Is it true that there are no real atheists? Does everyone really believe in God but then some choose to reject that belief as an act of rebellion? This is idea is held by many. […]
Does Everyone Really Believe in God?
Tag: Paul
Donald Trump Has Been Elected … Now What?
I have witnessed a sense of shock this morning, perhaps from both Trump and Clinton supporters, that Donald Trump has been elected as the next president of the United States. There is much that I […]
Pauline Christology
Was Jesus divine? Was the divinity of Jesus a later invention of the church? What did Paul, our earliest Christian writer, say about Jesus? I can think of no better resource to answer these questions […]
Do Acts 9:27 and Acts 22:9 Contradict Each Other?
Luke records Paul’s conversion three times in the book of Acts. First in the third person in chapter 9 and then twice in the first person in Acts 22 and 26. The problem is that […]
The Key to Understanding Romans
One of the things I try to get across to my Bible students is that the authors did not sit down to intentionally write the Bible. This is especially true when it comes to Paul’s letters. […]
What are Apostles?
The New Testament speaks a lot about apostles. But what are they? A related question would be, are there apostles today? Let us take a look. Apostles in the New Testament What are apostles? The […]
You Cannot Argue Someone to Jesus (Except When You Can)
Probably one of the most common critiques of apologetics is that you cannot argue someone to Jesus/Heaven/Salvation etc. That is an easy assertion to make but is it true? Examine this passage: “After Paul and […]
Devotions: Philemon
A devotion based on Philemon 1:21. Philemon is a wonderful letter that is unfortunately not read enough. The basic story is that Onesimus, a slave of Philemon, ran away and ended up meeting the Apostle […]
Praying with Paul
Prayer is one of the most important activities for a Christian. But how do we pray? Prayer is one of the most misunderstood things in the Church. If we are going to learn, we need […]
Devotions: 1 Timothy
A devotion based on 1 Timothy 2:1-2. Paul lived in the Roman Empire which included something called the Pax Romana or Roman peace. This was a double-edged sword (pun intended). On one hand, some nations […]
Devotions: 2 Thessalonians
A devotion based on 2 Thessalonians 1:3. A thanksgiving was a normal part of an ancient letter. Paul took what was a routine section of a letter and infused it with meaning. When Paul says […]
Devotions: 1 Thessalonians
A devotion based on 1 Thessalonians 4:14. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul is dealing with a problem that is hard for us to imagine in our modern context. Christians in the early church thought that Jesus […]
Devotions: Colossians
A devotion based on Colossians 4:3. Paul was a super-Christian. He was so close to Jesus that whenever he wanted something he just needed to call in a favour. Paul was so powerful that his […]
Devotions: Philippians
A devotion based on Philippians 1:12-13. Paul had a rough life. A number of times in his life he went through some very difficult circumstances. Beatings, imprisonment, you name it, Paul had it. Philippians is […]
Devotions: Ephesians
A devotion based on Ephesians 2:8-9. A key part of Paul’s theology is salvation of grace. This was very personal to Paul. As a Pharisee, Paul worked hard to fulfill the commandments of both the […]
Devotions: Galatians
A devotion based on Galatians 1:6-7. These verses are key to the entire letter to the Galatians. Paul was upset the Galatians were considering abandoning the true Gospel of God. The Gospel that Paul preached […]
Devotions: 2 Corinthians
A devotion based on 2 Corinthians 12:10. The Corinthian church was one that prided itself on its spiritual strength. They had spiritual gifts in abundance and this put them in a position of power. Paul […]
Devotions: 1 Corinthians
A devotion based on 1 Corinthians 15:17. In this chapter, Paul is providing an extended treatment on the resurrection, both of Jesus and of believers at the return of Jesus. The reason for this is […]
Devotions: Romans
A devotion based on Romans 8:15. In this passage, Paul is describing the identity of the Christian. One of the things essential for the Christian is the Holy Spirit. But the Holy Spirit is not […]
Devotions: Acts
A devotion based on Acts 16:30. In this story, God releases Paul and Silas from jail in the city of Philippi. When the jailer discovered what had happened, he was prepared to commit suicide as […]
Was Jesus Adopted as the Son of God?
Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God. But what does that mean? Does that mean that Jesus has always been the Son of God or that God really liked Jesus and adopted him […]
What Does “Unequally Yoked” Mean?
We should interpret the Bible by what we read. However, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 is an example of a passage that others have interpreted for us before we ever read open the Bible. “Do not be […]
Just Do It
The third part of my series on 1 John. “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with […]
The Church as a Thinking Community
“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints” […]
Seeing is Believing
A number of years ago, I had the privilege of being able to speak at a conference in Belgium on the resurrection. One of the speakers was Gerd Ludemann.[i] Although I knew I had some […]
A Vision For a Healthy Church
This is my final sermon a pastor of First Baptist Church Meaford. Romans 15 Introduction The time has come for my last message to the church. I wanted to share something that would be helpful […]
How to Disagree
Romans 14 Introduction In John 17, Jesus prays a prayer for the future church, a prayer that is aimed at us. In his prayer, Jesus prays for something very specific. It is not for beautiful […]
I Can See Clearly Now
Romans 13 Introduction There are a number of moments in my life that were turning points. One of them was when I got my eyes checked for the first time. After being encouraged to get […]
The Power of Love
Romans 12 Introduction There are many things that people of different religions and philosophies disagree on but there is one thing that almost everyone agrees on: the importance of love. It doesn’t matter of you […]
Knowing Our Place
Romans 11 Introduction Know your place! Have you ever heard someone say such a thing? Such a concept could be terribly abused. In more innocent forms, it could be used by parents to try and […]
Preach the Gospel
Romans 10 Introduction Pastors are well aware that there are certain subjects that congregations do not like to hear sermons on. One of those topics is that of hell. The entire concept of hell is […]
Let God Be God
Romans 9 Introduction It is very interesting for me to see the change in perspective from being a son to being a father. This is especially true with regard to ideas of fairness. Now things […]
Romans 9 and the Jesus Myth
There are a number of different versions of the Jesus myth theory. However, for any of them to work, they need to deal with Paul. Many mythicists claim that Paul never speaks of the earthly […]
Abundance of Blessings
Romans 8 Introduction What is Christianity all about? Is Christianity all about bad news or about good news? I have seen descriptions of churches that were completely about what they were against and not at […]
Trapped
Romans 7 Introduction Look at your life. Is it the way you want it to be? I do not mean do you have the possessions you want or have you accomplished what you want. I […]
Being a Slave
Romans 6:15-23 Introduction How do you understand your relationship with God? Do you see yourself primarily as a worshipper? That would mean that your main role would be to praise God. Do you see yourself […]
Living in Grace Land
Romans 6:1-14 Introduction I believe that there is one question that is essential for all of us to ask: So what? You say you love your children? So, what does that look like in reality? […]
Did the Church Make Up the Words of Jesus?
What do we do with those red letters in the Bible? Did Jesus really say those words? Or did the church just make up sayings related to the issue of the day and place them […]
Two Men and a Sin Baby
Romans 5:12-21 Introduction Why do things happen to us? Why do we experience some good things and some bad things? In our society, we pride ourselves in personal autonomy. We want to believe that things […]
Peace and Joy
Romans 5:1-11 Introduction I like it when things make sense. I enjoy it when things are logical and reasonable. This is the challenge of being a parent. Amanda and I look at some of the […]
Father Abraham
Romans 4 Introduction I find family resemblances to be very fascinating. Physically, I do not look much like my dad. However, I am now at the age that my dad was when I have some […]
How to Share Your Faith Apologetically
I recently saw a question about apologetic related resources for a clear Gospel presentation. My immediate reaction was: How do you have one Gospel presentation that fits everyone from the atheist to the Muslim to […]
A Gospel of Hope and Power
Romans 1:8-17 Introduction What is it that you are really passionate about? For many people, it would be family. We love our spouse, our children and grand children. Nothing makes us happier than to be […]
Miracle of the Incarnation
Romans 1:1-7 Introduction What is it that is essential for us to get right? Do we need to get the style of our worship music right? Do we need to get the balance of liturgy […]
Dead Faith
James 2:14-26 Introduction One of the distinctives of Christianity is that we believe that salvation is by faith alone. There is no religious ritual or level of good deeds that will bring about our salvation. […]
Righteous Reckoning: Paul vs. James on Genesis 15:6
In our house we ask our children to share by giving, they respond by redefining sharing as taking. In the same way, we see reinterpretations of Scripture that look like contradictions. Genesis 15:6 says “And […]
Top Ten Problems With the Jesus Myth Theory
As I sit here watching the documentary on Tom Harpur’s Pagan Christ, I find myself reminded of all the problems that I see in the Jesus myth theory. I will share my top ten problems […]