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In Bible Study, Blog, John on
October 10, 2023

The True Vine

The Christian life is hard.

This shouldn’t be a surprise to us. Jesus promised that we would have tribulation in this world (John 16:33), but knowing this doesn’t always make things easier or more bearable. It’s hard to love our neighbors when they have complete disdain for what we believe. It’s hard to count it all joy when our desperate prayers seemingly go unanswered. It’s hard to be slow to speak and slow to anger when people on social media are so hostile to our values. It’s hard to remain steadfast when the world around us appears to be dissolving into chaos and depravity.

But Jesus knew all this. He knew the Christian life would be hard for us. He knew, even two thousand years ago, even before then, what the world would become in 2023. And the wonderful thing is that Jesus did not just leave us to figure out how to live as a Christian in 2023 on our own. Instead, He has promised to be with us (Matthew 28:20b) and to abide with us, for He is the True Vine.

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In Blog, Salvation, Theology on
September 25, 2023

The Crucifixion: Substitutionary Atonement or Cosmic Child Abuse?

There are many areas of the Christian life that believers can disagree about in good faith. These secondary and tertiary issues, while certainly being important enough to discuss and debate, do not qualify any Christian to be thought of as a heretic or asked to leave a congregation. Things like modes of baptism, church leadership roles, or styles of worship music are certainly convictions that we can argue over, but at the end of the day, those we disagree with are still our brothers and sisters in Christ.

One example of an issue that Christians today disagree about is the atonement. Now, I do not mean whether atonement occurred as a result of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection (it did indeed, and that would be more of a primary, salvific issue), but rather what the atonement primarily accomplished. There are various theories out there about the purpose of the atonement: the ransom theory, the moral influence theory, Christus victor. Perhaps the most prominent theory today (and the theory I find the most in line with Scripture) is called penal substitutionary atonement, which is essentially the belief that Jesus died on the cross as our substitute, paying the debt of our sins and satisfying the wrath of God so that we may be forgiven of our sin and deemed righteous in the eyes of the Father.

However, there are some who fall in the progressive camp that hold a very different view of the crucifixion. Instead of believing that Jesus’ death on the cross was a ransom payment, a victory against evil, or even a good moral example, these progressive “Christians” argue that the crucifixion was merely an act of “cosmic child abuse.” But when we look to God’s Word, we will find that, unlike the theories listed above, this specific belief about Jesus is heretical.

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In Bible Study, Blog, John on
September 11, 2023

The Way, the Truth, and the Life

Many people in today’s world will argue that there is more than one way to get to God. They take a more universalist approach, saying that whether you call God Yahweh, Allah, or Vishnu, it’s really the same God and whatever you do in this life will end up with you in the same afterlife. To suggest anything otherwise would be viewed as bigoted and intolerant. After all, who are we to criticize someone’s religious convictions and suggest that their personally held beliefs will send them to hell?

Although there a myriad of differences and contradictions between the world religions of today that we could analyze and focus on, we, as Christians, ought to aim our primary focus on what God and His Word have to say about this debate. Throughout the Old Testament, we can see that God does not tolerate other religious practices or forms of worship, and He lays down harsh punishments against those who stray from His Law (even when it’s His own people). In the New Testament, we find that the early church communities are repeatedly warned not to be conformed to the world around them and are rebuked when they are found to be doing so. However, there is one particular passage in the Gospel of John that leaves absolutely no room for debate, clearly stating that there is, in fact, only one way to God: Jesus.

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In Blog, Feelings, Theology on
August 28, 2023

Am I Enough?

You are enough.

Or, at least, that’s what everybody says. That’s what’s on the t-shirts and the coffee mugs and the pastel Instagram graphics. It’s the mantra of every female empowerment influencer. You are enough. Having a bad day? You are enough. Dealing with “toxic” friends? You are enough. So frustrated with your kids that you can’t get through the day without a glass of wine? You. Are. Enough.

This little phrase is quite popular these days, especially amongst women, even amongst some Christians. These three words are meant to be encouraging, inspiring, empowering, to remind you that you’re doing the best you can do and that’s okay. But while the phrase may make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, it shouldn’t be automatically accepted as authoritative truth. As with everything else, we ought to take it to the Bible and see how it lines up with the teachings of Scripture.

So, what does the Bible have to say about this? Does the Bible teach that we are enough?

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In Blog, Book Reviews, Jesus on
August 14, 2023

The Character of Christ

Many have tried to argue that the Bible is a guidebook, a road map to this thing called life. If you follow its directions and obey its instructions, then you will be a successful Christian and be well on your way to “good and faithful servant” status.

Of course, this isn’t quite accurate. The Bible is a lot more than just a record of dos and don’ts. It’s the inspired and inerrant Word of God, God’s story of His redemption of mankind. Yes, it contains instruction and guidance, but it also includes hero stories, and handwritten letters, and fulfilled prophecies. Scripture is more than a bunch of rules; it’s a multi-genre book the reveals to us the nature, character, and desires of the God who creates, sustains, and saves us.

And yet, we—especially those of us living in a Western context—still tend to treat what’s written in the Bible as a to-do list, checking off the commands and behaviors that we’re pretty good at and toiling to please God in the areas in which we are lacking. This habit can easily cause us to overlook certain aspects of the Christian life or become weary when we find ourselves unable to overcome our vices. But Jonathan Landry Cruse argues in his book, The Character of Christ, that instead of crossing off items on our scriptural to-do list, we ought to fix our eyes of Jesus and imitate Him.

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