Truth For Life Blog

Dear Friend,

I was six years old when Christmas Day became an official holiday in Scotland! That’s right—1958! Until the 1960s, it was the norm for most people across the country to work as usual if December 25 fell on a weekday. The reason for this was not secular but religious. The Scottish Reformation not only removed the dogma of Roman Catholicism but also frowned upon superstitious celebrations of “Yuletide.” In my own city of Glasgow, even singing a Christmas carol was considered a crime, and in 1640 an Act of Parliament made celebrating Christmas illegal. In my lifetime, the headmaster of a local elementary school in the Scottish Highlands was dismissed for having a Christmas tree in the vestibule.

Topics: Letters From Alistair Begg

Today is a very important day to organizations like Truth For Life—it’s Giving Tuesday, the international day of giving back to the nonprofits that benefit us all year long.

Topics: Ministry Updates

"Consider how He has loved you and given Himself for you! Do you know the power of that love? Then let it be like a rushing, mighty wind to your soul to sweep out the clouds of your worldliness and clear away the mists of sin."
- C.H. Spurgeon

Topics: Weekly Wallpaper

As Israel stood paralyzed with fear before Goliath, David’s words put this defiant enemy in his rightful place before God. When David volunteered to go and face the giant, though, Saul doubted the young shepherd. Making his case for confronting Goliath, David expressed trust not in weapons, armor, or himself but in the Lord. Alistair Begg examines this exchange between Israel’s spiritually depleted ruler and its Spirit-filled future king, directing our gaze to the ultimate Savior and King, Jesus Christ.

Topics: From the Archives

After forty days of Goliath’s taunting, David was dismayed to find Saul and his army still paralyzed by fear. He had no concern for the king’s reward or his brother’s approval. Rather, emboldened by a zeal for God’s glory, he asked the important question: Who can defy God? As Alistair Begg teaches, God would soon use the hands that delivered food to his brothers to deliver something far greater. No one is too great to be defeated by the Almighty, nor too small to be used for His glory.

Topics: From the Archives

"Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
  and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
for he satisfies the thirsty
  and fills the hungry with good things."
- Psalm 107:8-9

Topics: Weekly Wallpaper

When the Gospel takes hold of us, our hearts and minds can’t help but be transformed. Whether in the mundane or profound aspects of life, our new identity in Christ should cause us to be different from the world around us. But what does this look like practically? How do these distinctions show themselves each day in our families, work, and local churches?

Topics: Ministry Updates

The dramatic encounter between David and Goliath is a familiar, though often misunderstood, story. Taunted and challenged by the heavily armored giant, Israel was dismayed and afraid until an unlikely champion stepped up—a “man in between,” armed with just a slingshot! This story’s central message, though, is not a call to emulate David’s heroic behavior. Rather, teaches Alistair Begg, it’s a story about how God uses weakness to triumph over strength, just as Christ Himself, our ultimate champion, defeated death at the cross.

Topics: From the Archives

A study on religious affiliation and beliefs conducted by Pew Research Center found that 66% of people who consider themselves Christians believe there are multiple paths to heaven.¹

Topics: Ministry Updates

"Arise and declare His praise. With every morning's dawn, lift up your notes of thanksgiving, and let every setting sun be followed with your song."
- C.H. Spurgeon