“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1). A young woman had been brutally murdered, her killer unknown. The police, setting a trap, placed a hidden microphone in her grave. One evening, many months after her death, a young … Continue reading –>
“And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full” (1 John 1:4). Look at what John wrote here. In a few simple words, he expresses what should be one of the great advantages we, as covenant people, have — and that is the promise of joy. As Christians, we are often told … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: 1 John 1:4; John 5:24; Romans 3:24-25; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 4:16; Revelation 2:11; Revelation 20:6, Revelation 20:14; Revelation 21:8. Memory Verse: “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). This quarter has been a study on the covenant, which (to pare it down to its simplest, purest … Continue reading –>
Weekly Trip to Mission Field By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission Some children in the U.S. state of Texas don’t just listen to the mission story. They also fly to faraway countries to experience the story firsthand. On Sabbaths, the children check in at Missionary Airlines when they arrive for Sabbath School at the Grandview Seventh-day … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: “The only way in which he [the sinner] can attain to righteousness is through faith. By faith he can bring to God the merits of Christ, and the Lord places the obedience of His Son to the sinner’s account. Christ’s righteousness is accepted in place of man’s failure, and God receives, pardons, justifies, … Continue reading –>
There is a story told about the famous Cardinal Bellarmine, the great Catholic apologist who all his life fought the message of justification by an imputed righteousness alone. As he lay dying, he was brought the crucifixes and the merits of the saints to help give him assurance before death. But Bellarmine said, “Take it … Continue reading –>
Looking again at Genesis 15:6, we can see that various translations have rendered the term counted (Hebrew, chashab) or “reckoned” or “credited” (RSV, NIV) or “accounted.” (NKJV) The same term is employed in other texts in the books of Moses. A person or a thing is “reckoned” or “regarded” as something that person or thing is not. For instance, in Genesis 31:15, … Continue reading –>
“He believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). This verse remains one of the most profound statements in all Scripture. It helps establish the crucial truth of biblical religion, that of justification by faith alone, and it does this long centuries before Paul wrote about it in Romans. All … Continue reading –>
“You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19, RSV). What does Peter mean here when he says that we were ransomed? When Peter … Continue reading –>
The Old Testament way of salvation under the Mosaic covenant is no different from the New Testament way of salvation under the new covenant. Whether in the Old or New Testament, old or new covenant, salvation is by faith alone. If it was by anything else, such as works, salvation would be something that was … Continue reading –>
