Doubt
It’s not just Thomas; every Christian has moments and even seasons of doubt. But the best prescription when doubts arise is to go back to Christ’s credentials and the reliability of the biblical documents. Consider the fact that our confidence is rooted in one who regularly pointed to how the entirety of his life perfectly fulfilled the ancient and exacting prophecies of Scripture (Lk.24:24-27).
There is no avoiding the truth that the Old Testament manuscripts about the Messiah preceded their fulfillment by hundreds of years – several discoveries have repeatedly confirmed this fact. From his ancestral heritage (Jer.23:5), the city of his birth (Mic.5:2), the time of his appearing (Dan.9:24ff.), to his death and resurrection (Is.53:4ff.), these and many other exacting prophecies show that Christ is not some random rabbi whose new religion happened to catch on.
And because any motivated student can quickly research and discover that the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament, which predicted the life and ministry of Christ, along with the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, that recorded his life and teachings, are the most broadly documented and best preserved and transmitted manuscripts in all of human history, it is hard to dismiss the foundation of Christianity because of some passing feelings of skepticism. An objective look at truth has a great way of dispelling our periodic doubts.
So expect our spiritual enemy to inject doubt from time to time (that’s what he has been doing from the beginning), but respond with your own counterattack by going back to Christ’s credentials and the integrity of the biblical documents.
Relativism
After recently preaching on the problem of relativism, I am reminded of just how pervasive, yet inconsistent, this way of thinking actually is. Many loudly insist that it doesn’t matter what you believe regarding religion, because, after all, “God is loving” and he wouldn’t conclude that anyone’s views about him are wrong. It doesn’t matter, they insist, if your beliefs don’t
If It Feels Good
Countless Christians have warned of the folly contained in the well-worn phrase, “If it feels good, do it!” But this warning should be applied to more than just the indulgent physical pleasures that would transgress the bounds of righteous and godly behavior. We ought also to be cautious…
Christianese
Every arena of life has its own vocabulary, whether we are talking to teammates in a sport’s league or to coworkers in our profession. Christianity is no different. Some of our specialized Christian vocabulary can be helpful, providing us with a kind of verbal shorthand for more efficient communication. But it is time we realize…
Rejoice Always
The Bible tells us to “rejoice” (Phil.4:4). While that may be expected, what comes next in that little verse is astounding—the Apostle Paul tells Christians that we are to rejoice “always.” If we didn’t know better, we’d think this seemingly unrealistic command was coming from some pampered optimist who had been blessed to live an …
Spiritual Humility
Real spiritual growth requires humility. An accurate understanding of truth and its appropriate application takes place in those who humbly recognize their need for truth and change. These are the Christians who have learned to…
Receiving Correction
God’s word describes the wise person as one who is “open to reason” (Jms.3:17). The one Greek New Testament word that translates this phrase speaks to the attribute of a person who is willing to change his mind or behavior when presented with…
Body Parts
“The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,” the New Testament repeatedly tells us (cf. 1Cor.12:22). Of course, “the parts” God is trying to get us to appreciate are those people within the “body” of the church who are…
You are Rich
Some days, for any number of reasons, you may feel like you have nothing going for you. On days like that be sure to remember that as a Christian you are richer than you could ever imagine. Of course the riches I’m talking about are…
Building Bridges
Lots of Christians talk about “building bridges” with non-Christians. And I’m all for it. The problem, though, is that often once the bridge is built nothing of eternal significance is ever transported across. Intuitively many bridge builders don’t…
Parenting
Parenting is hard work. Particularly because we are called by God to direct and correct young human beings who are born sinners (Ps.51:5), by nature chafe against the instructions of God (Rom.8:7; 1Cor.2:14), and are obstinately focused on…