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Greater than the Temple
John Chrysostom wrote: “Did Christ then attempt to repeal a law so beneficial as the sabbath law? Far from it. Rather, he greatly magnified the sabbath. For with Christ came the time for everyone to be trained by a higher ...Read More
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Guided by the law
Under the old covenant, the covenant community was enslaved to sin and, therefore, burdened by God’s law. In contrast, we live under the new covenant, the era in which God has poured out His Holy Spirit abundantly. If we ...Read More
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Hard Hearts and Divorce
John Calvin says that God “did not lay down a law about divorces, so as to give them the seal of his approbation, but as the wickedness of men could not be restrained in any other way, he applied what ...Read More
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Healing on the Way
When we do the work of ministry it can be easy to get so caught up in the big plans and programs we have going that we miss the needs of certain individuals among us. As followers of Jesus, we ...Read More
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Humility and Exaltation
Matthew Henry comments, “It is a gracious ambition to covet to be really more holy than others, but it is a proud ambition to covet to appear so. It is good to excel in real piety, but not to exceed ...Read More
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Immanuel
The fulfillment of prophecy in Jesus can only be understood if we first understand the meaning and application of the prophetic word for its original audience. In this case, Jesus fulfills or “fills up” the word of Isaiah because He ...Read More
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Increasing Another’s Guilt
As we preach the Gospel to our friends and neighbors we must always stress grace, otherwise we can convert people to a Christianized form of moralism that implies it is possible for us to get right with God through our ...Read More
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Investing God’s Gift
John Calvin says, “There will be no excuse of the indolence of those who both conceal the gifts of God, and waste their time in idleness.” Far too many professing Christians are content to sit around and not use their ...Read More
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Inward Cleanliness
According to Matthew Henry: “those sins must be conscientiously abstained from, which the eye of God only is a witness to, who searches the heart.” We can easily think we are being obedient if we do many good deeds, however ...Read More
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Islam and the Bible
No other ancient work has survived in as many copies as the New Testament. When these various manuscripts are compared, both the care of the copyists and the integrity of the text are always confirmed. Moreover, to date no variant ...Read More
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Israel’s Failure Undone
Dr. R.C. Sproul has said that God does not speak with a forked tongue — He cannot lie or contradict Himself. Jesus refuses to accept an interpretation of one passage that contradicts another. As we study the Bible we should ...Read More
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Jesus and the Children
Dr. R.C. Sproul often notes the difference between childishness and childlikeness. Believers must be childlike in that they trust and believe God without hesitation, just like little kids trust their parents. However, Christians cannot be childish, never having anything ...Read More
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Jesus Answers His Accusers
In spitting upon Jesus and striking Him, the leaders are the ones who commit blasphemy. However, as John Calvin writes, “this insolence was turned by the providence of God to a very different purpose; for the face of Christ, dishonored ...Read More
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Jesus Cleanses the Temple
Our Redeemer’s cleansing of the temple at the very least illustrates how concerned He is with the purity of worship. Our corporate praise and prayer is something that is always in need of reformation, for it is easy for ...Read More
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Jesus Commissions the Twelve
Jesus’ selection of twelve disciples is intentional and patterned on the twelve tribes of Israel. Just as God once formed His people from the twelve sons of Jacob, so too does Christ form a new people starting with the twelve ...Read More
