Reflections on salvation, sin and the Christian life, grounded in Scripture.
I have an ongoing appreciation for John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. In fact, I’ve read Pilgrim’s Progress at least twelve times and it has played a pivotal role in my understanding of salvation. There is one point in the narrative where Christian, the main character, is asked about his past. He simply replies, “My name is
In parts one and two of this series, I dealt with the human problem of sin and the divine solution given to us in the person of Jesus Christ. If you are anything like me, however, vague generalities about abiding in the Vine aren’t very helpful when faced with everyday temptations. Real life needs practical answers. As I mentioned
In part one I discussed the challenges I experienced during my teens and early twenties in trying to overcome sin. As I mentioned, my key misunderstanding was about the nature of sin. I had grown up with a definition of sin that was very narrow. I believed that sin was limited to actions and thoughts or feelings
When I was in my teens I struggled with the same kinds of sins over and over and over again. Obviously, I’m not perfect so sin is still an issue in my life. But there’s a difference between struggling against the same thing and actually experiencing growth. My lack of success in overcoming sin made
Responsibility is probably the greatest indicator of maturity. From the moment of birth, human life is a progression towards self-mastery. But ironically, attaining self-mastery is as impossible as it is required. If I were to summarize my entire Christian experience it would be that I have both run towards responsibility and sought to evade it.
It doesn’t take long for the crises of life to bring conspiracies to the forefront that persuade many. There’s just something about “knowing” information the rest of the world is not yet privy to that brings on a subtle thrill – chasing after the latest imaginative idea to fit into a broader elaborate, incredible framework.
As I serve in ministry and especially when the holidays approach, I’m often surprised by the number of articles and advocates I come across on any number of topics associating certain beliefs and practices with paganism. Reference to paganism is often used as a primary argument against the practice of everything from Christmas, to wearing