The Last Enemy: Why believe in life after death? 1 Corinthians 15 1 Corinthians 15:55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” Much of 1 Corinthians centers on issues of personal behavior involving rambunctious church members. After tackling each of those problems, Paul turns hisRead More …

Commissioning: Jesus’ final prayer for his followers John 17 John 17:9 “I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.” Something seems to settle in Jesus’ mind as he hears the disciples’ response to his words. “Do you now believe?” heRead More …

A Modern Peace Child: God spans the gulf Romans 5 Romans 5:7–8 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died forRead More …

Conversations with Jesus John 4 How did Jesus talk to ordinary people? John 4:25–26 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” Water. Where it’s plentiful, weRead More …

The Love Chapter: Paul describes the highest spiritual gift of all 1 Corinthians 13 1 Corinthians 13:2 If I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. During one of the most stressful times of his career, Paul makes his first visit toRead More …

One Final Meal Together: The longest night of Jesus’ life John 14 John 14:27 “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John devotes one-third of his book to the 24-hour period immediately preceding Jesus’ death. Chapters 13—17 describe one of the scenes from that longRead More …

Remedy: A cure for a universal sickness Romans 3 Romans 3:22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. Throughout his arduous and adventurous life, the apostle Paul has kept one career goal constantly before him: a visit to Rome. In Paul’s day, Rome standsRead More …

Catastrophes through God’s Eyes Isaiah 21 An endless cycle of war and death—what did it mean? Isaiah 21:3 At this my body is racked with pain, pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor; I am staggered by what I hear, I am bewildered by what I see.Read More …

Spirit Life: Enlivened human beings and the drama of the cosmos Romans 8 Romans 8:31 If God is for us, who can be against us? The Holy Spirit is the theme of chapter 8, and in it Paul gives a panoramic survey of how the Spirit can make a differenceRead More …

Late-Night Rendezvous: Nicodemus takes a risk John 3 John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John’s Gospel tightens the camera angle, closing in on a few individual faces—a womanRead More …