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Grace

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 Attributes of God, Blog, Book Reviews on
April 14, 2024

The Kindness of God

We live in a rather cruel world, don’t we? This isn’t exactly a surprise. Ever since the Garden of Eden, our earth has been permanently marred and mutilated by sin and the sinful choices of mankind. But this doesn’t make it any easier to watch the horrible events that take place on a daily basis. To watch young women with bright futures be assaulted or murdered by wicked criminals. To watch foreign military forces bomb civilian areas in neighboring nations. To watch our loved ones become so hopeless that they turn to drugs, drinking, debt, or even their own death.

When we observe all that happens in our world as it rotates on its axis, it can be difficult to look upon all that cruelty, wickedness, and sin and remember the goodness and kindness of God. It calls up that age-old question we all consider from time to time—“How can a God that is truly good allow such bad things to happen?” But Nate Pickowicz wrote his newest book, The Kindness of God, to remind us of how we can see and behold God’s kindness in nearly every aspect of our lives.

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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
March 13, 2023

Does God Choose Who Will Be Saved?

The topic of predestination has been a controversial subject in Christian circles for many years. Some Christians believe that God chose everyone who would be saved before He even created the world. Others, however, believe that human beings have free will and the ability to choose to come to Christ. While the former may have been the prominent view of the American church at one time, it appears the latter has risen in popularity. According to Ligonier Ministries’ 2022 State of Theology survey, forty-five percent of Evangelicals do not believe “God chose the people he would save before he created the world,” and seventeen percent were unsure if they agreed or disagreed with the statement.[1]

But like I’ve often said before on this blog—we must determine our beliefs from Scripture, not from the culture or our own personal feelings. After all, the Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God. It is God’s revelation of Himself and His will to mankind, and it is a far more reliable source of truth than our culture or our feelings.

So, what exactly does the Bible say about predestination? Does God choose who will be saved?

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In Bible Study, Blog, John on
October 17, 2022

Jesus Draws Near to the Sinner

Have you ever been filled with so much guilt and shame over your sin that you wondered how God could ever forgive you?

I know I have.

Several years ago, I went through a season filled with severe shame over the temptations and sins I was struggling with. I was drowning in guilt and the depression that came with it. I was consumed by my failures and shortcomings, and I would rehearse them over and over in my head, day in and day out until I began to question God’s mercy, God’s love, and God’s forgiveness. How could a righteous, all-powerful God show me mercy? How could a holy, all-knowing God love me? How could a just, sovereign God forgive me, especially when I continued to sin daily?

I’m sure you’ve had one of these seasons. All Christians do at some point during their journey of faith. How can we overcome this shame that threatens to suffocate us, this guilt over past (or present) sin? We can discover this answer in John 8, where Jesus encounters a guilty, shame-filled woman.

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