Simply Gospel

May my steps be worship. May my thoughts be praise.

  • An Active Inheritance

    In Galatians 3:26-29, Paul addresses the idea that we are heirs – sons of God’s, baptized into Christ, heirs according to promise. We are recipients on an inheritance from God, and Romans 8:16 begins a passage about our adoption by God, making us joint heirs in Christ. Ephesians 3:4-6 reads that Jews and Gentiles alike are heirs to the gospel. What is it that we have inherited from the Lord? Whether physical or spiritual, we do not want to waste something we have inherited. We must understand this inheritance if we are to know what to do with it. What… Continue reading

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  • The Good Life

    Right now we are facing some tough economic times in this country. Many are struggling, losing salaries, jobs,m and even homes. As a country, as communities, as families, as individuals – we have been affected. In such times, we look for “the good life,” but what defines this better life? Opinions can vary based on ideals, background, and opinions. Most will agree, though, it involves being happy, full, and free. Solomon lived during times of prosperity and power. As king, he oversaw an expanded and wealthy Israel, but Proverbs 3:1-13 has him reminding his sons to live wisely regardless of… Continue reading

  • Certain Unalienable Rights

    The preamble of the United States Declaration of Independence contains one of the most famous phrases in modern political philosophy: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. By calling these rights unalienable, the authors of the Declaration – primarily Thomas Jefferson – are saying these are rights inherit in the nature of our species. They are not contingent upon any societal codes, customs, or beliefs. This concept of natural rights is largely… Continue reading

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  • Now More Than Ever

    June 28, 2009. Now, More Than Ever John Mellancamp has a song called Now More Than Ever, and it is also a phrase we have been hearing in commercials of late. “Now, more than ever you need financial security, health care, home insurance, etc.” I’m left wondering, “Why now?” We read daily of fraud, political unrest, leader unreliability and infidelity, domestic violence, crime, and more negative news. In this context, now, more than ever, Christians need to be the light that they should be. Time and again in God’s word, we see times when His people needed to rise to… Continue reading

  • Seeing Without Perceiving; Hearing Without Understanding

    There are certain drawing that look like one thing to some and something else to others. (Think of the duck/rabbit picture or the old woman/young woman picture.) The same applies to scripture. I may see one side; you might see another. I fear, however, that sometimes we only see or hear what we want to hear. When it comes to God’s word, there is only one side – God’s. We may point our fingers at those outside the church as viewing God’s this word, but God’s people, historically and today, are in danger of doing the same thing. Misunderstanding Among… Continue reading

  • How Many Commandments Are There?

    June 21, 2009. How Many Commandments Are There? Recently, I was looking at a website called A Crash Course in Jewish History, and one quote from an article on the Ten Commandments caught my eye: “Because we don’t have the temple, 369 of the 613 commandments are no longer applicable today.” By the First Century, the law of Moses had been so analyzed that scholars could enumerate 613 separate laws – 365 negative/248 positive. In Matthew 22, one comes to Jesus and asks which is the greatest on these laws. In verse 37, Jesus answers with two commandments: to love… Continue reading

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  • Who Will This Child Be?

    June 21, 2009. Who Will This Child Be? Repeatedly, God’s people in the Old Testament are admonished to teach their children and their grandchildren. Each newborn child brings new hopes and opportunities to the life of their parents, and we wonder, “Who will this child be?” In Luke 1, the priest Zechariah is expecting a son, and this child is born in verse 57. The tradition would have been to name the child after the father, but both Elizabeth and Zechariah insist his name will be John. After seeing the signs surrounding the birth of John, the people wonder, in… Continue reading

  • A Royal Priesthood

    Peter uses a passage from Exodus 19 in I Peter 2:9, directly quoting God speaking to His people through Moses. Peter reminds us that we had no true identity prior to obtaining mercy, but now we are His people. now we are His priests. In the Old Testament, a priest was one who performed sacrificial and mediator duties. In Latin, a priest is one who “builds bridges.” A priest crosses the divide between the mortal and the divine. These duties go back to the days of Cain and Able in Genesis 4. Also Noah, after disembarking from the ark, offers… Continue reading

  • Observing the Cross

    In our service, are we participants or spectators? We don’t typically say, “We saw a good service this morning?” We can understand and apply the lessons of the Bible if we actively engage in our service, but in this lesson, we’re going to look at some individuals who did not engage with Jesus. They merely spectated. Matthew 27:35-36 records some who, in the midst of the crucifixion, sat down, cast lots for Jesus’ garments, and simply watched Him. We read of the crowds surrounding the crucifixion, the leaders involved in the trial and accusations, the women gathering around the cross,… Continue reading

  • Known Among Your Enemies

    I am a movie buff. I enjoy movies that make me think, that entertain me, that inspire me, or that simply make me laugh. Recently, I got around to watching a 2005 movie called Kingdom of Heaven. In it, a Muslim prince named Nasir parts with a Christian knight by saying, “Your quality will be known among your enemies, before ever you meet them.” What does it mean to have an enemy? Enemies oppose one’s values, one’s beliefs, or one’s very existence. Enemies can be the result of certain stands on issues, because of political or military loyalties, or for… Continue reading