Theology / Man and Sin

  • 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

  • Matthew’s Gospel

    Matthew 5:17

    Take the time to look over Matthew in preparation for our study this year. Find one passage that you have not spent much time examining. Meditate on that text today and ask the Lord to help you focus on His ...Read More

  • More Sin, More Grace

    Romans 5:20

    What sins do you most regret? Did you ever doubt that it would be possible for God to forgive you for those sins? How did you come to understand that His grace was sufficient even to cover your most heinous ...Read More

  • Newness of Life (Part 1)

    Romans 6:5-7

    It is good for believers to take the measure of their progress in the Christian life. What were some of the sins that most troubled you before your conversion? Have you advanced in your ability to resist them? Remember that ...Read More

  • No Human Being

    Romans 3:9–20

    Remember that though you are a new creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), no longer bound by the power of sin, you will still struggle with it. Perhaps you can avoid speaking an unkind word, but how long can ...Read More

  • No Murderer

    1 John 3:14–15

    How comfortable are you in hating other professing Christians? Do you hold grudges? Do you purposefully avoid speaking to believers whom you dislike? Do you recount all the wrongs someone has done to you even after they have apologized? Ask ...Read More

  • No One Who Abides

    1 John 3:4–6

    We do well to remember Martin Luther’s insistence that at the same time we are justified, we are also sinners. Until we are glorified, we will struggle with sin. However, we must not let this knowledge make us think ...Read More

  • Not Under the Law

    Galatians 5:16–17

    John Calvin comments, “If we would obey the Spirit, we must labor, and fight, and apply our utmost energy; and we must begin with self-denial.” Walking by the Holy Spirit is the denial of the self and one’s fleshly ...Read More

  • On That Day

    Luke 10:1–12

    The first of Martin Luther’s 95 theses reads: “When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said, ‘Repent,’ He called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” Christ’s application of the destruction of Sodom reminds ...Read More

  • Our First Federal Head

    Romans 5:13-14

    Federalism, Boice says, is “a proof of God’s grace,” for while the failure of our first federal head brought terrible results, federalism “was the only way it would later be possible for God to save us once we had ...Read More

  • Our New Lord and Master

    Romans 6:1–14

    Throughout the New Testament especially, we find that the evidence of true Christian faith is a life of gratitude in which our love for Jesus is proved by our willingness to obey Him (John 14:15). This does not mean ...Read More

  • Our Righteous Advocate

    1 John 2:1–2

    Even now, Jesus is pleading with the Father in our behalf, interceding for us that we might be forgiven, purified, and strengthened for holiness. To be sure, we work out our salvation in fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12–13 ...Read More

  • Our Union with Adam

    Romans 5:12

    Because Adam did not represent us well, we tend to grumble that God so worked. But we must be careful here, for our salvation is based on the perfect obedience of yet another representative—Christ. Continue to study through the ...Read More

  • Pain in Childbearing

    Genesis 3:16

    If you are a woman, take some time to consider today how the results of the fall have been evident in your own life. Do you find yourself fighting the temptation to control your husband? What do you withhold from ...Read More

  • Perfect Obedience

    Romans 5:18-19

    Paul’s comparisons of our unions with Adam and Christ show us how wrong we are in our tendency to think that some goodness in us motivated God to save us. We were lost, justly condemned. But God saved us ...Read More