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Bible study porn: The role of community in Bible study
When Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel was released in 2013, one reviewer critiqued its closing act as “violence porn.” Bryan Singer’s 2006 Superman Returns had been criticised as light on action. Snyder overcorrected with Man of Steel. The excessive action included a final...
Helpful Love: Sharing and Showing Christ’s Love to Saints and Strangers
Paul’s concern in Romans 12:10–13 centres on authentic love within the body of Christ—love that is genuine and without hypocrisy. Christian love must necessarily be genuine, for, as Martin Luther observes, “Love is never more defiled than when it is tinged with...
Hopeful Love: The Key to Christian Consistency
The term “fair-weather friend” describes a person who is supportive and friendly in good times but who disappears in difficulties. Tragically, many churches know the reality of fair-weather Christians, who profess Christ when things are going smoothly but who, as...
Heartfelt Love: Serving the Lord with Diligence and Zeal
The Christian life is one of love: active, holy, and self-sacrificing. In Romans 12, the Paul provides a portrait of sincere, non-hypocritical love in every area of life: personal devotion, community life, daily interactions, and even conflict. We have already...
Humble Love: Affection in the Household of Faith
Previously, in our consideration of the love that Paul exhorts in Romans 12:9–21, we considered the holy nature of Christian love. Love abhors evil and clings to good (v. 9). In v. 10, we see a second characteristic of Christian love: It is humble. “Love one another...
Holy Love: Virtue or Vice?
In a world deeply confused about the nature of love, Romans 12:9–21 serves as a clarion call to believers in Jesus Christ to understand and live out truly Christian love. These verses contain a series of imperatives, each of which is a manifestation of the supreme...