“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).God’s giving, or his gracious provision toward us, is never obligated but is always freely given. He gives because He is a giver: no one forces Him to … [Read more…]
“Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (Matthew 25:34).Jesus raised the banner of God’s generosity to address the prevalent mood of people (then and now). For Jesus the antidote against … [Read more…]
”But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:32, 33).God’s knowledge encompasses the whole universe and reaches into our inner most being, down to the smallest particle. This is at the same time terrifying and comforting.Now, God’s knowledge would not be of much … [Read more…]
“For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:32, 33). Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1Timothy 1:15). The salvation brought by Him was … [Read more…]
“Then the angel said to me, “Write: `Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he added, “These are the true words of God” (Revelation 19:9). The wedding banquet (or supper) of the Lamb will signal the end of weddings and wedding banquets. There will be no more … [Read more…]
”They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). The earthly dimension of our holiness is a work in progress (Hebrews 10:14). Being a work in progress means that there is still some work to be done. Hence, Peter reminds us about this fact … [Read more…]
“…If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it” (Luke 9:23, 24). The Christian paradox of holiness: being holy but in the process of becoming … [Read more…]
Around 381AD, the early church fathers found themselves compelled to draft a creedal statement which was meant to bring unity of belief across the church. That is how we came to have the Nicene Creed. Why was a creedal statement needed? Too many people came up with different (some fanciful, some heretical) ideas and practices … [Read more…]
“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15). As such, the Son reveals the eternal Father. The invisible cannot be seen. God is spirit – a being not constrained by matter, space and time: God cannot be seen. “No one has ever seen God…” (John 1:18). Jesus, … [Read more…]
“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy” (1Peter 1:15, 16). Exploring the subject of the cross as a sanctifying event we encountered what seemed to be a contradiction. Hebrews 10:10 revealed to us the most important … [Read more…]