How does Romans 11:26 fit into the overall argument of Romans 9-11? We know that when Paul says, “all Israel will be saved,” he is finishing an argument that takes up three chapters of his letter to the Romans. What does he mean by saying that? Can we look back on those three chapters of … Continue reading Romans 11:26 and the Battle Over Context
When Paul said, "the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable," he was talking about Israel (Romans 11:29). But what gifts did he have in mind? Is the calling yet to be fulfilled? Are there any clues in the text of Romans 9-11? This is the first in a series of posts looking at the … Continue reading What are Israel’s Irrevocable Gifts?
1. The All-Purpose Chapter Love never fails. In other words, love always works. This is a biblical truth. “Love never fails” is a quote from 1 Corinthians 13:8. It is always the right time to love. Love is always appropriate. In fact, one of its characteristics is that it does not behave inappropriately. According to … Continue reading Power in the Pursuit of Love – 1 Corinthians 13 in Context
Take a book and boil it down to a handful of short, memorable quotes that best express the ideas of that book. This is a not an easy task, especially for a great and greatly quotable book like Watchman Nee’s The Normal Christian Life. Nevertheless, this is what I have tried to do in this … Continue reading Watchman Nee’s “The Normal Christian Life” Summed Up in Six Key Quotes
As a Christian, I rejoice that my sins are forgiven. I have sinned a lot in the past, but I am not bothered by guilt. My conscience is clean. Guilt and shame are washed away. This is the great blessing of the grace of God in Jesus Christ. It is real and powerful. But what … Continue reading The Failure-Free Conscience – How the God Who Forgives Sins Can Help You Move Beyond the Failures of the Past
Making Friends with the Spaciousness: Lessons from Gerald G. May’s Addiction and Grace Part 3 of 3 You cannot become addicted to God. We learned this in the first post in this series. We are going to consider this again. You will want to see this clearly, because this God-you-cannot-be-addicted-to is the perfect one to … Continue reading Prayer as an Entrance into Freedom
Making Friends with the Spaciousness: Lessons from Gerald G. May’s Addiction and Grace Part 2 of 3 A house divided against itself cannot stand. Someone who struggles to overcome an addiction will learn this lesson well. In Addiction and Grace, Gerald G. May described his struggle by comparing it to quicksand: Even when I consciously … Continue reading Seven Mind Tricks that Hinder People from Breaking Addictions
Making Friends with the Spaciousness: Lessons from Gerald G. May’s Addiction and Grace Part 1 of 3 Gerald G. May didn't offer any guaranteed solutions or easy answers to the problem of addiction. He didn't make any grand promises. What he did was struggle to confront and understand his own addictions in the light of … Continue reading A Christian Psychologist Looks at Addiction
The Bible can be described as God's work in history, recorded by men, for your sake. That description can then be divided into three ways of approaching the Bible, which should be held together: God's work in history Recorded by men For your sake I came up with this description by comparing three Gospels as … Continue reading A Three-Fold Perspective on the Word of God
“One of the greatest hindrances to internal peace which the Christian encounters is the common habit of dividing our lives into two areas, the sacred and the secular.” This is how A. W. Tozer began the last chapter of The Pursuit of God. That chapter, "The Sacrament of Living," was an attack on what he … Continue reading Learning to See All of Life as Worship
Joshua Mark Nickel 