Your Purpose in Life Westminster CatechismQuestion 1: What is the chief and highest end of man?Answer: Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God and fully to enjoy Him forever. God’s Word indicates that His purpose in this world is to disclose His glory (splendor, honor, worth). Beginning with creation and continuing with His…
This study spotlights some aspects of God’s truth that rest just below the surface of Bible reading. Our subject is taking the Lord’s name in vain (Exodus 20:7). Our study of Exodus 20:7, one of the Ten Commandments, begins by reviewing the usual understanding of this commandment followed by the translation challenge of this verse’s key word. The…
Exodus 20:7, You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. The above commandment prohibits speech that defames the sanctity of the Lord’s Name. The most obvious sin in this regard involves the use of “Jesus” or “God” in cursing.…
Sufficient Scripture, Sufficient God or Deficient Scripture, Deficient God Do you trust the Bible as the authority for all spiritual matters and also believe that the Bible is more than sufficient to deal with all aspects of life and relationships? If you answer “yes,” then you are on solid biblical ground as the following passages demonstrate. (Psalm 119,…
Most believers in Christ would agree, at least in theory, that Christ-honoring discipleship is based solely on the Bible. In practice, however, it is another matter. Surprisingly, true believers who trust the Bible completely regarding eternal salvation do not always trust the Bible’s sufficiency to deal with challenges of everyday life. Yet, if the Bible is not…
Followers of Christ have a glorious position before God, since He has “raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). Yet, Christians may yield to temptation and purposefully sin in spite of their exalted position in Christ. How can that be? To begin with, Christians today face…
Believers who follow Christ wholeheartedly know they must cease living for self (Luke 9:23-24) in order to love others (1 Corinthians 10:24, 13:5) and look after others’ interests (Philippians 2:3-4). Luke 9:23-24, And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his…
Self-esteem teaching contradicts God’s Word. Yet, for decades, Christian organizations and schools, pastors, teachers, publishers, and denominational leaders have embraced self-esteem teaching in spite of its false claims and disregard of scriptural truth. On the other hand, discerning believers have publicly and consistently exposed the false teaching that undergirds the self-esteem movement. The choice in…
There are not many reliable avenues to gain insight into the “real you” . . . but your words, like a mirror, reflect what is in your heart. Luke 6:45, The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for…
Jesus was the master of ‘jugular vein’ communication, ‘chain saw’ illustration and ‘brass knuckle’ application Editorial cartoonists who seek to capture our imaginations on the central pages of the daily newspaper are brilliant communicators. With a turn of a pen and the mixing of images, this form of political satire thrusts truth in our face…