The crucifixion of Jesus was not accomplished by unusually evil people — it was accomplished by ordinary sins operating in ordinary people. The sins that crucified him are not confined to first-century Jerusalem; they are present in every generation, in every community, and in every congregation….
Service is the fundamental structure of Christian existence, modeled by Christ himself — “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). The motive of service determines its character: fear-motivated service…
Anxiety is not merely an emotional condition — it is the practical expression of misplaced trust. The person who worries about what they will eat or wear has, at the level of daily functioning, placed more confidence in their own management of material circumstances than in…
The statement “there was no room for them in the inn” is not incidental. It is the emblem of everything that follows. The world that had no room in the manger had no room in Nazareth, no room in the synagogues, no room at the table…
God blesses men through men. This has been his consistent pattern from Abraham to Christ: the person through whom God works is the person God has sanctified — set apart, consecrated, made fit for the work assigned. The degree of sanctification corresponds to the greatness of…
Responsibility is not assigned generically — it is measured by ability and opportunity. The Christian who has both is the most accountable person in the world: accountable for what they do, accountable for what they could have done and did not, and accountable for whether they…
Poverty is broader than the absence of money. A person may be materially comfortable and still be desperately poor — in relationships, in character, in fellowship with God. The poor Jesus declares “blessed” (Matt. 5:3) are not the materially destitute; they are the poor in spirit…
Paradox is not a deficiency in Jesus’s teaching — it is a deliberate strategy. When truth stands on its head, it demands attention that straightforward assertion does not. The paradoxes of the New Testament are not puzzles for the uncommitted; they are invitations to the kind…
The first gospel sermon was preached to an audience that had more personal connection to the events of the gospel than any audience since. They were eyewitnesses or near-witnesses of the birth, the ministry, the crucifixion, and the reports of the resurrection. Peter preached by the…
Neglect is not the absence of wrong action — it is the presence of a sin. The man who knows his duty and does not do it has sinned; the church that knows its obligations and ignores them is guilty. The hearer who has heard the…