Philemon, the shortest of all Paul’s writings in the New Testament, is unfamiliar to most Christians, usually because of its brevity or because it doesn’t seem stand out like other epistles such as Romans or Ephesians. However, in this beautiful letter we find one of the most striking examples of the gospel, of law and […]
One of the most well-known of Jesus’ parables, the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) was told in response to a lawyer’s question of how to inherit eternal life. Rather than giving him the legalistic response he was looking for – a check list of actions and individuals he was to show love to – Jesus answered the […]
One of the most profound and mysterious truths of the Christian faith is the doctrine of the incarnation – “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). That Jesus was both fully God and fully man while on this earth, and that he emptied himself of his heavenly status and not his divine […]
As we came to the conclusion of our Old Testament readings in The Daily Bible, we read the inspiring account of Nehemiah and his efforts to rebuild and reform Jerusalem. Yet, just as we have seen with the many other major characters in Scripture, Nehemiah’s life ultimately points us to the life of Jesus Christ and […]
While it is true that the name of God is absent from the book of Esther, his fingerprints are unmistakably and beautifully apparent throughout the entirety of this story. Here we find one of the most remarkable displays in all of Scripture of Providence: God’s wise, loving, and righteous care and governance of all things for the accomplishment […]
In Zechariah 12:10-13:1, God declares: “I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over […]
As the Lord had graciously promised through the prophets, God’s people had finally returned from exile. Under the direction of Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest, they had laid the foundation of the temple and had even begun offering sacrifices again. However, the prophet Zechariah is shown a shocking vision of the true […]
When one hears the name “Job,” it’s not long before the word “suffering” comes to mind. In some churches, when sermons are preached on Job, it’s not long before even the word “prosperity” is brought up. But it’s a rare occurrence that we ever associate Jesus Christ or the gospel with this particular book. Nevertheless Job makes […]
Evangelicals cherish the doctrine of justification by faith alone, that believers are declared “not guilty” before God based on the righteousness and merits of Christ. Yet when it comes to our sanctification – the process of our moral condition being brought into conformity with our legal standing – we are quick to abandon the gospel and instead […]
Jeremiah 29:10-14 is a beautiful passage of promise, restoration, provision, and hope that was originally delivered to the Jewish community in Babylonian exile. However, it is often the case that Christians take these kinds of Old Testament passages and attempt to claim them as promises made directly to us instead. But are these promises to be treated […]
In the very first month of the first year of his reign reign, Hezekiah began a series of sweeping reforms, repairing the temple and seeking to bring unfaithful Judah back to her faithful God: “For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done what was evil in the sight of the Lord our God. . . Now it […]
The story of Naaman, in 2 Kings 5, is a profound illustration of one of the most penetrating questions posed by Jesus: “for what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). Many “lepers” today are consumed by the soul-destroying […]
Many people attempt to use the book of Proverbs as a kind of instruction manual for how to achieve health, wealth, and prosperity: if they simply adhere to the principles and rules laid out in Proverbs, then God must owe them the associated rewards of riches and blessing. However, there is an eternity of difference between […]
Their are many reasons given in attempts to disprove the resurrection of Christ, from mass hallucinations to claims that Jesus didn’t really die upon the cross. However, the gospel accounts make clear that Jesus truly was executed in the most brutal fashion, died, and was buried in a tomb. However, 3 days later, the most extraordinary news […]
The first reference to a king as an anointed one, or messiah, is found at the conclusion of Hannah’s prayer of thanksgiving after the birth of Samuel: “…he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.” This beautiful prayer, however, is more than just a psalm of praise declaring the majesty of God or a […]
