Before Reconciliation: The Posture of Forgiveness

Before Reconciliation: The Posture of Forgiveness

There is a confusion that potentially does a great deal of damage to Christian discipleship. It is the assumption that forgiveness and reconciliation are the same thing—that if reconciliation has not happened, forgiveness has not been extended. This misunderstanding...
Bible study porn: The role of community in Bible study

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...
Hopeful Love: The Key to Christian Consistency

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

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

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...