Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. he who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 1 John 4:7-8 (NKJV) The prominent Roman Catholic theologian, Hans urs von Balthasar, was once asked why there was a

by Diane Boring I will always remember the first time that Acts 17:26-27 jumped out at me. My first grandchild, Summer, was just a few weeks old. I remember going in and sitting on the bed next to her and reading this passage to her mother who was standing in the room. I said something

by Philippe Sterling A Different Kind of Love In the day before there was e-mail or texting, a young man wrote a letter to his beloved (from Clyde Murdock’s, A Treasury of Humor): My dear Laura, I would climb the highest mountain to see your face. Swim the widest river for your touch, cross the

Romans 5:5. now expectation does not result in shame, because the love of God is poured out in our hearts through the holy spirit who has been given to us. The expectation that is produced in us through enduring our trials and becoming approved in God’s sight, promotes a boldness about our Christian profession. What

THE CHARGE: Success Guaranteed Many pastors and theologians say that God guarantees that all believers will be righteous. For example, blogger Matt Waymeyer in an article entitled, “First Corinthians 6, the ‘Lordship’ Debate and the Gospel,” dated Aug 17, 2012, concludes his article by saying: There is no third category of individuals who have been

By Don Reiher Do half-truths bug you? Several things that have really bugged me lately are lyrics and speakers saying something to the effect, “Isn’t it wonderful that Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins? We will not have to pay the penalty for our sins because of what Jesus did on

By Steve Elkins I used to have lunch with Zane Hodges about once a month. One time, right before his death, I was there a little early. He had just hung up from a call. Out of the blue he said, “They’re saying I changed my view on the gospel. I never changed my view.