Paul recounted in 2 Corinthians 11:24 that among his labors and sufferings for the sake of Christ, he’d been beaten five times by fellow Jews with “forty lashes minus one.” That description was uniquely Jewish. Neither the Romans nor any other ancient nation had a similar limitation. God’s word in Deuteronomy 25:3 stated that a…
Many people are very aware of what they put into their bodies. We have diets of all kinds for all people. You can have a paleo diet, a Mediterranean diet, Atkins, or diabetic. In some cases, these diets are for health reasons, and sometimes they are about how we feel about ourselves. Throughout the years,…
For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men (1 Peter 2:15). Peter makes the case that our submitting to government “for the Lord’s sake” by doing good allows us to impact the political narrative (1 Peter 2:13). The most effective and godly way…
I believe baptism is for the remission of sins, that one is born into the kingdom of God through baptism in Jesus’s name, and that baptism is necessary in order to be saved. When I teach about baptism, what I sometimes hear in response is, “Baptism is important, but it’s only a symbol. We are…
Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly—and indeed you do bear with me. For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:1-2). In Revelation 12, we have a picture…
Imagine the appeal of a drive-thru church tailored to fit today’s culture: “Welcome to McChurch’s, where you can have Him your way. May I take your petition, please?” “Hello, yes, I’d like to order a Savory Savior Burger with extra blessings and a side of forgiveness. Um. . . better super-size that this week. Oh,…
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Romans 8:37). To get a full understanding of what this truly means, one needs to read Romans 6–8. This promise is to those who have responded to the Gospel call, being buried, united with Christ through immersion into death, set free from…
Race relations is a dominant topic in our national discourse. American society is flooded with theories, movements, and protests, all demanding extermination of institutionalized racism and injustice. These waves of activism press us with difficult questions: Does racism persist in America? Is institutionalized racism real? What causes differential outcomes between ethnic groups? This article aims…
Our identity is who we are. Assimilation is a matter of losing one’s identity and being absorbed into another. For example, people whose identity is closely bound with their nation guard the distinction between themselves and other nations. This is seen among individuals who take pride in their national heritage. For some, it has to…
“Aquila and Priscilla” recounts the works of two of Paul’s fellow-workers in places like Ephesus and Corinth.