Theology & Bible

Theology & Bible helps Christians understand Scripture and the core teachings of the Christian faith. Explore Bible-based articles on biblical interpretation, doctrine, salvation, the Holy Spirit, baptism, communion, creation, and key themes across the Old and New Testaments. You’ll find thoughtful guidance for studying the Bible faithfully, applying God’s Word to life and ministry, and growing in theological clarity rooted in the gospel. Whether you’re a church leader, teacher, student, or everyday disciple, this hub equips you to know God through Scripture and live with conviction and hope.

June 20, 2011

Christian Standard

Lesson for June 26, 2011: God Gives the Victory (Joshua 6:2-4, 12-20)

Better Bible lessons starting at 30 cents per week! Get them in Standard Lesson Commentary! (click here) ____________ This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for June 26) is written by Matt Schantz, director of organizational development with a national building supply company in Grand Rapids, Michigan. ____________ God Gives the Victory (Joshua 6:2-4, 12-20) By Matt Schantz Jericho, known as the “City of Palms,” is considered both the world”s oldest city and””at 850 feet below sea level””the lowest. This elevation also makes it one of the hottest places on earth. I had the opportunity to visit Jericho a

June 13, 2011

Christian Standard

Lesson for June 19, 2011: God Protects His People (Joshua 2:2-9, 15, 16, 22-24)

Read The Lookout every week . . . Two full pages of helps for your Sunday School lesson . . . And inspiration for everyday Christian life. Here’s how. ____________ This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for June 19) is written by Don Hinkle, pastor at Yucaipa (California) Christian Church. ____________ God Protects His People (Joshua 2:2-9, 15, 16, 22-24) By Don Hinkle Joshua 2 would make an amazing film. It has all the ingredients””spies, intrigue, a double cross, humor (“I don”t know which way they went. Go after them quickly”””Joshua 2:5), midnight escapes, secret deals, and

June 12, 2011

Christian Standard

Sustained by the Word

By Kay Moll I was 22 years old. My husband of eight months had left our home in Illinois to travel to Homecoming at Johnson Bible College in Tennessee early on a snowy February morning with five teenagers from the small congregation we were serving in Illinois. A small group of us from the church had prayed with them for safety on the trip and watched them drive away. A little while later I went to the junior high school where I was teaching English and history and began my workday. Around 10:00 a.m., a fellow teacher stuck her head

June 10, 2011

Christian Standard

Getting the Most from Old Testament Prophets (Part 2)

Just as a Rubik”s Cube has six sides, six principles will help you understand these often-overlooked books. (This is another in a series of articles titled “Reading the Bible for All It”s Worth” that Matt Proctor is writing this year.) _____________ GO TO PART 1 ______________ By Matt Proctor In Part One of this essay, I pointed out the first four of six principles that can help you grasp the marvelous meanings in the Bible”s prophetic texts. I pointed out that the 17 Old Testament books we call the Prophets””Isaiah through Malachi””contain some of the most powerful passages in all of

June 8, 2011

Christian Standard

Read the Bible

By Jon Weece Of all the books our children will read in their lifetimes, none will prove more valuable than the Bible. But the Bible has been exiled from far too many Christian homes. I love to read. Always have and probably always will. When I was in the third grade my older brother, Jud, introduced me to the book My Side of the Mountain. It chronicled the life of a boy who ran away from home and lived in a hollowed-out tree in the Catskill Mountains of New York. At the age of 9, I did not possess the

June 7, 2011

Christian Standard

Getting the Most from Old Testament Prophets (Part 1)

Just as a Rubik”s Cube has six sides, six principles will help you understand these often-overlooked books. (This is another in a series of articles titled “Reading the Bible for All It”s Worth” that Matt Proctor is writing this year.) _____________   By Matt Proctor The 17 Old Testament books we call the Prophets””Isaiah through Malachi””contain some of the most powerful passages in all of Scripture, and yet these books remain some of the least read portions of the Bible. A nationally respected business leader, John Dasburg, saved Northwest Airlines from bankruptcy in the early 1990s when he served as CEO.

June 6, 2011

Christian Standard

Lesson for June 12, 2011: God Expects Obedience (Joshua 1:7-18)

Better Bible lessons starting at only 30¢ per week! Get them in Standard Lesson Commentary! ____________ This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for June 12) is written by Damon Reid, lead minister with Bethany Church of Christ in Kettering, Ohio. ____________ God Expects Obedience (Joshua 1:7-18) By Damon Reid The long-awaited day””anticipated for centuries””had finally come. The children of Israel were preparing to enter the promised land! Because of his disobedience, Moses was not permitted to enter the promised land. Although he died at the age of 120, the Bible notes that his “eyes were not weak

June 5, 2011

Christian Standard

“˜Then the Lord Said to Moses”

By Alan Ahlgrim Once again this year I”m enjoying a slow pilgrimage through the Bible. I don”t read through the entire Bible every year, but my daughter and I are using The One Year Bible, and it”s been wonderfully refreshing and enlightening. The best 30 minutes of my day are at the beginning. They”re the ones spent reading and reflecting on God”s Word. That certainly was true this morning when I was once again gripped with the fact that, at times, God spoke to people directly. I”ve been reading the book of Numbers over the last few days and have

June 3, 2011

Christian Standard

Questions After a Dinner

By Mark A. Taylor Why attend a retirement dinner? To honor the retiree, of course. He (or she) is the focus when speakers describe accomplishments, tell a few funny stories to show his human side, and present a gift from admirers who have gathered to congratulate him. All that happened at the last retirement dinner I attended. But since then I”ve decided the greatest benefit of a retirement dinner may not come to the person or couple retiring, but to everyone else at the party. We hear the accolades and wonder, What will people say about me when I get

May 31, 2011

Christian Standard

A Biblical Response to the Gospel

By Jim Tune Whenever someone is ready to begin a life of faith and discipleship, he or she rightly asks, “What must I do now?” While salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus, most believers in Christ would agree that something must be done. Many modern-day evangelists would encourage the new believer to “come forward” at an “altar call.” Others might encourage the spiritual seeker to say the “sinner”s prayer.” That prayer might go something like this: “Father, I am sorry for my sins and want to turn away from my sinful life. I believe your Son Jesus died

May 30, 2011

Christian Standard

Lesson for June 5, 2011: God Keeps His Promise (Joshua 1:1-6; 11:16-23)

This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for June 5) is written by Stephen Bond, senior pastor with Summit Christian Church in Sparks, Nevada. ____________ God Keeps His Promise (Joshua 1:1-6; 11:16-23) By Stephen Bond In Waiting: Finding Hope When God Seems Silent, author Ben Patterson tells a story from his personal life. In the summer of 1988, three friends and I climbed Mount Lyell, the highest peak in Yosemite National Park. Two of us were experienced mountaineers; two of us were not. I was not one of the experienced two. . . . The climb to the

May 24, 2011

Christian Standard

Eternal Suffering or Eternal Destruction?

By Stanley J. Grenz The traditional teaching of the church””that the lost will suffer unending conscious torment in Hell””has repeatedly been challenged by “universalists” since the third century. They believe that in the end, all will be saved. After the Reformation, a third viewpoint, annihilationism, emerged as a minority position. The doctrine of annihilationism appeared in the 1660 confession of the General Baptists, and among the Seventh-day Adventists and several other Evangelical groups in the 19th century. Since 1960, several prominent British Evangelicals, as well as Canadian theologian Clark Pinnock, have embraced this view. John Stott has likewise expressed sympathy

May 23, 2011

Christian Standard

How Could a Loving God Send Anyone to Hell?

By Jeff Vines Editor”s note: Five years ago we published a series of articles by Jeff Vines that dealt with three difficult questions that are often stumbling blocks for Christians as well as nonbelievers. The articles described a long conversation Jeff had with a circle of skeptics he met in an Australian restaurant. With the current discussion about the reality of Hell, we felt it helpful to reprint the third article in this series. To get all three articles (the first are “How Can We Believe in God with So Much Evil in the World?” and “How Can You Say

May 23, 2011

Christian Standard

Lesson for May 29, 2011: Water of Life (Revelation 22:1-9; 13-17)

This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for May 29) is written by Ron Arnold, senior pastor with Kaimuki Christian Church in Honolulu, Hawaii. ____________ Water of Life (Revelation 22:1-9, 13-17) By Ron Arnold Water department trucks in Honolulu display the slogan “Pure Water””Our Greatest Need””Conserve It” to remind the people of Hawaii to use this limited resource sparingly. This is true in the islands, and may be true in your area, if we”re talking about the physical realm. It”s only a half-truth in the spiritual realm. In the Scriptures, water is a symbol of life flowing from

May 22, 2011

Christian Standard

Rob Bell Isn”t Your Biggest Concern

By Brian Jones With the release this spring of Rob Bell”s new book, Love Wins, we finally have confirmation of what many of us have suspected for years””he”s a flipping genius. Only a brilliant thinker and writer could make heresy sound like refreshing orthodoxy. But this is in fact what he”s done, with flair. Taking something so clear and unambiguous as the reality of Hell after death for nonbelievers and replacing it with false hope, and making even the most grounded among us scratch our heads, is no easy feat. The fact is we shouldn”t be surprised””this has been going

May 19, 2011

Christian Standard

If You Want to Know God, Immerse Yourself in the Psalms

By Barry McCarty Like most Christians, I have always loved the book of Psalms. It was the first hymnbook of the early Christians and the hymnbook and prayer book of the Jews. Jesus died with the words of the Psalms on his lips. After his resurrection, he told his disciples: “Everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44, New Revised Standard Version, author”s emphasis). No other book of the Old Testament is so often quoted in the New. It is a storehouse of messianic prophecies that the first Christian

May 17, 2011

Christian Standard

More than Teacups . . . a Plea for Biblical Literacy

By Megan Gariss I was in elementary school during the mid-1990s when “Magic Eye” posters were all the rage. As you may remember, these posters produced three-dimensional images out of two-dimensional patterns. For some in my class, seeing the image was no problem””they could simply glance at the poster and quickly discern the hidden 3-D image. However, for most of the class, myself included, viewing the image was hard work. We all had different methods of looking at the “Magic Eye” poster, each guaranteed to help the viewer discover the 3-D image””be it a penguin on a raft or the

May 16, 2011

Christian Standard

Lesson for May 22, 2011: New Order of Things (Revelation 21:1-8, 22-27)

This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for May 22) is written by Melissa Wuske, an editor for F+W Media in Cincinnati, Ohio. ____________ New Order of Things (Revelation 21:1-8, 22-27) By Melissa Wuske My grandpa recently died after a far-too-long battle with Alzheimer”s disease. After decades as a faithful husband, father, and leader in the church, he spent the last decade or so of his life struggling to think or speak or remember. He spent the last few years unable to leave his bed on his own, unable to perform the basic daily functions that adults and

May 9, 2011

Christian Standard

Lesson for May 15, 2011: Thankful Worship (Revelation 7:9-17)

This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for May 15) is written by Phil Roberts who serves with Hill-N-Dale Christian Church in Lexington, Kentucky. ____________ Thankful Worship (Revelation 7:9-17) By Phil Roberts Consider these two questions: 1. What is the richest worship you”ve ever experienced? Maybe it still brings tears to your eyes””that worship service where it seemed praise just flowed from you, where you experienced the majesty of God the Father. 2. What is the most difficult time of trial through which the Lord has brought you? Maybe it still brings tears to your eyes””that time it

May 2, 2011

Christian Standard

Lesson for May 8, 2011: Perpetual Praise (Revelation 4)

This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for May 8 ) is written by Tom May who serves with Eastside Christian Church in Jeffersonville, Indiana. ____________ Perpetual Praise (Revelation 4) By Thomas May Revelation 4 provides another of many transitions in the final book of the Bible. John is given a glimpse of the end of time. Picture someone looking at a two-sided coin. On one side, John sees images of God with his people, protecting and encouraging regardless of the apparent circumstances of life; and on the other side are inscriptions of the judgment that will come

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