The Bible shows that after the Fall of our first parents, it was God who came looking for them, not vice versa. On the contrary, the man and woman tried to hide themselves from the presence of the Lord. What a powerful metaphor for so much of the fallen human race: they flee the One … Continue reading –>
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, … Continue reading –>
Embedded in the Creation account is the warning God gave about not eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:9). So, right from the start, we can see the moral element granted humanity, something not seen in any of the other living creatures. As we said yesterday, the capacity for moral … Continue reading –>
One of the perennial questions humans have asked is, Where do I come from? In the first two chapters of the Bible (in fact, all through the Bible) we have been given the answer to what many would consider the most important question a person can ask. After all, only by knowing where we came … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Gen. 1:26-28; Gen 2:15-17; 1 John 2:16; John 3:14-15; 2 Cor. 5:21; Matt. 5:13-14. Memory Text: See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the peoples (Isaiah 55:4 NIV). Our world is a mess, and as humans we are the big reason it … Continue reading –>
Japan – Masaaki Toge As a mortician in Japan, I am surrounded by death every day as I prepare bodies for burial and direct funerals. For years I have watched people mourn the death of a loved one and go through the ceremonies their religion requires in order to assure that the deceased have a … Continue reading –>
The angels ascribe honor and glory to Christ, for even they are not secure except by looking to the sufferings of the Son of God. It is through the efficacy of the cross that the angels of heaven are guarded from apostasy. Without the cross they would be no more secure against evil than … Continue reading –>
Read Luke 24:13-49, which tell us about events immediately after Christ’s resurrection. In the various encounters, what does Jesus point to in order to help these people understand what happened to Him, and why is that so important, even for us today in our witness to the world? The resurrection of Jesus should have been … Continue reading –>
Early Sunday morning the women went to the tomb with a single purpose-to complete the burial ritual. Despite the time they had spent with Jesus, they had not truly understood what was to happen. They were certainly not expecting an empty tomb, or to be told by heavenly messengers: He is not here, but is … Continue reading –>
For all else that it entails, the Cross is also the great divider of history: the divider between faith and unbelief, between betrayal and acceptance, and between eternal life and death. There is no middle ground for any human being concerning the Cross. In the end, we are on either one side or the other. … Continue reading –>
