Other religions claim some kind of blood sacrifice or offering for redemption, but it is only in Christianity that God himself becomes the sacrifice. The God who created is the God who redeems.
"He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purifications for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high."
- Hebrews 1:3
Overnight your Gospel-preaching church could change from being “a cool place to worship” to being branded as a church of bigotry and hate. That’s what happened at The Crossing in Columbia, Missouri—and it could happen anywhere.
On Sunday, October 13, Pastor Keith Simon preached a message on Genesis 1:27 as part of a new series on Genesis. His topic was gender. The sermon was thoughtful, welcoming, and non-judgmental. In an attempt to speak to the issue of gender confusion, the tone was one of respect and compassion. However, he did affirm the biblical teaching that God created only two genders: …
If you are saved today, it's because the same God who said "let there be light" at creation said "let there be light" in your heart. Do you trust that the God who is all-powerful has done this great work?
"Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you."
- Jeremiah 32:17
Have you been misunderstood? Have you been accused or wronged? Be encouraged that an omnipresent God knows you and sees you.
"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of the soul and of spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account."
- Hebrews 4:12–13
We know that God is present everywhere at all times. What does this mean for us personally? It means that God sees you—and cares for you—no matter where you are.
"So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, 'You are a God of seeing,' for she said, 'Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.'"
- Genesis 16:13
The picture above is of the Wittenberg door, where Luther nailed his 95 Theses. As you might guess, the door is not original, for the wooden door used during Luther’s time was burned in a fire during the Thirty Years War. Replacing it is a metal door, with the 95 Theses ingrained in Latin. Above it is Luther kneeling with an open Bible before the crucified Christ, and Melanchthon kneels with a copy of the Augsburg Confession.
Luther had come to Wittenberg as a professor, deeply troubled, and overcome with guilt and a sense of alienation from God. He had …
When Martin Luther entered the Augustinian monastery, he had one goal—and that was the salvation of his soul.
The picture above shows the altar where he performed his first mass, and in front of it is a gravestone upon which he knelt to say his vows of obedience and chastity. Also, I’ve included a picture of the last monastic cell in which he stayed in Erfurt, Germany.
Luther was terror stricken at the thought of Christ as Judge. He sought to lay hold of every means of grace that was available to him. He knew he could never get to …
What is the relationship between the Bible and the sword? Between Christ and Caesar?
These are questions that have often been debated throughout church history, and they are still relevant issues today.
The picture above is that of the Swiss Reformer Huldrych Zwingli. Notice that he is holding both a Bible and a sword. He believed he could be loyal to both—but the matter is not that simple.
Let me begin by reminding us that we must all agree that the Bible makes a distinction between the realm of government and the realm of the church. A government has the …
On January 5, 1527, six men were forcibly drowned here in the cold water of the Limmat River in Zurich, Switzerland. The plaque you see in the foreground marks the location of the drowning, and lists the name of Felix Manz as the leader of the group.
Their crime?
Although baptized as infants, they re-baptized one another as adults upon profession of faith. The Zurich City Council decreed, "Whoever baptizes someone will be apprehended by our lords and drowned without mercy." Huldrych Zwingli, the great Reformer who had mentored these men, agreed with the City Council's decision. Apparently, Zwingli even …
In this cathedral in Zurich, Switzerland, Huldrych Zwingli preached the Reformation beginning January 1, 1519. He defended his views with an open Bible and ran into stiff opposition with the Catholic majority in the city. In those days, issues that we would consider trivial were hugely important.
For example, in 1522, Zwingli was attending a supper during Lent when two dried sausages were cut up, and each man ate a small piece. That sounds very innocuous to us, but back then, when word of this got out, there was a backlash; meat was not to be eaten during Lent. The offenders …