Recently, I was reading a Bible storybook to my 5-year-old son, Ryan, that was filled with realistic pictures of Jesus in various scenes from the Gospels. Jesus was portrayed talking to the crowds, holding a child in His arms, and walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee.
“Is that what Jesus looks like?” Ryan asked.
“Well, He probably looked something like that,” I replied. “But we don’t really know what He looked like.”
Several years ago, I remember talking with a lady at my church who told me she had a portrait of Jesus on her wall that she loved dearly and brought her closer to Him. I wasn’t sure how to respond to her at the time, but it did get me thinking. Why doesn’t the Bible give us a clear description of Jesus’ appearance?
Naturally, many of us have wondered what Jesus really looked like while on earth. I’ve noticed that artists throughout the last 2,000 years have tended to portray Jesus looking, well, a lot like themselves.
Medieval Europeans depicted a very European-looking Jesus. Indians painted Jesus looking very Indian. Interestingly, the most robust description of Jesus’ appearance is found in Revelation 1 and is filled with apocalyptic imagery. For example, John describes Jesus with a two-edge sword coming out of His mouth (Revelation 1:16).
In Isaiah’s prophecy, we learn that Jesus had a beard the soldiers tried to pull out and that He didn’t look particularly attractive or majestic while on earth (Isaiah 50:6; 53:2). But that’s about it.
Interestingly, Scripture acknowledges that we don’t know what He looks like and that’s okay.
Peter writes,
“Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8-9, ESV)
When the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, they needed Judas to help them pick Him out with a kiss of betrayal (Matthew 26:48-49). We can conclude from all this that during His days on earth, Jesus looked pretty much like any other first century Jewish man. There was nothing especially appealing about Him. It’s not as though He hovered six inches above the ground everywhere He went. If you were to glance at Jesus, you wouldn’t suspect there was anything special about Him.
After the risen Jesus appeared to Thomas, the previously skeptical disciple cried out, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus not only receives Thomas’s worship, but He pronounces a blessing on those of us who believe in Him without seeing Him.
Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” (John 20:29, NLT)
If, like me, you have been tempted to think it’s unfair that you aren’t able to see Jesus in the flesh like His first disciples did, you should consider Jesus’ words. There is a unique blessing on us who believe and love Jesus while not seeing Him yet. One day, we will see Jesus face-to-face. And believe me, I look forward to that day! But until then, we can trust that God knew what He was doing in not telling us what Jesus looks like.
At one point in the Gospels, Jesus asked His own disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” There were lots of opinions going around. Just like today. But then Simon Peter stepped up and said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 16:16-17, NIV)
Notice what Jesus says here. Peter was right about Jesus. He is the Son of the living God. He is totally unique and unlike anyone else who has ever walked the planet. But God the Father had to reveal this to Peter. It wasn’t obvious just by looking at Him.
And that’s good news for us. We might think we are at a huge disadvantage here in the 21st century. We don’t get to see the physical Jesus walking around like those first disciples. But think about it. If God had to supernaturally reveal Jesus’ identity to Peter even when Jesus was standing right next to him, then that means He can do that for us, too. But why did the Father need to reveal this to Peter? Because it’s always a spiritual encounter when you come to know who Jesus is.
Let this truth be emblazoned across your heart: Only God can reveal to us that Jesus truly is the eternal Son of God.
“All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.” (Matthew 11:27, BSB)
No wonder there are more opinions on who Jesus was than anyone else in history. Because until the Father shows you His glory, He’ll just be another guy.
When I talk to others about Jesus, very often they are skeptical to believe He really is divine. And I know that I can’t convince anyone that Jesus truly is God. But as they read His Word, the Holy Spirit can open their eyes, and the Father will reveal Jesus to them. That’s what I pray for, because it’s a supernatural revelation. So, right now, if you believe that Jesus really is the eternal Son of God, you can thank God for opening your eyes.
Have thoughts on this post? I’d love to hear from you!
One of the most common objections to Christianity I hear is the problem of evil. How could a good God allow so much evil in His world? I think it’s good to think through this question as believers. It will inevitably come up as you interact with others about spiritual things and seek opportunities to tell others about the hope of Jesus Christ.
Let me first say that there is something very right about that question. It assumes evil is real. That may not sound too profound, but it’s the common ground we all have to deal with. Some things are truly evil. It’s not just that I don’t like certain things or that I get disgusted by certain things. There are some things in this world that are objectively and unambiguously evil, and we all know this, even if our worldview doesn’t have a basis for saying it.
This last week, the world witnessed true evil. Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old Christ-follower and popular conservative with a massive social media following, was murdered with a single bullet. The event shocked the world. In fact, I’ve talked with many people who have said they were shocked, but not surprised.
I think what people mean is they are morally shocked by the act of cold-blooded murder, but intellectually, they know evil is sadly abundant in the world, so they aren’t all that surprised. I want to affirm the rightness of being morally shocked by the evil of murder. It is sadly the case that we are so inundated with news about murder, war, gang violence, and school shootings, that it would be easy for us to become calloused and forget how heinous each act of murder and violence truly is.
Charlie Kirk was an outspoken Christian. He was very vocal in his views, so his name and his online presence were well-known. Many people sharply disagreed with Charlie’s views, and he was constantly on the receiving end of mockery, insults, outright hatred, and death threats for him and his family. And he was shot in broad daylight while debating college students in his trademark fashion that made him so popular among conservatives. All of this helps us understand how shocking his murder was.
But I hope that we can see what is often lost in the noise: every murder is a violation of the sixth commandment. Murder is unequivocally evil, because every human life bears the image of God and has inestimable worth in God’s eyes. The Bible doesn’t offer a pat answer to the problem of evil or give us a clean explanation for the origin of evil. The fall in Genesis 3 explains the origin of human evil and the brokenness of the world, but the absolute origin of evil (Why did Satan rebel?) is not provided. This is likely because evil is ultimately irrational and incomprehensible.
We aren’t called to fixate on evil, but to think about things that are lovely, pure, true, and beautiful (Philippians 4:8). We are to fix our eyes on Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God who so lovingly and graciously gave up His life to rescue a world ensnared in the darkness of our own making.
So, while the Bible doesn’t offer a thorough explanation of evil, it does give us the resources for calling something evil and then finding hope in a purely good God.
We know evil is evil because of its contrast with a perfectly good God. God alone is the standard of absolute goodness, and it’s only by looking to Him as our fixed reference point for all reality that we can see what evil, by contrast, looks like. Those who say evil makes no sense if God is real need to consider how calling something “evil” could make sense if there is no God. Every time you call something like murder evil, you are assuming a standard of goodness. You are saying, “This (murder) is wrong, because it does not conform to that which is good, true, and beautiful (protecting and honoring each human life as sacred).”
If your worldview has no room for God, then on what basis are you calling something “evil”? If we are just the product of a natural, blind, irrational process with no divine Mind behind it, we can talk about survival of the fittest, but not the arrival of moral absolutes. It is only because there is a transcendent Authority on good and evil that we can step back and call something unquestionably “evil.” But the Christian hope gives us more than a basis to call evil what it is; it offers us Jesus Christ as the redemptive hope for a lost world.
In one talk he gave in 2023, Charlie said, “Here is the gospel in four words: Jesus took my place.” Charlie recognized that he was a sinner in need of a Savior, and that Jesus and His sacrifice are the only hope for forgiveness and eternal life.
Jesus, too, was outspoken in His views on God, morality, and truth, and Jesus, too, was murdered graphically and publicly.
What made Jesus unique, however, is that because He is the sinless Son of God, His death had the power to ransom evil people from their self-destruction and deliver them to the Kingdom of God.
Jesus said, “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father” (John 10:18-19, ESV)
Jesus took our place. He laid down His life to suffer the consequences of the evil you and I have done, but because He is Lord, He took it up again and rose to life. Jesus called people to repent and believe this good news. Outside of Jesus, we each have to deal with the judgment our sins deserve, and it’s only in Jesus that love will overcome hate.
May the death of Charlie Kirk spark a revival in our nation, with countless turning to Christ in faith. What man intends for evil, God intends for good (Genesis 50:20).
Jesus alone is the only hope for a lost and dying world, and because He is King, a glorious day is coming when all will be set right.
Have thoughts on this post? I’d love to hear from you!
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:24-27)
Who are you following? Although many cultural analysts have pointed out that the younger generations (Gen Z and Millennials, like me) have a low view of authority, I always feel the need to question that (please note the irony). Jokes aside, it’s largely true that our culture has a suspicion of institutions and authoritative figures. On the other hand, as congenital sinners, we all come into this world with a rebellious aversion to authority–namely God’s (see Romans 1:18-25)!
However, it’s also true that everyone still has an authority they look to for guidance. It may be a parent, a professor, a coach, a mental health professional, or whomever you’re following right now on X or YouTube.
While Christians generally speak of discipleship to Jesus, everyone is a disciple because everyone is inheriting a worldview and way of life from others. To be a disciple is to be a learner or student who sits under the teaching of another. Jesus said, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40, ESV).
A disciple adopts the thinking and way of life of his or her teacher. Whether it’s subconscious or not, everyone is being discipled by someone. Some people are discipled by their phones or by Google. Some people are discipled by their peer group. Others by their favorite author.
We are all being guided and formed by those to whom we listen and receive instruction. Usually, our discipleship is informal and hardly acknowledged. A teenage boy who constantly listens to music that is degrading to women is being discipled to think a certain way that will lead to certain attitudes and behaviors.
It’s unavoidable, because it’s part of our wiring as image bearers of God. We were made to live under authority. Contrary to popular thinking, there’s no such thing as a totally autonomous individual. Those who think they are most liberated from all authoritative constraints are generally the most blind to the ways their peers and their culture have formed their life and thinking.
Enter Jesus. When the Son of God visited this planet, He knew how you are wired and that you need instruction for living. He didn’t merely come to heal us (but thank God, Jesus is a humble and gracious Savior). Jesus came to teach us the truth.
While standing before Pontius Pilate, He gave the good confession:
“For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” (John 18:37, ESV)
Jesus came to open our eyes to the reality of God as a holy and loving Father. He proclaimed an authority that transcended this world: the kingdom of God. He called people to deny any claims to autonomy, take up their cross, and follow Him unconditionally. Most importantly, He was crucified for our sins and rose again, demonstrating He truly is King and the way to eternal life. And He gave His Holy Spirit to all who trust in Him, to unite His people as the church, and empower us to follow Him together as His witnesses.
Jesus said that to hear His words and put them into practice is to build your life on a solid rock (Matthew 7:24). No other foundation for life will do.
So, are you living as a disciple of Jesus Christ? Have you repented of sin and wrong thinking? Have you yielded your life to Him, received His forgiveness, and embraced His call on your life?
If you don’t follow Jesus, you will follow someone.
Have thoughts on this post? I’d love to hear from you!
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. (Genesis 2:15, ESV)
In the beginning, God created us to work. Wait a minute. Does that sound right to you? God created us to work?
Sure, that’s not the only reason God created us. He created us to know, enjoy, and love Him and others. But, yes, God did in fact create us for work.
It’s unfortunately common for many people–including many Christians–to view work as a curse rather than a blessing. Work is thought of as a necessary evil. Something that gets them the paycheck so they can do what they really want. You can hear it in the statements “Thank God it’s Friday!” and “I’m livin’ for the weekend!”
When you think of work as drudgery and curse, you won’t take delight in your 9 to 5 job. You won’t see how your work connects to a larger purpose or is part of what gives life meaning, because you don’t think of it as part of your created design.
Let me say something that might sound a bit radical. Work is less about earning a paycheck and more about living out your God-given purpose. Yes, I understand that the paycheck is important, that we need money to feed and care for ourselves and our families. And I’m not saying earning a lot of money is inherently evil. But I am saying that your work is about so much more than increasing your cashflow. Work is a blessing.
Think about how this perspective can transform your life.
If you work 40 hours a week for 40 years (pretty typical for many people), that is 80,000 hours of your life at work. So, how you view work really matters.
It all begins with seeing who God is.
When Genesis was written, other cultures at this time had their own creation stories. And in the Babylonian creation story, the gods basically get tired of working and then one of them has the bright idea of making man to be the little slaves that work for the gods, apparently so that the gods can relax on the heavenly beaches with mai tais and sunglasses.
But notice how different the story is in Genesis. First of all, work is not drudgery for God. God delights in His work of creation and calls it “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Then God rested on the seventh day from His work and blessed it (Genesis 2:2-3). But God wasn’t done working.
Jesus said, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working” (John 5:17).
And when God creates man, He tells him that one of his great purposes is to do this honorable work of cultivating and developing His garden.
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. (Genesis 2:15, ESV)
The ancient Greeks and Romans viewed work as a necessary evil. Aristotle even famously said that some people were made to be slaves who worked and others were made for the higher life of philosophy and contemplation.
“The whole Greek social structure helped to support such an outlook, for it rested on the premise that slaves and [craftsmen] did the work, enabling the elite to devote themselves to the exercise of the mind in art, philosophy, and politics.” (Leland Ryken, Work and Leisure in Christian Perspective, 64)
In stark contrast, the Hebrews believed that work is part of our royal dignity as image bearers of a God who works. The Bible presents work as one of God’s blessings for taking dominion of the world He’s made for us. Again, Adam is put in a garden called “Delight” (Eden) “to work it and keep it.”
At this point, the world was perfect (well, almost perfect because he doesn’t have a wife yet). There was no curse because sin had not yet entered the world. Adam is in paradise, and he’s working. We might assume work is the result of the curse, but work is a blessing, intended for honoring God and loving others.
I’ve talked with a lot of business owners over the last few years. And one of the recurring trends is the lack of young people with a good work ethic, who are committed to doing quality work. This lack of motivation tells me that many people simply have a warped view of work.
Genesis 2:15 teaches that from the very beginning God intended for man to work and cultivate the ground and make something of the world he was living in. These two words “work” and “keep” are the same Hebrew words used elsewhere to describe the vocation of the priests. Well, what did the priests do? They worked in the Temple and led the people in worshiping God.
Here’s the idea. God created the whole cosmos to be His Temple. From the very beginning, God intended to dwell with His image bearers in a world He created. Man and woman would walk in fellowship with Him and glorify Him, even as they developed the world into a civilized paradise.
Do you know that you can worship God through work? And when you rely on Him, you can see work as a way of loving your neighbor. Whether you are a teacher, attorney, engineer, firefighter, homeschool mom, store clerk, pizza delivery guy, or police officer, when you see your work as part of God’s grand plan for caring for His world, you can actually take joy in even very demanding work. When I worked at a hospital, I asked a nurse what she liked best about her job. She said that “Every nurse knows how hard it can be,” but that even on very hard days, she knows she’s serving people and that gives her work meaning.
Also, keep in mind how high a view of mankind the Bible has. We weren’t created to be God’s little minions, slaving away in drudgery. God’s calling on our lives is much, much bigger than that!
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. (Psalm 8:3-8, ESV)
God didn’t create us to be His little slaves. No, God creates human beings and puts all things under our feet. And He then invites us to partner with Him in making something of this world. We should see work as a gift–a privilege, even–where we get to partner with God in creating civilization by cultivating the planet He made to be our home.
God cares about your work. And I’m not just talking about your 9 to 5 job. Being a full-time parent is God-honoring work. Cleaning your home is God-honoring work. Scrubbing toilets is God-honoring work. Why? Because you are bringing order out of chaos, and that is what God does.
Prayer:
Father God, help me enjoy the work you have given to me–even the menial tasks that can feel like drudgery. Help me see how my work is connected to how You care for the world You have created for us to dwell in. When I clean the gutter, mow the lawn, serve food, or wash the dishes, help me take pleasure in bringing order out of chaos. Give me joy in my work in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
If you have thoughts on this post, I would love to hear from you.
This last Friday (the 4th of July), flash flooding devastated central Texas. As of this writing, there are 104 confirmed deaths, including 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic, a Christian girls camp outside Hunt, Texas. My heart breaks for the grieving families. As a husband and father, it’s difficult to imagine what they must be going through right now. Their sense of loss must be unbearable.
In times of tragedy, people ask, “Why would a God of love allow something so terrible to happen?”
I don’t even want to pretend I have an answer to that question. While the question is often asked, my response must be, “I don’t know why God allowed this particular tragedy.” Some things must be left to the inscrutable wisdom of God.
But here’s what I do know. I know that God is not a cold and distant God, unaware or uninterested in what happens in our life. In fact, I have spoken with many people who have told me that it was right in the middle of tragedy and devastating loss that God drew near and made His presence more real to them.
“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18, NIV)
Somehow, in the midst of all the tears and heart-wrenching grief, God Himself comes near in love. He enfolds the crushed in His arms of compassion.
“God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.” (2 Corinthians 1:3, NLT)
Ultimately, it is the love of Jesus Christ that can bring healing to our deepest wounds. Although no answer to the “why” can ever bring a daughter or a sister back, it can help to know that our God knows what it’s like to live in a broken world under the curse of sin. When we wonder if God cares about our misery, consider Jesus, who clothed Himself in human flesh and walked this planet alongside the hurting, the broken, and the dying. He Himself experienced the grief of losing His dear friend, Lazarus.
Consider that Jesus didn’t turn away but gazed into the eyes of Mary as she wept for her dead brother. He saw those mourning and felt the deep pangs of emotion stirring in His perfect soul.
When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. (John 11:33, NLT)
Jesus wasn’t merely disturbed; He was angry. How can the Son of God be angry at something in the world He created? Jesus felt a keen sense of anger at what sin and death have done to this world of human beings He created. His compassionate heart longed for the day when He would put all things right, when every tear would be wiped away and death would be no more and His creation would be made new (Revelation 21:4-5).
According to the Bible, it is not God but man who brought death into this world, but Christ’s empty tomb proves that death does not get the last word.
“Just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man.” (1 Corinthians 15:21, NLT)
Does God care about the flood in Texas? Does He see those parents mourning the loss of their little girl? Beyond question, He does. If you look at the nail-scarred hands of Jesus, you can know that He endured the agony of sin’s curse at a level we could never know in order to redeem this world from that curse. And one day, He will accomplish the final defeat of death, “the last enemy” to be destroyed (v. 26).
I invite you to pray with me for those grieving families.
Father God, You alone can bring the comfort we most need in the midst of devastating heartbreak. Show Your unfathomable love to those grieving families who were devastated by the Texas flood. We can’t understand why, but we thank You for the great love proved by the Cross. And we thank You for the hope of the resurrection of Jesus. May countless people turn to Your merciful heart in this time of deep loss. In Jesus’ mighty Name. Amen.
If you have thoughts on this post, I would love to hear from you.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies.” (John 11:25, BSB)
The fear of death has long plagued humanity. It’s a universal dread that hangs over the whole world. It’s the knowledge that one day, we won’t wake up. One day, our loved ones, our family members, our favorite pet, all those we treasure most in life, will no longer be here. That’s a sobering thought.
And the fear of death is one that humans have tried to deal with from the beginning. How do we escape this fear? What hope do we have? What answers and assurance are there for us?
In his Gospel, the Apostle John wants us to see that the only remedy for the fear of death is the God of life, whom we meet in Jesus Christ. That’s why John puts so much focus on who Jesus is. He knows that nothing else matters if we get Jesus wrong.
God doesn’t want you to live your whole life in fear of death. He wants to give you the assurance of life found in Christ.
John 8 narrates a high-octane dialogue between Jesus and His biggest critics, the religious leaders of Israel. Jesus makes some astounding claims, calling these leaders “slaves to sin” and saying the devil is their daddy.[1] As you can imagine, those comments didn’t sit well with them.
These religious leaders figured, “Well, we can fight fire with fire!” So, they come back with this attack:
The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?” (John 8:48, NIV)
Calling Jesus a “Samaritan” was supposed to be a racial slur, but that’s not the thing that bothered Jesus. However, calling the holy Son of God “demon-possessed” is outright blasphemy. So why would they do that?
See, it was so hard to deny that something supernatural was happening with Jesus. Even the Jewish Talmud concedes that Jesus was doing some kind of supernatural deeds, but they attribute them to satanic sorcery. Some Jews today still believe that Jesus was in league with the devil.
In fact, Rabbi Daniel Asor, not long ago said, “Jesus was a false prophet, for he acted only through sorcery. He himself is the embodiment of Satanism.”
But today, that’s a minority opinion on Jesus. Most people today think of Jesus as a kindly “Mr. Rogers” type of guy who was just a great example of love and compassion. People like Madonna and Justin Timberlake have worn T-shirts calling Jesus their “Homeboy.” Oprah Winfrey has said that she finds Jesus to be an “inspiration,” and Brad Pitt has said that he “respects” Him. That sounds pretty safe. Who wouldn’t want to get on board with a Jesus who is there to cheer us on and left an example of love and kindness?
Now, it’s true that Jesus was full of love and compassion. In fact, no one else comes even close. But what if this view of Jesus is so watered down that it’s not even recognizable when we look at what the real Jesus said and did?
There’s a sense in which people like Brad Pitt say they “respect” Jesus because it allows them to stay a safe distance away and avoid the biggest truth about who Jesus claimed to be. But Jesus doesn’t merely want to be respected or inspire us to be nice. He came into this world making the most earth-shaking claims imaginable. So, to downplay what Jesus actually said is to ignore the real Jesus.
See, who Jesus really is matters because if Jesus claimed to be God 2,000 years ago, that claim still stands today. If it was true in the first century, it must be true in the 21st century.
So, Jesus sets the record straight.
“I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.” (John 8:49-51, NIV)
And here Jesus makes an enormous claim. “Whoever obeys [or holds to or commits themselves to] His Word will never see death.”
Jesus is referring to spiritual death: separation from God. He’s speaking in the same sense as when John earlier said, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”[2]
Jesus is saying that He alone holds the answer to the timeless question of our mortality.
Many philosophers have made the case that the fear of death drives nearly all human behavior. Even when we’re not conscious of it, it’s there under the surface, shaping the way that we approach all of life. Some have said that philosophy itself is the mind’s way of trying to transcend the looming specter of death.
But of course, it’s not just philosophers that have tried to overcome the fear of death.
Here’s what the Bible says. Jesus died for us, “that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (Hebrews 2:14-15, NIV).
Interestingly, people have tried all sorts of ways to get around death, to stave it off, and avoid it. But God calls us to confront the reality of our own death, so that we will be prepared for what comes next. So, here’s a question: How often do you reflect on your own death? Most people try to avoid the subject as much as possible.
If you were to ask the Bible, “Why do we die?” The answer is that we were never meant to die. Death is an enemy and a foreign invader into God’s good world (1 Corinthians 15:26). It’s here because sin is here (Romans 5:12). When our first parents rebelled against God, death made its first entry. That’s because when you rebel against the God of life, death is the result. This fear of death tells us that things are not as they should be. And people have come up with all sorts of ways to try to deny death.
Believe it or not, there are those today who have the hope that through medical advancements, like stem cell research and nanobots, they will be able to avoid death altogether. The logic goes something like this: We know that death is caused by certain diseases, disorders, or bodily malfunctions, so all we must do is find a cure for every disease and disorder, and we will be able to live indefinitely.
The first Facebook president, Sean Parker, has boasted: “Because I’m a billionaire, I’m going to have access to better healthcare… I’m going to be like 160 and I’m going to be part of this, like, class of immortal overlords.”
He’s not the only one talking this way. In a recent TED talk, British researcher Aubrey de Grey claimed that through nanobot technology, “the first human beings who will live to 1,000 years old have already been born.” As it turns out, the search for the mythical fountain of youth has continued even in the 21st century.
But at the end of the day, I have to say, it’s all incredibly foolish. There’s only One who can save you from death, and I assure you, it’s not nanobots! It’s the One who called Himself “The Resurrection and the Life.”
Have thoughts on this post? I’d love to hear from you!
With the 2024 U. S. presidential election fast approaching, many people are feeling anxious about our nation’s uncertain future. Who will lead our country for the next four years? Donald Trump or Kamala Harris? How will this shape our nation’s future, both at home and abroad? Around this time, political opponents amp up their disdain for one another while simultaneously putting themselves forward as the savior this nation needs in order to once more have freedom and justice reign in the land.
During this time, Christians feel a collective longing for the return of our Savior, King Jesus, who will ultimately do what every political figure only attempts to do in their own way but always fails to do.
The Bible lays out the reality that until Jesus’ soon return, there will be two kingdoms vying for our allegiance in the world. The church father Augustine called them “the City of God” and “the earthly city” (or the City of Man). The City of God is marked by those who have centered all their hopes on the rule and reign of the King of kings, who, unlike every human leader, will rule with perfect justice, truth, and grace. The City of Man opposes the rule of Jesus and seeks to establish a kind of secular humanism utopia on earth, undistracted by threats of divine judgment.
As a follower of Jesus in America, I look around at a culture that is sinking deeper and deeper into moral corruption and arrogance. I know that only King Jesus can set things right and rescue His world from the curse of sin and death. I am thankful to be an American citizen and for the sacrifices that have won the freedoms my family and I enjoy. But first and foremost, my “citizenship is in Heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:19). Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me,” not Congress and not the person in the White House (Matthew 28:18).
Some Christians, distraught over the state of the culture, have decided to politically disengage and not vote this November. They refuse to vote because they dislike the choice of either candidate. I’ve heard one young man say, “I don’t like either one. What’s the point?”
In some ways, I can understand his frustration. I probably wouldn’t disagree with many points he might raise. However, I believe that Christians should still be politically engaged, even when a vote may feel like a vote for the lesser of two evils.
It’s always been true, not just in 2024, that no political candidate will ever measure up to Jesus. It is for His rule and reign that we long. Nevertheless, until the fullness of His kingdom has arrived, we are left with fallen politicians in a fallen world. Simply by voting, you are not putting your hope in a flawed candidate. But you are seeking to influence the world around you—even in some small measure—by prayerfully voting for an administration with policies that most closely aligns with the truth of God’s Word.
Jesus calls His followers to be salt and light in the world, which means we are meant to have an impact for the kingdom wherever we live. Hitting the eject button and completely disengaging from the culture isn’t an option. As Jesus put it, lamps don’t belong under a basket, but on a stand to give light to all in the house.
Furthermore, many biblical convictions have a direct bearing in the political realm. For example, all Christians should agree that life is sacred and that we must do all we can to preserve the life of preborn babies. This is but one example, but protection of human life should be central to our convictions. For that reason, I intend to cast a vote that most closely aligns with my biblical convictions.
Ultimately, however, the election is a gospel opportunity to give reasons for our hope. For the Jesus-follower, the election is not a time to be anxious; it is a time to point others to the hope and peace found in King Jesus and His coming kingdom, not any earthly government or kingdom.
Psalm 2 speaks prophetically of how every political regime that sets itself up against the reign of King Jesus is destined for destruction.
Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.” (Psalm 2:1-3, NIV)
Notice that the political rulers of various nations are banding “together against the Lord” in a kind of godless globalism. They say, “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.” For those who pridefully oppose the reign of God, His moral truth always feels like restrictive chains. But Jesus said, “The truth will set you free.”
The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” (Psalm 2:4-6, NIV)
Political rulers may set themselves up as the saviors of this world, but God laughs at their folly. This is not the laughter of being pleased. God condemns them for thinking they can rule His world and reject His Messiah-King.
God the Father goes on to promise His Son, King Jesus, the nations as His inheritance (v. 8). As the hymn puts it:
Jesus shall reign where’er the sun does its successive journeys run, His kingdom stretch from shore to shore, till moons shall wax and wane no more.
The nations rage, but Jesus will reign.
Psalm 2 is a warning to every national ruler who fails to acknowledge the supremacy of Jesus Christ over every nation and people. The nations today are but a drop in the bucket; the kingdom of God is eternal. But make no mistake. The reign of Jesus is not some graceless tyranny. We are called to “celebrate His rule with trembling” (v. 11). Salvation comes to those who bow the knee to the true Lord of the world.
But if you don’t humbly welcome His rule and reign over your life, “He will be angry and your way will lead you to your destruction, for His wrath can flare up in a moment” (v. 12). If you haven’t yet, this is a call to yield your life to the King of kings. The text says to “Kiss the Son,” which is another way of saying, “Give Him your absolute allegiance.” When you do, you will not fall prey to either misguided triumphalism when your candidate wins or overwhelming despair when your candidate loses. Instead, you will pray to God, “Your kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven.”
Have thoughts on this post? I’d love to hear from you!
“And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” (John 3:19, ESV)
This last weekend, the 2024 Olympics kicked off with an opening ceremony that has garnered much attention, mostly negative. I hesitated to write anything about it, because honestly, I didn’t really want to draw more attention to it. But since a couple people have brought it up to me, I felt prompted to reflect on how the gospel speaks directly to cultural moments like this.
I don’t need to get into the details of what was portrayed, but it involved a very gross, in-your-face amalgamation of paganism, drag queens, and disturbing mockery of The Last Supper, Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous painting depicting Jesus with His twelve Apostles in their final meal together. The French Bishops’ Conference lamented that the act was a “mockery and derision of Christianity.” Bishop Robert Barron said the scene “mocked a very central moment in Christianity.” Apparently, there was debate about whether the scene was meant to evoke any connection to Christianity, but in the end the producers admitted “that it was in fact inspired by Da Vinci’s famous painting.”[1]
When Jesus walked the earth, He was both loved and hated. On the one hand, people who keenly sensed their spiritual emptiness were drawn to this miracle-working rabbi who proclaimed the kingdom of God’s arrival in and through His ministry. On the other hand, many despised Jesus because He is holy. Simply by being the Righteous One, Jesus exposed the paltry self-righteousness and hypocrisy of others.
“And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.” (John 3:19-20, ESV)
Jesus is the Light of the world (John 8:12). By coming into this world, His power and character exposed the darkness of evil and self-indulgence. So when people love the darkness, they hate Jesus Christ. But in Jesus’s first coming, He didn’t come simply to condemn the world. He came to save all who would trust in Him from condemnation (John 3:17).
“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:18, ESV)
The Bible teaches that it’s not just the world “out there” that has rebelled against God. We have all turned aside and gone our own way (Isaiah 53:6). We have all fallen short of God’s glorious standard (Romans 3:23). We all stand condemned until we look in saving faith on the One who was condemned in our place.
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 3:36, ESV)
Rather than merely accuse or abandon the human race to its deplorable state of moral degradation, Jesus came in pursuit of us. He loved His own to the very end, willingly laying His life down for us and bearing the penalty we justly deserved. In and through Jesus, God was reconciling the world to Himself. On that cross, Jesus was credited with every sin I ever committed (2 Corinthians 5:21). He hung there, stripped and bleeding, because of the sinful and foolish things I have said and done. Scripture is even willing to say that Jesus was made to “be sin” so that I might “become the righteousness of God” through faith in His perfect atonement.
Jesus came to rescue a world caught in the web of satanic lies that have been around since the Garden of Eden. He came to deliver those who have been enslaved to their own lusts. He came to heal those who have been wounded by the pain of a broken world. This is the gospel followers of Jesus must proclaim to a dying world.
What happened during the opening ceremony is a symptom of a world turned away from the light and toward the darkness. Paul wrote of those who “glory in their shame,” whose “end is destruction” (Philippians 3:19). Our message to this lost and confused world is: Look to Jesus—the real Jesus Christ of the Bible. See His spotless character. Watch Him take little children in His arms. See Him reach out and touch the “untouchable” leper. Look at how He takes notice of the man who has greedily lived for money, and He forgives the immoral woman who weeps at His feet. Look at Him hanging between two thieves, dying a criminal’s death for you. See Him gloriously raised to life!
Jesus was the only true Light in a sin-darkened world.
Don’t despise Jesus for coming in weakness and dying a shameful death outside the gate. Instead, “go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach He endured” (Hebrews 13:13). Fall down and worship Him. Because He’s no longer dead! And one day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. How terrible will be the day of His return for the unrepentant who have mocked Him and derided His authority.
Those who truly love Jesus are willing to bear the scorn heaped on Him. He is the True North for those who have lost their way. And apart from Him our world has no hope and will have to suffer the consequences of moral rebellion.
Have thoughts on this post? I’d love to hear from you!
“Note then the kindness and the severity of God.” (Romans 11:22, ESV)
Not long ago, my friend Matt and I were on Oregon State’s campus talking to people about Jesus. A Jewish rabbi approached us and asked, “Are you Jewish?” When we said we were not, he explained he was passing out materials for celebrating Passover and then started to move on.
When Matt asked what he thought of Jesus, he quickly declined to answer. I couldn’t help thinking, But Jesus is the One Passover is ultimately about.
“For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” (1 Corinthians 5:7, ESV)
Sadly, throughout the years of engaging with Jewish people, whom I love with the love of Jesus the Messiah, I have had very little fruit in even discussing Jesus. His very Name seems to be a conversation killer.
“To the Jew First”
Nevertheless, I remain convinced that I must tell Jewish people about Jesus. I’m not going to accept our culture’s “everyone gets to choose their own brand of spirituality” mantra. For many people, choosing your spirituality is like choosing your own flavor of ice cream. Just go with whatever floats your boat. But spiritual truth is like gravity; you can deny it has any bearing on you, but you do so at your own peril. We don’t get to decide what God is like; rather, we discover what God is like.
Our culture may say I’m being disrespectful and intolerant of my Jewish neighbor by telling him about Jesus. But, at the core of my being, I believe that every person on the planet, irrespective of their ethnic and religious background, needs to hear the gospel.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16, ESV)
Americans love to say things like, “My God would never send anyone to hell.” Or even, “My God is tolerant of all faiths and lifestyles.” They have a lot to say about their God. But that’s the problem. Such people have violated the first three commandments and set up a false version of God in place of the real God.
Instead, people need to hear what the true and living God of the Bible has to say about this:
“It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27, ESV)
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 3:36, ESV)
The truly loving thing is to tell my Jewish neighbor that Jesus fulfilled the Hebrew Scripture that spoke of a Messiah (Psalm 22; Isaiah 53; Zechariah 9:9; 12:10), He fulfilled the Temple sacrifices of the Torah, and He is going to return one day soon to judge and to save.
God’s Plan for Israel in Romans 11
I’m also motivated by passages like Romans 11 to keep sharing the good news of the Messiah. Now, fair warning. Romans 11 is a bit dense for those who are new to the Bible. And even learned scholars continue to wrestle through all its implications. Nevertheless, I think it’s a passage worth a careful reading as we think about God’s plan for Jewish people as a whole.
In the eleventh chapter of Romans, the Apostle Paul is warning Gentile believers to not presume on God’s gracious character. Throughout this monumental letter, Paul has been carefully explaining the gospel of God’s grace—telling sinners how they can be reconciled to a holy God. He has emphasized both God’s righteous character and His extraordinary mercy. But in Romans 11, he discusses the problem of Jewish people rejecting Jesus, the Jewish Messiah. In other words, if Jesus is the Heaven-sent Jewish Messiah, why do so many Jews reject Him? He asks the rhetorical question: “Has God rejected his people? By no means!” (Romans 11:1).
Paul uses the illustration of an olive tree to say that the Jewish people who rejected Jesus’ right to rule over them are like the “natural branches” that were “broken off because of their unbelief” (Romans 11:20). Gentile believers were like wild olive shoots that were grafted in to the tree in place of the branches that were removed.
“But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.” (Romans 11:17-18, ESV)
So, Israel’s rejection of her Messiah is what led to the gospel going out to the nations? In God’s providence, yes, that’s what happened (see Romans 11:19-20). However, Gentile believers must not grow complacent and presume on God’s grace, thinking they now have the right to the root (Jesus) and Jewish people do not.
“But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.” (Romans 11:20-21, NIV)
Natural Branches and Wild Branches
Here’s the point. Many Jewish people rejected Jesus and had confidence in their Jewishness that God would spare them from judgment. John the Baptist directly confronted this mindset (Matthew 3:9-10). However, in the same way, God now gives Gentiles a severe warning. We ought not to presume that because we grew up in church, got baptized, and listened to Audio Adrenaline growing up that we too will be spared from judgment.
Why? Because it is only through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, His substitutionary death for our sins and resurrection from the grave, that we are saved. If we have not surrendered our lives to Jesus, it doesn’t matter what our “Christian” background is—we “too will be cut off” (Romans 11:22).
“Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.” (Romans 11:22, ESV)
John Stott writes, “Not that those who truly belong to Him will ever be rejected, but that continuance or perseverance is the hallmark of God’s authentic children.”
Faith in Jesus makes all the difference, because that is how we are united to Christ and get to wear His righteousness before a holy God on the Day of Judgment. To “continue in his kindness” is to demonstrate that our faith is genuinely in Jesus, because genuine faith continues to the end.
“For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.”(Hebrews 3:14, ESV)
Thus, we should have a holy fear of the Lord and be staggered by the sheer grace of God to save us by hanging Jesus on the cross we deserved.
See, without this warning, we’d miss out on an important aspect of God’s character, that He is holy, just, and righteous. We should revere Him and have an awe for who He is. The warnings in Scripture help us to not lose sight of this.
Warnings are given by God to shake us out of our spiritual slumber that proudly thinks we are better off than others because we were raised in the “right” church or family. Warnings like this also remind us what is at stake for everyone who dies apart from Jesus.
We Gentiles are the wild branches. We aren’t the natural heirs of the promise, but we’ve been adopted into God’s family through faith in Jesus. I don’t believe that the church has replaced Israel in God’s plan, but that we have been grafted into the root of Israel. No promise of God has been abrogated; instead, our understanding of the original promise to Abraham and his offspring has been expanded (Genesis 12:1-3; Romans 4:13-18). But Paul warns us Gentiles not to be arrogant, because we are nourished by the Jewish root (Jesus).
“Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved.” (Romans 11:25-26, ESV)
This gives me great hope! Even though it looks today like Israel will go on rejecting her Messiah, God says that this is only a temporary situation. The hardening is “partial” not total, and it will only be “until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” In other words, as more and more Gentiles turn to the Jewish Messiah, eventually it will reach a tipping point. At that providential moment in history, there will be a sudden and powerful inflowing of Jews into the kingdom of God.
“All Israel Will Be Saved”
Paul says, “All Israel will be saved.” This cannot mean all of “spiritual Israel” or the elect remnant of Israel will be saved; otherwise, the statement would be redundant. Paul has to be speaking of ethnic Jewish people, and his statement probably carries even more force in light of the fact that Israel has been a sovereign nation since May 14, 1948. In other words, God is not done with Jewish people. In His sovereign plan, Israel—as a nation—will one day repent and trust in Jesus as their Messiah and God.
Does this mean that every Jewish person alive at that point will be saved? F. F. Bruce explains: “’All Israel’ is a recurring expression in Jewish literature, where it need not mean ‘every Jew without a single exception’ but ‘Israel as a whole.’”[1]
That makes good sense, because even today while there is a “partial hardening” on the Jewish people, there are still a great many Jews who love and worship Jesus.
Okay, so what’s the big takeaway from all this? Be not discouraged as you encounter Jews who reject the gospel today. Yes, it is sad when any person (Jew or Gentile) rejects the offer of eternal life. Paul said he was willing to go to hell for the sake of his fellow Jews (Romans 9:3)! His heart’s desire and prayer was that his countrymen would see their need for the righteousness of Jesus (Romans 10:1-4).
But God has a purpose and a plan, and we can always trust what God is doing in the world today; He told us it would happen this way. For myself, I’m committed to continually honoring Jewish people as those whom God has used mightily throughout history. We must roundly condemn all forms of anti-Semitism, including weaponizing the Bible as a tool of denigration. We must thank God for how He has blessed Abraham’s descendants and, in turn, allowed us who love and follow Jesus to be grafted on to the Abrahamic olive tree. The Bible I read every day is very Jewish!
And I’m also committed to sharing the good news of Jesus the Messiah with every Jewish person I meet.
“But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5, ESV)
I pray this encourages you to be bold in the gospel. If you have any thoughts or questions about this, I would love to hear from you!
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12, ESV)
An objection I often hear on college campuses is the charge that the Bible is just an ancient book written by men. Sure, some say, it claims to come from God,[1] but why give it special authority? Think about that question. How would you respond? Well, one thing you could do is show them some of the archaeological evidence or fulfilled prophecy. Those are both very powerful pieces of evidence for it being a divinely given book.
That can be a great approach, but it also can be hard to have all that evidence ready at your fingertips when you’re in a brief conversation with a skeptic. So, another approach I like to go with is to first point to the evidence all around them for the Bible’s uniqueness.
For instance, you can turn this objection around and say, “You’re right: the Bible was written thousands of years ago. Now, isn’t it incredible that the Bible is still the best-selling book of all time? What does that tell you about the Bible that so many people live their lives by its teachings after 2,000 years?”
See, you’re using their very point about the Bible being old and leveraging it to show the uniqueness of the Bible. After all, what other ancient book has 40 different authors yet one consistent story, was written across 1,500 years, and has had so much influence on the way we live and think today? The Bible has stood the test of time. In that sense, its ancient origin is a point in its favor.
Many people in the last 2,000 years have tried to stamp out the Bible’s influence. Some have even tried to destroy the Bible. But God responds:
“Is not my word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29, NIV)
Military generals, pagan rulers and emperors have tried to destroy the Bible. But it seems that the more that people try to silence the Bible, the stronger it grows. In the 16th century, Mary, queen of England, also known as “Bloody Mary,” ordered that anyone owning a copy of the Bible should be burned at the stake. Five years after that edict, Bloody Mary was dead and her half-sister Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne. Not only did Elizabeth repeal her sister’s nasty edict, but under her reign, more Bibles were published in England than ever before.
The fact that the Bible, though written thousands of years ago, still has enduring influence in countless societies demonstrates its supernatural origin.
Today, influential thinkers like Jordan Peterson and Jonathan Haidt have increasingly drawn their insights from the wisdom of the Bible. They’ve recognized that while in one sense the Bible is ancient, there’s another sense in which it speaks with a timeless and transcendent authority on all the perennial issues of the human condition. Ironically, most people who have mocked the Bible as outdated don’t realize just how indebted our society is to the Bible.
For example, our society loves the idea of freedom and equality for everyone. But where did this idea that we are all equal come from? It didn’t come from Darwin. If you trace it back, it came from Genesis. Even secular historians have frankly admitted that we owe this idea of equality to the Bible and its teaching that we are all made in God’s image.
One area where we see the powerful influence of the Bible is in our laws.
Sociologists have long recognized that if a society doesn’t have some kind of law by which to live, it will end up self-destructing. We humans need to live under a code of ethics. Without a law to govern us, anarchy and violence is the result.
The historian Will Durant, who is not a Christian, has recognized that many of our laws in Western civilization are derived from the Ten Commandments. For example, the sixth commandment forbidding murder is the basis for all the protections against taking life. The seventh commandment forbidding adultery was designed to protect marriage and the family, and so many of our laws protecting the family are derived from that. The eighth commandment forbidding stealing gave us the concept of private property and our need to protect ownership with various laws.
Professor Israel Drapkin even said:
“The Ten Commandments [are] the moral and legal foundations of Western Civilization.”
But how did the Ten Commandments come to have so much influence across so many countries? Historians are compelled to say that it’s primarily through the spread of Christianity and its high view of Scripture.
One example of this is the Christian Roman Emperor Justinian who came along in AD 482. Justinian ended up taking the Roman law that then existed and throwing out a good portion of it so that he could bring about a new set of legislation that was based on the Law of the Bible.
Will Durant and other historians argue that Justinian’s Code of laws was based on the Bible. And virtually every nation of Western civilization is largely indebted to Justinian’s law code. So, what does that tell us? The Bible is at the root of every major legal system in the Western world.
In fact, have you ever wondered why we have a court system of trial by jury? It’s because Christians witnessed kings presiding over cases and acting as corrupt judges, and they recognized that this contradicted the Bible.
And in view of that verse, they recognized that a plurality of judges—which we call a jury—is more likely to root out arbitrary convictions. The whole reason for placing your hand on the Bible in a court room was to remind people that they were answerable to a higher authority when giving testimony in a human court.
So, is the Bible relevant today? One of the most powerful pieces of evidence that we’re dealing with a supernatural book is the way countless people have had their lives turned upside down by a powerful encounter with Jesus Christ in its pages. In the words of Hebrews, it is “living and active” and discerns even “the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”[2] Which is why the best case for the Bible’s divine origin is the Bible itself. Countless skeptics have had their eyes opened to its power and authority through finally reading it.
Personally, I’ve experienced this in my own life. The Bible has shaped the way I understand God, myself, and the world I live in. Time after time, I’ve had my priorities reoriented, my perspective challenged, my desire for God fueled, my love for others revived, my soul sustained through trials, and my passion for reaching the world with the good news of Jesus reignited through submitting my mind to the Word of the Lord, and to the Lord of the Word.
I’ve only scratched the surface looking at all the incredible ways the Bible has transformed our world. So, when someone says the Bible is irrelevant to our modern world, they are revealing their ignorance about how powerfully this book has shaped every aspect of life. To push the Bible to the margins is to the push away the basis for freedom, equality, justice, love of neighbor, and everything else good in our society.
And at the level of the individual, the Bible tells us the truth so that we can finally understand ourselves. We were made for a relationship with God, but things have gone badly wrong—not just in the world, but within our own hearts. First and foremost, within our own hearts. And apart from God revealing Himself through this precious Word, we are utterly lost and without hope. Mark this. There is no substitute for the Bible. Though the hubris of man may imagine otherwise, nothing outside of Scripture can ever replace it.
The Bible is more to be desired “than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings from a honeycomb” (Psalm 19:10). “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him” (Proverbs 30:5, NKJV). Applying the biblical book of Deuteronomy, Jesus taught, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
The Bible doesn’t just tell me about God’s standards and reveal how I’ve failed to live up to those standards. It shows me that there is hope of forgiveness, new life, and peace with God through the good news of Jesus Christ’s substitutionary death for sinners like me and His glorious resurrection.
So, here’s my encouragement. Treasure your Bible by committing to study it regularly, expecting to encounter the living God Himself in a real and powerful way. And what could be more relevant than that?
I pray this encourages you to read the Bible. If you have any thoughts or questions about this, I would love to hear from you!
Lamp and Light 