Wallpaper: The Bleak Midwinter
“Our God, heaven cannot hold Him
Nor earth sustain,
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable-place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty —
Jesus Christ.”
— In the Bleak Midwinter By Christina Rossetti and Gustav Holst
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
A Year in Review: Truth For Life’s Top 5 Articles and Sermons of 2021
Year after year, our aim at Truth For Life is to teach the Bible with clarity and relevance so that unbelievers will be converted, believers will be established, and local churches will be strengthened. As the calendar changes, we wanted to share several of the sermons and articles that were listeners’ and readers’ favorites during the last year, in hopes that they will be an encouragement to you as 2022 begins.
Continue reading …Topics: Ministry Updates
Why Christmas Leaves Us Wanting More
The few days between Christmas and the New Year teach us something profound about our souls’ longings. More often than not, Christmas Day’s jubilation and gladness seem to come and go in a flash. After so much anticipation, we feel as if we are left with little more than ribbons and wrapping, clean-up and returns. Why must Christmas come and go so quickly?
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
The Song of Salvation
As he recounts the birth of Jesus in his Gospel, Luke records four songs sung in response to the good news. Mary sings, “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (1:47). Zechariah blesses God because he “has raised up a horn of salvation … in the house of his servant David” (1:69). The angels praise God because “unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior” (2:11). And Simeon takes the baby Jesus in his arms and prays to the Father, “My eyes have seen your salvation” (2:30).
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Wallpaper: O Holy Night
“Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us praise His holy name ”
— O Holy Night By John Sullivan Dwight
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Download (Free) - “Songs for a Savior”
Many of our favorite Christmas carols center on angels singing songs, shepherds watching flocks, and wise men giving gifts. These songs, however, are meaningless apart from their context within redemptive history. The Gospel of Luke records the very first Christmas songs, which were sung by Mary, Zechariah and Simeon. Unlike our modern carols, these songs of praise don’t revolve around the nativity scene or the events of Christ birth. Instead, they focus on the Savior Himself. Through the Incarnation, God supernaturally broke into human history by revealing Christ as the Savior of the world. In this series, Alistair Begg highlights how Mary, Zechariah, and Simeon’s songs praise the Lord for remembering His people and providing salvation, redemption, and mercy.
Continue reading …Topics: Monthly Resources
The Fruit of the Spirit: Self-Control (Part 9 of 9)
“Get a grip of yourself.” “Get ahold of yourself.” “Get yourself under control.” These are familiar words for many of us. We all know the experience of our passions running out ahead of our inhibitions.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Wallpaper: A Son is Given
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6 ESV
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
The Fruit of the Spirit: Gentleness Isn’t a Weakness (Part 8 of 9)
In 1839, George Washington Bethune, a Dutch Reformed pastor in the United States, observed, “Perhaps no grace is less prayed for, or less cultivated, than gentleness.”1 His words still ring true today. As Christians, we often lack the gentleness we desperately need. Indeed, we may hardly even notice its absence.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Watch “A Parkside Christmas”
Enjoy watching this post-produced version of the 2020 musical event “A Parkside Christmas” with Alistair Begg. Christian recording artists Fernando Ortega, Michael O’Brien, Laura Story, and Brenton Brown perform songs of the season in this joyful celebration of the birth of the Lord Jesus.
Continue reading …Topics: Ministry Updates
The Fruit of the Spirit: God’s Faithfulness and Ours (Part 7 of 9)
The whole cosmos, from the largest and farthest galaxies down to the most microscopic organisms and beyond, depends on the faithfulness of God in Christ, who “upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Heb. 1:3). The reason we haven’t all burned up in an astronomical firestorm, the reason our very atoms stay in place, is because God holds everything together (Col. 1:17) and is faithful.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Three Questions about the Bible: What Is It? Who Wrote It? How Can We Understand It?
It would be quite odd if you showed up to a football game and heard a ref or a player ask, “Has anyone seen the ball?” But it would be even more bizarre if someone replied, “Forget the ball! Let’s get on with the game.”
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Wallpaper: Your Light has Come
“Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”
— Isaiah 60:1
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
The Fruit of the Spirit: Eternal Goodness and Everyday Kindness (Part 6 of 9)
Of all the aspects of the fruit of the Spirit, perhaps kindness and goodness seem the most normal or customary. We often hear talk of “common decency” and “common courtesy,” and we have come to expect that friends, family, and neighbors will show a modicum of kindness in most circumstances—even if they don’t feel like it.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Alistair Begg on a Gift from God
Dear Friend,
“Jesus is a real problem,” I said to a man I had just met in a hotel lobby. He was sitting with his wife and two very attractive children. When I learned that he was from India, I told him how much I had enjoyed my visits to his homeland.
Continue reading …Topics: Letters From Alistair Begg
The First Advent: Four Reasons Christ Came
This time of year, Christians often ask a question that goes something like this: In our increasingly secular age, how can we sustain the true value, the true meaning of Christmas?
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Wallpaper: Abounding in Thanksgiving
“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”
— Colossians 2:6-7
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Read the Introduction to Alistair Begg’s New Daily Devotional
God’s word is a glorious gift. Our Father has given it to us in order that we might know His Son and that we might live in the power of His Spirit, in obedience to His truth.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Wallpaper: From Above
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (James 1:17 ESV)
Continue reading …Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Do Not Read This Devotional If…
If you think that a devotional can be a replacement for Bible reading and prayer, you may be surprised by Alistair Begg’s advice regarding his brand-new book: don’t read it! Truth For Life: 365 Daily Devotions is not for those looking to replace Bible reading. But if you want to supplement, or maybe even revive, your Bible reading and prayer with daily insights that will take you deeper into God’s Word, it will make an excellent companion.
Continue reading …Topics: Ministry Updates
Thanksgiving in a Thankless World
In a frantic and frenzied world, we all long for contentment, for peace. And yet, as Alistair points out, “contentment in the twenty-first century is a rarity.” He explains,
Continue reading …Topics: From the Archives
The Fruit of the Spirit: Perfect Patience for the Least Deserving (Part 5 of 9)
Between 1962 and 1967, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan served as the second president of India. It's said that on one occasion, addressing his community, he challenged the Christians who were listening by commenting, “You claim that Jesus Christ is your Savior. But you do not appear to be more saved than anyone else.” In other words, “I hear your story, but I’m not seeing the evidence.”
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
“Truth For Life: 365 Daily Devotions”
“God’s word is a glorious gift. Our Father has given it to us in order that we might know His Son and that we might live in the power of His Spirit, in obedience to His truth.”
Continue reading …Topics: Monthly Resources
Wallpaper: The Pattern of God
“The strategy of the Evil One is to inflate us in order to defeat us. The pattern of God is to deflate us in order to exalt us.”
— Alistair Begg
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
The Fruit of the Spirit: Peace in a World of Conflict (Part 4 of 9)
Our world lacks peace. Just consider: historians estimate that since the sixteenth century, over eight thousand peace treaties have been signed, presumably with the intent that the resulting peace would last forever—yet most of them endured little more than two years. Instead, conflict and chaos are everywhere, and wherever calamity doesn’t reign, it remains nearby, lurking around every corner.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Study the Ten Commandments in the New Year
We live at a time when many view the Ten Commandments as outdated and irrelevant to contemporary life. But God’s law is timeless, and our response to His instruction is of eternal significance.
Continue reading …Topics: Ministry Updates
How to Benefit from the Sabbath: Four Principles for Honoring the Lord’s Day
Why do Christians worship on Sundays? The answer goes deeper than mere custom or convention. Indeed, it goes to the very heart of our faith.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Wallpaper: Your Counselor and Friend
“Here is a word for you, believer; rest in it. Be sure that God will be your counselor and friend; He will guide you; He will direct all your ways.”
— C.H. Spurgeon
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
The Fruit of the Spirit: Joy in a Broken World (Part 3 of 9)
We don’t have to look far to see that our world is broken—desperately ill and seemingly falling apart at every seam. Indeed, the Bible tells us that since the time of Genesis 3, creation has been “subjected to futility” (Rom. 8:20).
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Timeless Truths for a Changing World: The Threefold Use of God’s Law
All of God’s Word is relevant for all of the Christian life. According to 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (emphasis added). And yes, “all Scripture” includes genealogies, censuses, and seemingly obscure ritual laws.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Alistair Begg on Gracious Gratitude
Dear Friend,
Jonathan Edwards was born on October 5, 1703, in East Windsor, Connecticut. Regarded as the greatest theologian and philosopher of British American Puritanism and a forerunner of the Great Awakening, he is best known for his sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” which he preached in 1741 following George Whitefield’s tour of the Thirteen Colonies.
Continue reading …Topics: Letters From Alistair Begg
Wallpaper: Made Secure in Christ
“Before the daystar knew its place or planets ran their course, the interests of the saints were made secure in Christ Jesus.”
— C.H. Spurgeon
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
How Do the Ten Commandments Relate to Contemporary Life?
We live in a time of moral crisis in our culture—and in the church as well. Many have lost confidence in God and His Word and dismiss His law as archaic and impractical. In Pathway to Freedom: How God’s Laws Guide Our Lives, author Alistair Begg confronts this problem head-on, walking us through each of the Ten Commandments to show how they remain relevant in the twenty-first century.
Continue reading …Topics: Monthly Resources
Reformation Re-Discovery: Grace, Faith, and Jesus
In his book The Madness of Crowds, Douglas Murray observes, “People in wealthy Western democracies” now have “absolutely no explanation for what we are doing here, and no story to give life purpose”1—no overarching narrative that guides our sense of where we fit on our earthly journey and in the unfolding panorama of our world. As the children’s nursery rhyme would have it, “All the king’s horses and all the king’s men” cannot “put Humpty together again.” We have, as a culture, fallen off the wall, and we lie in pieces on the ground.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
The Fruit of the Spirit: Love (Part 2 of 9)
Countless pages of the Bible recount the outpouring of God’s love for the least deserving. The contours of Scripture’s story line help us to know and feel that God Himself is love (1 John 4:8, 16). He is more than love, of course, but never less.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Wallpaper: The Mystery of Godliness
Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. (1 Timothy 3:16 ESV)
Continue reading …Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
The Root of Our Holiness: Introducing the Fruit of the Spirit (Part 1 of 9)
One of the greatest Reformation-era rediscoveries is the astounding truth that sinful men and women can be justified—made right with God—on the basis of faith alone. No merit of our own makes us acceptable to God. It is ever and only faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that restores the broken relationship we have with our Creator.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
7 Bible Verses about Purity
Psalm 51:1–2“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!”
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Wallpaper: Far More
To him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV)
Continue reading …Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Hymn: “There’s a Work for Jesus” by Elsie Duncan Yale
There’s a work for Jesus, ready at your hand;
’Tis a task the Master just for you has planned.
Haste to do His bidding; yield Him service true;
There’s a work for Jesus none but you can do.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
The Sufficiency of Scripture in an Age of Uncertainty
We live at a time when truth has been devalued and tolerance has been enthroned. Everyone has their own opinions about how to reach “divine reality”—whether that be nirvana, paradise, or the denial of the divine altogether, which just leads us to the deification of the material or the self. Too often, when faced with such cultural pressures, all that our churches have to offer in response is a kind of how-to or self-help therapeutic program that lacks robust, distinctly Christian theology.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
FREE ‘Pathway to Freedom’ Study Guide
In the audio series Pathway to Freedom: How God's Laws Guide Our Lives, Alistair Begg teaches step by step through the Ten Commandments. He explains how each commandment points to the responsibilities laid upon us by our Creator—and, ultimately, to our need for saving grace. You’ll learn that the Ten Commandments are not a ladder to climb to find acceptance with God; rather, they are a mirror that exposes our sin and our need a Savior.
Continue reading …Topics: Study Guides
How Do We Approach the Bible? Four Lessons from Nehemiah
God’s Word is a focal point during most Christian worship services. But why do so many churches give such priority to the public reading and preaching of the Bible? And how should the church respond?
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Wallpaper: Walk Worthy
“I … urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
— Ephesians 4:1–3
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
When the Cross of Christ Takes Its Rightful Place
When Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, he reminded them, “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). This statement establishes the centrality of the cross in preaching, over against the showiness and vanity that’s so often displayed in “lofty speech or wisdom” (v. 1).
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Two Vital Elements of Expository Preaching
William Still was a minister in Aberdeen, Scotland, who was known for his commitment to expository preaching. It’s been said that on one occasion, a visitor to Still’s church greeted him at the conclusion of the service and said to him, “But Mr. Still, you don’t preach.” Still asked what he meant, and the man answered, “Well, you just take a passage from the Bible and explain what it means.” Still replied, “Brother, that is preaching.”
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Hymn: “Count Your Blessings” by Johnson Oatman, Jr.
When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Wallpaper: Wonder at His Purposes
“The providence of God is worked out in life in ways that cause us to wonder at His purposes.”
— Alistair Begg
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Alistair Begg on Encouraging Pastors
Dear Friend,
It never once occurred to me when I was a boy that I would one day be called to pastoral ministry. My ordination in October of 1976 established me on a course from which, by God’s grace, I have never thought to change. The two years spent in the company and under the tutelage of pastor Derek J. Prime laid the foundation for all that has transpired. To this day, the example he provided continues to challenge and inspire me. For thirty-eight years, the Parkside family has displayed a long-suffering affection for me, and the privilege and responsibility of doing what I do keeps me alert and hopefully growing in grace.
Continue reading …Topics: Letters From Alistair Begg
The Cry of a Fallen Leader
He thought it was a one-night stand, a little midnight tryst. Who would find out? She was exceptionally beautiful. She was particularly vulnerable. And in the end—after he used her for a few moments of pleasure—she was, unfortunately, pregnant.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Recommended Reading List for Kids
For Christian parents, introducing their children to God’s Word should be even more foundational than helping them learn their ABCs. Truth For Life recommends the following books for children of all ages to enjoy as they learn more about God and the Bible. The selections include Bible narratives, family devotionals, and tales about heroes of the faith.
Continue reading …Topics: Ministry Updates
Wallpaper: The Whole Gospel
“The whole church is to take the whole Gospel to the whole world.”
— Alistair Begg
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Using Your USB on Your Computer
Thank you for requesting a teaching series from Truth For Life with Alistair Begg on a USB. We hope you enjoy listening to these messages. Below are instructions on how to use the USB on your computer.
Continue reading …Topics: Ministry Updates
Four Core Truths about the Second Coming of Christ
The second coming of Jesus Christ is absolutely foundational to the Gospel, which concerns not only the birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of God the Son but also His return. This event and the doctrines that surround it are integral to “the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Hymn: “Rock of Ages” by Augustus M. Toplady
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy riven side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure;
Cleanse me from its guilt and pow'r.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Download — “Faith That Works: A Study in the Book of James”
Written to scattered believers facing a variety of troubles, the Epistle of James addresses a universally relevant question: How are God’s people to live in God’s world? This side of heaven, trials and tribulations crowd into our lives, confronting us with failure and tears, doubts and disappointments, sorrow and groanings. In response, James offers us practical help, with an eye toward not becoming Christians so much as behaving as those who have been redeemed “by the word of truth.”
Continue reading …Topics: Ministry Updates, Monthly Resources
A Warning against Adultery
Proverbs is not a “churchy” book—at least not in the way many of us conceive of church. Its wisdom isn’t prim and proper and fit for afternoon tea. Rather, Proverbs calls us to the street, to everyday life, to matters that affect us all in some way. Derek Kidner has said that Proverbs puts “godliness into working clothes.”1 It is godly wisdom for everyday living.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Wallpaper: Not Pass Away
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35 ESV)
Continue reading …Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Wallpaper: The Redeemer’s Love
“Let the mind for a moment consider the history of the Redeemer's love, and a thousand evidences of His kindness will come to mind.”
— C.H. Spurgeon
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
The Day That Changed the Modern World: Five Reminders, Twenty Years after 9/11
Who among us could have imagined that the World Trade Center towers, those symbols of prosperity and freedom, could so quickly be reduced to rubble and dust against the blue-sky beauty of a Manhattan morning? Who would have thought that planes meant to carry families to Grandma’s house or businesspeople to their next venture could be turned into weapons of mass destruction?
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Recommended Reading for Students
The decisions, lifestyles, and pressures that confront us as we head off to college are challenging, particularly for the Christian. So whether you’re getting used to campus life or know someone who is in that setting, we think the assortment of resources below will be a help.
Continue reading …Topics: Ministry Updates
Wallpaper: Find Our Identity
“We, in the feebleness of our flesh, confronted by our own sense of insecurity, creating our own peculiar identity, are at sea until we find our identity in our union with Christ and our security in the work of Christ.”
— Alistair Begg
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Alistair Begg on the Importance of Teaching Children about Jesus Christ
Dear Friend,
At Parkside, we baptize individuals upon their profession of faith, and we join our young families as they dedicate their children to the Lord, as well as themselves to the sacred privilege of parenting.
Continue reading …Topics: Letters From Alistair Begg
Wallpaper: Enjoy the Beauty
“Go out and enjoy the beauty of His creation. Rest in the wonder of His providence. Trust unreservedly in His desire and design for His people. And we'll have occasion to be thankful.”
— Alistair Begg
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Hymn: “Facing a Task Unfinished”
“No Condemnation”: Highest Hope for the Chief of Sinners
The entirety of the Bible is inspired Scripture—every book, every paragraph, every sentence, every word. But while all Scripture is equally inspired, some parts of it exceed the others in being inspiring.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Good Grief: How the Gospel Transforms the Pain of Loss
Though we use it sparingly, bereavement is a word most of us have heard—perhaps at least in the context of the bereavement leave that many workplaces grant. The word comes from the verb to reave, which means to forcibly deprive, to take captive, to plunder. And that is what happens in the experience of bereavement. In being bereaved, we are broken up, we are ravished. What we once had is lost, and we are invaded with grief.
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Wallpaper: What is Your Life?
What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. (James 4:14 ESV)
Continue reading …Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
“Worthy Is the Lamb”: The Price, Scope, and Purpose of Our Redemption
Too often, we regard the book of Revelation as if it were a collection of riddles—some kind of theological Rubik’s Cube that must be deciphered by making all the colors match on every side. But this shouldn’t be the case.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Some Thoughts on Sin and Hell
It may surprise some to consider that the strongest words in the Bible concerning hell come from the lips of Jesus Christ Himself. For example, in Mark 9:48, Jesus uses imagery from Isaiah 66 to describe hell as a place full of invincible, flesh-eating worms and unquenchable fire. (That’s not exactly the most pleasant picture, is it?)
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Wallpaper: Find Significance
“In the unfolding plan of what God is doing in the totality of His kingdom, individuals find significance.”
— Alistair Begg
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Hymn: “Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus” by Helen H. Lemmel
O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Retaliate, or Bless? How to Respond to Persecution
Comfy, accommodating visions of the Christian life have been popular for some time now. Peddlers of such ideas speak as if Christ’s mission were to purchase us an oversized, fluffy armchair to lounge in until He tranquilly guides us to an even fluffier cloud in heaven. “If you become a Christian, all your difficulties will fly away,” they say. “Just have enough faith, and you will reap only blessings.”
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
T-U-L-I-P-S: Six Words to Guide Your Marriage
In some of the most important words ever written about marriage, the apostle Paul roots the marital union in God’s creation design:
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Wallpaper: Nearness to Jesus
“There will be three effects of nearness to Jesus—humility, happiness, and holiness. May God give them to you, Christian!”
— C.H. Spurgeon
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
The Wonder of God’s Election
Have you ever noticed that mainstream talk of religion rarely pays attention to God’s activity in the world? When the media does have something to say about God, it’s usually about the “search for God,” as if a great multitude is out there looking all over the place for Him, and they just can’t find Him. This is the story of religion: that man is just trying to find God, wherever He is.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Hymn: “I Am His, and He Is Mine” by George W. Robinson
Loved with everlasting love,
Led by grace that love to know;
Gracious Spirit from above,
Thou hast taught me it is so!
O, this full and perfect peace!
O, this transport all divine!
In a love which cannot cease,
I am His, and He is mine.
In a love which cannot cease,
I am His, and He is mine.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Download (Free) - “Encore: A Collection of Listener Favorites”
Each year Truth For Life produces a series of listener favorites. The messages are on a wide range of topics such as marriage, trials, and attributes of God.
Continue reading …Topics: Ministry Updates, Monthly Resources
Alistair Begg’s Favorite Songs
Dear Friend,
Recently, I’ve been thinking about why I was never able to memorize the periodic table of the elements. Our science teacher would unroll a canvas screen that contained them all—top left was hydrogen, and top right was helium. That is about as far as I got! But why was that? After all, I have at least an average memory.
Continue reading …Topics: Letters From Alistair Begg
Wallpaper: Predestined
“Those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”
— Romans 8:29
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Help Truth For Life with a Review at ‘Great Nonprofits’
If you’ve benefited from the teaching you hear on Truth For Life, then tell more people! By sharing your feedback with others online at GreatNonprofits.org — a review site like TripAdvisor — you can help point others to the clear and relevant Bible teaching from Alistair Begg.
Continue reading …Topics: Ministry Updates
The “Prayer of Faith” and God’s Healing Grace
Jesus never promised His people a pain-free life. In a fallen world, we all experience physical breakdown and decay as we await “the redemption of our bodies” (Rom. 8:23). Sometimes, though, as James 5:13–18 describes, that future redemption breaks into the present, and God graciously heals what ails us.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Welcome From Alistair Begg
Topics: Ministry Updates
Hymn: “Hallelujah! What a Savior!” by Philip Bliss
“Man of sorrows”! What a name
For the Son of God, who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim!
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Topics: Hymns and Worship
For Those Who Say “There Is No God”…
Human life is unintelligible apart from God. Try as we might, not a single soul can truly understand its place in this world without knowing this world’s Architect.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Wallpaper: Expect Trouble
“Expect trouble … but do not despair on account of it, for God is with you to help and to strengthen you.”
— C.H. Spurgeon
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Hymn: “A Debtor to Mercy Alone” By Augustus M. Toplady
A debtor to mercy alone,
Of covenant mercy I sing;
Nor fear, with Thy righteousness on,
My person and off’ring to bring.
The terrors of law and of God
With me can have nothing to do;
My Savior’s obedience and blood
Hide all my transgressions from view.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
5 Bible Verses about Prayer
Ephesians 6:18 “… praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.”
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
“Teach Us to Pray”: The Mystery, Necessity, and Method of Prayer
Prayer is an indispensable privilege for every Christian. In prayer, we have the ear of the very creator of the universe. But we very often lack motivation to pray, and when we do pray, our prayers end up revealing the preoccupations of our lives, which are far too often unashamedly selfish and self-oriented, lacking attention to the great concerns of the kingdom of God.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Download (Free) — “Preaching the Gospel” by Alistair Begg
The continuing challenge of preaching is to bring God’s divine content into the human context in which the message is delivered. For pastors, the key is to help their people understand that following death comes judgment and that the salvation God offers through Christ Jesus is the only deliverance from an eternal sentence. Pastors must make a clear, authoritative, and urgent appeal to their congregations to make contact with Jesus Christ from all of Scripture.
Continue reading …Topics: Ministry Updates
God’s Faithfulness: Wallpaper
“God's faithfulness endures to all generations. The promises of God do not wear out with time.” — Alistair Begg
Continue reading …Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
How Should We Pray, and What Should We Pray For?
It can be easy to slip into a pattern of unengaged prayer that draws from familiar routines. We can even find our prayers taking on a measure of lifelessness. Consistent, invigorated prayer is hard. Many of us struggle to pray continually and perseveringly, and many of us fail to pray big, bold prayers in line with God’s will and the building of His kingdom.
Continue reading …Topics: Monthly Resources
Hymn: “I Know Whom I Have Believed” by Daniel W. Whittle
I know not why God’s wondrous grace
To me He hath made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love,
Redeemed me for His Own.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
5 Bible Verses about God’s Sovereignty
Romans 8:28 “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Poem: “The 23 Psalme” by George Herbert
The God of love my shepherd is,
And he that doth me feed:
While he is mine, and I am his,
What can I want or need?
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Five Nonessentials of the Christian Faith
For churches that take the Bible seriously, doctrine can be dangerous. Where theology is appreciated and taught, the hazard is not vagueness, compromise, or fellowship based on the lowest common denominator; it’s just the opposite. When people begin to take doctrine seriously (which we all ought to), they may also become rigid and demand too much of others—and sometimes even of themselves. In other words, we risk making essential what is actually nonessential.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Hymn: “When This Passing World Is Done” by Robert Murray M’Cheyne
When this passing world is done,
When has sunk yon radiant sun,
When we stand with Christ on high
Looking o’er life’s history,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know,
Not till then, how much I owe.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Winds and Tempest: Wallpaper
“We need winds and tempests to exercise our faith, to tear off the rotten branches of self-reliance, and to root us more firmly in Christ.”
— C.H. Spurgeon
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
The Bible’s (Not So Secret) Secret to Contentment
Contemporary Western society is filled with a spirit of discontent. Yet we must admit that for many of us, discontentment isn’t a societal problem; it’s personal. Whether it comes from who we are or what we do or don’t have, a lack of contentment gives birth to all manner of vices, from the envy that begrudges what others achieve to the covetousness that desires what others possess.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Living Hope for Languishing Hearts
Christians are not free from pain in this life. Pop theology may try to tell us that with enough faith, we won’t face heartache or feel crushed by sin and its effects. But the Bible disagrees. The truth is that it is not possible to always live at high tide. The waters inevitably recede, and sometimes we must retreat to the harbor and wait on God to bring the tide back in.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Hymn: “I Think When I Read That Sweet Story of Old” by Jemima Thompson Luke
I think, when I read that sweet story of old,
When Jesus was here among men,
How He called little children as lambs to His fold,
I should like to have been with them then.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
How Should Christians Understand Tithing?
"The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein.”
When the topic of biblical stewardship and finances comes up, what is one guiding principle that quickly comes to mind? The most common answer is almost certainly tithe. And yet, for a word that is so common in the language of church life, there’s a good deal of misunderstanding about what it means. So let’s clear up some of the confusion by looking at what the Bible teaches about tithing and the Christian’s relationship to it.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Alistair Begg on the Importance of Prayer in Today’s World
Dear Friend,
Is there humor in the Bible? I suppose it depends on what we mean. It is safe to say that the Scriptures do not contain funny stories. However, certain occurrences are recorded in such a way that they strike us as funny, or at least ironic.
Continue reading …Topics: Letters From Alistair Begg
Hymn: “Am I a Soldier of the Cross?” by Isaac Watts
Am I a soldier of the cross,
A foll’wer of the Lamb,
And shall I fear to own his cause,
Or blush to speak his name?
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Your God Reigns: Wallpaper
How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” (Isaiah 52:7 ESV)
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Welcome to Truth For Life!
Five things to know about Truth For Life.
Continue reading …Patience and Forbearance: Two Traits of an Otherworldly People
Many in the church today feel marginalized by the wider world. Being a Christian often doesn’t have the same cultural capital it once did, and antagonism—even hostility—toward Christianity often puts us on the defensive.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Hymn: “Soldiers of Christ, Arise” by Charles Wesley
Soldiers of Christ, arise,
And put your armor on,
Strong in the strength which God supplies
Thro’ his eternal Son.
Strong in the Lord of hosts,
And in his mighty pow'r,
Who in the strength of Jesus trusts
Is more than conqueror.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Our Only Hope for Harmony
By all accounts, the Cleveland Orchestra is one of the finest symphony orchestras in America—indeed, even in the world. Founded in 1918, the orchestra’s music has amazed listeners and impressed the toughest critics across the globe for over a century.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Encountered: Wallpaper
“I have not been embraced by a religious notion. I've been encountered by a living Christ.”
— Alistair Begg
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
The Schemes of Satan: What the Devil Does Today and Why It Matters
Talk of the devil or demons inevitably evokes images and ideas from popular culture and folk religion. Whether the mention of Satan conjures an image of a red, cartoonish, pitchfork-wielding monstrosity or a good-looking, smooth-talking deal maker, we all have preconceptions about him.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Hymn: “Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus” by George Duffield, Jr.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus
Ye soldiers of the cross;
Lift high his royal banner,
It must not suffer loss:
From vict’ry unto vict’ry
His army he shall lead,
‘Til ev’ry foe is vanquished,
and Christ is Lord indeed.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Justified by Faith: Wallpaper
Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1 ESV)
Continue reading …Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
What Does the Bible Teach about Becoming a Christian?
What does it look like to become a Christian? For some, it’s easy to answer this question by reflecting on their personal experience of salvation—something every believer should do for encouragement from time to time. But others don’t have a frame of reference that allows them to answer with any real sense of confidence.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
How Do We Know Where to Draw the Line? (An Excerpt from ‘Brave by Faith’)
Refusing to eat the special diet assigned to them seems a strange place for Daniel and his fellow young Jewish exiles to draw a line. But in the Old Testament, one of the distinguishing features of God’s people was the rules they followed about what they would and would not eat and drink. Dietary choice for God’s people was not just an external manifestation of nothing much; rather, it was an external outworking of their deeply held convictions about what it meant to belong to God.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
If You Live in the Boston Area, Start Each Day in God’s Word.
Truth For Life with Alistair Begg can be heard Monday through Friday in the Boston area on one of two stations:
Continue reading …Topics: Ministry Updates
‘Pray Big’ Study Guide
Do you struggle with prayer? So many of us do. Adopting a pattern of consistent prayer comes hard to most of us, and when we do pray, we often don't know what to say.
Continue reading …Topics: Study Guides
He Sought Me: Wallpaper
“Oh, the love that sought me!
Oh, the blood that bought me!
Oh, the grace that brought me to the fold,
Wondrous grace that brought me to the fold!”
— William Spencer Walton, “In Tenderness He Sought Me”
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
‘Brave by Faith’: A Book by Alistair Begg
The wind has changed.
We live in a culture where people are increasingly embracing secular views. In fact, in recent years, secular beliefs have pushed to the forefront, and Christian views are becoming less acceptable and less expressible.
Continue reading …Topics: Monthly Resources
Hymn: “Jesus Shall Reign” by Isaac Watts
Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
Does His successive journeys run;
His kingdom spread from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
If You Benefit from Truth For Life, Will You Become a Truthpartner?
Did you know that it’s listeners like you who make Truth For Life possible?
In fact, when you hear or watch Alistair’s teaching, it comes to you by way of the faithful giving from your fellow listeners called Truthpartners. Truthpartners give an amount they choose each month, and their collective giving cares for the cost of producing and distributing the life-changing teaching you hear on Truth For Life.
Continue reading …Topics: Ministry Updates
Idolatry Comes Before Immorality (An Excerpt from ‘Brave by Faith’)
King Nebuchadnezzar sets up a statue of himself and says, in essence, “I have had this amazing image put up, and I want universal submission and worship, from everyone, or else.”
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
All the Time and Everywhere: Wallpaper
“God's providence is at work all the time and everywhere.”
— Alistair Begg
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
What Is Faith? (And What It’s Not)
“Are you a person of faith?” How you respond to that question will depend on what you think faith actually is. Given all the misconceptions and misappropriations of the word faith in our culture, it’s no surprise that you might hesitate to answer.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
How Do Christians Handle a Changing Culture?
“What I believe makes me an outsider.” This is a sentiment shared by many Christians these days. Far removed from the time of a “moral majority,” we are now living with greater awareness that this broken, sinful world is not our home. What the Bible teaches about Christians is becoming clearer to our generation in the West: we are “sojourners and exiles” in this world (1 Peter 2:11).
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Alistair Begg on Being ‘Brave by Faith’ in Today’s World
Dear Friend,
It is long past time for those of us who by grace through faith have trusted in Christ to acknowledge that we are “sojourners and exiles” (1 Pet. 2:11) living in a secular culture. At the same time, we face the fact that we are involved in a continual and irreconcilable spiritual war against the Evil One. Ironically, just as we become increasingly aware of these challenges, it is no longer fashionable to sing hymns about “Christian soldiers marching as to war.” What has happened? Are we to excuse cowardice by calling it humility?
Continue reading …Topics: Letters From Alistair Begg
A Memorial Forever
We all have memory problems: we forget what we should remember, but dwell on what is best forgotten. In this study of Joshua 3 and 4, Alistair Begg explains that God often gives His people memorials as reminders of His faithfulness and provision. Like the Israelites who built a memorial from the stones of the Jordan River, God's people in every generation must take care to commit a record of God's faithfulness to coming generations.
Continue reading …Topics: From the Archives
Wallpaper: Stand Against the Tide
“The world around us is antagonistic to biblical truth and biblical conviction. Therefore, unless we are prepared to stand against the tide, we will drift with it.”
— Alistair Begg
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Download (Free) - “Jars of Clay” by Alistair Begg
We live in a culture preoccupied with personality, where worth is often measured by wealth, power, prestige, and influence. In sharp contrast, the Bible reveals time and time again that God uses unremarkable people at unlikely times to accomplish His purposes. Like jars of clay, weak, ordinary men are chosen by God to show that all power and glory belong to Him alone.
Continue reading …Topics: Ministry Updates, Monthly Resources
Why We Resist Change—and How to Move Forward
In the New Testament, successful Gospel ministry required much change. Though he was free, Paul made himself a servant to all (1 Cor. 9:19–23). To the Jews he became as a Jew. To those under the law he became as one under the law. To those outside the law he again changed accordingly. To the weak he became weak. All that is to say, for the sake of Gospel ministry, he changed. He adapted. He did what he had to do to see Christ’s name glorified.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Introduce Your Child to Elijah and His Challenge to the Prophets of Baal
Most kids get a thrill out of a lively competition. The book The God Contest: The True Story of Elijah, Jesus, and the Greatest Victory invites young school-age children to learn about the prophet Elijah and his contest with the prophets of Baal—which ended in victory. The author uses this engaging story to fast-forward to another victory—Jesus’ victory over sin and death on the cross.
Continue reading …Topics: Monthly Resources
Raised to New Life? Seven Consequences of Denying the Resurrection
Do we really need to believe in a resurrection to have Christian faith? Some people think that we can be perfectly fine Christians without holding to the resurrection of the dead. We can practice Christian ethics, they say, and try our best to love our neighbors as Christ did. But in their minds, the resurrection is a mere addendum we can well do without.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Hymn: “We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations” by H. Ernest Nichol
We've a story to tell to the nations
That shall turn their hearts to the right,
A story of truth and mercy,
A story of peace and light,
A story of peace and light.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Comfort and Safety: Wallpaper
“Fear not, Christian; Jesus is with you. In all your difficult trials, His presence is both your comfort and safety.”
— C.H. Spurgeon
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
What Happened at Pentecost, and Why Does It Matter?
At His first coming, our Lord Jesus Christ inaugurated His kingdom on earth. The disciples expected a triumphant king, but instead, Jesus likened His kingdom to a mustard seed that expands progressively and grows organically (Matt. 13:31–32).
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Learn from Daniel How to Trust God in an Unbelieving Culture
The wind has changed. The majority of Western society is no longer made up of Bible-believing Christians. In fact, the wind appears to be blowing hard behind the forces of secularism and paganism. So how do believers find the courage to hold firm to our faith in a culture where we're increasingly becoming strangers and exiles?
Continue reading …Topics: Study Guides
“I Have Had Enough, Lord”: Learning from Elijah’s Moment of Weakness
“I have had enough, Lord.” This phrase from 1 Kings 19:4 (NIV) is one many of us feel like saying (or shouting!) frequently on our Christian pilgrimage. Indeed, while we may sometimes think that we are unique in our desire to escape the difficult circumstances that attend the calling to ministry, each of us stands in a long line of God’s people who have faced similar discouragement. The prophet Elijah was one such individual—someone who wanted to escape.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
What Do History’s Best Preachers Have in Common?
The Spanish philosopher George Santayana famously wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”1 The thought has surely passed into the realm of cliché since, yet the deeper truth behind the platitude is found in the apostle Paul’s teaching that “whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction” (Rom. 15:4).
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Wisdom from Above: Wallpaper
Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. (James 3:16-17 ESV)
Continue reading …Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Hymn: “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” by Thomas O. Chisholm
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.
Continue reading …
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Do People Even Listen to Preaching Anymore?
These days, preaching is under increased scrutiny. Preaching itself is often viewed as a dated practice of former generations, while preachers are challenged by people who say things like “Preaching doesn’t do any good!” and “People don’t even listen to preaching anymore!”
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Hymn: “Jesus! the Name High over All” by Charles Wesley
Jesus, the name high over all,
In hell or earth or sky;
Angels and mortals prostrate fall,
And devils fear and fly.
Jesus, the name to sinners dear,
The name to sinners giv’n;
It scatters all their guilty fear,
It turns their hell to heav’n.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Consistency: Wallpaper
“Where can I find absolute honesty, complete sensitivity, and genuine consistency? In the Lord Jesus.”
— Alistair Begg
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
4 Unexpected Keys to Effective Preaching
It’s not uncommon for preachers to daydream about success in pastoral ministry. Every pastor wants to make a difference in the kingdom of God, and it’s easy for pastors to envision the perfect ministry situation in which they could really be used by Him. Indeed, it’s very easy for any of us—pastor or not—to think that there exists a “perfect” place to work. We think that if we can just be in that place, then we could really serve the Lord to the best of our abilities.
Continue reading …Topics: Articles
Recommended Reading List for Mothers
Motherhood is one of the highest callings in the world—and one of the most challenging! How are Christian mothers meant to fulfill their role as they raise children, tackle to-do lists, nurture their marriages, and love the Lord? Truth For Life recommends the following books, which will help you answer that question by looking at faithful mothers throughout church history, aiding your personal studies of God’s Word, and pointing you to the God who gives the grace and strength every mother needs.
Continue reading …Topics: Ministry Updates
Missing the Basics Conference?
For the past two decades, pastors and ministry leaders have attended the annual Basics conference at Parkside Church in early May. Hosted by Alistair Begg, Basics encourages men in ministry to faithfully preach God’s Word and carry out the practical aspects of their callings while also providing an opportunity for church leaders to share in valued fellowship.
Continue reading …Topics: Ministry Updates
Alistair Begg on Remembering the Past
Dear Friend,
Ilkley Grammar School is situated on Cowpasture Road at a vantage point providing wonderful views of the valley which contains the River Wharfe. The area has been continuously settled since at least the early Bronze Age, and the remains of a Roman fort occupy a site near the town center. Christian worship there dates to AD 627. Living there, it was difficult to bypass the lessons of history. Imagine, if you can, my history teacher, Norman Salmon, sitting perched on a window ledge with his students in rows, his gaze drifting out over the valley. The only fact I remember is the one he told us we must never forget: Bradford City won the FA Cup in 1911!
Continue reading …Topics: Letters From Alistair Begg
God is Good: Wallpaper
Hymn: “Amazing Grace” by John Newton
Amazing Grace
By: John Newton; John P. Rees, stanza 5
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Download (Free) — “A Study in Hebrews: Fix Our Eyes on Jesus”
Written for an audience of Jewish believers in a time of persecution, the book of Hebrews proclaims an eternal truth: Jesus is our Great High Priest. He is the perfect mediator between God and humanity and the ultimate provision for sins. As the writer of Hebrews considers Christ’s work from its foreshadowing in the Old Testament to its present impact, he warns believers about the dangers of apostasy and exhorts them to fix their eyes on Jesus as they persevere in faith.
Continue reading …Topics: Ministry Updates
Sermons on Joy
Download or listen to five sermons by Alistair Begg about joy.
Continue reading …
Topics: From the Archives
Constrain: Wallpaper
“Glorious Lord, constrain us, that we may never leave You but dwell by the well of the living God.”
— C.H. Spurgeon
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Hymn: “God Moves In a Mysterious Way” by William Cowper
God moves in a mysterious way
His glorious wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the raging storm.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
5 Sermons on Faith
Download or listen to sermons by Alistair Begg on faith.
Continue reading …Topics: From the Archives
Hymn: “For All the Saints, Who from Their Labors Rest” by William Walsham How
For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
Who thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy name, O Jesus, be forever bless’d.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Grace: Wallpaper
“We need to remember that we've been treated with such grace in response to the enormity of our offenses that surely we ought to forgive and forget the offenses done against us.”
— Alistair Begg
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Hymn: “There Were Ninety and Nine” by Elizabeth C. Clephane
“There Were Ninety and Nine” by Elizabeth C. Clephane
There were ninety and nine that safely lay
In the shelter of the fold,
But one was out on the hills away,
Far off from the gates of gold—
Away on the mountains wild and bare,
Away from the tender Shepherd’s care,
Away from the tender Shepherd’s care.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Hymn: “In the Garden” by Charles Austin Miles
I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses;
And the voice I hear falling on my ear,
The Son of God discloses.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Hymn: “Rejoice, the Lord Is King” by Charles Wesley
Rejoice, the Lord is King:
Your Lord and King adore!
Rejoice, give thanks and sing,
And triumph evermore.
Lift up your heart,
Lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Hymn: “The Head That Once Was Crowned” by Thomas Kelly
The head that once was crowned with thorns
Is crowned with glory now;
A royal diadem adorns
The mighty Victor’s brow.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Seeing and Saved: Wallpaper
“Will you respond by coming into the light, admitting your blindness, casting yourself on His mercy, and as a result find yourself seeing and saved? Or will you refuse to come to the light, claiming to hang on to your own personal sense of illumination?”
— Alistair Begg
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Download the 14 Volume Set “A Study in Luke”
As the Gospel of Luke begins, its author declares his intent to compile “an orderly account” of Jesus’ life and ministry so that anyone who reads it “may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.” When we open its pages, this is exactly what we find. Tracing Jesus’ life from His nativity and ministry to His death, resurrection, and ascension, Luke presents us with a portrait of a perfect, divine Savior in whom we can believe fully and securely.
Continue reading …Topics: Ministry Updates
Hymn: “O for a Closer Walk with God” by William Cowper
O for a closer walk with God,
A calm and heav’nly frame,
A light to shine upon the road
That leads me to the Lamb!
Topics: Hymns and Worship
The Rain of God’s Word: Wallpaper
“If the rain of God's Word does not irrigate your soul and soften it up to receive the seed that is planted, it will harden it and make your heart like a corrugated tin roof. If God's Word won't save you, what will?” — Alistair Begg
Continue reading …Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Alistair Begg on the Miracle of Conversion
Dear Friend,
I have recently been rereading Surprised by Joy, which records the shape of C. S. Lewis’s early life. The front cover of my edition has a subtitle: A remarkably frank and beguiling account of a conversion.
Continue reading …Topics: Letters From Alistair Begg
Hymn: “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” by Isaac Watts
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Sermons on Christ’s Death
Why did Christ die and what does his death mean for us today? Alistair Begg looks at the death of Christ in the sermons below and reminds us that by dying on the cross, Jesus Christ bore the wrath of our sins.
Continue reading …Topics: From the Archives
The Good Shepherd: Wallpaper
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10:11 ESV)
Continue reading …Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Hymn: “The Old Rugged Cross” by George Bennard
On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
the emblem of suffering and shame;
and I love that old cross where the dearest and best
for a world of lost sinners was slain.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
5 Palm Sunday Sermons
Download or listen to 5 sermons from Alistair Begg about Palm Sunday.
Continue reading …Topics: From the Archives
Hymn: “Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed?” By Isaac Watts
Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred Head
For sinners such as I?
Topics: Hymns and Worship
The Light: Wallpaper
The light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. … But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.
(John 3:19, 21 ESV)
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Hymn: “In Tenderness He Sought Me” by W. Spencer Walton
In tenderness He sought me,
Weary and sick with sin,
And on His shoulders brought me
Back to His fold again.
While angels in His presence sang
Until the courts of heaven rang.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Hymn: “Beneath the Cross of Jesus” by Elizabeth Clephane
Beneath the cross of Jesus I fain would take my stand,
The shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land;
A home within the wilderness, a rest upon the way,
From the burning of the noontide heat, and the burden of the day.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Explore the Personal Blessings Found in the Cross
The cross of Christ stands at the center of the Christian faith. In fact, the preaching and ministry of the early Christians were dominated by the theme of Christ crucified. The book The Cross in Four Words surveys the whole of Scripture to help us gain a better understanding of God’s vast accomplishments through the cross—and what these accomplishments mean for each of us personally.
Continue reading …Topics: Monthly Resources
Transformed: Wallpaper
“The inroads of the Gospel to the gentile world begin with one transformed life―a transformation that only Christ can bring about.”
— Alistair Begg
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Have You Ever Explored God’s Wisdom in Proverbs?
The book of Proverbs presents a treasure of godly insights for successfully navigating everyday life. Living Well: God’s Wisdom from the Book of Proverbs explores these invaluable lessons, which come directly from God and have endured for three thousand years.
Continue reading …Topics: Monthly Resources
Hymn: “Tell Me the Old, Old Story” by Katherine Hankey
Tell me the old, old story
Of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory,
Of Jesus and His love.
Tell me the story simply,
As to a little child,
For I am weak and weary,
And helpless and defiled.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Sermons on ‘The Gospel’
Download or listen to five sermons by Alistair Begg about The Gospel.
Continue reading …Topics: From the Archives
Hymn: “Crown Him with Many Crowns” by Matthew Bridges
Crown Him with many crowns,
The Lamb upon His throne.
Hark! How the heav’nly anthem drowns
All music but its own!
Awake, my soul, and sing
Of Him who died for thee;
And hail Him as thy matchless king
Through all eternity!
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Sermons on Parenting
Parenting can be difficult and many hope to find a handbook to help them through challenging times. In these sermons, Alistair Begg encourages us to look to the Bible for instruction on the roles of fathers and mothers.
Continue reading …Topics: From the Archives
Beyond: Wallpaper
“No one can ever be so good that they do not require a Savior or so bad as to be beyond the saving bounds of Jesus.”
— Alistair Begg
Hymn: “And Can It Be That I Should Gain?” by Charles Wesley
And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Find Sermon Series by Scripture Reference
At Truth For Life, we have a practice of teaching through a book of the Bible from beginning to end by examining the original meaning of the text and how it applies in our lives today. Over the years, Alistair Begg has preached through several books of the Bible either in part or in full. Below is a list of books of the Bible along with the corresponding series. Click on the series title to start listening.
Continue reading …Topics: Ministry Updates, Monthly Resources
Alistair Begg on Finding True Happiness
Dear Friend,
Did you know that Denmark currently holds the title of second-happiest country on the planet? While one in six American museums risk permanent closure due to financial stress compounded by COVID-19, the Happiness Research Institute recently opened the Happiness Museum in Copenhagen. As someone who is not constitutionally attracted to museums, I find it intriguing that there is now a museum which, according to the creators, “can bring happiness to life.” It is certainly a timely venture if we are to accept the current statistics on anxiety and depression. The quest for happiness is a global phenomenon. It is also present at every age and stage of life.
Continue reading …Topics: Letters From Alistair Begg
The Lord Remains: Wallpaper
“All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” (1 Peter 1:24–25 ESV)
Continue reading …Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Update: Parkside Church Sunday Livestream
Beginning Sunday, February 7, 2021, the Sunday morning worship livestream can be found on Parkside Church’s social channels (YouTube | Facebook), which are recommended, or at the Parkside Church's website beginning at 9:45 a.m. eastern.
Continue reading …Topics: Ministry Updates
Sermons on Staying the Course
In Hebrews, the writer reminds Christians to “run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfector of our faith.” In the Bible, we can find many stories of those who have stayed the course during difficult times. In this selection of sermons, Alistair Begg encourages us with the reminder that when hard times come, we are to keep on and rest in the promises of God.
Continue reading …Topics: From the Archives
Hymn: “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” by Joseph M. Scriven
What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Topics: Hymns and Worship
What Does the Bible Reveal about the Human Heart?
Our Creator designed every aspect of our being, including all of the emotions, thoughts, and desires whose origins we attribute to the human heart. So what does God have to say about our hearts? And what can we learn from all that the Bible teaches about how the heart directs our actions, attitudes, and motives?
Continue reading …Topics: Monthly Resources
Desert: Wallpaper
“The righteousness that is of God by faith endures forever, and he who is shod with this divine preparation will walk through the desert in safety.”
— C.H. Spurgeon
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Hymn: “At Calvary” by William R. Newell
Years I spent in vanity and pride,
Caring not my Lord was crucified,
Knowing not it was for me He died
On Calvary.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Sermons on the Trinity
While the word Trinity is not in the Bible, we can see the evidence of it from Genesis to Revelation. In these sermons, Alistair Begg examines the work of the Trinity in Christians’ lives.
Continue reading …Topics: From the Archives
Hymn: “My Faith Has Found a Resting Place” by Eliza Edmonds Hewitt
My faith has found a resting place,
From guilt my soul is freed;
I trust the ever-living One,
His wounds for me shall plead.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Purposed: Wallpaper
“There is nothing that God has purposed to do that He cannot do.”
— Alistair Begg
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Wedding Vows for Lasting Love
The following material was adapted from Lasting Love by Alistair Begg (©1997). Published by Moody Publishers. www.MoodyPublishers.com. Used by permission.
The day is almost here. You’ve been planning and waiting for months. Those colors you chose came together nicely. The catering is finally all set (although maybe it was a bit pricier than you’d hoped). Guests have started sending back RSVPs. This is the day you and your future spouse have been waiting for. It seems there’s always more to do, and yet the details are coming together.
But what about your wedding vows?
Continue reading …Topics: Begg's Blog, Articles
Sermons on Purity
In today’s culture, purity is often looked down on—but the Bible’s timeless perspective is just as relevant as ever. In these sermons, Alistair Begg explains that true purity is made possible only when we recognize that Jesus is the key to living a pure life.
Continue reading …Topics: From the Archives
Hymn: “The Love of God” by Frederick M. Lehman
The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell,
It goes beyond the highest star
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win:
His erring child He reconciled
And pardoned from his sin.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Books by Alistair Begg
Trust: Wallpaper
I trust in you, O Lord;
I say, "You are my God."
My times are in your hand.
(Psalm 31:14–15 ESV)
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Hymn: “My Father Watches over Me” by William C. Martin
I trust in God wherever I may be,
Upon the land or on the rolling sea;
For come what may, from day to day,
My heav'nly Father watches over me.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Alistair Begg on the Importance of Church Attendance
Dear Friend,
I think I caused a little confusion when I mentioned that Truth For Life is going to discontinue the livestream of Parkside’s Sunday morning service. I hasten to add that the livestream will continue to be available on Parkside’s website. Our reason for this change is that Truth For Life is committed to the ministry of the local church, and we regard our role as supplemental to the hard work of the local pastor. I am a pastor, and my concern, along with my colleagues, is for the flock under our care. We want to do nothing that would hinder the work taking place Sunday by Sunday in local congregations.
Continue reading …Topics: Letters From Alistair Begg
Hymn: “I Will Sing of My Redeemer” by Philip P. Bliss
I will sing of my Redeemer
And his wondrous love to me;
On the cruel cross he suffered,
From the curse to set me free.
Sing, O sing of my Redeemer!
With his blood he purchased me;
On the cross he sealed my pardon,
Paid the debt, and made me free.
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Read Easter Meditations from “a Great Cloud of Witnesses” in ‘An Ocean of Grace’
The book of Hebrews encouraged believers in the early church to remain steadfast in their faith by pointing to saints in the Old Testament—men like Noah, Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph, all of whom trusted unwaveringly in God's promises and who were enabled to achieve great things in God's name.
Continue reading …Topics: Monthly Resources
To Live Is Christ: Wallpaper
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
(Philippians 1:21 ESV)
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Does Jesus Ever Grow Weary of Our Failures? Read ‘Gentle and Lowly’
When the Bible refers to the heart, it’s not referring to our emotional life but to the epicenter of our entire being. In biblical terms, the human heart is not a part of who we are but the essence of all that we are.
Continue reading …Topics: Monthly Resources
Watch Former New Age Author Doreen Virtue Share Her Testimony
Doreen Virtue, a former New Age author, explains how God used His Word through Truth For Life to open her eyes to the truth of Scripture.
Continue reading …Topics: Ministry Updates
Hymn: “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing” by Charles Wesley
O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace!
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Power: Wallpaper
“Christ, in going to the cross, has dealt with the guilt of our sin and has broken the bondage of sin's power in the Christian's life.”
— Alistair Begg
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Hymn: "How Great Thou Art" by Carl G. Boberg and Stuart K. Hine
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed:
Topics: Hymns and Worship
Recommended Reading on Resting in Christ to the End
Throughout Scripture, believers receive instruction and encouragement to live for God’s glory. What does such a walk look like at the finish line of our lives? Truth For Life recommends the following books for those looking to gain a biblical perspective on aging well, seasons of caregiving, and finding peace amidst trials and grieving. This selection covers a range of Christ-centered resources on these subjects and more, including titles suitable for personal devotion or instructional group study, several short but meaningful booklets, and some powerful Puritan classics. May we be found always rejoicing in Him and faithful at the finish!
Continue reading …Topics: Ministry Updates, Monthly Resources
Five Words of Wisdom for the New Year
I’ve always appreciated someone who could turn a phrase. My now-in-heaven friend T. S. Mooney was known for always being able to summarize his thoughts in a matter of a few words. He taught a boys’ Bible class in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, for fifty years. When I asked him on one occasion, “What are you seeking to do with these boys?” he said, “It is my purpose that every boy would have a Bible in his hand, a Savior in his heart, and a purpose in his life.” No mistaking it. Absolute clarity.
Continue reading …Topics: Begg's Blog, Articles
Awareness: Wallpaper
“God is able to impress upon the hearts of men and women—even of those who do not know Him—an awareness of His presence.”
— Alistair Begg
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Daily Bible Reading from Truth For Life
"There are all kinds of devotional aids for which we have reason to be thankful. However, nothing can or should take the place of the regular, systematic reading of the Bible, which contains everything necessary for salvation." - Alistair Begg
Continue reading …Topics: Ministry Updates
Climb: Wallpaper
“Each believer should be thirsting for God, for the living God, and longing to climb the hill of the Lord and see Him face to face.”
— Charles Spurgeon
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Warmest New Year’s Greetings!
Dear Friend,
Warmest New Year’s greetings from all of us. Your generous partnership throughout 2020 has made it possible for Truth For Life to finish the year strong and begin 2021 with a real sense of responsibility and expectation. Like me, you will have grown accustomed to hearing people say of last year, “I’ll be glad when this is over.” In light of the peculiar challenges and in the face of uncertainty and loss, that refrain is not surprising. However, we believe that every day is a gift from the Lord and that our times are in His hands, and this corrects our temptation to wish our lives away. It is all too easy to forget that all we have and all we are is a gift of God’s grace.
Continue reading …Topics: Letters From Alistair Begg
Download Free Booklet - “My Times Are in Your Hands” by Alistair Begg
Despite what some might have us believe, pain and disappointment are not unusual experiences to the Christian. The issue is not whether we will face difficulties but how we will respond when they come.
Continue reading …Topics: Study Guides
Temples: Wallpaper
“The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man.” (Acts 17:24 ESV)
Continue reading …Topics: Weekly Wallpaper