Articles

Browse select Tabletalk articles and columns exploring themes and topics across a spectrum of relevant issues.

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  • Christianity and the Material World by John Sartelle

    “And he said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions’” (Luke 12:15). The story Jesus told of the rich man (vv. 10–21) is …Read More

  • Honor Your Father and Mother by Douglas Bond

    No more of parental rules,” declares Calvin (from the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes) as he and Hobbes strut north to be masters of their fate in the frozen Yukon. “Good riddance to those grown-up ghouls!” Life will be grand, …Read More

  • Murder and Anger by Iain Campbell

    There are five main teaching sections in Matthew’s gospel; these occur in chapters 5–7, 10, 13, 18, and 23–25. Some scholars suggest that these parallel the five books of Moses, and that therefore Jesus is portrayed as the new Moses, …Read More

  • The Ninth Commandment by Jared Wilson

    The Ten Commandments draw a straight line from love of God to love of neighbor. The two parties are distinguished, to be sure, but in the life of obedience they are inseparable. As Luther pointed out, to disobey any of …Read More

  • The Place of the Law by Guy Waters

    “New and improved!” Advertisers emblazon this slogan upon countless products on the shelves of your local grocery store. If you are convinced the product is better, they reason, you will probably want to buy it. After all, who wants the …Read More

  • You Shall Not Bear False Witness by James Anderson

    What is truth?” Pilate’s question reflected a jaded skepticism toward the very idea of truth rather than a serious philosophical inquiry. How tragic that a man entrusted with matters of life and death should express such a cynical attitude. And …Read More

  • You Shall Not Commit Adultery by Scott Sauls

    The Westminster Shorter Catechism states that the seventh commandment “requireth the preservation of our own and our neighbor’s chastity, in heart, speech, and behavior” (Q&A 71). Said differently, the seventh commandment calls for more than mere restraint from sexual activity …Read More

  • You Shall Not Covet by Jason Helopoulos

    Many individuals are like the rich young man when Jesus said to him, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and You shall …Read More

  • You Shall Not Murder by Brian Tallman

    The Bible begins with the living God creating living things. All things are from Him and through Him and to Him (Rom. 11:36). All of life owes its existence to Him. He animates everything. In short, He is the God …Read More

  • You Shall Not Steal by Robert Carver

    One of John Bunyan’s lesser-nown works is titled The Life and Death of Mr. Badman. In it, Bunyan tells a tale about an individual who was “rotten to the core” from his youth. Even in his childhood, he was the …Read More

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