Who was Barabbas? Utter the name and instantly the reaction you’ll get from most people is one of cold anger. “He was the reprobate whose spot Jesus took on the cross that night! I hope he realizes what Christ did for him!” And in truth, we should hope he realizes it. Barabbas was dead to …
It is a startling scene, and not just because of the severity of the punishment. Nadab and Abihu present “strange fire” before the altar, and in response, fire comes forth from the Lord and consumes them both instantly (Leviticus 10:1-2). What the “strange fire” consisted of is anybody’s guess – some have supposed either coals …
We often look at Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11) as the “anti-Christians.” While everyone else in the church in Jerusalem was committed to giving their possessions “as anyone might have need” (Acts 2:45), there was apparently one couple that did it for more than the simple act of benevolence. These people had the idea that …
Ever heard the story of the boy who cried wolf? My mother used to tell it to me when I was younger whenever I would fabricate a story with the intention of getting my brother a whooping. It is a simple story that talks about a young man who would alarm the people in his …
In the 17th Century, a French statistician named Blaise Pascal wrote a theory called “Pascal’s Wager,” in which he tried to debate the consequences of believing or disbelieving in a God that did or did not exist. Although Pascal was himself a religious person, he took as objective a stance as he could in dealing …
Two words, 18 letters, and one hyphen. Self-responsibility. What may look like an easy enough word to read is a much harder word to comprehend. Due to our carnal desire to avoid consequences at all costs, we constantly look for ways to shift the blame from our own decisions and actions on to someone else. …
A lot of loose talk makes the rounds these days about a Christian having no obligation to the church. I can appreciate the need for teaching prior obligation to the Lord—to combat “party” allegiance taking precedence over our allegiance to Christ. This is a real danger; and there is evidence that some are more concerned …
In the middle of what is truly an awesome description of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21, John takes a brief aside to run through a list of things that will keep us all out of Heaven. For the most part, they’re all understandable; it makes sense that murderers, idolaters, and unbelievers would not be …
What do we really know about Job? We know that he suffered (a lot). We know he had some really awful friends who gave him some even worse advice. We also know that he struggled to justify himself in the face of an overwhelmingly popular opinion that he had committed some grave sin somewhere. But …
A couple of weeks ago, an American-born missionary named John Chau was killed while attempting to bring the Gospel message of Jesus Christ to a remote location East of India named North Sentinel Island. The Sentinelese, as they are known, are fiercely protective of their lands and are aggressively resistant to any kind of contact …
