The ascension of the risen Lord Jesus and the sending of the Spirit are the two primary events in redemptive history that explain the incredible growth of the Christian church in Acts. However, between them, Luke includes the brief story of how another disciple was chosen to replace Judas as one of the twelve Apostles. While […]
We know that forty days after his resurrection, and after appearing to over 500 people, Jesus ascended into heaven to the right hand of the Father. He now intercedes for us and will one day return in glory. But, with Jesus no longer physically in our midst, how can we know that Jesus is truly […]
Writing to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul makes a staggering declaration: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. . . . If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Cor. 15:17-19). The claims […]
Psalm 78 demonstrates that, from Moses to David, Israel repeatedly failed to believe God. Despite his abundant mercy and grace, they failed to trust his saving power, to keep the covenant, and to obey his law. And one of the fundamental causes behind Israel’s constant sin and rebellion was that they forgot the Lord their […]
During the days leading up to his death in Jerusalem, Jesus has spent his time pronouncing judgment on the temple leadership and the nation of Israel for rejecting him as the Christ, the Son of God. It’s within this context of judgment that we find one of the more familiar stories in Scripture: the story […]
When asked by the Pharisees and Herodians whether or not it was lawful for Jews to pay tribute to Caesar, Jesus replied by asking whose image was engraved upon one of their coins. They answered him: “Caesar’s.” This set the stage for one of Jesus’ most famous teachings: “Render to Caesar the things that are […]
A parable is a story or saying designed to teach a deeper truth through a comparison with every-day realities. Greg Lanier explains why Jesus told parables: “Like the prophets of old, Jesus used parables to reveal the mystery of the kingdom, to stimulate reflection on sin, to call people to repentance—and to produce the opposite […]
After the triumphal entry, our Lord’s first order of business was not with the Roman occupation but with the Jews and their temple. Rather than fulfilling its role as a “house of prayer for all nations” (Isa. 56:6-7), the temple had become a “den of robbers” (Jer. 7:9-11)—a sanctuary for the wicked and hypocritical, the […]
Today, it is often suggested that Christians are to move past the gospel and on to the so-called “deeper things” of the Christian life. But is this really what Scripture teaches? For Paul, you should not—indeed, you cannot—move past the gospel to deeper things. For what could be deeper than the Father’s love towards us, […]
