those important indictments and challenges.  This becomes even easier in the digital…

It is interesting how often we will pick and choose which attributes we feel comfortable assigning to God, often with an air of reverence and awe, but ignoring His words completely.  If anger is the emotion, we are perfectly fine with this being used to describe God.  However, the emotion of sadness may be a little disconcerting, despite the words of scripture. (Genesis 6:6; Psalm 78:40; Isaiah 54:6; 63:10)

Even though we believe that Jesus is the “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15) and “the exact representation of His nature,” (Hebrews 1:3) there are many emotions that Jesus…

When we think about the Law that God provided for Israel through Moses, we normally think of it as intractable, rigid, and heartless.  Indeed, there are reasons for that characterization (Acts 15:10; Galatians 5:1), but that is far from the whole story.  We need to remember that the Law was authored by the God who is the embodiment of love (I John 4:7-20), and therefore His nature will be present in that Law (Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8).

One of the characteristics of love is that it listens to others and is reasonable. (I Corinthians 13:4-7; James 3:17)…

We live in a society that values the freedom of the individual, and by extension, the responsibility of each individual.  Thus, we can often feel and act in a very isolated manner.  There are even incidents where bystanders cannot even be bothered to call for help because the fate of the one suffering isn’t any of their business.  Being a true individual means, to some, that the plight of others is not our concern.

This attitude was at the root of Cain’s excuse when he was questioned by God about the whereabouts of his brother Abel, whom he had…

It is always so important to remember that the body of Christ is so frequently spoken about in terms of a family (Matthew 12:47-50; I Timothy 5:1-2; II Timothy 4:21).  This helps us to maintain the appropriately close and respectful relationships with our fellow saints, and engender love in our churches.

However, there is one quality of physical family that does not always carry over to our brethren in Christ.  Specifically, no matter how irritating, or foolish my brother or sister in the flesh may act, they will always be family.  If we carry this mentality over into the…

It is a common refrain that I have heard to saddle all of humanity with the base and sinful desires that God has told us to avoid, as if they are an indelible part of our existence.  This is a clam is that “human nature” is always just as bad as the sins that are committed the most frequently.  Because it is common, therefore, it is referred to as natural.

Part of this is based in the modern naturalism movement that says we are all just evolved animals and are motivated by various instincts and impulses with no real…

Sometimes humans have a complicated relationship with the law.  There are times when we want to rebel against the law because we want more freedom.  There are times when other people are exercising freedoms badly and we want the law to be more restrictive.  In either case, we see the law as either a means or barrier to reaching a goal.

God provided laws that had a particular goal in mind for His people.  When they followed those laws, they were able to attain that goal, and they were blessed.  When they failed to follow those laws they hurt…

When we look around us at this time of year, it can be a bit refreshing to see more people talk about the Lord we serve than they might normally do.  Others, surely, only use the time to focus on remnants of fertility festivals and chocolate, but some people will take this time to say something about Jesus.  Even people who don't attend a church regularly might be willing to engage in conversations about what we believe happened almost 2,000 years ago.

Some people's perception of the church is colored heavily by the enemies of the Lord, and will…

When we speak to people who do not attend church, or are even directly hostile toward the church, one reason that seems to be offered quite often is hypocrisy.  The claim is that the church is an unreliable place to exercise our spiritual life, because people do not always authentically live the faith that they claim.  Whether or not this is a valid argument is not really my focus, but the accusation itself is worth investigating, because hypocrisy is strongly condemned by Jesus on several occasions. (Matthew 23:28; Luke 12:1)

If we are going to be the church that…