Can Anyone Really Understand the Book of Revelation?
May 26, 2025Scripture Focus: “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it…”—Revelation 1:3 (NIV) Introduction: A Book That Stirs Curiosity and Caution The book of Revelation is often seen as a mystery—fascinating to some, intimidating to others.…
The First Gospel: Genesis 3:15 and the Crushing of the Serpent
May 26, 2025Scripture Focus: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers;he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”—Genesis 3:15 (NIV) Introduction: The First Gospel Genesis 3:15 is more than a curse pronounced on the serpent—it’s the first messianic prophecy in the Bible. Theologians call it…
Understanding Love in the Bible: Agapē, Philia, Eros, and Storgē
May 24, 2025The Bible speaks powerfully about love—but not just one kind of love. In the original Greek, several words describe different expressions of love, each with unique depth and purpose. Understanding them helps us better grasp how God loves us—and how we’re called to love others. 1. Agapē (ἀγάπη): God’s Unconditional Love Agapē is the highest…
Right With God: Understanding Righteousness and Justification
May 23, 2025Introduction: Walking Together into Truth As we’ve walked this journey of faith together, certain words come up often—words like righteousness and justification. They sound lofty and maybe even intimidating. But they’re at the very heart of what it means to be saved. And more than that—they’re deeply personal. This isn’t just theology—it’s your story. It’s…
Don’t Let Religion Get in the Way of Grace
May 16, 2025Jesus didn’t come to make people more religious.He came to set captives free. He came to heal the brokenhearted, to bind up wounds, to restore what shame had destroyed, and to reconcile humanity with the Father. But time and time again, it was the religious system—and the people clinging to it—that stood in His way.…
Are We Living in the End Times
October 23, 2024For as long as I have been a Christian and reading my Bible, I have heard that we are living in the “End Times.” Some people think that the defining scripture is the Book of Revelation, attributed to John the Apostle while he was exiled to the island of Patmos. In reality, the Bible is…
The Greatest Commandment: Understanding the Decalogues and the New Covenant
October 10, 2024I recently revisited my post from the 2024 Easter Sunrise Service, where I mentioned two different sets of Ten Commandments (decalogues). At the time, I noted “a completely different (and less familiar) set of commandments that I cannot explain, and this is not about exegesis.” The context was that the Ten Commandments we are most…
The Arian Controversy and The Nicene Creed
May 29, 2024We sometimes forget the growth pangs that the early church experienced, most notably the impact of Constantine’s dream in 312 AD. This event, known as the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, was where Constantine claimed to have seen a vision of the Chi-Rho (the first two letters of “Christ” in Greek) along with the words…