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The “Golden Rule” is under duress these days. A casual summary of Covid protocols from a governmental medical authority was recently posted, “Stay away from other people”. Blunt, succinct, and counter-intuitive, if not biblically dissonant. Indeed, culturally dissonant too. The core value of reaching out to those in need, let alone achieving social harmony via […]

Key Verse: Romans 8:19 “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.” “Earth Day” is coming up soon. It is a day of laudable, idealism and provides an appropriate warning: we must assume, finally, our responsibility as stewards of our home planet. As novel as Earth […]

Key Verse: Romans 7:25 “…So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.” Paul speaks for all of us when he cries, “What a wretched man I am!” His wretchedness springs out of what the Law of God exposes in his nature. Until the […]

Key Verse: Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Sin kills. Before you dismiss this as an overstatement, think again. Let’s look at it from our point of view. Then, with the Bible’s perspective, we’ll try to look at it […]

Alms, Prayer, & Fasting 6:1-18 General Comments on Prayer vv.5-8 I wonder if Jesus was thinking of Ecclesiastes 5:2 at this point: “God is in heaven and you upon earth, therefore let your words be few.” It is clear that prayer has little to do with volume, public visibility, or pious repetitions. Nor does it […]

Key Verse: Romans 4:3 “…Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” How would you feel if you were almost 100 years old, your wife was 90; and you were still childless, even though God had promised you a son? You probably would have given up hope by now. You’d question the […]

Key Verse: Romans 3:28 “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of there law.” What does it mean to be “justified”? And who or what is the “justifier”? Well, let us start with the meaning of “justice”. The Bible tells us God is “just” and His nature demands […]

Key Verse: Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” Do you ever get tired of preachers? I do, and I’m a preacher! I’ve often tried to analyze […]

This week a “day of infamy” occurred in Washington DC. We all watched it unfold and we’re all troubled not only by the insurrection itself but by the implications. There’s a lot of blame-shifting and/or soul searching going on depending on political ideologies and adherence or non-adherence to conspiracy theories. But, regardless of polarities, no […]

Key Verse: Acts 28:20 “…for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.” The book of Acts concludes with Paul living under house arrest in Rome. It was a fairly casual confinement — he had only one soldier to guard him, and anyone who wished to do so could visit him. Even here, […]

Key Verse: Acts 27:25 “Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.” King Agrippa was impressed with Paul. After hearing Paul’s message, he said to Governor Festus, “This man could have been set free, if he had not appealed to Caesar” (26:32). But appeal to […]

Alms, Prayer, & Fasting 6:1-18 How NOT to Give vv. 2-4 Part 3 As is often the case with language and culture there is a blurring of the lines over time. For example, the “Pharisees” and the “Sadducees” emerged as differing religious sub-cultures in the latter half of the second century before Christ. Their sectarian […]