The “Respectable” Sin of Slander
James 4:11 addresses one of the “respectable sins”1—that is, one of those behaviors that the Bible has so clearly condemned but that Christians by and large have learned to tolerate and sometimes even celebrate. We are prone to rage against what is wrong outside of our group while failing to pay attention to what is dreadfully wrong inside, turning a blind eye to our own sins because they are ours. Among these “respectable sins” is slander.
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The Basics of Expository Preaching
When we consider examples of preaching in the Bible, many of us go immediately to the New Testament—and we’re not wrong to do so. It may surprise us, though, to discover that the Old Testament is replete with early examples of expository preaching. Consider this one from Nehemiah:
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10 Bible Verses about Strength and Weakness
“Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
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Six Reminders about Christian Hope
The Scriptures are worthy of our diligent study and demand our careful attention. It is no light task to “do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the Word of Truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).
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10 Bible Verses about Heaven and Hell
“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.”
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What Could Be Greater than Signs and Wonders?
In John 20:30–31, the Gospel’s author explains that his account of Jesus’ life and works was “written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” In saying this, John makes it clear that the wondrous signs that he recorded are there to elicit belief from his readers (or hearers). Jesus’ miracles authenticate His claim to be the Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the world.
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“How Long, O Lord?”
Although the prophet Habakkuk lived more than 2,500 years ago, the book that bears his name begins with an issue that is relevant in every age and in every culture: God’s apparent inactivity in the face of injustice, violence, and destruction.
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A New Wardrobe in Christ: Putting On the New Self
In Colossians 3, the apostle Paul gives us two metaphors to help us grapple with our relationship to sin and righteousness in Christ. On the one hand, we are to kill the sin within our hearts: “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you” (v. 5). Yet we also need to embrace a new identity—to “put on the new self” (v. 10) like a fresh set of clothing, fitting to our place in the King’s family.
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Can I Lose My Salvation? (The Doctrine of Perseverance)
Few things burden the Christian more than when a person who once professed Christ wanders from the Gospel. If you take inventory of your own experience, you may come up with a list of names of those who once mentored you in the faith, led your church in worship on Sundays, or even taught the Bible to you yet ultimately (it seems) left the faith. Tragically, the world is filled with people who once apparently walked the path of obedience but didn’t continue on it.
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“A Still More Excellent Way”: Love Is Joyful and Forgiving
Though 1 Corinthians 13 is largely regarded as a cozy part of the Bible, a closer look reveals that these “feel-good” verses confront us, humble us, and begin to show us that the things we think matter most are not what matter most to God.
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