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…

It seems each new week brings another national commotion over news of controversial social media posts that were made in the past—sometimes years ago—by someone who is now a public figure. A major league baseball player has come under fire for bigoted remarks he posted while in high school. A newly hired editor at a major newspaper has faced criticism for a history of ugly comments on Twitter. And on it goes. The statement may or may not have been deliberately offensive. The person may or may not have changed his thinking since then. Regardless…

Not long ago, in a careless moment around the grill, I burned a couple of my fingertips—not badly, but enough that once the pain went away those fingertips were numb for a few days.

I couldn’t help thinking of some words from the apostle Paul. Describing the pagan Gentiles, he said, “they, having become callous [past feeling, NKJV], have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness” (Ephesians 4:19). Elsewhere he spoke of people whose consciences are “seared as with a hot iron” (1 Timothy…

2 Kings 5 tells the story of the healing of the Syrian general Naaman. We read of how this powerful, proud man learned to humble himself and obey God’s instruction through the prophet Elisha, and so was miraculously cleansed of his leprosy. But none of it would have happened had it not been for an obscure Israelite girl.

The chapter begins by explaining that bands of Syrian troops had been raiding Israelite territory. In one such raid a young Israelite girl was taken captive and made a servant to Naaman’s wife. Observing…

In Luke 14, Jesus tells the story of a man who gave a great feast. Many people were invited. When the feast was ready, the host sent out his servants to summon the guests. But instead of coming, those who had been invited “all with one accord began to make excuses” (verse 18). So the host had his servants go out and invite anyone they could find to come to the feast. He added, “none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.”

The parable, of course, is about God’s…

“Better is the end of a thing than its beginning” (Ecclesiastes 7:8).

I confess, I’ve always had some trouble with that statement. I guess it’s easy to see the truth of it when the thing in question is a dental procedure or a tax audit. But in many cases, the end of a thing saddens us: a fun vacation; a memorable school year; a gratifying career; the life of someone we love. The end means it’s over. Done. No more. It means it cannot continue, no matter how much we might want…

I had a frustrating experience a while back. I called a company with which I regularly do business, spoke to a person whose job is to provide customers with accurate information, and asked her a pretty basic question, which she promptly and cheerfully answered. But the answer she gave me, as I soon discovered, was wrong. Not slightly wrong, very wrong. I ended up spending a whole day correcting mistakes that would have been prevented if she had given me the correct information.

When it comes to our spiritual lives, misinformation is…