Is Joining a Church as a Member Actually Necessary?
Collin Hansen, Jonathan Leeman
Sometimes people like to say, “I don’t need to join a church. I already belong to Christ’s universal church.” Is that right?
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We should admit up front that there are some decent reasons a person might have for being an atheist.
6 Basic Realities about a Man's Identity
What gives a man his identity? On what foundation are you building your sense of self? Your answer, whether true or false, defines your life.
The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christian Community
This new book calls us to embrace the uncomfortable aspects of Christian community, whether that means believing difficult truths, pursuing difficult holiness, or loving difficult people.
6 Truths about Parenting That Reorient Everything
Paul David Tripp draws six agenda-setting observations from Psalm 51 for our work as a parents.
Jesus of Nazareth vs. Caesar Augustus
The nature of infancy teaches us something about weakness, and it teaches us something about our God. Every Christmas we celebrate not Caesar’s triumphant census, but our Emmanuel: God with us.
5 Myths about Being Called to Ministry
Are you called to the ministry? How can you tell if you’re called to ministry? What should you do to find out?
5 Things to Remember about Worship
Music can be a part of worship, but it was never meant to be the heart of it.
Beware the Idol of Busyness at Christmas
We must be careful to guard the true meaning of Christmas, keeping it from becoming about busyness and bondage to creation.
The best self-care habits, not only for the Christian but for any human being, lead us back to our Maker and Savior.
Why It’s Both Possible and Impossible to Know God
Joel R. Beeke, Paul M. Smalley
It is possible to know God because God has made himself known. Our knowledge of God is real but never exhaustive.
Sanctification: An Often Painfully Slow Process
We have sin patterns that we battle for years, and we can have the sense that we're getting any better at this re-imaging thing.
Is Motherhood a Woman’s Highest Calling?
Marriage and motherhood are good and God-given gifts, but when we elevate any good gift to an ultimate gift, then it becomes an idol.
Why You Should Know Francis Grimké
Francis Grimké, born enslaved on a plantation in South Carolina in 1850, was one of the most remarkable pastor-theologians of American history.
6 ESV Bibles You Can Take Anywhere
Someone searching for the ideal Bible that will be able to handle the wear and tear of everyday life usually looks for something portable, durable, and affordable.
Why C. S. Lewis Was Wrong about Psalm 23
It may surprise you to hear that Lewis was unable to reconcile the beauty of verses 1–4 of Psalm 23 with what he regarded as a spirit of hatred in verse 5, a spirit “almost comic in its naivety.”
What Does It Mean for Jesus Christ to Be the Head of the Church?
The phrase "head of the church" is not employed to identify Christ as the head of a company or the head of some earthly organization.
We will often neglect what we don’t prioritize. And book reading is often neglected because it fails to be a priority.
Podcast: 12 Key Tools for Bible Study (Lydia Brownback)
Lydia Brownback discusses 12 key tools for Bible study that all Christians can use—tools that will help us go deeper into the biblical text and understand the Bible’s life-giving message for ourselves.
What Does the Bible Say about Evangelism?
There is a gift of evangelism, and we should be grateful for those to have it, but all believers are called to be faithful in sharing their faith.
Dare to Believe in Your Own Dignity
You may see yourself as damaged goods, but that's not all you are. You are made in the image of your Creator.
When You Think of Jesus, Do You Think “Genius”?
Was Jesus a rather ordinary teacher with brilliant students who selflessly credited him with their great ideas? Or was Jesus a very smart teacher with smart disciples, and therefore the credit should be shared?
Help! I Don’t Enjoy Reading the Old Testament
The Old Testament is big and can feel daunting, especially because it is filled with perspectives, powers, and practices that seem so removed from Christians today.
What Does 1 Corinthians 16:13 Mean?
“Act like men” is a phrase that could be easily misunderstood in light of modern sensibilities. For many, at first blush, it could read as a sexist statement by Paul. So, what does it mean?
How Baptism Changes Our Status
Baptism declares that you are in Christ. You have died with him and risen with him.
How Prayer Produces a Soul at Rest
We pray because we should, or worse, because we think we have to if we want to experience God’s blessings. A quote from John Calvin in his commentary on Matthew 6:5–6 helped me understand prayer differently.
Does “Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin” Still Work?
Christians who fail to note this shift are going to find themselves very confused by the incomprehension of, and indeed the easy offence taken by, the world around them.
The Christian Faith of Jane Austen
Learn more about how Jane Austen's faith went from sympathetic to genuine.
Why Study the Book of Philippians?
Behind the text of Philippians stands a riveting story shared by Paul and the Philippian Christians—what we might call the “fellowship of the cross.”
The Trinity Transforms the Church into a Community of Love
Just as the church is the glorious gift of love from God the Father to Christ the Son, so the church, as the body of Christ, reflects that Trinitarian love and beauty outwardly to the world.