In John 3, Jesus claims to be like the bronze snake Moses put up on a pole for the people of Israel to look at and be healed, but how is this possible? What's the connection? Jesus goes on to explain by connecting the realities of judgment and grace together in...
The temptation for many is to view the Ten Commandments as an ethical standard for living in a good society, God's rules for living a moral life, or (in many Lutheran churches) an impossible standard meant to stir up the guilt that can drive us to Jesus. And while...
For the world, Paul says, the message of the crucified Messiah is foolish. But the assumptions upon which the world’s wisdom is based – humanism, materialism, informationalism, and meaninglessness – are unable to provide true purpose and connection with...
The command to rejoice in suffering seems impossible, but Paul says our suffering is not a destination but a path toward the hope of the glory of God revealed in those he loves. The guarantee of this future hope is the Holy Spirit whom he's poured out on those in...
Stoicism, which flourished in Greece around 250 years on either side of Christ’s birth, taught that the highest good for humans is to be ultimately happy. This happiness, though, is far different from our culture’s notion that happiness is equal to personal pleasure;...
