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Gospel

In Blog, Jesus, Theology on
November 17, 2024

The Compassion of Christ

Showing compassion has never been my strong suit. Have you ever taken one of those online spiritual gifts tests? I have—multiple times—and I tend to score very low on the gift of mercy. I’m not quite sure why this is. I’ve never been much of an empathetic person, and I’ve never been one to feel or be in tune with others’ emotions. Compassion just doesn’t always come naturally for me, which can make biblical commands like “put on compassionate hearts” and “bear one another’s burdens” particularly difficult (Galatians 6:2, Colossians 3:12).

But showing compassion is something that I—and every other Christian, for that matter—ought to strive for. Why? It’s not just because Christians are expected to be very nice people, and it’s not just because a couple Bible verses say so (though, that is a good enough reason). We are called to be compassionate because Christ is compassionate. Multiple times in the Gospels, we see Jesus being moved by compassion for the people He ministered to (Matthew 9:36, 14:14; Mark 6:34). As Christians, we ought to imitate our Lord and Savior and show compassion as He did.

Let’s look at three Gospel accounts of Christ’s compassion and what they teach us about Jesus, as well as ourselves.

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In Blog, Easter, Theology on
March 17, 2024

The Evidence for Easter

Two thousand years ago, a man named Jesus walked on the earth.

This is a historical fact that even secular scholars will affirm. Jesus of Nazareth was a real person who lived in first century Israel. Even if they don’t believe that Jesus was divine in any way, even if they don’t believe that Jesus performed wonders and miracles during His earthly ministry, they do acknowledge and believe in Jesus’ existence. Even other world religions, like Islam and Baha’i, teach that Jesus was a great prophet and teacher in His day.

What keeps secularists and those who subscribe to other religions from believing in the true Jesus, from professing that Jesus was truly divine? Different people are likely to give different responses, but it really boils down to a disbelief in the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. We live in a post-Enlightenment world, after all, that thrives on science and reason, a society that balks at the ideas of miracles or spiritual afterlives. Coming back from the dead is impossible, something that would quite literally require a miracle. So, for a people who don’t believe in the miraculous, they can’t bring themselves to believe that Jesus could have actually resurrected from the dead, especially three days after the fact.

While Christianity is a religion that is rooted in faith, it’s also based on fact—the fact that Jesus died for our sins and resurrected to give us new life. This isn’t something that we just blindly believe in; there’s evidence that points to the veracity of these claims. And when we review this evidence, we can become more confident in our faith and be emboldened to spread the truth about what really happened in Jerusalem two millennia ago.

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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, Common Questions, Theology on
July 3, 2023

Is Religious Belief Personal or Objective?

We live in a culture that prioritizes “my truth.” People are encouraged to “live your truth” and believe that “what’s true for you isn’t necessarily true for me.” To the society at large, “truth” is a subjective concept. There is no right and wrong answer or belief system. There is no “objective truth.” You can believe whatever you want to believe with virtually no consequences.

Though this idea is certainly in vogue these days, it’s actually rather ridiculous. It is simply not logical to say truth can be whatever you want it to be. Truth is truth. Period. In her aptly named book, Live Your Truth (and Other Lies), author and apologist Alisa Childers wrote,

“Truth is a thought, statement, or opinion that lines up with reality. That’s it…Truth is true for all people in all places and times.”[1]

Perhaps you read those three sentences and balked. Well, that’s just one person’s opinion, one person’s truth. Many people, including some Christians, don’t like to say that a person’s belief system is right or wrong, especially since religious beliefs tend to be very personal. But instead of listening to our feelings or cultural mores, we, as Christians, ought to take our cues on this issue from our supreme source of truth, the Word of our sovereign and omniscient God.

So, what does the Bible have to say about this? Is religious belief personal or objective?

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In Bible Study, Blog, Exodus on
December 18, 2022

Out of Captivity

Christmas is a truly joyous time of year. Carols are playing on every radio and loudspeaker. Streets and avenues are lit up with twinkling lights. Homes are filled with the delicious scent of gingerbread cookies and the cozy warmth of the fireplace. And families gather to watch classic movies and celebrate this holiday with great cheer.

But Christmastime is not so jolly and wonderful for everyone. Instead, it’s a reminder of a loved one’s devastating passing. It dredges up old memories that we would rather leave forgotten. It can make us feel like we are lost and alone, desperately seeking a way out of our misery.

We’re certainly not the only people in history who have felt these things—lost, alone, forgotten, miserable, grieving, anxious, hopeless. But there is hope—there is always hope. And if anyone can remind us of this truth, it’s a baby born in captivity many centuries ago.

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