Jesus

  • The Servant Comes to the Synagogue

    Luke 4:16–30

    When Christ came the first time, His primary aim was not condemnation. Condemnation was more of a secondary but inevitable consequence of rejecting His gracious salvation. “Whoever believes in [the Son] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is ...Read More

  • Jesus the Savior

    Matthew 1:18–21

    Matthew Henry comments that Jesus saves His people “from the guilt of sin by the merit of his death, from the dominion of sin by the Spirit of his grace. In saving them from sin, he saves them from wrath ...Read More

  • Speaking the Truth

    Ephesians 4:25

    Martin Luther purportedly said, “Peace if possible, but truth at any rate.” We cannot lie to others about the depth of our sin or the sin of others even if we know lies will maintain “peace” between different parties. We ...Read More

  • What We Learned in Christ

    Ephesians 4:23-24

    Taking off our old selves — our Adamic natures that love rebellion — and putting on Christ is really a single act. We cannot live in Adam and in Christ at the same time, which means that we cannot refuse to give ...Read More

  • Learning Christ

    Ephesians 4:20-22

    John Calvin writes, “He whose life differs not from that of unbelievers, has learned nothing of Christ; for the knowledge of Christ cannot be separated from the mortification of the flesh.” Scripture never asserts that sinless perfection is attainable before ...Read More

  • The Mysteries of the Gentiles

    Ephesians 3:6

    That God has made those of us who are Gentiles fellow heirs of all His covenant promises should not make us arrogant. We have done nothing to deserve this grace, and our remaining sin should always remind us how far ...Read More

  • The Apostolic and Prophetic Word

    Ephesians 3:5

    The nature of the fuller revelation under the administration of the new covenant means that we must always interpret the Old Testament in light of the New Testament. As much as possible, we read the old covenant revelation through the ...Read More

  • The Mystery of Christ

    Ephesians 3:4

    The way of salvation has been the same throughout all ages, but we cannot underestimate the great privilege we have to live under the new covenant. We have God’s completed revelation to His people, and can therefore understand Him ...Read More

  • The Cornerstone and Foundation

    Ephesians 2:20

    Without the Word of God, we do not have access to the teaching of the Savior, and so Christians must always be known as people of the Book: men and women who believe and proclaim the teachings of the Old ...Read More

  • The Preaching of Peace

    Ephesians 2:17

    Peace between God and humanity is not a given. It took the sacrifice of God the Son to achieve it, and it requires personal faith in the Son of God for us to enjoy it. Are you at peace with ...Read More

  • The One New Man

    Ephesians 2:15-16

    John Chrysostom, the ancient bishop of Constantinople, writes, “The Greek does not have to become a Jew. Rather both enter into a new condition. His aim is not to bring Greek believers into being as different kinds of Jews but ...Read More

  • Jesus Our Peace

    Ephesians 2:14

    God’s law defines what is pleasing to Him, so we must always seek to understand it and follow it in the power of the Spirit. Yet while the law tells us what is right and wrong and what we ...Read More

  • A New Humanity in Christ

    Colossians 3:9-11

    The image of God has not been entirely destroyed in fallen humanity, but our sense of what it means to function as we were originally designed has been severely warped. Consequently, we must learn what it means to be human ...Read More

  • Putting Off and Putting On

    Colossians 3:9-10

    Having been baptized into Christ we have put on Christ (Gal. 3:27), and a deceitful tongue has no place in those who belong to the Savior. All people should expect honesty from us, for we are followers of the ...Read More

  • Our Hiddenness in God

    Colossians 3:3-4

    The world sees Christians as ignorant, backward, and even evil because God has concealed our identity to all except those who trust His only begotten Son. Because of the sin that still clings to us, however, sometimes we cannot see ...Read More