Posted on Tuesday,

#16: What is the Purpose of Spiritual Gifts?

What is the purpose of spiritual gifts?

Talking about spiritual gifts can be confusing and at times controversial. But what does the Bible teach?

1 Peter 4:10-12 says:

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ…”

Here are three things we learn about spiritual gifts from this passage:

First, each believer is given a spiritual gift. We are to receive the gift that the Holy Spirit has given us with gratitude and without comparison because not everyone gets the same gift.

Second, spiritual gifts do (more…)

Posted on Tuesday,

#15: What’s the Difference Between Knowing and Showing Christianity is True?

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What’s the difference between knowing and showing Christianity is true?

I was first introduced to this helpful distinction by Christian philosopher William Lane Craig.

The Bible teaches that a believer knows Christianity is true on the basis of the internal witness of the Holy Spirit.

The Testimony of the Holy Spirit

Passages like Rom. 8:16 and Gal. 4:6 make this clear:

“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” – Romans 8:16

“Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” – Gal. 4:6

When we become a follower of Jesus, God’s Spirit (more…)

Posted on Tuesday,

#14: What is True Tolerance?

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What is true tolerance?

True tolerance is where we extend to each other the right to be wrong.

False tolerance, on the other hand, naïvely asserts that all ideas are created equal and this must be rejected. Not only is this obviously false, it’s unlivable.

Unfortunately, as Stephen Prothero has put it, “The ideal of religious tolerance has morphed into the straitjacket of religious agreement.”

Contrary to what is commonly believed, the height of intolerance is not disagreement, but rather removing the public space and opportunity for people to disagree. You can still love someone (more…)

Posted on Tuesday,

#13: Christians Can Ask the Hard Questions

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Christians can ask the hard questions.

Questioning the Bible isn’t always comfortable. In fact, it can be downright scary.

If we dig underneath “because the Bible says so” what will we find? Have we based our lives on a bunch of fairytales?

How we view the Bible is no small matter. A lot is at stake.

The God of the universe may actually have spoken. If Christianity is true, then there are authoritative answers to life’s biggest questions.

As I read the Bible I find people asking the hard questions. My favorite example is Luke who was one of the earliest biographers of Jesus.

In a way, Luke was (more…)

Posted on Tuesday,

#12: What is Substitutionary Atonement?

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What is Substitutionary Atonement?

When it comes to understanding the Christian faith, there aren’t many ideas more central to grasp than this one.

Those words can sound intimidating, so let’s break them down. To “substitute” is to stand in the place of or take the place of.

To “atone for” is a multifaceted biblical term which means to “cover,” “forgive,” and “reconcile.”

This is the heart of the Gospel. Jesus died in my place, as my substitute, for my sins.

Peter, who saw Jesus raised from the dead, described (more…)