Grace and peace to you today, my friends.
(Yesterday on the blog: Are You a “Yeah, But…” Christian?)
Why I No Longer Support the Death Penalty
When I read (and reviewed) Matthew Martens’ book on the criminal justice system, I was challenged by his explanation of why he no longer supports the death penalty as currently practiced in the United States. In this article he makes a clear and interesting argument for his position. Whether you agree or disagree with him, I think you’ll benefit from it.
Heaven Is Coming
Jacob Crouch: “Life is short and heaven is coming. We have 70, or by reason of strength 80 years on this earth, and then we walk into eternity. The question I keep asking myself is, ‘Will I live my life in light of eternity, or will temporal things steal my focus?’”
When A Prisoner Becomes a Preacher
As a teenager Ronald Olivier ran wild in the streets of New Orleans, selling drugs, stealing cars, and finally killing someone on what was supposed to be the happiest day of the year–Christmas Day. Facing the consequences of his crime, he remembered what his mother once said. “Baby, if you ever have real trouble, the kind that I can’t get you out of, you can always call on Jesus.” So he did. Sample a free chapter today for a limited time at 27SummersBook.com. (Sponsored Link)
He Didn’t Have To Promise
“Our bodies are the work of his hands. Our hearts beat with his gift of life. Our lungs fill with his air. Our minds are aware with his gift of consciousness. Our strength and abilities come from him. Even the abilities we work hard to develop ourselves come from him, because what are we developing except his gifts, using the strength and life he gave us?”
What Does It Mean That Jesus “Emptied Himself”?
What does it mean that Jesus “emptied” himself? And does this intersect with his statementthat he didn’t know the day or hour of his return? Dr. Josh Malone of RTS answers in this brief, clarifying video.
How Was Circumcision a Sign of the Covenant?
“Misunderstandings about circumcision should come as no surprise to us. After all, even many in old covenant Israel failed to rightly understand the nature of the covenant sign of circumcision. Instead of trusting in the Christ to whom it pointed, they trusted in it as a badge of ethnic superiority. Instead of seeing it as the divinely appointed gospel sign of God’s covenant, they viewed it as a fleshly mark of merit. Several factors contribute to this ongoing misunderstanding of the nature of circumcision as a covenant sign in our day.”
How To Respond to False Accusations
This article explains how Christians can respond to false accusations.
Flashback: Let’s Hear It For the Failures
It is through failures that we so often learn our finitude, through our failures that we so often gain humility, through our failures that we so often put off many vices and put on many graces.
There cannot be a heaven without Christ. He is the sum total of bliss, the fountain from which heaven flows, the element of which heaven is composed.
—Charles Spurgeon
