Reading through the Bible is a dangerous exercise. I remember doing it for the first time as a teenager and being quite struck and disoriented when I came to Exodus 4:21: And the LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before…

If you were to make a short list of the strangest paragraphs in the Bible, Exodus 4:24–26 would almost certainly be on it. Moses has just met God at the burning bush and been given an exalted commission: go and speak to Pharaoh, and serve as God’s…

Ilya Repin [Public domain] This is one of the most impressive statements preserved in Holy Scripture, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him” (Job 13:15 KJV). John Calvin wrote a whole sermon on…

This is one of those verses that should come with a warning label: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4 ESV).  Does that mean that the law is bad? No, it can’t mean that. The Apostle Paul…

It is surprisingly difficult to turn a good intention into a life-long discipline. That isn’t to say it can’t be done. But it will be hard, there will be setbacks, and it will take both backbone and resilience. Now is probably a good time to remind…

Overwhelming grace doesn’t always lead to overwhelming gratitude: “So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in your great goodness. “Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind…

Faith is a remarkably hard concept to define. It is the sort of thing that is easier to illustrate than to explain and therefore most of the classic verses on faith are given at the end of an extended narrative or story. Looking at them as a whole we…

The Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13 appears to have been given to order to answer a very perplexing question: why do people respond to the Gospel in such radically different ways? Why do some people persevere and bear fruit, 30, 60 and 100 fold…

Resolutions come and go but habits define who we are and how we live our lives. A habit is something we build our routine around. A habit is a set block in our daily schedule. Like brushing your teeth, or walking to work, or reading the news on the…

What Is Sin? In the little Children’s Catechism that we use at our church the question is answered this way: “Sin is any lack of conformity unto or transgression of the law of God.” ‘Conformity’ is defined this way: “Not being or doing what God…

One of the most transformative things I ever did was read through the entire Book of Genesis – slowly – with the help of several commentaries back in 2003. I’d never done that before. I had read commentaries before for school and I had read through…

It matters whether you are in or out. It matters for you and it matters for the rest of us. No one wants to be one of those people who presumed themselves in when in fact they were out. Those people – despite their sincere protestations – will hear…