Christians don’t choose to live in their sin. Why? That is not who we are. We are Christians because God brings us into Jesus’ death and resurrection through baptism. Paul organized the first half of Romans 6 with three parts: objection, response, and encouragement. Paul ended his short treatise on baptism, stating “you [the Christian] […]
The Canticles of Christmas, Luke 1:46-55: Mary’s Song
November 30, 2016 by
How did Mary remember what she never experienced? She is young, a teenager when the angel appears before her. He announces: You will become the mother of the Messiah, the Savior of the world, God in human flesh. The angel’s presence and greeting catches her by surprise; his message does not. Mary wonders how she […]
Deuteronomy 26:1-11: Thanksgiving and Thanks-living
November 23, 2016 by
Desiccated lips become the desert land, cracking under the unrelenting sky. Her skin begins to blister, stinging red from the blazing sun. The Autumn day scorches the farm field, baking it as the heat of Summer. Her head swims, woozy, waves of distorted air rising from the ground, altering the shape of the wheat. She […]
Isaiah 26:19: All Saints
November 6, 2016 by
Unless Christ returns first, we will all face death. Experience teaches us this truth. Death is even more certain than taxes. Our experience on earth, however, cannot tell us what follows death. Here’s where faith comes in, for faith believes to be true what your experience cannot tell you. Beyond death, God reveals little. God […]
Romans, Lesson 11: God’s Work in Baptism Frees You from the Law
November 6, 2016 by
In Romans 5, Paul spoke of what Jesus did objectively for all: save them. He also spoke that faith receives and trusts in what Jesus did and does. We know we need salvation because the Law shows how much we’ve trespassed against God. But God’s grace reigns all the more, leading to eternal life. So, […]
The “Lament” Psalms, Lesson 7: Psalm 90
November 6, 2016 by
Structure This psalm resembles Deuteronomy 32 (vs. 10, 13, and 15) and Genesis 2:4 and 3:19 (vs. 3). We even find the same vocabulary: “dwelling place” (vs. 1, Deuteronomy 33:27), as well as other terms from Deuteronomy (32:7, 18, 29: “generations, born, wisdom”; 33:15: “mountains”). So, this psalm does have a Mosaic “feel.” Further, this […]
Romans, Lesson 10: Jesus and Adam: One Brings Death, the Other Gives Life
November 6, 2016 by
Paul keeps driving home the point that our salvation is God’s doing, not a result of what we do. He earlier described us as being “weak” in relation to God. Getting his foot in the door, Paul’s descriptions of us in our sinful nature then became worse: ungodly (that is, without God) and sinners. If […]
The “Lament” Psalms, Lesson 6: Psalm 88
October 27, 2016 by
Structure Psalm 88 is the darkest of all the psalms, a prayer for help, ending without resolution. The psalmist cries out, with images providing an unflinching view of someone who feels as if God has not only abandoned him but is even behind his predicament. Psalm 88 has three sections: The first (vs. 1-8) and third […]
Church, State, and the Voting Booth
October 25, 2016 by
“Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God” (Matthew 22:21). Jesus’ words reveal that we live our lives in two kingdoms: The kingdom of earthly power (the government), and the kingdom of God (the Church). The Church is not the state, and the state is not the Church. So, […]
Luke 8:9-17: Becoming the Infant
October 23, 2016 by
How can you spot a saint? What makes him different from everyone else? For starters, the word “saint” means “holy person.” So, what do you do? You examine how someone lives, looking for holiness in his life. Find someone who doesn’t cheat, steal, or defile marriage. A saint studies the Bible and may set aside […]
