Theology / Man and Sin

  • God’s Gift to Adam

    Genesis 2:18-25

    Those of us who are married understand that we become aware of our own selfishness through the marriage relationship in ways that we might not otherwise know if we were single. We should therefore be in repentance for our selfish ...Read More

  • God’s Just Judgment

    Psalm 51:4–5

    We cannot forget the consequences our sins have on the world around us. However, if we do not understand that our sin is primarily and ultimately against God, we have not truly repented. Perhaps you have sinned against another person ...Read More

  • God’s Wrath Revealed

    Romans 1:18–32

    Sexual immorality and idolatry are often linked in Scripture. For example, Hosea’s adulterous wife is likened to Israel who has followed after other gods (see chap. 1). If you are struggling with sexual sin, seek where you have been ...Read More

  • Grieving the Holy Spirit

    Ephesians 4:30

    Just as we experience the joy of restoration upon repentance, so we make amends for grieving the Spirit when we turn from our sin and seek to do His will. When we sense a distance in our relationship to God ...Read More

  • Holiness and Justice

    Leviticus 10:1–3

    Many people complain that the doctrine of election is unfair and deny it because they think fairness demands that we all have the ability to believe the gospel. But if we are sinners, the one thing God would be fair ...Read More

  • Holy War

    Esther 9–10

    All sorts of wild theories about spiritual warfare abound in the church today. Nevertheless, there is a real war going on every time the Gospel is preached. All people are inclined from birth to reject Jesus and will only trust ...Read More

  • Honoring God

    Romans 1:18-32

    The flippant references about God and lack of respect for authority that are rampant in our culture reflect the primal sin of not giving honor to the Creator. Unfortunately, even those of us in the church are not entirely guiltless ...Read More

  • Idolatry Defined

    Philippians 3:19

    Anything or anyone can become an idol in our lives because whatever we love more than the Lord is, by definition, an idol. Because our hearts are idol factories, as John Calvin taught us, we are all continually tempted to ...Read More

  • Ignorance and Hardness

    Ephesians 4:17-19

    Sin affects our entire being, including our ability to love, our capacity to reason, and our physical bodies. The longer we persist in sin, the harder it is to see and do the will of God, so we must endeavor ...Read More

  • Intellectual Treason

    2 Timothy 2:15

    Even during the apostolic times, there were unorthodox men and women who crept into the church and perverted her teaching. We must remain vigilant against the wolves who seek to destroy the faith of God’s flock. Study the historic ...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

  • Keeping Watch

    Psalm 39

    Do you keep watch over your life daily? List areas where you are most prone to temptation. Beside this list write out situations that are most likely to introduce such temptations. Ask God to help you watch for and guard ...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

  • Life Before Christ

    Colossians 3:7-8

    One commentator has said that “we should never confuse being moral with being Christian, but we cannot claim to be Christian if we ignore morality.” An outwardly upright life is not a sure sign that somebody knows Christ, but a ...Read More

  • Love and Evil

    1 Corinthians 13:5-6

    Gossip and slander are two of the most overlooked sins in our day. We are quick to condemn sexual immorality, theft, and murder, but at the same time we often relish the opportunity to hear and tell stories about what ...Read More