May 24, 2021
The Rider on a Second White Horse
The rider on the white horse in Revelation 19 was different from the rider in Revelation 6. The rider on the second white horse is none other than Jesus, the Son of God.
Articles for tag: Law Of Moses
August 10, 2020
Go and Sin No More
By Stuart Powell John 8 tells of an unnamed woman caught in adultery. The Jewish leaders presented the woman to Jesus and asked what he considered an appropriate punishment. There is little doubt the teachers of the law and Pharisees had already condemned this sinner. By presenting her before Jesus, they sought to expose how his compassion stood at odds with the Law of Moses. Without realizing it, they brought the guilty one before God’s anointed judge of all mankind. Jesus spoke first to the accusers by confronting them with the universal human condition of sin. He allowed that shame
September 3, 2019
Better Promises
By Stuart Powell Much of Christianity is understood best through the lens of the Old Testament. The history of Israel and the Law of Moses reveal how far humanity fell from the ideal God created. The earliest believers were devout Jews who had spent their lives looking forward to the Messiah spoken about in their Hebrew Scriptures. Considering all this, this New Testament passage is striking: “But now Jesus has obtained a superior ministry, since the covenant that he mediates is also better and is enacted on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6, New English Translation). How did Jesus’ sacrifice usher in
July 15, 2013
Lesson for July 21, 2013: Fasting and Praying (Ezra 7:1″“8:23)
By Sam E. Stone The book of Ezra is composed of two sections: chapters 1″“6 record how the Jews returned from captivity to rebuild the temple; chapters 7″“10 describe how Ezra came back to Jerusalem and led reforms. A period of some 57 years passed between the end of Ezra 6 (515 BC) and the beginning of Ezra 7 (458 BC). During this time, the events described in the book of Esther took place. Plans for the Trip Ezra 7:6-10 The second section of the book begins with a listing of Ezra”s credentials. Ruben Ratzlaff notes, “Like many of
March 4, 2013
Lesson for March 10, 2013: Daniel’s Prayer (Daniel 9)
This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone “The events of Daniel 9 were triggered by the reading of Scripture,” explains James E. Smith. “Daniel had access to a collection of prophetic literature which included the scroll of Jeremiah. He noted in Jeremiah 25:11 that the desolations of Jerusalem were to end after the termination of the seventy years of Babylonian world rule.” This is the background for Daniel”s prayer that we study today. It is surely one of the most heartfelt pleas to
March 25, 2011
Getting the Most from Old Testament Law (Part 1)
Those who first received the Law viewed obeying it a privilege, not a restriction. Can New Testament Christians also see the beauty in these ancient texts? (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 Imagine it”s New Year”s Day, and you make a resolution to read through your Bible this year. You begin with Genesis, and all goes well that first week. But hold on. Soon you”ll get to Leviticus, and then what will you do? Genesis starts with a bang as God
January 10, 2011
The Cure for Moralistic Therapeutic Deism
By Jon Weatherly Nothing alarms church folk quite so much as problems with the young folk. So it was about five years ago with Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton”s book, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers. Smith and Denton”s research produced the phrase “moralistic therapeutic deism” to describe the typical American teen”s view of God. It”s “deism” because the god of the typical teen is mostly distant and uninvolved. It”s “therapeutic” because that distant god still wants everyone to have a happy life and occasionally is willing to get involved when a person has an
November 5, 2006
JUST WAR? – A Valid Concept
By Jack Cottrell To my knowledge, in Christian history no one has ever tried to defend war as such, or to justify indiscriminate participation in warfare. However, for centuries many Christians have believed that in any given war, usually one side of the conflict is evil while the other side is righteous or just. In the most basic terms, those who hold this view generally say that the aggressor (the one who starts the war) is guilty of sin, while the defender (the one fighting to repel the aggressor) is not. From the standpoint of the latter, the cause is
