“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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“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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What Did Jesus Say about His Return?

Early in the twenty-first century, a group of people predicted a date for the end of the world. Basing their claim on the last date recorded on the Mayan calendar, they determined the earth would run its course by December 21, 2012. Of course, it didn’t, and believers in the theory were able to sigh in relief—and probably in a little embarrassment.

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7 Bible Verses about Healing

JAMES 5:14–15“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”

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“A Still More Excellent Way”: Love Is Patient and Humble

Though 1 Corinthians 13 is largely regarded as a cozy part of the Bible, a closer look reveals that it is actually deeply challenging. 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.

The church in Corinth faced circumstances from within that threatened its existence. So, in 1 Corinthians 13, Paul showed the church “a still more excellent way” (1 Cor. 12:31)—that is, the way of agapē, the kind of love that is rooted in the very character of God and revealed in the life of Jesus Christ. Paul needed to help the Corinthians understand that it is only by growing in Christlike love that we can grow in our Christian maturity and effectively handle such difficult situations.

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“Everyone Will Be Salted with Fire”: Making Sense of Mark 9:49

Many have described Christ’s words in Mark 9:49–50 as being among the New Testament’s most challenging passages. They read,

Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.

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4 (More) Bible Verses about the Bible

James 1:22–25 “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

Commentary from the sermon “Don't Kid Yourselves” by Alistair Begg:

“What James is pointing out is simply this: that if the Bible is going to be effective in our lives, it must not only be listened to but also received and acted upon. Not simply listened to but received and acted upon. James has urged everyone to make sure that they’re ‘quick to listen,’ in verse 19, but he now says, ‘But make sure that you are not merely listening.’

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5 Bible Verses about the Bible

Commentary from the sermon “Why Bother with the Bible? — Part One” by Alistair Begg:

“What is the Bible? …

“First of all, the Bible is a library; it is a collection of books. It is one book, but it is one book encompassing sixty-six other books. Anybody who takes a Bible and opens it up will notice that it is apparently broken into two disproportionate pieces. There is a part which in the table of contents is called the Old Testament, which goes from Genesis to Malachi, and then there is the New Testament, which goes from Matthew through to Revelation. The Old Testament is made up of the books of the Prophets, and of the Law, and of the Psalms. …In the New Testament, we have the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and John; and then we have the Acts of the Apostles, the minute book of the early church, or its history book; then we have the Letters, written by different individuals to different gatherings of God’s people; and then we have the book of Revelation … the insight into a realm yet experienced that was granted to the apostle John. …

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