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Putting Things Right
The central assumption of Christianity is that something is wrong with the world, and it needs to be put right. For Christians, the “something wrong” is human sin, a violation of the right order God created at the beginning. Putting things right we call “reconciliation,” and according to Paul it is a ministry belonging to…
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Faith and Certainty
Ἔστιν δὲ πίστις ἐλπιζομένων ὑπόστασις, πραγμάτων ἔλεγχος οὐ βλεπομένων. Hebrews 11:1 (Original Greek) The New Testament makes very clear how damaging doubt can be to faith. For example, Jesus tells his disciples that they can move mountains with the smallest amount of faith, provided their faith admits of no doubt. What is less clear, however,…
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Fulfilling the Law
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until…
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Opportunity to Display God’s Work
In chapter 9 of his gospel, John launches into the story of how Jesus healed a man blind from birth and the aftermath of that healing. Here is how the story begins: As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,…
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Being Right
Of all the desires that motivate human beings, the desire for personal righteousness—wanting to be right—is the most pernicious. There is no evil, no matter how unspeakable, we will not commit if we can convince ourselves that what we are doing is for the greater good. We will put up with caging children at our…