Truth For Life Blog

What are the purposes of suffering and trials? Why does God allow them? Those around us might tell us that suffering is pointless, that we should ignore it or rise above it, or perhaps even that karma is paying us back for a wrong we have committed. The Bible, though, gives a very different answer. Scripture clearly addresses suffering—both its presence and its purpose. (After all, no one suffered more than Christ, our Savior.) Its many examples of faithful men and women who encountered various trials demonstrate God’s hand at work throughout history and for His glory.

Topics: Ministry Updates, Monthly Resources

Dear Friend,

The subtitle of The Art of the Handwritten Note by Margaret Shepherd is A Guide to Reclaiming Civilized Communication! As grateful as we are for the immediacy of email and text, there is just something about the impact of one’s handwriting (even when, like mine, it’s often hard to decipher). Perhaps it’s because the time dedicated to writing a note gives one the opportunity to reflect on the person to whom they’re grateful. It is a worthwhile endeavor—and, if you’re like me, you will seldom retain an email, but you may treasure a personal card.

Topics: Letters From Alistair Begg

Some people say that they can find God in Nature or through personal spiritual practices. Why bother with the Bible, then? Isn’t it just an archaic book that’s not relevant to our modern lives? In a day when so many claim to converse directly with God, is the Bible really needed?

Topics: Ministry Updates

The Reformation was both a revival and a theological revolution, and it remains vital for the Church today. Commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, Alistair Begg explains that Martin Luther faced a crucial dilemma that is common to all: how can undeserving sinners be pardoned by a holy God? The distinguishing feature of the Christian Church is the proclamation of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and the doctrine of justification remains the doctrine upon which the Church stands or falls.

Topics: From the Archives

The Reformers of the 16th century were moved to put their livelihoods, homes, fortunes, and lives on the line to restore the Church to the essential teachings of the Gospel. These core teachings have come down to us by five Latin phrases. Translated into English, they teach that salvation is according to Scripture alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, for the glory of the God alone.

Topics: Monthly Resources

Does God care what we do with our time? In this message from Ephesians 5, Alistair Begg explains that the wise use of time should distinguish those who are in Christ from the world around us. Instead of making foolish decisions based on our feelings, impulses, or instincts, Christians should pay attention to God's Word, think carefully, and make wise decisions that bring glory to God.

Topics: From the Archives

This month marks the 500th anniversary of the Reformation—a pivotal point in church history when reformers like Martin Luther called the wandering sixteenth-century European church to return to the teachings of the Gospel.

Topics: Monthly Resources

In today’s world, we don’t discuss God’s wrath often. While many of us hold to the truth that God is loving and full of grace and mercy, it can be tempting to stop there, leaving us with an incomplete picture of God’s true character. In these sermons, Alistair Begg reminds us that while God is loving, He is also just, and there are consequences if we don't accept His Son as our Savior.

Topics: Ministry Updates, Monthly Resources

When Martin Luther first proposed his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517, he wasn’t trying to be a revolutionary. 500 years later, though, we look back on that moment as the spark that ignited the Reformation. On that day, he kindled a passion for the Gospel that’s still burning bright throughout the world.

Topics: Monthly Resources

Those who have come to know the Lord Jesus experience the tension of living for Christ in the midst of darkness. At one extreme, we're tempted to separate from the world entirely; at the other, to embrace our culture without question. Alistair Begg reminds us that every Christian must engage the culture without accommodating the darkness present because of unbelief. The transforming light of the Gospel shines when Christians live as those who have been transformed by the grace of God with minds saturated by the Word of God. (Ephesians 5:7-14)

Topics: From the Archives