What Is the Christian Religion If You Subtract Our Union with Christ?
Without our union with Christ, Christianity is nothing. We’re not left with a diminished Christianity; we’re left with no Christianity at all.
Articles
5023 results found
Podcast: Why Christianity Is Not Just about Being a Follower of Jesus (Sam Allberry)
Sam Allberry makes a case for why our union with Christ stands at the heart of the Christian faith and is the doctrine that has been the single biggest blessing to him since his conversion.
Do You Long for Truth and Meaning in Life? Read Hebrews
Hebrews is a rich treasury of life-transforming truth and heart-sustaining encouragement. Do you long to know Jesus? Hebrews introduces him as the eternal Son who radiates the glory of God.
Educational methods are increasingly interactive. Learning by discovery is the watchword. Preaching seems to be just another example of the church being out of touch, out of date, and out of steam.
What Are the Limits of a Church’s Authority?
Christians today tend to give little attention to the idea of church authority, just like we give little attention to church membership and discipline.
Answering Kids’ Hardest Questions: Why Don’t I Fit In with My Friends?
God made you unique. He gave you particular gifts and tastes and a personality. And having confidence in the person that God made you to be is very attractive to other people.
Learn more about the new and notable resources releasing this month from Crossway including Everyday Gospel by Paul David Tripp and One with My Lord by Sam Allberry.
What Did Paul Mean by “New Creation”?
The resurrection in Jewish thought means that the new age has arrived and that the old age of evil and death has come to an end.
Nate Shurden on Opportunities and Challenges in Teaching Acts (Season 2, Episode 11)
Join Nancy Guthrie as she talks with pastor Nate Shurden about what should be considered when endeavoring to teach through the book of Acts.
What Is Distinct about the Theology of Hebrews?
The theology of the book of Hebrews is distinct in that it draws together so many of the greatest truths revealed in God’s word to address the deepest of human needs.
Introducing New ESV Bible Editions Available as PDF Downloads
The full ESV text is now available in a selection of downloadable and printable PDFs, making it easy to read and engage with God’s Word. Available in five new editions.
Are You Dissatisfied with Life? Take Communion
The Lord’s Supper is a gift where Christ himself presents himself to us, and he wants us to think about who he is and who he is to us. We are hungry and thirsty people.
5 Steps to Take within the Exegesis Process
What follows is a suggested method for preaching preparation that I have followed for many years and found to be helpful. Please know that this is just one approach.
Podcast: How the Sacraments Help Us Know Who We Truly Are (Kevin Emmert)
Kevin Emmert explains why the sacraments are so central to our lives as believers and why their shaping power is more relevant than ever in a world obsessed with identity and self-expression.
10 Ways to Fracture Your Church
You only have to be a Christian for a short time before you realize that churches suffer from disunity and splits after seasons of peace as surely as valleys follow rolling hills.
The Quickest to Anger Are Often the Slowest to Forgive
The biblical concept of forgiveness is so rich and multifaceted that there are a million aspects of the doctrine we could spend years pondering and trying to fully understand.
I’ve Heard It Said “You Are Enough”
You are enough in that God has made us with limitations. God made us to be unique, so God has made us in a specific way, and we don’t need to strive to be like others. But we’re not enough.
“Why Have You Forsaken Me?” Understanding Jesus’s Cry on the Cross
Matthew Y. Emerson, Brandon D. Smith
The crucifixion is a good case study in showing how a careful Trinitarian framework can help work through thorny issues related to the Trinity and salvation.
4 Issues Your Children Are Facing That You Never Had To
Andrew T. Walker, Christian Walker
Parenting in today’s culture can seem like boating into uncharted waters. The good news is that though the culture may throw us new challenges, Scripture speaks a better word to anchor our parenting.
It’s Still True: Everyone Who Calls upon the Name of the Lord Will Be Saved (Season 2, Episode 10)
Join Nancy Guthrie as she talks with a number of good friends about how they are experiencing the promise of the book of Acts in their own ministries around the world.
6 Metaphors the Bible Uses for the Church
Joel R. Beeke, Paul M. Smalley
There is a richness to the church that defies human comprehension. God draws from a treasury of terms to describe his magnum opus.
Crossway+ Special: Up to 50% Off a New Translation of a Portion of Calvin’s ‘Institutes’
Exciting news about a new translation of John Calvin’s Institutes coming soon, and an exclusive offer for a standalone portion from that work on what it means to live the Christian life.
The Right and Wrong Way to Read Jeremiah 29:11
Jeremiah 29:11 is a very familiar verse to many Christians. Jason DeRouchie examines how someone might apply this verse rightly—and wrongly.
A Thought Experiment to Help Recalibrate Our Beliefs about the Trinity
Matthew Y. Emerson, Brandon D. Smith
The way we talk about God’s acts often divides the persons of God in a way that is contrary to our confession that God is one God in three persons.
Podcast: Am I Really Supposed to Forgive and Forget? (Erika Allen)
Erika Allen discusses the emotional challenge of forgiving someone who has sinned against us and thoughtfully answers questions about what is required for true forgiveness.
What Does It Mean to Mortify the Sins of the Body?
The vigor, and power, and comfort of our spiritual life depends on the mortification of the deeds of the flesh.
Did Jesus Teach That Our Prayers Are Bothersome to God? (Luke 18)
In Luke 18 Jesus tells of a judge who does not fear God or respect human beings.—especially those who, like the widow, are poor and disadvantaged.
6 Ways Parents of Estranged Adult Children Can Find Help at Church
Despite the struggles of parents experiencing pain in their relationships with their adult children, there is help for parents through the local church.
How Have Modern Ways of “Doing Church” Fallen Short?
Coleman M. Ford, Shawn J. Wilhite
I think that modern ministry has had a lot of fruit come from it, and perhaps a lot of good methods have been produced. Typically, what it doesn’t do, though, is to care about the soul of the pastor.
Read about the new and notable resources releasing this month from Crossway, including The Heart of Jesus by Dane Ortlund and Tracing God’s Story by Jon Nielson.
When we come to Revelation 19, we finally begin to approach John’s vision of the very last things. Soon we will move to the very good ending of the story of Scripture—and of the whole world.
What Is Distinct about the Theology of Galatians?
No compromise can be accepted or tolerated when it comes to the gospel, and all teachings and teachers must be evaluated and measured by the gospel revealed to us by Jesus Christ himself.
Greg Lanier on Taking the Gospel into the Empire (Season 2, Episode 9)
Join Nancy Guthrie as she talks with Greg Lanier about the theme of the kingdom of God in the book of Acts and about the Greco-Roman and Jewish world behind the New Testament.
Why “Going Our Own Way” Is a Burden, Not a Freedom
We often hear the encouragement to go our own way or blaze our own trail. In a lot of ways, that sounds like freedom. But without Christ, it’s actually bondage.
Dear Pastor, Walking in Humility Requires Courage
Coleman M. Ford, Shawn J. Wilhite
Walking in humility requires courage. To grow in our understanding of humility, we must attune ourselves to the wisdom of Scripture and the pastoral voices of history.
Podcast: The Antidote to Your Insecurity (Ajith Fernando)
Ajith Fernando discusses how we as Christians should deal with our insecurities and describes what it looks like to rest in our identity in Christ, even as we work hard for his glory in our day to day lives.
5 Simple Ways to Bless Your Pastor This Week
When we do not understand what the word says about pastors, we fail to treat them with the honor God commands.
Want to Be a Missionary? Check Your Motives
We don’t just need more warm bodies called missionaries; we need qualified people sent by healthy churches who are equipped to do missions well.
Want to Pray More? Try Memorizing Scripture
A good quiet time is when the Lord is speaking to us by his word and his Spirit, and we are speaking back to him what we are hearing in his word by the Spirit.
How Is Jesus Able to “Sympathize with Our Weaknesses”?
This truth is hard to believe because it is so wonderful: even though Jesus is now in heaven he is just as open and tender in his embrace of sinners and sufferers as when he was on earth.
A Parent’s Guide to Talking with Kids about Technology
Andrew T. Walker, Christian Walker
All of life in the digital age is presenting us with a dizzying array of possibilities for where we spend our time, how we understand who we are, and how we perceive the world around us.
When Doubt Seeps In, Look to Thomas
Sometimes it is hard for us to believe in life after death. The true Bible story that shows this perhaps most clearly is the story of “Doubting Thomas,” as he is usually called.
Tom Schreiner on Paul, the Apostolic Missionary in Acts (Season 2, Episode 8)
Join Nancy Guthrie as she talks with Thomas Schreiner about the person and work of Paul, particularly his theological foundations, his work as a missionary, and the many problems he faced.
Crossway+ Special: Up to 50% Off ‘The Biggest Story Curriculum’
An exclusive offer for Crossway+ members on The Biggest Story Curriculum, a children’s curriculum set that helps children understand the storyline of the Bible.
Why Claim Total Depravity When People Do Good All the Time?
If you study the doctrine of total depravity on its own, you may be led to think that an unbeliever cannot do any good in society— and yet, that is incongruent with our own experience of unbelievers.
6 Times We See the Heart of Jesus in Action—and What It Means for Us
What we see Jesus claim with his words in Matthew 11:29, we see him prove with his actions time and again in all four Gospels. What he is, he does. His life proves his heart.
Podcast: How Does Jesus Really Feel about Me? (Dane Ortlund)
Dane Ortlund reflects on what God has continued to teach him about the heart of Jesus and why he's more passionate than ever about this life-changing message.
4 Arguments from Scripture in Favor of Biblical Theology
The core conviction of those who practice the discipline of biblical theology is that the Bible is a unified work inspired by God and given to humans to help them understand his broad saving plan.
Take Your Doubts about God to God
God always invites us to take our troubles straight to him. This is what godly people have done throughout history.
Reaching the Next Generation Is Easier and Harder Than You Think
Sometimes we fear or we feel this burden that if we’re going to be effective as pastors, Christians, or parents that we need to have this cultural expertise.
What a Heated Disagreement between Two Puritans Can Teach Us Today
It takes the effort to understand and to empathize—in an age of polarization when empathy seems to be in short supply. It takes time and mutual generosity.
3 Convictions You Need to Have before You Teach the Bible
If you’re just getting started teaching the Bible, this is the first thing I want to put in your mind: beginning preachers and teachers (and experienced ones too!) need confidence in God’s word.
Andrew Young on Power in Weakness in Acts (Season 2, Episode 7)
Join Nancy Guthrie as she talks with pastor Andrew Young about a framework for understanding both divine power and human weakness on display throughout the book of Acts.
Podcast: Robert Smith on Recording the Entire ESV Bible: “It Humbled Me”
Robert Smith discusses the unique characteristics of African American preaching and how that impacted his approach to reading and recording the entire Bible in just six weeks.
What Is the Difference between Systematic Theology and Biblical Theology?
The Bible doesn’t come to us as an academic textbook, with carefully delineated topical headings organized according to theological themes. What is different about these two ways of organizing theology?
I’ve Heard It Said That Feelings Follow Actions
Though our feelings are part of God’s created design for us, they still need to be subjected to God’s word and to what is true.
6 Practical Steps to Help Grow Your Confidence in God’s Word
Sometimes we have our doubts about the stories we read in the word of God, about its moral convictions and the promises it makes.
How (and How Not) to Talk with Your Kids about Sexuality
Andrew T. Walker, Christian Walker
Be assured that if you are not planning how and when to bring sexuality up in conversation, your children will learn about it elsewhere.
Andrew and Christian Walker reflect on the importance of proactively talking with our kids about important topics even when it feels difficult or awkward.
The Ethics of Jesus: What Do the Four Gospels Reveal?
Gregory Goswell, Andreas J. Köstenberger
Within the overall ethical teaching of the Gospels, each Evangelist focuses on a particular aspect of Jesus’s ethical instruction.
You’re Romantic Whether You Know It or Not
Some marks of the Romantic movement seem quite alien to us today. Others, by contrast, seem thoroughly natural to us, to the extent that we do not even notice them.
What a Productive Life Is (Not) All About
The productive life is not a life of working all the time. It’s a life of wisdom to know when it’s time to work and when it’s time to rest.
Make Enemies with Sin and Satan
Our friendships say a lot about who we are. Friendships can make or break people, shaping who we are and making us better or worse for the experience.
3 Reasons Your Pastors Are a Gift
When was the last time you thanked God for your pastors? If it’s been awhile, perhaps you underestimate their value.
Alan Thompson on Resurrection and the Hope of Israel (Season 2, Episode 6)
Join Nancy Guthrie as she talks with professor and author Alan Thompson about three aspects of Acts that are key to understanding the conflict at the heart of the book.
God Used This Broken Pastor—and He Can Use You Too
Part of what I try to do as I’m reading church history is to make sure that I’m keeping these people human.
6 Reasons Not to Be a Missionary
You don’t need a reason to go as a missionary; you need a reason to stay where you are. I’ll admit I don’t love this saying. Yes, it’s a catchy phrase, but it’s not especially good theology.
Podcast: How Can I Begin to Teach the Bible? (David Helm)
David Helm reflects on what faithful Bible teaching looks like in a variety of contexts, offering advice related to preparation, dealing with anxiety, and relying on the Holy Spirit through the whole process.
3 Principles of Self-Denial for Every Christian
The blindness with which we all rush into love of ourselves is such that it seems to each of us that we have good reason to elevate ourselves and to despise all others in comparison with ourselves.
We won’t be able to overcome our insecurities if we do not have a biblical understanding of who God is and respond appropriately to that understanding.
Does Psalm 91 Promise Too Much?
“In the whole collection there is not a more cheering Psalm,” wrote Charles Spurgeon of Psalm 91. But does it promise too much? Can it possibly be true?
Dear Pastor, Slowing Down Might Just Save Your Ministry
Coleman M. Ford, Shawn J. Wilhite
In the past five years alone, how many reading this have questioned your calling, lost ministry friends and co-laborers, or have grown generally weary?
The Death of My Son Awakened Me to the Reality of Heaven
Even though I was grieving my son's death, heavenly mindedness was giving me greater perspective. It was refining me. It was motivating me for things of the Lord.
Why John Owen and Richard Baxter Didn’t Like Each Other
When we see other people, we do so through a filter that operates on the basis of the only evidence we have: what we see them do and hear them say. It’s easy to get that wrong.
Ben Gladd on the Use of the Old Testament in Acts (Season 2, Episode 5)
Join Nancy Guthrie as she talks with professor and author Ben Gladd about the use of the Old Testament in the New Testament—both direct quotations and more subtle allusions.
Crossway+ Special: Church & Ministry Resource Guide
For a limited time, Crossway+ members can order any title in our Church & Ministry Resource Guide at a significant discount.
Hell is eternal conscious punishment where sinners are separated from God’s gracious presence. Hell is eternal. Hell lasts forever after this life.
An Important Chapter That Calvin Added to the Second Edition of His ‘Institutes’
John Calvin did not have a chapter on the Christian life in the first, short edition of the Institutes (published in 1536), but he added a concluding chapter on this topic in the second edition.
Podcast: 3 Church Fathers Every Pastor Should Be Reading (Coleman Ford)
Coleman Ford shares his thoughts on why so many evangelical pastors aren't familiar with the church fathers and how this lack of awareness can negatively impact their ministries.
Reviving a Classical Vision of Pastoral Ministry
Coleman M. Ford, Shawn J. Wilhite
According to Scripture, the pastor first and foremost prays (Acts 6), shepherds his people (1 Pet. 5), lives a virtuous life in the Spirit, and upholds sound teaching in local settings.
4 Strategies to Help You Wait Better
I’m sure you’d like to move from anxiety to faith-filled, hopeful waiting. How do we make this practical? Let me give you a fourfold strategy from Psalm 25.
How Can Busy Moms Pursue a Lifestyle of Faithfulness?
The call to faithfulness still applies to moms. We are shaping young hearts to follow Jesus, and so that calling is very real. Our faithfulness is important for our children.
Learn more about new titles this month including Saved by Nancy Guthrie and the ESV Scripture Journal, Spiral-Bound Edition: Old and New Testament Sets.
What Ministry “Freshness” Means
More than anything else, we want to guard our relationship with God with a sense of urgency, and deal with anything that hinders that relationship. Our primary desire is God.
Could You Be Emphasizing the Saving Work of Christ Too Much?
The saving work of Christ has been so distanced from his person that the notion of a saving personal union with the incarnate, crucified, resurrected, living Jesus strikes us as rather outlandish.
Richard Gaffin and Tommy Keene on Pentecost (Season 2, Episode 4)
Join Nancy Guthrie as she talks with professors Richard Gaffin and Thomas Keene about the book of Acts and primarily about Pentecost and its meaning for the early church and for us today.
Did Paul Endorse Slavery? (1 Timothy 6)
Paul states that slaves should pursue their own freedom if at all possible, and he also forbids free Christians from becoming slaves.
Can Jesus Pray Prayers of Repentance?
If the Psalms give a window into the human emotions and affections of Jesus Christ, we must ask what we are to understand when the psalmists express repentance for sins.
Podcast: The Problem with Church Planting in the US Today (Nathan Knight)
Nathan Knight talks about his journey to pastoral ministry, why he's concerned about the way that church planting is often done today, and what he sees as a better way based on the New Testament.
Unity Is Not the Same as Total Agreement
There is an extreme view of Christian unity that is found among those who will work together only with those with whom they agree on everything—doctrinal and practical.
Dear Pastor, in a Celebrity Culture, Your Call Is Contentment
Our desire is to do well in ministry so that God is glorified. We want our work to be great so that people will see God’s greatness, not to show off our talents or to be greater than others.
I’ve Heard It Said That Motherhood Is a Woman’s Highest Calling
Motherhood is so good. Motherhood was designed by God, and it’s a good gift from above. But, first and foremost, we are children of God.
What Is Distinct about the Theology of 2 Thessalonians?
Other numbered “sets” of New Testament letters exhibit distinct differences. Yet the two Thessalonian letters are customarily treated together. This is an indication of how closely the two letters track.
10 Key Bible Verses on Friendship
Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel. Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend . . .
Crossway+ Special: Up to 50% Off New Spiral-Bound and Other Scripture Journals
An exclusive offer for Crossway+ members on any ESV Scripture Journal, including the new Spiral-Bound Edition.
Fred Sanders on the Holy Spirit in Acts (Season 2, Episode 3)
Join Nancy Guthrie as she talks with theologian Fred Sanders about the person and work of the Holy Spirit and specifically about his descent and indwelling of believers in the book of Acts.
Why Do We Feel Lonely at Church?
In this video, Jeremy Linneman takes time to explain why the mounting problem of loneliness matters and offers suggestions for how we might build spiritual communities for ourselves.
God’s Mission in Creation: Why Did He Make Us?
God’s mission is to gather a people from all nations into a family, a family that would share in the very life of Father, Son, and Spirit. This is the purpose of both creation and redemption.
3 Activities That Help Us Maintain Evangelical Unity
We must be deliberate about several activities if we are to maintain unity among ourselves as God’s people. Here are a few of them.
Podcast: Is the Age of the Earth a Hill to Die On? (Gavin Ortlund)
Gavin Ortlund discusses the Genesis creation account, what the Bible really teaches on the days of creation, and whether there is room for disagreement on this topic within Christian orthodoxy.
What Did Jesus Teach about Limited Atonement?
There are a number of texts demonstrating that when Jesus lived, died, rose, ascended, and interceded, he did so for a particular group of people. Read what Jesus says about this.
What Is at the Heart of the Book of Acts?
If this is a book about what the apostles did, it is interesting that after the twelve are listed in the first chapter, we don’t hear anything else about most of them.
Is Beauty an Attribute of God?
Beauty is clearly an attribute of God. That’s why the psalmist sometimes uses the term “beauty” to describe God.
This verse tells me that God will give me the desires of my heart. May I not claim this as a promise? Why not?
3 Pitfalls to Avoid While You’re Waiting on God
Life involves a lot of waiting. For most of us, that usually doesn’t go very well. If we’re honest, waiting pushes our buttons.
5 Poor Ways to Approach the Old Testament
Through the New Testament we have instruction that enables us rightly to appreciate the Old Testament. And that appreciation means understanding how the Old Testament points to Christ.
Patrick Schreiner on the Theology of the Book of Acts (Season 2, Episode 2)
Join Nancy Guthrie as she talks with Patrick Schreiner about the uniqueness of the book of Acts and the theological themes that are woven throughout the entire book.
God Offers Christians a Better Way to Measure the Fruitfulness of Their Lives
We get into trouble when we start to measure our self-worth and how the Lord sees us by how much we got done, by what we can check off our list, and what we can accomplish.
4 Psalms You Didn’t Realize Point to Christ
Again and again I have seen a psalm come into focus when I relate it to Christ, similar to a fuzzy scene through a camera viewfinder coming into sharp focus when the lens is properly adjusted.
Podcast: Don’t Waste Your Waiting (Mark Vroegop)
Mark Vroegop offers his thoughts on the difficult yet important question of what it looks like to wait well as a Christian.
Counseling Fallen People Based on the Bible’s Teaching on Sin
One of the ongoing problems in the counseling world is that there is no grand unifying theory that explains what is ultimately wrong with people. This is not a problem for Christians.
3 Imperatives for Christ’s Early Disciples (and for Us)
Repentance has always been and will always be the way into restored fellowship with God. It is turning away from self, away from whatever we’ve given our allegiance, and toward Christ.
10 Key Bible Verses on Encouragement
If there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love . . .
Making Every Issue “Your Thing” Is Impossible
In this digital age we have access to millions of people's hopes, dreams, fears, pain, and suffering. Shouldn't we be doing something about all of these problems?
What We Misunderstand about Freedom
I think we misunderstand true freedom. Freedom that satisfies your heart is never found in setting yourself up as your own authority.
How John’s Gospel Helps Us Understand God’s Mission
Why did God create the world? What is his plan for humanity? Why send Jesus? We must start with these foundational questions before exploring how God accomplishes his mission.
Nancy Guthrie on the Salvation Purposes of God in Acts (Season 2, Episode 1)
Join Nancy Guthrie as she begins an initial exploration of the book of Acts by interrogating its title with the aim of determining what the aim and purpose of the book really is.
Why Preaching Is the Number One Way a Pastor Leads
Preaching has to be the first way we lead as pastors, in one sense, because it’s inherent within our position, within our role.
10 Things You Should Know about the Book of Acts
In the book of Acts, Jesus remains at the center of the action calling people to himself, adding new believers to his church, providing direction to his disciples, and appointing ministers of his word.
Teach Your Kids Their Identity before the World Does
What do you want to be when you grow up? Who are you? It’s one of the most fundamental questions of life. And the answer our culture has come up with is very far from the truth.
Podcast: 5 Strange Stories in the Book of Acts (Nancy Guthrie)
Nancy Guthrie answers a series of questions about some of the amazing but at times confusing stories in the book of Acts.
One way we waste our waiting is by not realizing that God invites us to pursue it with other people, to integrate waiting into the normal life of the body of Christ. We need to wait on God together.
John Piper on Theocracy, Igniting Revolutions, and Patriotism in the Church
Christ claims in every family, and in every business, and in every school, and in every church, and in every political party, and in every nation a superior allegiance, a superior love.
How to Stay Focused in a Distraction-Filled World
We have our phones that open a thousand possibilities for us to do a thousand different things at every moment of every day. But God has set good works for us.
What 1 and 2 Thessalonians Teach (and Don’t Teach) about the End Times
Thessalonians does not present a complete picture. Neither do other parts of Scripture. What do these letters contribute to a fuller biblical eschatology?
10 Key Bible Verses on Trusting God
Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream.
How Does the Old Testament Fit in with the Great Commission?
Recent stats suggest that Christian awareness of the Great Commission has fallen on hard times. Barna Research has stated that only 24 percent of churchgoers know what it is.
If you were to take a quick survey, there’d be a strong consensus that waiting is difficult, annoying, or downright bad. Waiting should be avoided and not affirmed, right?
Podcast: Answering Tough Questions about Raising Teenagers (Jon Nielson)
Jon Nielson discusses some of the most common questions that parents of teens often ask him as a pastor—questions about depression, sexuality, and when a teen should be allowed to get a phone.
How Can I Love People Even When They’re Wrong?
Paul told us in Romans 12:9 to “abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” But what happens when we disagree on what’s “evil” and what’s “good?”
Dear Pastor, Avoid the Common Pitfall That Will Sabotage Your Ministry
In seeking to be good stewards of God’s truth and his church, we must be mindful of the common pitfalls that can undermine our efforts to lead well.
What Is Distinct about the Theology of 1 Thessalonians?
The Thessalonians had much to learn about the Christian journey ahead. Thus, the letter happens to capture helpful statements about each stage of that Christian journey.
What Is the Secret to Reaching the Next Generation?
What we need to do is keep doing the same things that Christians in every age have been called to do: make disciples, love one another, speak the truth, be kind, and ask good questions.
Learn more about the new and notable resources released this month from Crossway including Waiting Isn’t a Waste by Mark Vroegop and What Is Covenant Theology? by Ryan M. McGraw.
2 Reasons You Should Pay Attention to the Use of the OT in the NT
What are NT authors trying to achieve by quoting OT Scriptures ? What are we to do with these quotations? The topic of the use of the OT in the NT matters for two main reasons.
Is the Story of Jonah and the Whale a Historical Account or a Parable? (Jonah 1 and 2)
Jesus often taught in parables and expected his hearers to learn and act on the truth the parables conveyed. But is “parable” the best approach to Jonah?
Ray Ortland shares how recording the entire ESV Bible reawakened him to the incredible power and authority of the sixty-six books that make up our Bible.
The Shepherd of Psalm 23 Leads Us—and Dies for Us
The good shepherd is the one who doesn’t just walk through the valley of the shadow of death. He actually walks through death itself so that the sheep can now walk through and fear no evil.
4 Ideas to Help Us Make Better Use of Our Time
God is the one most interested in you and me using our time well. He isn’t looking down from heaven waiting for us to throw our lives away in order to punish us.
Podcast: On Marriage: The Best of ‘The Crossway Podcast’
A compilation episode featuring some of the best moments from past interviews on The Crossway Podcast on the topic of marriage.
How Do I Know If I’m One of the Elect?
If you follow Christ and are struggling with whether you are elect, you are at war. You are fighting a scheme of the devil.
You Need a Qualified Pastor—Not Just a Charismatic One
Charisma is helpful, important even, for pastors. But I want to focus on other attributes that are even more important for the pastor: character, capability, conviction, and compassion.
Faith Is More about Confidence than Certainty
There’s an arrogance in saying we can know with absolute certainty. That sounds more like the Enlightenment than from the Bible.
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!
Is the Book of Proverbs an Instruction Manual for Life?
Gregory Goswell, Andreas J. Köstenberger
The essential mystery of life is not denied or dispelled by Proverbs, and it is a misreading to view it as naïvely optimistic about the temporal prospects of the godly.
3 Reasons Why Your Small Group Is Not a Church
Some Christians think their small group is a church. A church is, after all, a people not a place, and small groups do many of the same things that churches do.
The One Thing That Will Free You from FOMO
The more heavenward my life has become, the more meaning I’ve found in mundane things, and the more motivated I’ve been to serve the Lord.
5 Myths about the Pro-Life Movement
To position ourselves for eventual political victory resulting in legal protection for unborn humans, we must engage the public with a persuasive case for life that confronts abortion at the worldview level.
Podcast: How Can I Overcome My Fear of Evangelism? (Mack Stiles)
Mack Stiles helps to define what evangelism actually is and offers advice for us as Christians as we seek to share the good news about Jesus with those around us.
10 Bible Promises about Eternity
But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation.
What Does Covenant Theology Teach Us about Living in a Family?
Human life usually begins in families. Whether families are stable or unstable, helpful or harmful, family connections shape who we are.
7 Lessons from the Book of Revelation
Joel R. Beeke, Paul M. Smalley
Here we look at seven lessons that exemplify how the book of Revelation is theological (God-centered), eschatological (focused on future hope), and practical (aimed at godliness).
I’ve Heard It Said That Islam Is the Fastest-Growing Religion in the World
Some people say that Muslims are the least receptive to the gospel and that they are the most difficult people group to come to faith in Christ. This is a big lie.
Introducing the ‘ESV Daily Devotional New Testament’
Introducing a new 365-day plan to help you read and pray through the entire New Testament.
What You Need to Understand about Evangelism before You Do Evangelism
What comes to mind when you hear the word evangelist? What about evangelism? Before I became a Christian, those words sounded creepy and pushy to me.
Parents, Your Children Were Never Intended to Give You Identity
If you are not resting in your vertical identity, you will look horizontally, searching to find yourself and your reason for living in something in the creation
What Does It Mean to Take the Lord’s Supper in “Remembrance” of Christ?
Many times today, Christians think that this remembrance is simply recalling past events, but this remembrance—at least from a biblical standpoint—means a lot more.
What Did Jesus Teach about Judgment?
Some have said that the most popular verse in the Bible is Jesus’s command to his followers not to judge. How are we to understand Jesus's teaching on judgment?
Podcast: Why Did God Put Difficult People in My Church? (Jamie Dunlop)
Jamie Dunlop explains how unity—not necessarily uniformity—in the face of diversity glorifies God and strengthens the church's witness.
9 Ways to Pass on Your Faith through Family Milestones
Your faith is your children’s best possible inheritance. Pass it on to them as often and thoroughly as you can.
Are Israel and the Church Two Distinct Peoples of God?
Covenant theology is a blessing because whatever book of Scripture we find ourselves in, every part reminds us of other parts. The entire book is about God’s covenant with his people.
Joel R. Beeke, Paul M. Smalley
After the Lord Jesus Christ predicted the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, his disciples asked, “Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”
What Does Depression Mean for My Faith?
Kathryn Butler speaks to some of the misconceptions about clinical depression, which can be especially challenging for those of us who are followers of Christ.
10 Key Bible Verses about the Lord’s Supper
Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them.
Don’t Let Envy Poison Your Hospitality
Competitiveness has no place in the church. Imitate the good, but don’t envy what God has given to others. Hasn’t he been abundantly good to you?
Where Do Christians Get the Doctrine of Total Depravity?
Doctrines arise out of holding together a whole number of biblical texts and then synthesizing internally related doctrines as they’ve been understood through church history.
A Coward’s Guide to Evangelism
How do I present the gospel honestly and boldly without needlessly offending? How do I ensure I don’t slip into heresy by adding or subtracting from the gospel?
Joel Beeke answers some of the most common—and most difficult—questions that Christians tend to have about salvation.
10 Key Bible Verses on Singing
Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the LORD.
10 Things You Should Know about the Final Judgment
The final judgment may seem to be bad news, but when we think about it more deeply we discover it is central to the message we preach, that the gospel shines with clarity in light of the final judgment.
When the Church Got Slavery Wrong
It’s one of the great tragic notes in all of church history that when African slavery came into view and such prominence, the church did not take a clear stand against it.
Learn more about the new and notable resources releasing this month from Crossway like Fruitful edited by Megan Hill and Melissa B. Kruger and Loving Your Adult Children by Gaye B. Clark.
Depression Is a Hidden Disability
Meeting people in their grief, listening to their unique narratives, and then offering the love and teaching of Christ can serve as lifelines when the shadows descend.
7 Tips for Young Adults to Improve Their Relationships with Their Parents
You can mitigate your frustrations with your parents. Here are seven tips that may help you have a better relationship.
I’ve Heard It Said, “Once Saved, Always Saved”
The Bible repeatedly warns us that God will not finally save you if you don’t persevere in the faith and good works.
How to Care for a Loved One with Depression
Although the task may seem daunting, as stewards of the greatest message of hope in history Christians are uniquely positioned to minister to those grappling with depression.
Podcast: A Christian Perspective on Depression (Kathryn Butler, MD)
Kathryn Butler shares encouraging insights that offer hope for those who struggle with depression and help for those seeking to care for someone who does.
The Real Reason God Judges Evil
God’s dazzling beauty and loveliness can’t allow sin to coexist with him; doing such would compromise his holiness, his very being.
Why Did Jesus Tell People Not to Bury Their Father or Say Goodbye to Their Family? (Luke 9)
Disciples have a more important calling and responsibility: heralding the good news of the kingdom.
Why Does the Gospel of Mark End without Mention of Jesus’s Resurrection?
Mark provides only eight verses to narrate the events after Jesus’s crucifixion, including the women’s angelic encounter at the tomb and the angel’s announcement with no actual resurrection appearances.
What deeper source of peace could we ever find than the holy, infinite, majestic, Creator God looking on us with love and joy?
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’”
Believers of every era grapple with God’s command to give up everything for his sake, even while they strive to understand the corresponding promise of greater rewards.
The Most Significant Edit to the Declaration of Independence
Franklin read Jefferson’s draft which said, “We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable,” and he crossed out “sacred and undeniable” and replaced it with “self-evident.”
Help! I Have Trouble Talking with My Adult Children
When we move from parenting a teen to mentoring our adult children, asking questions is the best and first approach to difficult conversations—far better than biting your tongue.
Podcast: Without Judgment, Life Doesn’t Make Sense (Tom Schreiner)
Tom Schreiner discusses what the Bible really teaches about hell and the final judgment, and why it's worth thinking about, even though it's hard.
The Secret of Contentment in Motherhood
No matter how much mom life does or doesn’t look the way you imagined it would, you too can learn the secret of contentment. It might seem like a lofty goal, but it isn’t an unattainable one.
10 Things You Should Know about the Fruit of the Spirit
On good days, the fruit of the Spirit list is an encouraging list—a reminder that the Spirit is at work in you. On bad days, it can be a crushing list—a testimony to how far you have yet to go.
In Your Shepherding, Make It Obvious What the Good Shepherd Is Like
We pastors learn gentleness as we ponder carefully how anyone actually changes. We ourselves have never really changed by being scolded, cornered, pressured, or belittled.
What Does 2 Timothy 3:16 Mean?
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” —2 Timothy 3:16
The church must be dedicated to hearing and attending to the cry of the afflicted. May all Christians resist the temptation to burrow our heads in the sand because we dread emotional upheaval.
Podcast: Jackie Hill Perry on Recording the Entire ESV Bible: “It Changed Everything”
Jackie Hill Perry shares what it was like to spend over sixty-five hours reading God's word aloud in a recording studio with unsaved audio engineers listening in the whole time.
The Sacraments Give Us a Collective Identity
The sacraments reinforce the truth that we belong to a collective, to Christ and his body. We are branches joined not just to the vine but also to other branches stemming from our Lord.
Introducing ‘Fruitful,’ a Devotional Unpacking Each Fruit of the Spirit
Fruitful is a new 40-day devotional which features the trusted voices of several female bestselling authors and Bible teachers and explores each of the nine fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5.
Acts of Kindness Aren’t Random
Kindness is one fruit of the Spirit that we can’t practice in isolation. We demonstrate kindness in relationship.
Podcast: Answering Your Questions about Parenting Adult Children (Gaye Clark)
Gaye Clark answers several listener-submitted questions about how we should handle the difficult dynamic of cultivating a relationship with our adult children.
Guiding Children to Adulthood: What Does Success Look Like?
With grown or nearly grown adult children, it can be easy to despair and think it is too late to improve or repair our relationship with our kids. But is anything too difficult for God?
I’ve Heard It Said the Gospels Are Full of Contradictions
What I like to do with this question is to take it out of the culture war it can be used in and to slow down and really think about what’s going on.
Assessing the Arguments for and against Physician-Assisted Suicide
In addition to arguments that can be made from the Bible against physician-assisted suicide (Ex. 20:13, “You shall not murder”), four additional arguments can be made against euthanasia.
What If Your Church Were Filled with People Just like You?
When we love in ways that we can only love by the power of God’s Spirit, we show him to be sufficient. We show him to be good and glorious.
Mapping the Doctrine of Total Depravity
Left to ourselves, we neither want to nor can return to the God who made us, and, without the regenerating grace of the Holy Spirit, we cannot know him as our heavenly Father.
5 Things Science Cannot Explain (but Theism Can)
The heart of scientism is the conviction that science can explain virtually everything. Let’s look at five things that theism can explain but science cannot.
Answering Kids’ Hardest Questions: If God Speaks to Me, Why Can’t I Hear Him?
No, we can’t hear God audibly, but we can hear him speak in the sense that he has written his thoughts down for us to read and to hear in his word.
What Did Jesus Teach about Total Depravity?
The assumption of universal guilt before God is evident throughout Jesus’s teaching in the Gospels. Proof of this reality is manifold. Below are four evidences to support this claim.
Podcast: The Misunderstood Doctrine of Total Depravity (Jonathan Gibson)
Jonathan Gibson answers common questions and engages with common objections that Christians often have about the doctrine of total depravity.
Babies cry for food, warmth, company, and love. They plead for our help. The cries of our precious little ones remind us that we’re not too different from them.
If this life constitutes the entirety of your existence, then you absolutely must maximize your enjoyment. You must never miss an opportunity for fun and pleasure.
How Should a Wife Respond to Her Husband’s Bad Authority?
We are called to forbear, be patient, forgive, and continue to seek to compel the gospel through our trust in Christ—even as we continue to serve those God has called us to serve.
10 Key Bible Verses on Glorification
And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
10 Prayers from History to Pray for Your Loved Ones
Jonathan W. Arnold, Zachariah M. Carter
Oh Lord, with your gracious and merciful eye, look upon the contrition of my heart. According to your certain promise, stay with me as I acknowledge you to be the maker and defender of all creation.
Memorizing Scripture Can Be the Most Important Discipline in Your Christian Walk
Scripture memorization keeps me close to Christ. As I go over the words of Scripture, I find my heart drawn into active fellowship with Christ.
The perfect happiness of heaven will make your greatest joys from this life feel like misery compared to the complete euphoria of heaven with Christ.
What Happens When the Governing Authorities Are the Wrongdoers?
Some wrongful convictions are merely honest mistakes, the tragic results of criminal justice administered by well-intentioned but finite humans. But some are not.
Podcast: How to Radically Pursue Justice While Living in the Suburbs (Amy DiMarcangelo)
Amy DiMarcangelo discusses how our lives can often look relatively comfortable, and she shares her own story of learning what it means to live sacrificially for God in the midst of everyday life.
Fulfilling Your Personal Definition of Happiness Is Not God’s Goal
Our agenda, our definition of what a good God should give us, is a life that is comfortable, pleasurable, and predictable; one in which there’s lots of human affirmation and no suffering.
An Unnecessary Pastoral Disconnect
Pastoral leadership should be by appointment of Christ and in union with Christ and should prioritize preaching the word of Christ on the mission of Christ.
The Bible, like all good literature, is full of questions. It includes over 3,000 of them—questions that are intended to make us ponder the person and powers of God and our relationship with him.
Does God Care about Gender Identity?
In this video, Samuel D. Ferguson carefully walks through the core beliefs of the transgender movement, comparing them with fundamental truths expressed in Scripture.
Learn about the new and notable resources releasing this month like The (Not-So-Secret) Secret to Reaching the Next Generation by Kevin DeYoung and Heavenward by Cameron Cole.
Looking Heavenward Transforms Our Sorrow
Many may think this heavenly-mindedness would make a person detached and ineffective in this present earthly life. The opposite was true for the apostle Paul.
The Church Should Mind Its Spiritual Business
The calling, or mission, of the church as the church is to proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth, not to be another merely (or even chiefly) political, social, or economic institution.
10 Things You Should Know about Biblical Typology
A symbol already has a special meaning when God first presents it in biblical history. But its meaning is more fully revealed when Christ comes, and we see the person for whom the symbolism was designed.
I’ve Heard It Said That the Bible Is God’s Love Letter to Us
“The Bible is God’s love letter to us.” I can see where that’s coming from. It’s not a hundred percent wrong. It’s just that it’s probably not a big enough statement about what the Bible is.
Podcast: What Makes You Long for Heaven? (Cameron Cole)
Cameron Cole shares how God used the unexpected and tragic death of his firstborn son to dramatically shift his daily focus heavenward, revealing the joy-inducing power of an eternal mindset.
The church is led to maturity on her mission through intentional, earnest, persistent intercessory prayer. A man of God leads from his knees!
7 Questions That Teens Need to Answer
Teenagers are in one of the most exciting and most important times of their lives. Paul Tripp points to seven questions they will face that will influence the shape and direction of the rest of their lives.
Devote Yourself to Good Works Even When It’s Hard
We don’t just naturally fall into doing good. So we want to orient our lives in such a way that we’re positioned to practice generosity, to show hospitality to the lonely.
14 Passages to Read before Bed
In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
Is the Story of Job Historical? (Job 1)
Was there really a man named Job? Did he live in a land called Uz? Was he perfectly righteous with a perfectly blessed life? Put simply, did the author of Job create the whole drama?
Everything depends on how people use the term. Individualism can be simply the focus on self. In certain contexts, it would be very difficult to have a deep difference between the two.
Considering sin doesn’t have to mean conceding to it. Knowing this keeps you from being crippled by unnecessary guilt; it gives hope to keep fighting, even when temptation is raging.
Amaze the Next Generation with God
I beg of you, don’t go after the next generation with mere moralism. The gospel is a message not about what we need to do for God but about what God has done for us.
Podcast: The Life and Legacy of John Owen (Lee Gatiss)
Lee Gatiss walks us through the life and times of the prolific theologian John Owen, introducing us to the man, his works, and his legacy.
10 Things You Should Know about the Book of Mark
Jesus goes to Calvary to atone for apostate apostles, blasphemous bystanders, taunting thieves, and even hate-spitting, flesh-whipping Roman soldiers.
Why Use Written Prayers? A Personal Reflection
I understand and respect the hesitations that some believers have regarding the use of written prayers—either privately or publicly. I have close friends who fall on both sides of this discussion.
Dear Pastor . . . Don’t Settle for the Status Quo in Your Preaching
We take up our call to the ministry believing the gospel is the power of God for salvation. Fatigue, fear, and even temptations to doubt the message we are preaching can cut the nerve of our zeal.
How Was the Resurrection of Lazarus Different than the Resurrection of Jesus?
Lazarus would die again, but Jesus would not. And for all who trust in Christ who are united to him by faith, what is his is now ours.
10 Key Bible Verses on the Second Coming of Christ
But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
How Creativity Can Fuel Your Worship
If God created us in his likeness, wouldn’t he make us with creative minds and hands? What if engaging in creativity could draw us into deeper worship of our Creator God?
4 Reminders for When You’re Hurt by Someone at Church
We live in a fallen world. As glorious and wonderful as life in the church is, God’s people have not yet been fully delivered from the effects of sin.
10 Lesser-Known References to Jesus in the Old Testament
The Old Testament contains “types,” that is, symbolic personages and things and events that point to a climactic fulfillment in Christ. Here are ten lesser-known types that point forward to Jesus.
Win the Next Generation with Love
The evangelical church has spent far too much time trying to figure out cultural engagement and far too little time just trying to love. If we listen and are curious about people, we will be plenty engaged.
Podcast: The Secret to Reaching the Next Generation (Kevin DeYoung)
Kevin DeYoung encourages youth leaders to remember that reaching the next generation will not be done through relevant pop culture references or harnessing the power of social media.
5 Things You Must Remember about the Resurrection
What does it look like to look at life through the window of the resurrection? As I assess my life right here, right now, what about the resurrection must I remember? Let me suggest five things.
That there is such a thing as Holy Saturday in the gospel is remarkable, if oft overlooked. Why wouldn’t a simple movement from death one day to resurrection the next be sufficient?
A Special Easter Video from ‘The Biggest Story’
Get together with your family this weekend and watch this special Easter video titled “Jesus Lives” from The Biggest Story Bible Storybook based on the story of the resurrection in the Gospels.
What Did Christ’s Atoning Work Accomplish?
The death of Christ is a multidimensional accomplishment within a story that begins in the garden and ends in the kingdom.
The Problem of Pain Is a Problem for Everyone
There are only a few ways to handle this issue, and all of them feel incomplete. So the question is this: Which incomplete answer will you embrace to help you with the problem of evil?
The Christian’s Hope Isn’t Complete without a Bodily Resurrection
The apostle Paul is talking about our Christian hope of a bodily resurrection—not to minimize our suffering, but to maximize our perspective.
Does the Old Testament Really Point to Jesus? Jesus Thought So
Does the Old Testament really point to Jesus? To answer that question, we should ask an expert. The leading authority on all things spiritual is Jesus himself.
An Open Letter to the Church Member Hurt by Their Local Church
Local churches hurt people. People hurt people, of course; but since churches are people, churches have the capacity to inflict severe relational pain.
Podcast: What Your Teenager Needs Most (Paul Tripp)
Paul Tripp offers practical advice and encouragement to parents seeking to raise their teenagers to know God and feel ready to go into the world.
Strengthen Your Prayer Life with an Assist from Past Pray-ers
Ordinarily, desire is not enough. We usually have to be shown how to do something, with plenty of examples, before we can feel capable.
The Promise Jesus Offers to Those Who Leave Everything Behind
Jesus is always honest, even blunt, about the cost of discipleship. He never buries suffering in the small print. He wants us to know that following him will be hard.
How (and How Not) to Fight Sin
Fighting sin is spiritual warfare, and warfare requires a battle plan. If left to our own devices, we would have little success against our unseen enemy.
A Guide for Your Personal Worship Entering Holy Week
A sample day’s readings from O Sacred Head, Now Wounded, a 48-day devotional liturgy to help readers effectively prepare their hearts from Pascha (Easter) to Pentecost.
John Piper on Instagram, Superficiality, and Online Fame
Influence is not wrong. Seeking to influence others is very Christian. But many Christians now set out to become social-media “influencers.” When does this become fame-seeking?
What Does the Aaronic Blessing Ultimately Promise Us?
The highest happiness of every believer is to see the face of God unmediated, not just having to look with the eyes of faith but actually one day seeing with our eyes.
How the Gospel Transforms Our Productivity
To be productive is to embrace the reality of what God does in us and to respond in worship through our work and our rest.
Download Free ‘Easter Stories’ from ‘The Biggest Story Bible Storybook’
This Easter booklet adapted from The Biggest Story Bible Storybook is a perfect way to teach children about the life-changing story of Jesus’s death and resurrection.
Be Careful, Your Kids Are Emulating Your Works Righteousness
Salvation comes to undeserving, dead sinners as a free gift of God, not by anything we do. Yet the heart’s tendency toward works righteousness—thinking we can earn our salvation—runs deep.
James Eglinton introduces us to Herman Bavinck, explains his role in the neo-Calvinist movement in the Netherlands, and reflects on advice that Bavinck might offer us if he were alive today.
Orthodoxy and Heresy Orthodoxy means right doctrine or belief. In one very important sense it is essential to salvation. Although we are saved entirely by the grace of God, not on the basis of the …
John Piper on Gambling, the Lottery, and Fantasy Football
Fantasy sports are now a multibillion-dollar gambling industry in the United States, leading a young man to email and ask if a “rather modest” bet of twenty to fifty dollars per week is sinful.
Learn more about the new and notable resources releasing this month from Crossway, including New Morning Mercies for Teens by Paul David Tripp and Ask Pastor John by Tony Reinke.
Why the Church Is More Important than Any Other Christian Organization
The church is the only human institution that goes into eternity. We won’t be building the Gospel Coalition in eternity. We won’t be building seminaries in eternity.
Does the Book of Acts Teach Socialism? (Acts 2)
One of the greatest challenges in interpreting the book of Acts, one with which every reader must wrestle, is in determining whether the narrative portions of the book are descriptive or prescriptive.
Listening Well to Preaching Is a Spiritual Discipline
We need to listen well—attentively and prayerfully—remembering that as our pastor preaches the word, it is the Lord who is speaking.
Does the Law of Moses Matter for Christians Today?
Moses matters for Christians, and yet he spoke in a context that’s very different from our own. The old covenant is not the covenant we’re under. We are under the new covenant.
10 Key Bible Verses on Healing
Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.
Introducing ‘The Quest for the Guardians’
In Book 4 of the Dream Keeper Saga, Lily embarks on a global quest to save the world from its nightmares.
Is Productivity a Godly Goal or an Unhealthy Obsession?
Let’s understand productivity correctly—as making the best use you can of the resources God has placed in your hands—and use it as a means of serving our Lord and the people around us.
Podcast: 6 Practical Principles for Increasing Your Productivity (Ana Ávila)
Ana Ávila emphasizes that we each have just the right amount of time to do what God wants us to do, walking through several key productivity principles that will help us manage our time wisely.
Answering Kids’ Hardest Questions: Does God Love Everyone the Same?
God hates the sin that’s in us, but he sent his son Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins so that we can have a relationship with him.
What Is the Foundational Authority of Scripture?
That the whole authority of the Scripture in itself, depends solely on its divine original, is confessed by all who acknowledge its authority.
10 Key Bible Verses on Weakness
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Faithfulness in This Digital Age Is about Establishing Priorities
Faithfulness in the digital age means prioritizing God’s word and prioritizing embodied relationship over these digital tools.
What Did Jesus Teach about Disabilities?
In the record of Jesus’s ministry in the four Gospels, we see in the Savior a striking focus upon a ministry among the deaf, mute, lame, blind, and the broader community they represent.
Encouragement for Those Who Aren’t Resting on the Sabbath
The Sabbath is a day that God calls us to observe in his word. It’s a day that we need to observe for our own good—soul and body.
John Piper on Profanity, Crude Joking, and Using the Word “Dang”
Christians are called to high standards with the words we speak. On the tongue’s use and misuse of words, four general principles guide us.
7 Tips for Being More Productive
True productivity is not about results but about faithfulness. We are productive when we are walking in the good works God has prepared for us, whatever the results of those good works are.
Podcast: Hope for Weak People—the Message of 2 Corinthians (Dane Ortlund)
Dane Ortlund walks through a number of key doctrines and themes found in the book of 2 Corinthians and discusses what Paul’s thorn in the flesh might have been.
Dear Pastor . . . in a Lonely World, Cultivating Community Is Worth It
Of all the many things we do, cultivating spiritual community in a lonely world ranks among the most difficult, time-consuming, and personally demanding efforts.
10 Things You Should Know about the Spirituality of the Church
True unity is what we want. This is achieved only together with true diversity. Uniformity is never the biblical pattern. Unity is, and unity, as we see perfectly manifested in the Undivided Trinity.
Unpacking “No Creed but the Bible”
Many Christians may well have heard the phrase ”no creed but the Bible“ at some point. Is it a faithful and useful principle for guiding how we think about Christian truth and authority?
When someone asks me a question about the faith that I don’t have a good answer for, it will rattle me unless the Lord Jesus is taking up holy ground in my heart.
Only God Sees the Whole Elephant
The Bible itself says that there are things God hasn’t revealed anywhere. But the God who has revealed himself through the Bible is not a God who hides.
Should We Pray in, for, or to the Holy Spirit?
While it is possible for Christians to pray to the Spirit, for the Spirit, and in the Spirit, the Bible overwhelmingly focuses on one of these.
For explaining the cross, the New Testament uses many images, many categories, many modes of thought blended together.
An Open Letter to Christians Who Doubt
Just defining or describing the doubt helps me talk to God more pointedly about it. And in some instances, he gives me insight or perspective that alleviates (but not totally removes) the doubt.
Podcast: How Should We Respond to Our Doubt? (Randy Newman)
Randy Newman explains that when we struggle with questions about our faith, we should view these not as roadblocks to faith but as natural twists and turns that accompany our lives as Christians.
10 Reasons the Old Testament Matters to Christians
Without the Old Testament, we wouldn’t understand the problem for which Jesus and the New Testament supply the solution.
If I Believe Jesus Has Forgiven My Sins, Why Do I Still Feel Guilty?
We trust that we’ve been forgiven because Christ paid for all our sins when he died on the cross, but the memory isn’t erased, and the effects on us and on those we hurt can linger long.
When Fear Prevents You from Being a Good Neighbor
One of the greatest detriments to being the neighbors Christ has called us to be is fear. And somehow, instead of identifying our fear as sinful we often call it by another name: wisdom.
How Do the Arminian and Calvinist Views of Election Differ?
We can distinguish the Arminian view of election from the Calvinist view of election by answering this question: What is the basis of God’s election?
Learn more about the new resources releasing this month like Questioning Faith by Randy Newman and Proclaiming Christ in a Pluralistic Age by J. I. Packer.
3 Things to Avoid When Ministering to Those Suffering from Mental Illness
We make many mistakes in what we say to sufferers. Partly because of ignorance, discomfort, or fear, we end up saying nothing, or nothing helpful, or everything wrong.
Why Does Jesus Call Himself the “Door”?
Jesus is saying that, as the door, as we enter into eternal life with him and through him, we will be saved. He is access to salvation.
Unpacking “Separation of Church and State”
The notion of the separation of church and state is a comparatively recent phenomenon, as part of the American experiment in republican government.
Podcast: The Most Important Thing Our Churches Have Forgotten to Do (Paul Miller)
Paul Miller deepens our understanding of prayer by highlighting why we need to pray with one another if we really want to experience the full blessing of prayer.
4 Ways Jesus Fulfills Every Old Testament Promise
When Jesus fulfills the Old Testament Law and Prophets, he is actualizing what Scripture anticipated and achieving what God promised and predicted.
How Does the Parable of the Two Sons Display the Genius of Jesus?
The parable of the two sons is Jesus’s longest story, and it’s remarkable in so many ways. Jesus loads up the story with layers of meaning.
Do Exodus and Numbers Justify Abortion? (Exodus 21 and Numbers 5)
Some abortion advocates appeal directly to Scripture to make their case for elective abortion. But this argument is flawed on several counts.
The Hollow Promise the Internet Makes to Lonely People
The web is preaching to our hearts that you can be anything and you can do anything, and you don’t have to accept the life of the world or the truth that God has put in your life.
4 Assumptions Made by Anyone Reciting a Creed
My conviction that creeds and confessions are a good and necessary part of healthy, biblical church life rests on a host of different arguments and convictions; but, at root, there are four basic presuppositions.
The Most Influential Event to Happen in 1776 Isn’t What You Think
In a thousand years’ time, what will people look at as the most important development in this period? And I think it's probably the economic transformation.
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.
Why the Mission of the Church Is Spiritual and Not Political
The church is a spiritual institution, and its core of agreement builds upon truths that transcend the more ephemeral matters that concern politics.
Podcast: Should Our Churches Be Political? (Alan Strange)
Alan Strange discusses the doctrine of the spirituality of the church—a doctrine focused on clearly defining the church’s central mission and mandate.
Pastor, What Do You Preach to People Who Can’t Get Their Act Together?
Titus 2 tells us that it’s the grace of God that teaches us to say no to ungodliness. If people aren’t growing in godliness, Paul says they need more grace.
Lent Ends in Jesus’s Death—and Yours
Everywhere you die, you will be resurrected to new life in that area. It is the continuing resurrection/ transformation/liberation work of sanctifying grace.
Why Is Love Called the Greatest of These? (1 Corinthians 13)
Love is not a spiritual gift. It is essential for using spiritual gifts, and it is more important than spiritual gifts.
What Question Is Jesus Trying to Answer in the Beatitudes?
Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. It’s a counterintuitive turn. It is, if you will, an upside-down kingdom.
11 Bible Promises about God’s Love
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Unpacking “Look inside Yourself”
Knowing who you are and being true to yourself has never been more important. They are seen as signs of good mental health and well-being and the keys to authentic living and true happiness.
Answering Kids’ Hardest Questions: How Can God Hear Everyone’s Prayers at the Same Time?
Our kids can know that when they’re in their dark rooms and they’re feeling alone, God is with them. He hears their prayer when they’re at school, feeling nervous, feeling sad.
Why Did Paul Publicly Rebuke Peter? (Galatians 2)
This passage clearly teaches that this subtle but very common problem in the church is a serious distortion of the gospel and needs the corrective rebuke of the apostle Paul.
Podcast: How Old Creeds Speak to New Problems (Carl Trueman)
Carl Trueman explains how historic creeds and confessions of the church can help to shape God’s people living in a culture consumed with individualism and identity.
How Consumerism Trains Us to Devalue the Past
What has consumerism got to do with rejection of the past? Consumerism is predicated on the idea that life can be fulfilling through acquiring something in the future that one does not have in the present.
What Authority Does a Husband Have over His Wife?
A husband’s authority is what I would characterize as an authority of counsel, not an authority of command. It is both kinds of authority.
What Does Deuteronomy 6:4 Mean?
Deuteronomy is the first book of the Bible to demand love for God. Previously the emphasis was on fear of God, an awe of his grandeur and a dread of his judgment that serve as motives for obedience.
10 Key Bible Verses on Self-Control
Self-control is the discipline given by the Holy Spirit that allows Christians to resist the power of the flesh. Read ten verses that exhort believers to be “self-controlled and sober-minded.”
6 Ways to Find (and Protect) the Time You Need to Read Books
Reading is a discipline, and all disciplines require self-discipline, and self-discipline is the one thing our sinful flesh will resist.
God’s People Are a Forgetful People
We human beings are forgetful by nature. I do not mean in a finite sense but in a fallen sense. We forget because we choose to forget.
Irenaeus was born somewhere around AD 130 and grew up in Smyrna in Asia Minor, where the then bishop, Polycarp, became his mentor and passed on his memories of the apostle John and others.
What Are Demons, and How Should Christians Think about Them?
Demons have right beliefs about who God is; they have known about him from the beginning of their existence, even though they chose to rebel against him!
The Pros and Cons of Being Rich
“Wealth is wonderful and makes us wonderful.” That’s the message the media bombards us with every day. No wonder so many of us want to be rich.
Podcast: Answering Hard Questions about Predestination and Free Will (Andy Naselli)
Andy Naselli answers a few of the most common questions about the doctrine of predestination, including what the Bible really says about it and what impact this teaching may have on the idea of free will.
The Many Benefits of Scripture Memorization
There are numerous spiritual benefits to the memorization of Scripture. A proper assessment begins with understanding the role of the written word of God in our lives and in our spiritual growth.
Learn more about the resources releasing this month from Crossway like Expositional Leadership by R. Scott Pace and Jim Shaddix and ESV Bible Promises: 700 Passages to Strengthen Your Faith.
10 Things You Should Know about American Criminal Justice
American founders understood that the power to criminally punish was enormous and the emotional outcry to solve a crime could lead authorities to run roughshod over the rights of the accused.
What Is Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?
Jesus teaches all the things that will be forgiven of people and then closes that talk by saying that the one thing that will not be forgiven in this world or the next is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
Is there something great or small you’re currently grieving? Have you processed that grief before God or other people? Is this grief making you numb?
How the Modern West Is WEIRDER than the Rest of the World
Joseph Henrich introduced the term WEIRD about ten or fifteen years ago, and he said that people in the modern West are WEIRD: Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic.
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring.
Is It Fair That God Hardens Hearts?
Is it fair that God accomplishes reprobation by withholding grace and by hardening hearts, blinding eyes, and deafening ears? It is crucial to remember two truths.
4 Things Pro-life Christians Must Do in a Post-Roe World
If we do these four things in a post-Roe world, I think pro-life Christians are well-situated to make a real difference.
Podcast: Has Christianity Really Caused More Harm Than Good in the World? (Sharon James)
Sharon James makes the case that despite the many failings of many Christians over the centuries, Christianity has indeed been very good for the world.
Why Are Christians Told Not to Love the World? (1 John 2)
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
9 Common Excuses for Not Memorizing Scripture (And How to Overcome Them)
The human heart is deceitful and twisted in so many ways (Jer. 17:9). We can make amazing excuses for not doing things that the Lord has commanded that would richly benefit us.
Dear Pastor . . . Your Leadership Is Needed in the Pulpit
Pastor, the work of shepherding God’s people naturally involves and requires good leadership. There’s no more important place for that to happen than in your preaching ministry every week.
The Real Reason We Don’t Evangelize
How can we motivate greater evangelism? Many of us hold false beliefs that are at the root of a lot of our evangelistic apathy and inactivity.
Actually, Goodness and Mercy Don’t Follow Us
When we see it or experience it personally, human goodness can be truly amazing. It can be life-giving and liberating. So, too, steadfast love.
Falling Behind in Your Bible Reading Plan Isn’t Your Greatest Danger
Perhaps the biggest danger in reading and studying our Bibles is to miss the whole point, which is to miss encountering Jesus, the risen Lord and Savior of us all.
How Do I Follow Jesus When He Is Not Here?
Jesus knew that he would not always be on earth, so the command that we follow him was relevant not only for his physical days on earth but for all time.
Podcast: What Is Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? (Fred Sanders)
In this episode, Fred Sanders answers questions about the Holy Spirit—What does it mean to blaspheme the Holy Spirit? Why did Jesus call that sin “unforgivable”?
How (and How Not) to Memorize Scripture
Always remember to give full credit to God’s work in you, and constantly seek the Spirit’s help as you memorize. Our pride is a deadly enemy to every good thing God wants to work in our souls.
Get to Know the Voices of the New ESV Audio Bibles
Crossway has added a number of new voices to the ESV Audio Bible that will allow you to listen to the entire ESV Bible read by different Bible teachers and Christian artists.
13 Bible Promises about God’s Faithfulness
God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
The core issue here is our heart. It’s our nature. I always choose what I choose because I want what I want because I am who I am.
Jesus is king. Jesus obeys. How do we hold those two truths together? And what does it teach us about any authority we’ve been personally given?
How do we teach our children to be discerning, both to recognize and to do right, but at the same time to show God’s love and care for the imperfect people around them?
Why Is It So Hard to Discern the Work of the Holy Spirit in My Life?
You come to awareness and confession and belief in Christ and then gradually become aware that if you are successfully believing in Jesus, it’s because the Spirit is at work within you.
3 Ways That Scriptural Leadership Differs from Secular Leadership
Preaching is inherently a form of leadership. But in order for our preaching to qualify as scriptural leadership, we must be careful to exercise it according to biblical standards rather than worldly principles.
10 Things You Should Know about Predestination
It is pitiful how we can take the Bible teaching about predestination that should result in humility, praise, and comfort and instead talk about it with sinful pride, divisiveness, and anxiety.
Podcast: Your Kids Are Already Theologians, So Give Them Good Theology (Kristen Wetherell)
Kristen Wetherell gives practical advice for teaching our children about important doctrines and offers encouragement to parents facing questions about theology that they're not sure how to answer.
Why Beauty Is a Problem without God
I think in a way, for somebody who has not yet surrendered to Jesus Christ, beauty is a problem because beauty is so evident in this world, and it awakens a desire for eternal things.
Understanding the First and Last Adam
Truly God and truly man, Jesus was not a transgressor like the first Adam. Our hope is the perfect righteousness of Jesus, which is credited to us sinners.
What Is the Single Best Explanation for Jesus’s Genius?
God invented humans. He invented language. He invented human language. So when you allow that, it’s hardly surprising that he should know such a lot.
Dear Pastor . . . Don’t Undervalue the Sacraments
Many pastors and churches today grant the sacraments a low status in public worship, but the sacraments have played a vital role in nourishing God’s people throughout church history.
While it may sound strange, we must understand that leadership is not the ultimate goal or standard of success when it comes to gospel ministry.
While our collective declaration of “New year, new me” is powerful on January 1, it loses steam quickly. The second Friday in January is known as Quitters Day because so many of us give up by then.
Podcast: How You Can Jump-Start Your Bible Memorization in 2024 (Andrew Davis)
Andy Davis shares encouragement for every Christian to begin their journey of Bible memory—including practical advice on where to start and how long to spend on Bible memory each day.
The Most Read Crossway Articles from 2023
Review some of this year’s most popular articles and read great content on subjects like heaven and hell, failing at quiet time, gender identity, and the second coming of Christ.
Introducing the New and Improved ESV Bible App
The ESV Bible app allows you to easily read, study, and engage with God’s word wherever you go. And we've just updated the app with a number of exciting new features to make it even better!
10 Key Bible Verses on Ministry
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. . . .”
5 Tips for Creating Healthy Bible-Reading Habits
We must be convinced that God’s word is true, truer even than what our circumstances and our hearts’ longings are telling us.
Opportunities to Care for the Poor and Needy Are Closer Than You Think
Here are ways for you—in whatever season you’re in and whatever mundane activities you have to get done every day—to live for the mission of Christ.
10 Key Bible Verses on Celebrating
Read these ten verses that highlight the importance of celebrating God’s goodness, blessings, and the salvation offered through faith.
A Special Christmas Video from ‘The Biggest Story’
Gather your family together and watch this special Christmas video titled “A New Baby and a New Beginning” featuring chapter 53 of The Biggest Story Bible Storybook based on Matthew chapter 1.
A Devotional on the Birth of Jesus by Martin Luther
I would not have you contemplate the deity of Christ, the majesty of Christ, but rather his flesh. Look upon the Baby Jesus. . . . See how God invites you.
How We Learn to See the Face of Jesus
Experiencing the reassuring, transformative, and hope-giving power of God’s gracious gaze in Christ means we must practice seeing Christ’s glory.
The Greatest Example of Courage in the Bible
It was joy that animated Jesus in the face of hardship, and therefore, he is the greatest example of courage.
10 Key Bible Verses on Fellowship
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
2 Primary Goals of God’s Election of Sinners to Salvation
It’s really helpful to answer the question, What’s the goal of election? because we can better understand what we see if we know what the goal is.
What Are Angels, and How Should Christians Think about Them?
While God’s word does not offer us a detailed description of how and when God made the angels, or of what exactly they look like, we can nevertheless gather truths and principles from the Bible.
Podcast: A Closer Look at One of the Most Famous Chapters of the Bible (David Gibson)
David Gibson unpacks the images in Psalm 23 that have become so familiar to us (maybe overfamiliar), showing us what it truly means when the psalm describes the Lord as our shepherd.
Why Gifts of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh?
God is not served by human hands as though he needed anything. The gifts of the magi are not given by way of assistance or need meeting.
Dear Pastor . . . Let’s Cultivate Honesty in Our Churches—Starting with Us
We don’t have our Christian lives fully together. In Christian ministry, we necessarily stretch the pastoral metaphor because we shepherds are, inevitably and undeniably, still sheep.
Why We Feel So Tired and Confused by What We See Online
The internet makes no distinction between what is relevant to us or what is not relevant to us, what is part of the life that we’re supposed to live or what doesn’t really matter.
How to Love People Who Feel Impossible to Love
Easy love rarely shows off gospel power. But love that stretches beyond what’s possible is a stage, set to display the glory of God.
A Devotional on the Excellency of Christ Seen in Christmas by Jonathan Edwards
Christ came to subdue the mighty powers of darkness, and make a show of them openly, and so to restore peace on earth.
Why Was a Man Killed for Touching the Ark of the Covenant? (2 Samuel 6)
God provides solemn reminders of the need to avoid impious infractions of the requirement to “offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:28–29).
When Did I Get a Right to Life?
Some say that just because we exist as human beings at the embryonic/fetal stage doesn’t mean we have the same rights, including a right to life, at every stage of life. How should we respond to this?
Podcast: An Attribute of Jesus That You’ve Probably Never Noticed (Peter Williams)
Peter Williams uses the famous story of the prodigal son to unpack how Jesus was a genius in the way that he taught during his earthly ministry.
Common Ways That Jesus Displayed His Genius
The way Jesus displays his genius is very understated. That is, he says to people, “Let the one who has ears to hear, hear.” And it’s very easy not to hear.
God’s People Are a Waiting People
As early as Eden, God’s people have been a waiting people. Following the fall of our first parents, God made a promise that permanently oriented his people toward the future.
Help! I Don’t Like Evangelizing
Why do others seem to feel so much more natural at evangelism than you? You need to know that you’re not alone in feeling that way.
What Should a Pastor’s Authority Look Like?
What is the authority of a pastor? The authority of the pastor is to teach and give oversight to the flock by being an example to the flock.
7 Tips for Loving “Those” People in Your Church
What do you do with “those” people in your church—the ones who drive you crazy? If love at church were easy, how would that testify to the power of his saving work in our lives?
You Must Study the Bible with a Purpose
Every good endeavor should be done with purpose. Without a clear sense of purpose, our efforts to do a good thing well can flounder.
15 Strategies for Men to Strengthen Their Friendships
Men, you were made for friendship. You can forge deep relationships and cultivate a culture of brotherhood around you. Here are 15 strategies.
How Is It Possible That Jesus Would Delight in Me?
Is it true? Does Jesus really want to be friends with me? Does he delight in me? How could that possibly be?
Podcast: How to Wait for Christmas in an Age of Instant Gratification (Jonathan Gibson)
Johnny Gibson discusses what it looks like to truly prepare our hearts for Christmas and talks about how and why the Advent season is meant to be a season of waiting.
A common objection to unconditional election is that it’s unfair. Paul directly answers this objection in Romans 9, and Jesus indirectly answers it in Matthew 20.
The way deacons are described in the New Testament and the way they operate is that they are exemplary servants who function on behalf of a congregation to assist the elders by doing at least three things.
Favorite Christmas Traditions from Crossway Kids’ Book Authors
Read what the authors of Crossway kids' books had to say about their favorite Christmas traditions, and perhaps even find inspiration to incorporate new traditions into your own celebrations this year.
A Trial Lawyer Answers the Most Searched Questions about the Criminal Justice System
Matt Martens is a trial lawyer in Washington, DC who has spent most of his career in criminal law. In this video, he offers clear and candid answers to some of the most searched questions about criminal justice.
The place of Advent in our calendar as being the four-week period before Christmas day on December 25 certainly lends itself to that understanding. However, while this is true, it is only half the truth.
Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!
God’s Primary Provision for Our Spiritual Hunger
How does God intend to satisfy our spiritual hunger? He gives us his word. Matthew 4 says that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
What Is Distinct about the Theology of Philemon?
Some question whether we should even say that the book of Philemon has a theology since it is merely a short, practical letter written to an individual Christian rather than a church.
Podcast: When Authority Fails to Reflect God’s Good Design (Jonathan Leeman)
Jonathan Leeman calls on anyone with some kind of authority to think carefully about how they're using that authority, encouraging them to embrace a posture of humility and repentance.
Help! People at Church Are Driving Me Crazy
Who isn’t discouraged by conflict at church? After all, church should be as close as we get to heaven on earth, right?
How Important Is It for Me to Affirm the Doctrine of Predestination?
Predestination is crucial for our serious joy in God, and it directly affects how we make disciples. It affects what and how we preach and teach and sing and pray and counsel.
The Purpose and Limits of a Husband’s Authority
How do we unpack the idea of a husband’s headship? We look to Christ and the church: “The head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God” (1 Cor. 11:3).
Abortion advocates are correct that the Bible does not specifically mention abortion. But what’s the best explanation for its silence?
November and December 2023 New Releases
Learn about the new and notable resources releasing this month from Crossway including Reforming Criminal Justice and the ESV Prayer Journal: 30 Days on Wisdom.
4 Feasts We Eat Every Week at Church
The primary spiritual meal of our week is before us on Sunday mornings. Through a sumptuous banquet for our hungry souls, God’s word nourishes us. Together.
10 Key Bible Verses on God’s Providence
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will . . .
What Did Jesus Teach about Himself?
Jesus taught on a variety of topics, from family, to money, to discipleship, and more. But there is one subject that is central to all his other teachings—himself.
Podcast: The State of Women’s Ministry in the US (Courtney Doctor and Joanna Kimbrel)
Courtney Doctor and Joanna Kimbrel delve into the key questions and concerns that arise in women's ministry, touching on practical issues like how to get started and how to encourage discipleship.
Reading the Creation Story on the Shoulders of Giants
Reflect on God's creation of the universe and read from Genesis along with commentary notes from giants of the faith, such as John Calvin, Thomas Manton, Anselm, and Augustine.
How Adoption Mirrors God’s Love for the Fatherless
Throughout history, God has faithfully used Christians to play a pivotal role in orphan care. Until Christ’s return—when he brings full restoration and makes all things new—we’re called to continue this work.
Before You Gather, Mourn Your Sin
In our avoidance of sadness, we often numb ourselves to death with entertainment. Perhaps what we’re running from is not just sadness; perhaps we’re running from ourselves.
Without the Trinity the Doctrine of the Atonement Goes off the Rails
The atonement is the apex of the triune mission of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit working together to reconcile sinners and renew creation.
We develop wisdom by knowing the Bible and by relying on the Holy Spirit to help us correctly live it out.
‘The Biggest Story’ Christmas Devotional with Printable Ornaments
Take a journey through the Bible this December with the help of stories from The Biggest Story Bible Storybook, and prepare your family for the birth of Jesus the Savior!
Why I No Longer Support the Death Penalty
In law school, I was a full-throated supporter of the death penalty, but I have come to the view that, as currently practiced in the United States, the death penalty is unjust as the Bible defines justice.
It’s not that Jesus merely teaches truth or that his words are true (he does, and they are!); Jesus is truth embodied. Truth incarnate.
What Does It Mean to Be Pro-Life?
A biblical Christian ethic is concerned with the whole life. But the organizational priorities of pro-life organizations are necessarily narrow.
Podcast: The Case for Abortion—and How to Refute It (Scott Klusendorf)
Scott Klusendorf offers pro-life training by actually making a compelling case for abortion so that he can teach us how to refute it through simple logic and reason.
The Sacraments Are a Christian’s Answer to Questions of Identity
Put differently, being in Christ is our primary identity as Christians. This is true because Jesus Christ, the Son of God incarnate, is the God-man
5 Ways to Practice Scripture Meditation
Whether we are feasting with our church—a fantastic God-given means of built-in meditation alongside other hungry believers—or “snacking on” Scripture alongside our children, the point is that we feed our souls.
7 Things I Prayed for My Husband through 30 Years of Ministry
Marriage to a man in any particular profession has particular difficulties. Over the years, I have learned to pray for the needs of my husband that are distinct to his calling as a pastor.
Being Constantly Online Has Changed Us More than We Think
When you ask, How could being on the internet so much be shaping us?, the real answer is, How could it not be shaping us?
The Hope of the Gospel Is Someone, Not Something
The hope of the gospel is Christ. The Father has accomplished our redemption and reconciliation through his Son in order to present us blameless at the final judgment.
We Forget Just Why We Live in a WEIRDER World
The rate of change in the last two centuries makes the past feel much further away than it actually is, which inclines us to fawn over the future, and either patronize the past or ignore it altogether.
Podcast: Inside Crossway’s Plan to Give Away One Million Bibles (Anthony Gosling and Randy Jahns)
Crossway’s Anthony Gosling and Randy Jahns discuss the One Million Bibles initiative and Crossway’s work to distribute Bibles all around the world.
Why Do We Get Baptized One Time but Take Communion Many Times?
Many Christians today have a weak understanding of the sacraments and what they accomplish in the lives of believers.
3 Things That Must Change in the American Justice System
The American justice system has an accuracy problem. And this accuracy problem is a justice problem—a biblical justice problem.
Matt Martens sets forth a distinctly Christian vision of criminal justice, highlighting how the great commandment to love God and love our neighbor should inform our approach to both the victim and the accused.
How Were the Books of the Bible Chosen?
We got the Bible through a providential process. God continually orchestrated both what was going on in the Jewish synagogue and also how the books were being used and affirmed by Christians.
10 Key Bible Verses on Sanctification
For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
Does Anyone Who Accepts Law and Circumcision Lose Their Salvation? (Galatians 5)
This passage reminds Christians to live in the knowledge that God loves them and has shown his love for them through the death of Christ on their behalf and through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.
What Is Distinct about the Theology of Colossians?
The theology of Colossians is distinct because it arises from Paul’s response to a false teaching that was threatening the church in Colossae.
Answering Kids’ Hardest Questions: Will God Always Keep Me Safe?
As a parent, we’re often trying to help our kids overcome fears that they might be encountering in their lives. But we have to remember that God never promises bad things won't happen to us.
Is “Mental Illness” a Helpful Label?
Labels can be helpful in beginning to describe or define what we are talking about, but labels can also cause difficulties.
Audiobook Preview: ‘Remaking the World’ (Andrew Wilson)
Today we're pleased to share the complete first chapter of the audiobook for Remaking the World read by the author, Andrew Wilson.
6 Habits of Heart and Mind for Lifelong Learners
Lifelong learning for the glory of Christ calls for continual growth in six habits of mind and heart. We seek to instill these habits in our students so that their education does not stop when their schooling stops.
What Does It Mean to Grieve the Holy Spirit?
To grieve the Holy Spirit is something we’re told is possible and we’re commanded not to do. There are two ways of thinking about it.
Learn more about the new and notable resources releasing this month from Crossway. Titles include Sunday Matters by Paul David Tripp and the ESV Chronological Bible.
Kristen Wetherell answers questions from around the world about things like keeping your Bible reading time fresh and making time for God’s word as a busy parent.
Is it true that it's not just the messages that we find on the web that influence us but that it’s the web itself, the process through which the web puts us as we engage its powers?
7 Tips for Cultivating Deeper Relationships at Church
Belonging is much deeper than fitting in, and it’s much more satisfying than merely having other people around. To belong is one of our deepest human needs.
Answering Kids’ Hardest Questions: Does God Love Me More When I Obey My Mom and Dad?
Because we’re not God, our anger is imperfect anger at times, even sinful. But it doesn’t change our love for our kids.
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.”
Is the “You Do You” Experiment Actually Working?
In our day, personal identity has never been more important. So there’s unprecedented interest in identity formation, being yourself, and thinking about yourself.
It Doesn’t Matter What Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh Was
The thorn’s purpose is to deflate the certainty that Paul would quietly become puffed up over his indescribable experience of heaven. And who wouldn’t, without a thorn to burst that bubble?
God’s Blessing Goes Deeper than Any Gift or Experience
We often think of God's blessing as an achievement or an experience, but it actually goes far deeper. Chris Castaldo started learning this lesson at age nineteen in a hospital.
“Love is love” proudly pronounced that the lover's authenticity determines the love's integrity. Who can judge love? it asked. But does God define love, or do I? Is God love, or are my feelings my God?
Celebrating 85 Years of Crossway’s Tracts Ministry
2023 marks the 85th anniversary of the birth of Good News Publishers, and Crossway is casting a vision for its tracts ministry for the future.
Podcast: When Your Kid Needs a Friend (Trillia Newbell)
Trillia Newbell unpacks how God has designed all of us for friendship—both with one another and even more importantly, with himself.
How Did Jesus’s Stories Get Passed On?
Some seek to explain how the stories were passed from Jesus into the Gospels, but that question, though tending to get primacy in academic discussion, is actually secondary.
10 Key Bible Verses on Justification
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand . . .
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?
What Is Distinct about the Theology of 2 Corinthians?
If otherwise vital Pauline notions such as “grace” and “law” are nowhere near the heart of Paul’s concerns in 2 Corinthians, what is the heart or center or core burden of this letter?
How to Pray for Your Teen’s Spiritual Growth
Here are seven specific bibliical prayers that I’m praying for my own (almost) teenager, and which I’d encourage you to pray for yours.
How Does D. A. Carson Define Theology?
While Carson acknowledges that “theology can relate to the entire scope of religious studies,” he uses “the term more narrowly to refer to the study of what the Scriptures say.”
5 Ways the World Would Be Worse without Christianity
Christians are instructed to “check their privilege” and “do the work” to repudiate Christianity’s toxic legacy. But what would the world really be like without Christianity?
Podcast: How the World Found Democracy—and Became Ex-Christian (Andrew Wilson)
Andrew Wilson explains why the idea of democracy was so transformative in the decades following the American Revolution and how industrialization changed the way people thought about the world.
Jesus Was More Than a Storyteller
What if the great storyteller also lived a perfect life? What if he came from God? What if he was the long-anticipated Jewish Messiah?
3 Core Beliefs of the Transgender Movement
The transgender revolution is sweeping. Deeper understanding of it requires us to consider three core beliefs that underly it and make it possible.
Read-Aloud Video: ‘Lucy and the Saturday Surprise’
Watch a video and enjoy hearing this children's story about the dangers of envy and joy of contentment read aloud by its author Melissa Kruger.
How to Make Your House a Home Base for Mercy
Can I let you in on an embarrassing secret? When I hear someone at the door, my instinct is to breathe a frustrated sigh as numerous thoughts race through my head.
Are You Losing Your Gospel Mind?
I don’t know about you, but in the rush and press of life I can lose my mind. No, I’m talking about a subtle form of insanity that often inflicts me and a vast number of my Christian brothers and sisters.
10 Things You Should Know about the Holy Spirit
When you find your mind wandering or getting lost in the details of pneumatology (the doctrine of the Holy Spirit), just call back to mind the basic Christian confession that there is one God in three persons.
The Shepherd Can Lead You through the Valley of Darkness Because He’s Been There
Our great familiarity with Psalm 23 as a whole might cause us to miss the stunning way the shepherd leads the sheep for his name’s sake.
While we should be careful not to reduce gender to cultural stereotypes, we must realize that uprooting gender from biology effectively kills it. If gender can be anything, it ends up being nothing.
Podcast: When Churches Get Doctrine Right and Everything Else Wrong (Ray Ortlund and Sam Allberry)
Ray Ortlund and Sam Allberry discuss the connection between gospel doctrine and gospel culture and share what it looks like when a church is theologically careful but culturally sick.
God’s rebuke is never about giving up on us; it’s about investing in us once again. God rebukes us because we need it.
Tracing Christianity’s Impact on Slavery through the Centuries
If we live in the West, we often take freedom for granted. But the idea that every human is of equal dignity and should be afforded liberty has not been obvious to most cultures.
A Church Is Not Just a Truth-Dispensing Center
The church is the household of God, so we can expect relationships, interaction, and shared identity to be fundamental aspects of its life.
Something Scarier Than the Storm
Jesus’s miracle in the boat didn’t solve the disciples’ life problems; it gave them a bigger problem. Now they had to figure out what to do with Jesus.
10 Key Bible Verses on the Church
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
The Problem with Trying to Portray the Holy Spirit
As we strive to know the Holy Spirit the way he makes himself known in Scripture, we are constantly tempted to add a few details, to quietly nudge the Spirit in the direction of being more immediately vivid.
Feeling Alone in a Crowded Congregation
We are social beings, and human connection is essential for our brain functioning, physical health, and emotional well-being. Loneliness is the unsurprising symptom of an individualistic society.
Individualism Is Defeated Every Sunday Morning
Paul Tripp describes a transformational perspective that changes the Sunday worship service from feeling like an obligation to being a wonderful gift.
God’s word and his holiness ought to bring us to our knees in fear, reverence, and obedience. And they ought to make us ask for a mediator—someone to act as a go-between for us and God.
Podcast: Why Have So Many People Stopped Going to Church? (Paul Tripp)
Paul Tripp reflects on the importance of not just the universal church but the local gathered church, and he responds to many of the reasons that people stop going to church.
Dear Pastor . . . Let Christ Preach
If preaching isn’t simply transferring data or trying to make people feel something through our charisma, what is it?
There is one kind of bad news that you and I often work to deny but that we desperately need to face. Facing this news is a matter of life and death, even though it is the worst news ever.
5 Ways for Ordinary Christians to Engage in the Mission of Christ
God’s redemptive mission is vast, touching every part of life in a fallen world. For ordinary Christians, that call can feel daunting.
Learn more about the new and notable resources releasing this month from Crossway including Five Lies of Our Anti-Chrisitan Age by Rosaria Butterfield and Ditigal Liturgies by Samuel James.
More than any other physical feature, we associate the face with a person. Faces matter to people, and so it’s not surprising that faces matter in the Bible.
Introducing the ESV Heirloom Bible, Alpha Edition
A closer look at a new edition being added to Crossway's popular line of Heirloom Bibles.
Help! I Don’t Know If I’m Doing Enough for Christ
Following Jesus is costly. But, Jesus is a giver, not a taker. He calls us to die so that we can live.
Introducing the For the Bible Tells Me So Series
For the Bible Tells Me So board books immerse little ones in the gospel, teaching them who God is and why they should love and trust him as their Lord and Savior.
3 Times You Should Disobey Authority
No human authority is absolute. Authority is always relative to the assignment given by the Authority Giver.
The beauty of Psalm 23 is that it is so simple and clear that it almost needs no interpretation or exposition.
Podcast: Answering Common Questions about Mental Illness (David Murray)
David Murray responds to questions regarding anxiety, depression, and other forms of mental illness and also offers advice on differentiating between normal feelings of sadness and something more serious.
What’s underneath cowardice? How does the Bible describe what’s underneath that cowardly demeanor? The answer is unbelief. We don’t believe that God can do it.
Introducing a Devotional Liturgy for the Advent Season
A closer look at two new devotionals for this Christmas season to help Christians effectively prepare their hearts for the arrival of their King and worship him the way he deserves.
When the risen Christ sought to put those in charge or in leadership in local churches, he chose—amazingly—teachers.
You and Your Toddler Teach One Another Theology
There is no distinction between the sacred and the secular; everything belongs to the Lord and is under his reign.
Does the Gospel Need a Feminist Rescue?
Men and women and children are to conduct themselves in accordance with a pattern. A woman’s personal gifts do not take priority over the design pattern that God established in the garden.
Did Christ Die for My Sins Just So That I Can Go to Heaven?
The question, Did Christ die for my sins so that I can go to heaven? assumes something that is correct, but not complete.
10 Things You Should Know about the Most Famous Blessing in the Bible
It’s quite possible that this Scripture text is the one you’ve heard most often in worship. Here are ten things you should know about this most famous blessing.
Feeling hopeless and helpless is a feeling that we all have encountered at various times in our lives. This feeling or thought is the most painful part of all mental illness.
Podcast: Have We Domesticated the Cross? (Jeremy Treat)
Jeremy Treat talks about how the doctrine of atonement is often misunderstood by believers and unbelievers alike and about the impact that it should make on our day to day lives as followers of Christ.
10 Key Bible Verses on God’s Holiness
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim
We instinctively recognize that the solution to bad authority is seldom no authority, but almost always good authority.
How Puritan Women Debunk 3 Puritan Stereotypes
Puritan stereotypes—which go all the way back to the 17th Century—are still going strong. It almost seems like no matter how many solid scholarly books are written about them, the stereotypes will live on.
When Genuine Obedience Becomes Impossible, Hell Becomes Impossible as Well
There’s no way to understand the pastoral epistles unless you realize Paul has a category for Christians who are living a faithful, obedient life, and a category for those who are unrepentant, in whom there’s no progress.
3 Ways the Internet Itself Resembles Pornography
It is not just that much pornography can be found online. It is that the web, by virtue of what it is, is intrinsically pornographically shaped.
15 Passages to Read to Help Fight Pride
Pride can be a struggle for every one of us and is at the root of other sins in our lives as well. Consider meditating on these verses from God's word to help fight against the sin of pride.
Missionaries Come from People Like You
God is closing in on some of you. He is like the “Hound of Heaven” who means to make you far happier in some dangerous and dirty work. Missionaries and ministers of mercy don’t come from nowhere.
Introducing ‘Jesus and the Gift of Friendship’
Learn about a new storybook by Trillia Newbell that teaches kids to embrace Jesus as their closest friend and provider.
5 Lies Our Culture Is Telling Us
When it seems like we are living at ground zero of the Tower of Babel, when the whole world seems to have gone mad, we need to cling to Christ with courage.
Podcast: Sexual Confusion, Cultural Lies, and Our Christian Witness (Rosaria Butterfield)
Rosaria Butterfield responds to many of the most common claims and arguments that we often hear related to gender and sexuality today. She also answers tough questions that many of us may encounter.
We (Do Not) Hold These Truths to Be Self-Evident
We are inclined to see equality and human rights as universal norms. But in reality they are culturally conditioned beliefs that depend on fundamentally Christian assumptions about the world.
Reading the Bible Is a Discipline, Loving the Bible Is a Gift from God
Reading the Bible is an action. It's something that I do, but there is a supernatural reality going on when we open God's Word that we can't see with our eyes.
Jesus seeks disciples—people who respond to all that he is and all that he offers with a faith that says, “Wherever you take me, I’ll go.”
Has Our Society Lost Its Vision of What It Means to Be Human?
These moral universes are irreconcilable. They’re impenetrable. We are unable to reason together on even the most basic essentials necessary for the common good.
Can a Christian Have Mental Illness?
Some Christians believe that Christians cannot have mental illness. If a professing Christian is depressed, anxious, or bipolar, they think it’s because they are not a real Christian, or it's because of unrepented sin.
5 Ways the Digital Age Is Transforming the Way You Think
Our work, education, relationships, and even worship are increasingly happening digitally. Our tendency is often to think of these technologies as just neutral “tools." But this is not quite right.
Spiritually Hungry? The Church Service Is Your Main Meal
We have a set-apart opportunity to breathe in God’s breathed-out words, to hear, and to believe. I want to encourage you: this matters!
Is There a Difference between Courage and Christian Courage?
Jesus is better. And that enables me to face the danger, the hardship, and the fear of death that’s in front of me, because Christ is gain.
Podcast: Why You Can’t Stop Looking at Your Phone (Samuel James)
Samuel James sets forth a distinctly Christian theology of technology, one that is profoundly realistic about its power, both for good and evil.
Did Anything Happen in 1776 besides That One Thing?
Beginning in northwestern Europe, economic growth began outpacing population growth, and more people found themselves getting richer than their parents. The world has not been the same since.
10 Key Bible Verses on the Trinity
All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
How to Pray for a Loved One Struggling with Mental Illness
When God gives us the right spirit in prayer—the spirit of hope, patience, and love—that will usually result in the right petitions.
5 Ways You Can Nourish Your Soul with God’s Word
In this 12-minute video, Kristen Wetherell describes one method for interacting with God’s Word that is distinct from a traditional quiet time and suggests five creative ways we can use it to nourish our hungry souls.
The Necessity of Faith in Science
Cory C. Brock, James Eglinton, N. Gray Sutanto
The temptation of Christians throughout history, according to Bavinck, has always been to separate faith from reason or to synthesize them in a syncretistic manner.
What Can We Know about the Father’s Involvement in the Crucifixion?
What sort of knowledge of God’s action in Christ’s death may we have? That a man named Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate. What further knowledge about the cross, then, may Christians enjoy?
The Invention That Changed Everything
If you had to name the most important invention of the last thousand years, what would come to mind?
One Simple Yet Crucial Decision College Freshmen Need to Make
My oldest son is a freshman in college. So I’ve thought about this question: What is that important piece of advice for a graduating high school student heading off to college?
This might sound surprising (even scandalous!), but there is no command in the Bible about having a daily quiet time.
Podcast: Is Your Soul Starved for Nourishment? (Kristen Wetherell)
Kristen Wetherell offers wisdom and encouragement to the Christian struggling with a lack of passion for God's Word, and she shares practical tips for establishing better Bible reading habits.
Since the cross was a monstrous symbol of death and defeat in the first century, it is no wonder that early Christians were mocked for worshiping a crucified Savior.
10 Key Bible Verses on God’s Love
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Dear Pastor . . . We Are Out of Balance
The world as God created it was designed with perfect balance. What is balance? It is everything in its right place doing what it was meant to do. We cannot even picture such a world.
How We Can Cherish the Work of the Holy Spirit
John Owen points out three things that we see in the New Testament in terms of how we can go about cherishing the work of the Spirit.
The Sermon on the Mount Is Not an Impossible Standard to Make Us Feel Bad
If we approach the Sermon on the Mount only or mainly as a means by which we see our sinfulness, we’ve not taken the sermon on its own terms.
How Can Evangelicals and Catholics Work Together for the Common Good?
There is a lot of overlap in the convictions that Protestants and Catholics have on a lot of deeply controversial moral and ethical issues in our society.
10 Things You Should Know about the Atonement
Through his death on the cross Jesus accomplishes reconciliation, victory, removal of shame, justification, adoption, propitiation, glorification, healing—and much more!
Jesus Said More about Hell Than Anyone in the Bible
The word wrath is important for understanding what Jesus meant by hell. Hell is not simply the natural consequence of rejecting God.
Podcast: Remembering the “Seashells” Sermon 23 Years Later (John Piper)
John Piper shares what he was thinking as he walked onto the stage on May 20th, 2000 to deliver a message to over 30,000 young people and talks about the impact that sermon had on his ministry.
How the Bible Talks about Corporate Responsibility and Repentance
Do we share some responsibility for the sins committed by those who were part of the same immediate family? What about the same religious family?
Where Do We First See the Hope of the Resurrection in the Bible?
When you read what New Testament authors say, Jesus’s resurrection has fulfilled an earlier hope. And we can see that the resurrection is an ancient notion.
Help! God Didn’t Answer My Prayer
The problem of “unanswered prayers” is one we all must reckon with. What we hear in Scripture often seems to contradict what we see in everyday experience
Is There Any Benefit to Looking Inward to Find Myself?
It's easy nowadays to sneer at people who say things like, "Be yourself. Be true to yourself. You do you.” But the reality is there are some real benefits to looking within yourself to find yourself.
Backsliding Stems from Indifference to the Necessity of Christ
There are reasons that are peculiar unto every especial instance of backsliding in any kind. We must not forgo the gospel, with our own experience, and ruin our souls.
On the Crushing Guilt of Failing at Quiet Time
Meet any mature, fruitful Christian, and you can almost guarantee he regularly has something like a “quiet time”—a time set aside to talk to God in prayer and hear from God in the word.
Rebalancing Our Approach to Observing the Sabbath
We don’t want to add to his Word. We don’t want to take away from his Word. We want to observe his Word, and the Sabbath is no exception.
Learn more about the new and notable resources releasing this month from Crossway, including Impossible Christianity by Kevin DeYoung and Help for the Hungry Soul by Kristen Wetherell.
How Do We Define “Success” in Ministry?
We do the work of pastoral ministry so that our people might treasure Christ together. That’s the often unheralded yet beautiful definition of “success.”
Podcast: Christianity Is Both Easier and Harder Than You Think (Kevin DeYoung)
Kevin DeYoung discusses the reasons we’re so hard on ourselves and what it looks like to truly embrace the freedom and joy of being beloved children of our heavenly Father.
Why Is the Pentateuch Referred to as the Book of Moses?
If Moses is behind the Pentateuch, that lends a certain massive authority to it. It's a singular book and Moses is ultimately the author, so we should listen to it.
10 Things You Should Know about the Psalms
Bruce K. Waltke, Fred G. Zaspel
Throughout the history of the church, Psalms has been among the first books of the Bible translated and the most commonly read and memorized.
10 Key Bible Verses on Community
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens . . .
Here’s the principle. Seeing courage spreads courage. Seeing boldness awakens boldness. Seeing fearlessness overcomes fear.
14 Principles for Studying the Bible
How can you dig deeper into God’s Word? Understand it better? Apply it well? Keep these fourteen foundational Bible study principles in mind when you read.
11 Reasons Jesus Is the Perfect Husband
John Owen argues that we live out our friendship with the Father with his love at the center, but when it comes to the Son, it’s all about his grace.
We get our Bible, first of all, because God has chosen to reveal himself to humans. If it weren’t for that first step, of course, there would be no Bible.
What Did Jesus Teach about Giving Generously?
The reason money is so crucial for Jesus is that across all cultures and all ages it represents the alternative to God as the treasure of our hearts, and therefore the object of our worship.
The Greatest Danger That Any Human Being Faces
For sinners, God is the supreme terror, and when we rightly understand our situation, we are right to fear.
Podcast: Are You Courageous or Cowardly? (Joe Rigney)
Joe Rigney discusses what it really means to have Christian courage. He explores why, contrary to common misconceptions, true courage isn’t the absence of fear but rather requires it.
Beauty Is in the Eye of the True Beholder
We know there is such a thing as beauty. We know this biblically. And if the Bible stipulates certain things as beautiful, then there really is beauty in the eye of the Beholder, with a capital B.
James calls on Christians to reckon any situation, however difficult, as an occasion of intense joy. Not every element of suffering is joy. But, however severe one’s suffering, every trial is a time for intense joy.
Practically, How Do We Abide in Jesus?
Jesus commands that we go on repenting, coming, believing, loving, and listening. The transformation of repentance continues. Coming to Jesus again and again continues.
Turning Prayer from Monologue into Dialogue with God
Prayer is not pleading with a God who is not already there to somehow show up. Prayer is not enticing a silent God to finally speak.
Teens Need Something They Can’t Find Online
It is vitally important today for all of us to prioritize our local church even as the rest of the world moves more of life online. The body of Christ is essential to spiritual growth.
Why Did God’s Beautiful Plan of Redemption Involve Something So Ugly?
When we consider carefully what Jesus was doing on that old, rugged cross, we can understand why it was so ugly. To atone for our transgressions, Jesus had to shoulder our guilty sins.
Dear Pastor . . . You’re a Shepherd, Not an Entrepreneur
If we plant churches as pastors, not entrepreneurs, whose aim is to love Christ and feed and tend the sheep of Christ’s reward, then we can sleep well knowing our work will endure.
Podcast: On Apologetics: The Best of ‘The Crossway Podcast’
We are pleased to offer a selection of some of the best moments related to apologetics from the podcast over the past four years.
Why Is the Book of Romans Considered the Greatest Letter Ever Written?
Studying Romans carefully is worth every minute you invest that way. It’s a relatively short letter, it takes about sixty minutes to read aloud, and it’s profound.
Delight in God Must Be the Fuel for Mission
The foundation of all our mission is our knowledge and enjoyment of God. Our delight in God is the main fuel for mission.
10 Key Bible Verses on Being Happy
The joy that Paul calls for is not a happiness that depends on circumstances but a deep contentment that is in the Lord, based on trust in the sovereign, living God.
12 Old(ish) Books to Read When You Are Young
Talk to almost any mature, vibrant Christians, and they will tell you about Christian books that have been instrumental in their lives.
The Counterintuitive Path to Blessing
When we pray for God’s kingdom to come “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10), we sometimes imagine the kingdom to be far away.
Jesus is not commending hypocritical prayer. He is not calling for show-prayer. He is calling for real prayer, that is, real Godward desire for the good of our enemy.
Your Prayer Life Might Be Better Than You Think
Scripture’s prayers, especially the psalms, are prayers we can and should take on our lips. We can pray through Scripture. It’s part of learning how to pray.
How Slowing Down Speeds Up the Church
The kingdom of heaven is like a marathon runner. He gets better at running fast by running slower. In this is a parable for church planting that demands we pay attention.
Podcast: The Doctrine on Which the Church Stands or Falls (Matthew Barrett)
Matthew Barrett sheds light on the meaning of justification by faith alone, explaining why it’s so central to the Christian faith, and he explores why the book of James says that we’re not justified by faith alone.
Does America’s History Reveal a Common Consensus on Abortion?
Knowing abortion is murder is not something that is just a result of modern technology. It has been the common sense of people in America for centuries.
10 Things You Should Know about the Beatitudes
The Beatitudes set the moral and spiritual bar so high that we cannot possibly live up to them—and in our best moments, we know this.
Is It Fair for God to Judge Those Whom He Predestined? (Romans 9)
What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
What Are Some Dangers of Neglecting Church History?
By cutting ourselves off from church history, we are cutting ourselves off from a rich tradition that the Holy Spirit has been teaching the church through his faithful disciples.
How to Grow in the Fear of the Lord
Since the fear of God is a matter of the heart’s deepest inclinations, how you think you can cultivate it will depend on how you think our hearts work.
15 Passages to Read Together with Your Family
Reading the Bible aloud together can have a powerful impact. If you’re not sure where to begin, read any of these 15 passages as you commit to reading the Bible as a family.
How Can Jesus Possibly Say That Those Who Mourn Are Blessed?
Much of life happens before you are ready. Our hearts race and our minds search for meaning, but some circumstances resist explanation.
14 Lesser-Known Details about J. I. Packer
Everyone has a dimension of personality and life that is hidden from public view and known mainly by family members and close acquaintances. Read 14 details related to this lesser-known side of J. I. Packer.
Podcast: How to Explain the Hypostatic Union to a Fifth Grader (Stephen Wellum)
Stephen Wellum explains where we see the hypostatic union taught in Scripture and highlights why all Christians would benefit from taking time to think carefully about Jesus being fully God and fully man.
Not If but When: Reflections on 4 Different Kinds of Healing
At some point or other, every Christian with a disability is going to have to figure out how to think about physical healing. In our case, theological reflection on healing has been essential.
Why You Should Enroll in Wisdom University
The primary reason people drop out of Wisdom University is peer pressure—the influence of others in the same social group or age group.
5 Questions Singles Might Have about Marriage
Whether married or single, growth in all areas is the best preparation for the Christian life. Pursue humility, wisdom, prayerfulness, the fear of the Lord, and the fruit of the Spirit without holding back.
Learn more about the resources releasing this month from Crossway like Answering Speech by Dan Brendsel and Planting by Pastoring by Nathan Knight.
What Does Ecclesiastes 1:2 Mean?
People seek lasting significance, but no matter how great their accomplishments, they are unable to achieve the significance they desire.
Motherhood Isn’t What I Expected
Motherhood isn’t what I expected. It hasn’t delivered all that I hoped it would, and instead it’s given me some things I never asked for. What about you?
“How much will you lose if you follow Jesus?” That’s the devil’s favorite question; he has successfully used it more than any other to lead billions to hell.
13 Times Jesus Amazed His Hearers in 2 Words or Less
Look at the red letter edition of the Bible! There are pages of verses in red. Treasure-filled treatises. But sometimes, Jesus gave a full, significant, amazing, life-giving answer in two words or less.
Podcast: How Were the Books of the Bible Chosen? (Michael Kruger)
Michael Kruger walks us through the history of the canon and responds to common questions and misconceptions people tend to have related to our Bibles, how they were formed, and what it means for our faith.
Growth in Christ Is Not Just Personal Improvement
Jesus is not a concept. Not an ideal. Not a force. Growing in Christ is a relational, not a formulaic, experience. Who then is this person?
How to Fight Well in the War against Porn
Many people believe they’ll flourish from the outside in, but we believe we flourish from the inside out. We believe the great things in life come not from our outward advantages but from our inward resources.
What Peter and Jude Would Say to the Contemporary Church
One of the things that makes 2 Peter and Jude so relevant to our contemporary situation is the fact that they address issues that the church still faces today.
10 Key Bible Verses on the Holy Spirit
These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
I’ll Be More Faithful When I’m Older
I thought I would get to be this wise Christian woman that I desired to be later in life, and I really thought that would just come with age.
10 Things You Should Know about Elisabeth Elliot
The single great passion in Elisabeth’s life was not Jim Elliot, but her desire to know the God who loved her with an everlasting love.
The common good is such an important concept because it helps us understand that when we are pursuing the welfare of the city, we're not looking out for our self-interest alone.
Should Christians Sue Each Other? (1 Corinthians 6)
Paul’s main charge in this passage is that believers who have legal disputes with fellow believers should settle those disputes before believers and not take them to the law court before unbelievers.
Podcast: Why the Church Needs Spiritual Mothers (Susan Hunt)
Susan Hunt reflects back on decades spent working to nurture the practice of Christian mentoring and shares her personal experience of mentoring others and being mentored herself.
The Center of the Center of the Pentateuch
If you look at the structure of the Pentateuch, we've got five books. Right in the middle is Leviticus. And what do we find right in the middle at the center of the center of the Pentateuch?
Observing the Sabbath Starts on Monday Morning
I need to order my life Monday through Saturday so that I can do the work God has given me to do in the six days that he's given me. And if I can't do that, then the problem is on my end.
What Does It Mean to Walk in the Spirit?
Margaret Elizabeth Köstenberger
Prior to their new life in Christ, New Testament believers had not experienced the continual indwelling of the Spirit. It was at Pentecost that the Spirit came upon the first believers and the church was born.
Good Advice for Living a Countercultural Life
When you think about your life, you are the main character. You never think about your life as a supporting actor or actress in someone else’s story.
Why God’s Promises Are Important for Kids Too
The struggles and complexities of life teach us through the years that we must rely on our heavenly Father. How are God’s promises also for our little ones?
Why Elisabeth Elliot Changed Her Beliefs about Finding God’s Will
Elliot had left Ecuador with a changing understanding of God’s will. Circumstances had forced her to look long and hard at her beliefs about God’s guidance.
10 Things You Should Know about Sanctification
Margaret Elizabeth Köstenberger
Though work remains to be done in terms of our spiritual growth, the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit involves placing us in a spiritual position of having been cleansed from sin.
What Memorizing Scripture Will Do for Your Kids
One of the neglected spiritual disciplines of our time is Scripture memorization. Rarely are churches, families, and individuals taking the time to learn by heart God’s Word.
Podcast: The Life and Legacy of Elisabeth Elliot (Lucy S. R. Austen)
Lucy S. R. Austen shares insights into Elisabeth Elliot’s missionary work in Ecuador and how her writing in the years that followed impacted thousands of believers around the world.
The Seeds of Promise and Grace Planted in Genesis 3
If we study the fall in Genesis 3, I think we're going to notice that the seeds that are planted in that chapter are going to bear much fruit to flower over the progressive revelation of the Old Testament.
The Psalms Are Both by and about the King
Bruce K. Waltke, Fred G. Zaspel
Fundamentally, the Psalms are both by and about the king. The Psalter can be thought of as a royal hymnbook, and its individual psalms have the house of David as its subject matter and point of reference.
What Is Our Friendship with God Supposed to Look Like?
We think that communion with God, or friendship with God, is some sort of secret, mystical, spiritual experience, but it's not as complicated as we might be tempted to think.
Learn more about the new and notable resources releasing this month from Crossway. Titles include The Biggest Story Curriculum: Box Set by Kevin DeYoung and Elisabeth Elliot by Lucy S. R. Austen.
Why Did Ruth Enter Boaz’s Tent in the Middle of the Night? (Ruth 3)
Naomi’s plan initiates this scene’s events. After Boaz has eaten and gone to bed, Ruth is to enter his tent, lift the blanket at his feet and lie down, and wait for him to wake. Why does she do this?
Does the Bible Speak to Today’s Struggle with Personal Identity?
The Bible does actually address many of the questions of identity that we’re asking today—in really profound, beautiful, and true ways.
How (and How Not) to Read the Psalms
Bruce K. Waltke, Fred G. Zaspel
Although we all have derived spiritual benefit from the Psalms—an ancient collection of poems—on many levels, there are ways to read the Psalter that are more beneficial than others.
How to Help Your Kids Love the Bible
As parents and caregivers, we want our children to know the God revealed in the Bible and come to love his word deeply, just as we have.
An Antislavery Message from 1776 by the Nation’s First Black Ordained Minister
It is evident, by ocular demonstration, that man by his depravity has procured many corrupt habits that are detrimental to society.
Podcast: Parents, Your Kids Will Love What You Love—So Love the Bible (William Osborne)
Rusty Osborne explains how he has sought to model a genuine love for God in front of his kids, and he offers advice on how to answer your kids when they say things like “the Bible is boring.”
Dads, Remember the Power of the Open Book
Children who are able to read will benefit from being with their parents in worship, and it is the duty of husbands and fathers to make sure that their families hear God’s word both in private and in public.
Dear Pastor . . . When You Wonder How You’ll Make It, Remember This
In my experience, this unsaid thing for sustaining a long, fruitful life and ministry sounds too basic to some who quickly dismiss it.
An Untethered Identity Is Dangerous
The way that our world shapes and steers us on that quest for identity can be dangerous because it’s often without reference to God, without being anchored in his Word.
10 Things You Should Know about the Fall
Made for communion with God, Adam and Eve experienced alienation. Made for trust and hope and life abundant, they descended into sin and shame. They fell.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
This Day in History: The Death of Elisabeth Elliot
Elliot had weaknesses and strengths, she got things right and she got things wrong, and she did not necessarily know which were which. Nor do we. We are too small to see very far.
Jen Wilkin Answers Your Questions about Bible Study (Women of the Word Bonus Episode)
In this special bonus episode, Jen Wilkin answers the questions that listeners have sent in about studying the Bible.
Why Jesus Warns Us to Be Alert for His Second Coming
The appearing of Christ becomes a sudden trap not because it could happen any moment, but because the spiritually unseeing will be blind to Christ’s coming.
7 Tips for Teaching the Bible to Children
Teaching the Bible to children can be a great challenge, but, if done well, it will be deeply rewarding. By modeling your dedication for God’s Word, you can help children grow in their knowledge of and love for it.
Podcast: A Brief Look at One of the Shortest Books in the Bible (Matt Harmon)
Matt Harmon walks through the book of Jude to explain its meaning and relevance for God’s people today and explains how the key themes of this short, confusing letter apply to us.
The Message of the Book of Romans in One Sentence
Romans is about the good news—the gospel. The word gospel is prominent at the beginning and end of the letter. And we can summarize the bad news and the good news with four words.
What Did Jesus Teach about Justification?
When we think of justification conceptually instead of just verbally, we see that Jesus taught justification in his own idiom and his own way before Paul ever came on the scene.
The Right (and Wrong) Way to Be True to Yourself
You’re no longer worshiping the god of this age. You have the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. This is what’s true of you.
We first need to understand biblically what gentleness is, because it is a largely misunderstood term. In our day, we often associate gentleness with weakness. That is not the biblical virtue of gentleness.
The doctrine of the necessity of Scripture reminds us of our predicament: the One we need to know most cannot be discovered on our own, and this same ineffable One has made himself known through his word.
Why Bible Study Should Always Lead to Worship (Women of the Word Episode 10)
Jen Wilkin draws all of the ideas covered so far together to remind everyone what the true end of Bible study should be.
Introducing ‘The Biggest Story Podcast’
Journey through God’s word as a family—from Genesis to Revelation—with The Biggest Story Podcast—a brand-new podcast from Crossway!
What Is Justification by Works, and Why Do We Reject It?
The apostle Paul emphasizes that we are not justified by “works” or by the “works of the law,” and the question before us is what Paul means when he speaks this way.
The Vision for a New Children’s Curriculum: An Interview with Crossway CEO Josh Dennis
Crossway’s CEO, Josh Dennis, answers questions about The Biggest Story Curriculum, a new children’s curriculum based on the bestselling The Biggest Story Bible Storybook by pastor Kevin DeYoung.*
Introducing ‘The Biggest Story Curriculum’
Introducing a brand new children's curriculum set based on The Biggest Story Bible Storybook by Kevin DeYoung with 104 Bible lessons that will help children understand the storyline of the Bible.
Podcast: What’s Up with That Talking Snake? (Mitchell Chase)
Mitchell Chase walks us through the story of the fall from Genesis 3, showing how it connects to the whole of Scripture and highlighting key moments that we need to understand.
10 Key Bible Verses on Worship
Whereas Old Testament worship focused on offering animal sacrifices in the temple, Paul says that spiritual worship in a broad sense now includes offering one’s whole life to God.
Is Your View of Women Aligned with Your Theology?
A body of Christ is healthiest when women are esteemed and their gifts highly valued, not just in the home but also in the church.
Where Is the Promise of the Gospel Found in the Pentateuch?
There are going to be two lineages, two seeds: one of the woman and one of the serpent. Ultimately, the seed of the serpent is going to bruise the heel of the seed of the woman.
Why Is the Setting of Genesis 3 So Important to the Storyline of the Bible?
We are all born outside of Eden. In the garden, we are entering a world that is before the fall, and then we're watching an unfolding event.
The 10th Commandment: Don’t Even Think about It
If contentment has been a losing battle for you, if coveting comfort or cash or companions has been your common state, let the good news sink in: contentment is learned.
Tips to Help Anyone Teach the Bible (Women of the Word Episode 9)
Jen walks through different contexts for teaching the Bible, offering tips and wisdom on how to teach well no matter who or where you are.
2 Glorious Themes from These Overlooked Books of the Bible
In the context of 2 Peter and Jude, there’s a very strong emphasis on the reality of God judging those who are in rebellion against him. And that’s intended as comfort for his people.
Below is a list of the new and notable resources releasing this month from Crossway. Titles include Do Not Be True to Yourself by Kevin DeYoung and the ESV Teen Study Bible.
Podcast: Enjoying Food, Sports, and the Rest of God’s Good Gifts (Joe Rigney)
Joe Rigney talks about the biblical command to love God and turn away from idols, and he discusses how to navigate the confusing task of being in the world but not of it.
The Intersection of God’s Sovereignty and Our Perseverance
Thankfully, the maturity of a steadfast heart that reflects the image of your Savior and clings to the truth doesn’t weigh on only your shoulders.
What Does Colossians 1:15 Mean?
Readers often pause and puzzle over Colossians 1:15 and its statement that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is “the firstborn of all creation.”
Why Did God Send Bears to Attack a Group of Boys? (2 Kings 2)
Is this a shocking incident? Yes it is. But this incident is also one that fits perfectly with the flow of 2 Kings 1–2, in which we see very clearly how God not only works in the darkness but will not be silenced.
10 Devotional Treasures from Surprising Sources
Among the classics of devotional readings, we find that great devotionals often sprang from unexpected and even unintended origins, as the following list of ten surprising sources shows.
What Does a Breaking World Sound Like?
When we look around us and within us, a truth is clear: not all is well in God’s world and in God’s image bearers. Things are not the way they once were or will be.
What We Misunderstand about the Story of Abortion in America
If early American men were going on trial for forcing women to eat abortifacients, we certainly can’t believe what Justice Blackman wrote in his original Roe v. Wade opinion.
10 Bible Study Tools Every Christian Needs (Women of the Word Episode 8)
Jen Wilkin walks through different tools that can be used in the Bible study process and offers wisdom to help know when and how to best use them.
How Can God Be Both Righteous and Sovereign over Evil?
Everything that happens unfolds according to God's plan, without exception. But If God planned all things that ever come to pass, how is he not also the author of sin?
2 Ways You Can Make Your Pastor’s Job a Joy
It’s so important to say that humility toward leadership is not a blind and uncritical following. We always want to measure what we are being directed towards or encouraged in by Scripture.
Podcast: 6 Objections to Studying Theology That Don't Hold Up (Jon Nielson)
Jon Nielson addresses six common objections to studying theology that he's heard over the years as a pastor, including that it's too impractical, too confusing, and too divisive.
10 Key Bible Verses on Evangelism
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
An Open Letter to Graduating High School Seniors
Of all the decisions you’ll face this year, the most important one may be whether you get up and go to church on the very first Sunday when no one is there to make sure that you go.
8 Principles of Prayer from John Owen
There are some generally allowed principles, which, though not always duly considered, yet cannot at any time be modestly denied, that give direction toward the right performance of our duty [of prayer] herein.
An Attribute of God That Isn’t Discussed Enough
To talk about the aseity of God, then, is to say that God is from and of himself. He is completely self-originating and dependent on nothing other than himself.
Hard-Won Doctrines That We Take for Granted Today
We need to remember that we are indeed standing on the shoulders of those who’ve come before us. We need to be grateful for their labors and praise God.
I’d like to offer different advice than what you might hear elsewhere: “Do not follow your dreams. Do not march to the beat of your own drummer. And whatever you do, do not be true to yourself.”
Application: Understanding How Scripture Changes Us (Women of the Word Episode 7)
Jen Wilkin walks through the final stage of the Bible study process: application. She discusses how to know when it is actually time to move into this stage and how to avoid common pitfalls.
A Biblical Theology of Clothing
The provision of clothing makes the theological point that sin needs to be covered. And the language about uncovering nakedness is typically connected to a wicked act.
The Best Parenting Passage in the Entire Bible
Our children must learn to look at life through the lens of the will and plan of their Creator—to develop a comprehensive biblical worldview that is distinctively God-centered and biblically driven.
Podcast: The Graduation Speech You Won’t Hear This Year (Kevin DeYoung)
Kevin DeYoung argues that the last thing that God wants us to do is be true to ourselves, at least when it comes to our natural selves.
Children Are a Blessing (Even If You Don’t Feel That Way)
Our wayward feelings about motherhood—whether we are prone to glorying in it or growing bitter about it—need to consider the related truth that our Father has given his Son a heritage.
Is Your Work Life Biblically Balanced?
We are not only expected to crown Jesus as Lord of all someday in a heavenly future; we are required to acknowledge his dominion over all things every day.
5 Misconceptions about Heaven and Hell (and 5 Truths)
The most common misconceptions about heaven and hell have to do with their nature and purpose. There are many false ideas about what they will be like, but the word of God gives us a clear picture.
How to Encourage a Grieving Mother
Because of what Jesus did on the cross and the suffering that he took for her, every grieving mother has hope that one day these tears will be washed away.
Verses like these are a doorway into the message of the book, an entry at a high point of the story with all its tension and drama.
Introducing the ‘ESV Journaling Study Bible’
Learn about a new Bible featuring both in-depth study notes and plenty of room for taking your own notes as you study God’s Word.
How God Uses Friction to Shape Us
God employs friction to shape us into his Son’s likeness. Scripture reflects on this in various places.
Interpretation: Understanding What Scripture Means (Women of the Word Episode 6)
Jen Wilkin talks through what the process of interpretation looks like and gives encouragement for when we find ourselves daunted by the task.
7 Tips for Teaching Theology to Teens
If you’re a pastor, youth leader, ministry volunteer, or simply a Christian parent of a Christian teenager, you’ve probably struggled with the best approach in talking with young people about theology.
5 Hats That a Lead Pastor Must Wear
If the quality of our elder plurality determines the health of our church, then we need to know which hats will best help us to cultivate solid teams. Here are five hats senior leaders should wear.
Podcast: Wayne Grudem on His Life, Love of Theology, and Translating the Bible (Wayne Grudem)
Wayne Grudem talks about his life as a child and young adult, how he met his wife, and his journey to become one of the most influential American theologians of his generation.
The Biblical Case for Observing the Sabbath Today
We were made to work, but we were made for more than work. We were made for worship—fellowship in communion with the living God.
Coming Soon: ‘The Biggest Story Curriculum’
Releasing in June, The Biggest Story Curriculum will incorporate a host of integrated print and digital components to teach kids key Bible stories from Genesis to Revelation.
Reading the Bible Gathers a Family from Every Tribe and Tongue
Without the Bible, there would be no ingathering of God’s people, and without the Bible, there would be no beautification of the bride. So everyone who enters the people of God by faith comes by the word.
What Does It Mean to Live a Life Worthy of the Gospel?
On the one hand, here is the gospel. And on the other hand, here is your life. And Paul’s exhortation is this: Live in such a way that your life “weighs the same” as the gospel!
Why Were Ananias and Sapphira Killed? (Acts 5)
The account of Ananias and Sapphira causes understandable trouble for readers who believe their punishment to be harsh, but we should read it in the context of the description of the believing community.
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
Comprehension: Understanding What Scripture Says (Women of the Word Episode 5)
Jen Wilkin discusses the first of three steps in the Bible study process—comprehension. She walks through how this underappreciated step is a key building block to studying the Bible well.
How to Have the Mind of Christ
It is all very well to say that being “worthy of the gospel of Christ” means being restored to the image of God so that we begin to reflect the character of the Lord Jesus. But what does that mean?
Introducing ‘Lost in the Caverns’
The third book of the Dream Keeper Saga by Kathryn Butler, mixes fantasy with Christian themes, taking middle-grade readers on an adventure steeped in magic, mystery, and glimmers of hope.
What Is Natural Law and How Should It Be Used?
Natural law theory refers to the idea that there is an external moral order that God has brought into existence and is an extension of God’s reason and God's will.
Podcast: Sinclair Ferguson on Living a Life Worthy of the Gospel (Sinclair Ferguson)
Sinclair Ferguson walks through why living lives worthy of the gospel is a biblical exhortation that all Christians must take seriously and one that doesn't inevitably lead to the sin of legalism.
An Open Letter to Teens Facing Doubts about Christianity
Perhaps you believe in Jesus, but sometimes you are not sure. Maybe you find the Bible hard to understand or you find yourself wondering what is true. Asking questions is often the best way to learn.
Where Christ Isn’t Being Treasured, He’s Being Used
Christ as a treasure is not a slice of Christ. It is every dimension of Christ—all of Christ—making up the totality of his infinite value.
How to Improve in Our Reasoning
All our knowledge imitates God’s original knowledge. And this imitation is mysterious, because God’s knowledge is mysterious.
Learn more about the new and notable resources releasing this month from Crossway like Friendship with God by Mike McKinley and Job by Lydia Brownback.
What Does Perfect Anger Look Like?
Christ got angry and still gets angry, for he is the perfect human, who loves too much to remain indifferent. And this righteous anger reflects his heart, his tender compassion.
How Iran Became a Hotspot for Christianity
Despite Muslims’ commitment to bringing up their children in the ways of Allah, the Holy Spirit is stirring the hearts of children and adults in Islamic-ruled countries to bring them to faith in Jesus.
A Street-Level View of the History of Abortion
There is plenty of scholarship looking into the political history of abortion in America or the legal history, but we wanted to take a different angle.
Introducing the New ‘ESV Teen Study Bible’
The ESV Teen Study Bible is a robust new study Bible designed specifically for teens featuring 12,000 accessible study notes and 365 devotions.
Can I Really Have Friendship with the Triune God of the Universe?
Because of everything that God has done for us in Christ, we can shockingly have a relationship—a friendship—with God.
5 Key Principles for Transformative Bible Study (Women of the Word Episode 4)
Jen Wilkin walks through principles for studying the Bible that are essential to remember in order to get the most out of your time in God's word.
The Bible teaches that we are continuously dependent on God. This dependence includes not only dependence on him for food and physical sustenance, but dependence on him mentally.
Everyone Has a Worldview, and Almost No One Has a Worldview
J. H. Bavinck makes the paradoxical claim that worldview is both everywhere (“Everyone has a worldview”) and nowhere (“Almost no one has a worldview”). How can both these statements be true?
Podcast: Who’s in Charge of the Church? (Sam Emadi)
Sam Emadi breaks down the different leadership roles that Scripture outlines, explaining how God designed all of them to strengthen the body and glorify Christ.
How Should We Determine the Order of Worship in Our Church Services?
Our worship should be, among other things, God-fearing (Eccl. 5) and bibliocentric (Neh. 8). In other words, our worship should be God-revering and Scripture-saturated.
How Much Should Christians Care about the Environment?
God is committed to the earth and has given humans responsibility to care for it. This Biblical truth is foundational from the opening chapter of the Bible.
What Not to Do in Your Relationship with the Holy Spirit
A relationship is a two-way street; that means that there is a role for us to play with the Holy Spirit. We need to think about what we need to do in order to enjoy and live out our communion with him.
Learn to Say “Help” to the Lord
It is not always easy to talk openly to the Lord. We need help, but it is difficult to actually ask God for it. Why is it so difficult? Why do we sometimes resist speaking to him?
In the age of TikTok, how does a naked, bloodied, and bruised body hanging on a wooden cross outside Jerusalem have any connection with my life?
Is There a Wrong Way to Study the Bible? (Women of the Word Episode 3)
Jen Wilkin describes the wrong ways we approach Bible study and what our failed attempts to engage with God's Word reveal about our own attitude toward Scripture.
Consensus is hard, especially in an individualistic culture where “have it your way” consumerism is the air we breathe. Sometimes it’s just easier to say, “You do you, I’ll do me.”
What Is a Personality vs. a Soul?
A soul can be called a personality insofar as the powers within it have come into connection with each other and have penetrated one another.
5 Reasons You Did Not and Cannot Reinvent Yourself
You are not just an individual. You are not your own creation. You did not invent yourself. You exist in a web of relationships. You are a social animal.
Podcast: How to Respond to Common Arguments against Christianity (William Lane Craig)
William Lane Craig discusses how to respond to common arguments against Christianity that we often hear but may not know how to respond to.
Our Friendship with God Is a Two-Way Street
Most Christians know that they are supposed to do some basic things: go to church, avoid sin, read the Bible, and pray. But what do any of those things have to do with being God’s friend?
What Is Distinct about the Theology of Jude?
Knowing the true gospel inside and out is a crucial way of being able to identify departures from the gospel and remain true to Jesus.
10 Key Bible Verses on the Humanity of Jesus
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Knowing Church History Is an Asset for Every Pastor
Our brothers before us have gone down challenging roads and they have much that they can share that is of true benefit to us.
4 Privileges We Enjoy as Friends of God
Our friendship with God isn’t just a vague concept filed away in heaven, it’s a permanent and stable reality that gives shape and structure to our lives.
Overcoming Common Barriers to Bible Study (Women of the Word Episode 2)
Jen Wilkin identifies a handful of perceived obstacles that prevent us from studying the Bible and how we can actually overcome those and take joy in reading and studying God's word.
Fight the Good Fight but Surrender the Bad Ones
Paul shows the Philippians catastrophic consequences of unnecessary war to make them long for necessary peace. Let’s fight the good fight of faith but surrender bad fights of faith.
What Does 2 Peter 1:19–21 Mean?
God is a God who speaks and delights to reveal himself. And so when God speaks, he is telling us something about who he is, what he values, what's important to him, and what he is doing in this world.
Podcast: How Does Life Change If God Is Actually My Friend? (Mike McKinley)
Mike McKinley talks about what it means for us as Christians to be friends of God, about the friendship that Jesus had on earth, and about what it looks like for us to lean into our friendship with God.
Knowing the Power of His Resurrection
Do you strain with all of your might to see things the way Christ sees them? Do you strain to please him in everything? Do you strain to understand everything through him?
Reading the Easter Story on the Shoulders of Giants
Reflect on the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus with insight offered into these events by gifted teachers from church history like John Calvin, Martin Luther, Augustine, Jonathan Edwards, and Charles Spurgeon.
A really intriguing thing, which goes against the notion of expressive individualism, is the fact that we live in shared stories.
How can the covenant God redeem and restore his people and can even grace save them when they seem to have sinned away their blessings?
How Does the Cross Lead Us to Humility?
For an awakened heart—a heart that’s been touched by grace and the gospel—there’s a different kind of humility that is produced when you think about what Jesus did for you.
2 Comforts for Those Discouraged with Prayer
Many Christians are—or have been—discouraged by their prayer lives. Here are a couple of things to remember about the practice of prayer.
What Jesus Meant When He Said “The Kingdom of God Is at Hand”
He does not say “the exile is over” or even “salvation has come”—although both of these are connected to the kingdom—but “the kingdom of God is at hand.”
Introducing the ‘Women of the Word’ Podcast with Jen Wilkin
Join Jen Wilkin over ten weeks as she walks through methods, tips, and encouragements to studying the Bible more deeply so we might know and love the God of the Bible better.
How Studying the Bible Changed My Life (Women of the Word Episode 1)
Jen Wilkin discusses how believers can learn to study the Bible with both their hearts and their minds and ultimately love the God who it points to.
Which Approach to Bible Study Should I Use?
The longest-lasting—and most accurate and faithful to the Word and character of God—is to approach the Bible trying to understand what God is saying to us about himself.
Did a Faithless Gideon Use a Fleece to Test God’s Will? (Judges 6)
It is always in the context of human weakness that the Lord achieves his greatest victories, even the weakness of his own Son’s death on the cross.
Podcast: Help Jump-Start Your Journey through Scripture (Jonathan Pennington)
Jonathan Pennington details three helpful approaches to reading the Bible, and he also highlights the potholes that we so often run into as we engage with Scripture and how to avoid them.
Outward Beauty Cannot Bear the Weight of Being Your Source of Hope
Does our outward appearance convey to the watching world where our hope is? Does it show that our hope is firmly rooted and established in Jesus, in his good work, on our behalf?
Hope sometimes doesn’t feel like power; it feels like foolishness. High hopes can lead to horrible hopelessness. The Bible has something to say about that feeling.
10 Key Bible Verses on the Divinity of Jesus
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
4 Points of Evidence for the Resurrection
What historical evidence was sufficient to convince these non-Christians that the resurrection should be taken seriously and not carelessly dismissed?
Lepers Are Still Meeting Jesus and Being Healed
As a believer in Jesus, Dr. Suneetha has taken the responsibility of not only treating his patients’ physical conditions, but also sharing the opportunity for spiritual transformation.
A Key Difference between Social Conservatism and Political Conservatism
I am a political conservative myself and I’ll fully admit that there are aspects of political conservatism today that gain acceptance under the umbrella of political conservatism that I am wary to adopt.
What Should We Keep in Mind When Considering the Ethics of the Bible?
When we speak about the ethics in the Bible, we are not just thinking of the Old Testament law or of the Sermon on the Mount, nor do we only have in mind actual moral instructions, injunctions, and prohibitions.
Build Your Life around Spiritual Habits, Don’t Just Fit Them In
If there's anything in our life that we want to do with regularity, we have to plan for it. It's just practical living.
Was Violence against the Canaanites a Matter of Racial Prejudice?
Gregory Goswell, Andreas J. Köstenberger
It is impossible to ignore what is routinely viewed as the grave moral problem of the book of Joshua, namely, the action of the Israelites in exterminating the Canaanites.
Podcast: Does It Matter What I Believe? (Samuel James)
Samuel James walks through a number of common misconceptions and fears that we often have when it comes to thinking about our theology, ultimately making the case that what you believe matters today and for eternity.
The King Who Suffers for His People
The king would represent. And the king would suffer. But what do those have to do with each other, and how do they lead to salvation?
Why Are the Books of the Bible in the Order They’re In?
The positioning of each book relative to other books in the canonical collection has hermeneutical significance for the reader who seeks meaning in the text.
The Ultimate Hope for the Pro-Life Movement Is Still the Gospel
We need lawmakers and lobbyists that will encourage state legislators to pass pro-life laws to protect unborn babies, but heart-change is not going to come just through new laws, but through Christ.
11 Passages to Read to Help Fight Anger
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
Mom, What Is Your Only Comfort in This Life?
When our hearts are full of questions and we're asking Why? and How?, so often what we think we want or need is answers to those questions.
#QandA - Paul Tripp Answers Your Questions about Social Media (Reactivity Episode 8)
In this final episode of the Reactivity podcast, Paul Tripp answers questions submitted by listeners related to how Christians should think about social media and its impact on us.
2 Common Mistakes in Interpreting Scripture
The point of interpreting Scripture is not to rob us of the joy of the journey but rather to protect us from wrong turns and unnecessary repairs that will slow us down.
10 Key Bible Verses on Baptism
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
5 Myths about Making Decisions
The sooner we learn to see decisions as a blessing rather than a burden, the more we will begin to experience the God-intended delight that comes with the decision-making process.
Podcast: How Journaling Could Reinvigorate Your Prayer Life (Erika Allen)
Erika Allen talks about the struggles of consistent prayer, how journaling can help us with that, and what God really thinks about our baby steps towards him.
What Jesus Saw When He Looked at Peter after the Rooster Crowed
When we peer into the word of God, we see who God is: his character is revealed to us. At the same time, we see who we are: we see ourselves in light of God’s character.
Nativity Scenes, T-Rexes, and the Gestalt Shift
One of the most powerful human experiences is when one construal is replaced with another, when a shift in the Gestalt happens and we come to see in a different way.
True Peace Isn’t Found in the Absence of Conflict
When pain tempts me to feel disheartened and glumly stare out a window, I stand up to my miserable emotions. I quell those dark feelings by singing about peace and resting my soul in God.
How Prisoners Are Finding Freedom in the Midst of Life Sentences
The vision of the Heart of Texas Foundation College of Ministry is to bring the light of Christ to those in Texas prisons, specifically those prisons with inmates serving very long sentences.
How a Husband Shows Honor to His Wife as the “Weaker Vessel”
Chad Van Dixhoorn, Emily Van Dixhoorn
We live at a time that does not really know how to deal with weakness. This is a dog-eat-dog world. What time do we really have for those who are weak?
Lady Brilliana Harley: Four Hundred Love Letters
I learned a lot from reading Harley. But I think one of the most valuable parts of studying her letters, at least for me, was that they showed me how important a simple note of encouragement can be.
Struggling in Your Faith? Isolation Isn’t the Answer
The hardest thing for struggling Christians to recognize is that church is exactly the community they need.
#fail - Our Need for Grace (Reactivity Episode 7)
Paul Tripp talks about the differences between a culture of condemnation and a culture of redemption, and he makes an honest confession.
How the Holy Spirit Helps Us Read Scripture
Following Jesus by faith (i.e., discipleship) is the foundation of understanding. We don’t simply understand and then follow. We come to understand as we follow. This is the work of the Spirit.
10 Key Bible Verses on the Devil
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Podcast: What an Old Puritan Can Teach Us about the Holy Spirit (Andrew Ballitch)
Andrew Ballitch discusses John Owen’s writings about the Holy Spirit and insights into spiritual gifts, the illumination of Scripture, and how the Spirit indwells believers.
What Is Distinct about the Theology of 2 Peter?
Second Peter has a robust doctrine of Scripture. Peter begins his letter with one of the strongest assertions of the sufficiency of God’s Word found in all of Scripture.
Children are not naturally obedient. The problem lies in the opposite direction. The little fellows are sinners—and sin hardens.
Why Is Temptation So Hard to Withstand?
Why do we need a shield to live the Christian life? The Bible is clear: because we have an enemy, who is poised ready to attack us.
What True Humility Is and Is Not
One mistake that we can make in thinking about humility is seeing it as self-hatred, as though to be humble means you’re constantly attacking yourself or you’re denying your own worth.
How Can the Stories of Puritan Women Help Us Treat Others with Respect and Appreciation?
We can learn from Puritan women in this area because they were so good at it themselves. They had a lot to say about different Christian virtues.
Read about the new and notable resources releasing this month from Crossway. Titles include Come and See by Jonathan T. Pennington and Knowing God by J. I. Packer.
‘Seinfeld’ Showed Me How We Got Here and Why I Don’t Care
The paradox of apathy is that we are captivated by the things we don’t really care about and are lukewarm to the things that, in our heart of hearts, mean the most to us.
Anne Bradstreet: Doubting Thousands of Times
The reason I can even have times of doubt and resolution and restored happiness is only because I am alive, because someone created me and is keeping me (and my faith!) going.
Podcast: The Life and Legacy of J. I. Packer (Sam Storms)
Sam Storms reflects on Packer's remarkable life and ministry, including how Packer came to faith and the impact that his many books have had on generations of Christians.
#thosepeople - Our Problem with Tribalism (Reactivity Episode 6)
Paul Tripp talks about our culture of tribalism in which we associate primarily with those who agree with us and find it easier to react to anyone who isn't in that group.
When we are praying in the Spirit, we are being obedient to what the Spirit desires, and bringing those desires to God in prayer.
Dear Pastor . . . No, You Are Not a Failure
Our present failures make us long for future heaven, to hasten the day when the pain of failure and the torture of disappointment will be gone forever.
Podcast: Help! My Christian Life Is a Mess (Lewis & Sarah Allen)
Lewis and Sarah Allen talk about the painful trials and unexpected disappointments in our lives as Christians and what we should do when our faith feels weak or our walk with Christ feels like a mess.
How (and How Not) to Think about Retirement
A good retirement is far from a given. Due reflection must be given to how you will take advantage of the new opportunities available and how bad choices can easily disappoint.
9 Conversation Starters to Help You Get Out of a Prayer Rut
How do we talk to our heavenly Father like we might to good friends? Quite simply, what does it mean to become human again as a group?
Why Did Jesus Curse a Fig Tree? (Matthew 21)
The cursing of the fig tree is symbolic. The prophets use the fig as a symbol of Israel in its fruitlessness.
Joanne J. Jung, Richard Langer
Followership, like leadership, is prone to misunderstanding. Unlike leadership, however, followership has few (if any) positive perceptions in contemporary culture.
Mary Rich: Turning Pain into Power
It is often our deepest pains that inspire and motivate us to do the greatest good we can do in our lifetimes.
Introducing the New ‘ESV Gift and Award Bible’
Special occasions call for a special Bible to celebrate them. The affordably priced ESV Gift and Award Bible is perfect for celebrating someone who is graduating, being baptized, or being recognized.
3 Musts before You Hit “Reply”
A commitment to wholesome talk isn’t first a commitment to a restricted vocabulary but rather to change at the level of the thoughts, desires, intentions, and choices of the heart.
#fightme - Our Problem with Craving Controversy (Reactivity Episode 5)
Paul Tripp talks about the difference between the love of truth and the love of controversy, which is no longer motivated by the two great commands to love God and love your neighbor.
In Your Race of Faith, Run Together
Christians aren’t designed to run alone. When we run together, we encourage one another to endure.
The Temple(s) Filled with God’s Presence
What a glorious end to the story! In the new Jerusalem, there is no temple, no need for one particular place where God will dwell, because he dwells right out in the open, among his people.
Podcast: John Piper Answers Common Questions about the Second Coming (John Piper)
John Piper makes the case that although questions about the second coming are important, there's an even more fundamental question that we all must ask ourselves: Am I truly longing for Christ's return?
10 Key Bible Verses on Spiritual Gifts
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.
Luther's Two Theses about What a Christian Is
A Christian is a free lord of everything and subject to no one. A Christian is a willing servant of everything and subject to everyone.
How Puritan Women Are Misunderstood Today
You don't have to agree with Puritan women, but it does mean that you have to allow them to tell their own stories in their own words before you start to interpret them for yourself.
While motherhood is a desirable and godly calling, it also brings pain and heartache. But God is still good. He really is, no matter what. These are ten truths for moms like me to cling to on our difficult days.
The Hidden Prayers and Pray-ers behind Great Movements
God designed his church to look like his Son who spent most of his life hidden, so the most important people in the church are often invisible.
Lucy Hutchinson: My Favorite Puritan Woman
According to Puritans like Lucy Hutchinson, loving God and godliness did not mean hating other people, either openly or secretly.
Jesus doesn’t say that we must. But he says we will. In that sense, fasting is not an obligation, but it is an opportunity—and one too powerful to miss.
#antisocialmedia - Our Problem with Individualism (Reactivity Episode 4)
Paul Tripp discusses the message of individualism in our culture that is destructive to our relationships and is an enemy of the community that God carefully designed for us to live in.
Audiobook Preview: A Sermon from the First Ordained Black Preacher in America (Lemuel Haynes)
We are pleased to offer a special preview of the new book, Selected Sermons, featuring important yet rarely published sermons from black Puritan minister Lemuel Haynes.
Lemuel Haynes: The Most Important American Figure That You’ve Never Heard Of
Haynes needs no modern apologies, no asterisk next to his legacy. He was a great minister of grace, worthy of great emulation.
Unpacking “My Body, My Choice”
God alone is the potter. He alone knits cells together in the womb to form a baby human. He alone has the right to destroy or glorify the work of his hands.
Podcast: Are You an Evangelical, a Pharisee, or Both? (Michael Reeves)
Michael Reeves talks about the Pharisaism that all-too-often takes root in our churches, our homes, and, ultimately, our hearts, challenging us to see how the sins of pride and hypocrisy are an ever-present threat to us as God’s people.
The Dangerous Ways We Add to Scripture
The pages of church history are littered with heretics who boasted of their devotion to Scripture yet failed to spot how their biblical language concealed unbiblical thinking.
Alongside regular preaching and teaching, John Owen produced many works, including books on toleration, his monumental multi-volume writings on the Holy Spirit, and four large folio volumes on Hebrews.
The Story of Jesus Guarantees How Your Story Will End
We all work to make the plot that we have written for ourselves come true. But grace introduces another author.
Learn more about the new and notable resources releasing this month from Crossway like Evangelical Pharisees by Michael Reeves and Social Conservatism for the Common Good by Andrew T. Walker.
The 2 Characteristics of Revival
By divine command, we must pray for the reinvigorating of God’s people—morning and evening, today and tomorrow, this year and next year, and in all the years until Christ’s return.
Read-Aloud Video: ‘Meg Is Not Alone’
Watch a video and enjoy hearing this children's story read aloud by its author about the importance and blessing of the local church.
Agnes Beaumont: Making Sense of the Nonsensical
Puritans believed that Scripture was inspired by God and without error, but also that it gives us all the wisdom we need in the exact place, time, and situations we find ourselves in.
#yourewrong - Our Problem with Self-Righteousness (Reactivity Episode 3)
Paul Tripp talks about the self-centeredness and self-righteousness that work together to deceive us into believing we’re always right and about the humility that cures this selfishness and radically changes us.
Why 2 Peter and Jude Matter to You Today
In the midst of a world that often seems out of control, knowing our ultimate destiny is a source of great comfort and motivation to press on in the face of serious challenges and opposition to the gospel.
The Hidden Cancer in Our Churches
What is the most urgent need of the church today? Better leadership? Better training? Healthier giving? Orthodoxy? Moral integrity?
Only you know how to best cultivate and guard the woman God has given you. But sometimes it helps to build off other people’s ideas in order to form your own.
Does Singleness Waste My Sexuality?
There will be a time when there will be no more earthly marriage. Marriage, as we practice it now, will have served its purpose. Life then is a fulfillment of all that marriage now is meant to point to.
The Deceptively Easy Path to Prideful Humility
There is a danger, in thinking about humility, that we can become so self-preoccupied in the process, and it kind of defeats the point.
Podcast: The Puritans We Forgot (Jenny-Lyn de Klerk)
Jenny-Lyn de Klerk talks about why it’s worth exploring the lives and theological insights of Puritan women who have often been overlooked.
How to Pray with the End Times in Mind
Closely connected to end-time gatherings for the sake of encouraging each other not to grow cold in love, but to persevere in faith, is the summons to end-time praying.
Why Catholic Philosopher Robert George Matters to Protestants
With a career spanning over thirty years and who presently holds the title of McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Robert P. George is one of the world’s most prominent and respected public intellectuals.
Tossing Out Beliefs When They Don’t Spark Joy
What’s fascinating (and saddening) is that there seem to be many Christians, particularly in the affluent West, who think of theology, or doctrine, the way Marie Kondo thinks of clutter.
What Ecclesiastes Taught Me about Being a Mom
We all hit moments when life shatters our expectations of motherhood. My “moment” came early on, but sooner or later it happens to all of us.
We can’t really understand Puritanism at all—that movement so concerned with genuinely loving God in their communities, churches, and families,—without understanding the part played by Puritan women.
#meantweets - Our Problem with Anger (Reactivity Episode 2)
Paul Tripp talks about the normalization of emotionally driven responses and especially reactions filled with fear and anger, two of the primary emotions that drive the culture of toxic reactivity.
The Case for Traditional Marriage in the Midst of Efforts to Redefine It
Over the course of decades, widespread divorce, cohabitation, and unwed childbearing changed how people thought about marriage.
The Most Important Paragraph in Human History
The human means of justification is (God-given) faith; the divine means is redemption. God justifies sinners by uniting them with Christ.
Dr. Robert P. George and Dr. Andrew Walker talk together about religious liberty, the common good, and the true heart of conservatism.
An Open Letter to the Prayerless Church
The church is a spiritual force. It is animated by the Spirit of Jesus in our midst. So, if we want to see the church brought back to life, we have to make room to listen and be led by the Spirit as a community.
What Is New about the New Covenant? (Jeremiah 31)
Since the old covenant could be broken by disobedience, the new covenant will impart a greater ability to obey. The result will be the kind of covenant relationship that Yahweh has always sought with his people.
Learn more about new and notable resources releasing this month from Crossway. Titles include the ESV Church History Study Bible and Come, Lord Jesus by John Piper.
Carolyn Mahaney, Nicole Mahaney Whitacre
When we come to the house of God—in Solomon’s day, the temple, and in our time, the church—we are coming into the presence of God.
Don’t Be Late to the Movies, and Don’t Skip the Pentateuch
If we are Christians who want to understand the gospel better, the Pentateuch is a great place to start.
A Devotional on Communing with God through Nature by George Washington Carver
Nature in its varied forms are the little windows through which God permits me to commune with Him, and to see much of His glory, majesty, and power by simply lifting the curtain and looking in.
Introducing the ‘Reactivity’ Podcast with Paul Tripp
Join Paul Tripp in this new podcast as he encourages Christians to think wisely about their social media interactions and to be a beacon of light in an age of toxicity.
#toxic - Why Is Our Culture So Reactive? (Reactivity Episode 1)
Paul Tripp discusses the toxic culture of reactivity full of anger, mockery, and disrespect that is so common to see on social media but also bleeds into our everyday relationships.
Who Killed the Prayer Meeting?
Behind our busyness and wealth is a philosophy called secularism, which doesn’t just deny God’s existence but denies the existence of any spiritual world.
Mom, Your Hardest Day Is Not the End of Your Story
Mourning may last for a night, but rejoicing does come in the morning, and in light of these momentary troubles and trials, there is an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
Podcast: The Greatest Act of Redemption in the Entire Old Testament (Ian Vaillancourt)
Ian Vaillancourt talks about why the story of the exodus is so central to the Old Testament as a whole and how the story of Israel's rescue from Egypt pointed forward to the coming of Christ in more ways than one.
What Must Happen before Jesus Returns?
We do not know how much time must elapse before Jesus comes. We err to say otherwise. But we may err in the other direction as well—presuming to think that he must not be near.
As one of the more mysterious utterances in the Old Testament, God’s self-revelation to Moses in Exodus 3:14 has received countless examinations by biblical interpreters.
Help for Regular Bible Reading When Life Is Hectic
The best thing is to have a plan—even if it's one of your own creation. Just map out a series of readings for yourself.
There’s No Heaven That Envy Can’t Turn into Hell
Envy is one of those sins that hides and lurks. And so many times we can be experiencing envy that's robbing our joy, and yet we're not even aware that we're struggling with the sin of envy.
10 Key Bible Verses on Humanity
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
An Antidote to Spiritual Amnesia
We forget we were saved by God. We forget the suffering required to save us. We forget to worship God for saving us. What’s the antidote for such serious spiritual amnesia?
An Open Letter to a Struggling Mom
Even while you and I experience the joys and bear the burdens of this glorious thing called motherhood, we remain—and always will remain—beloved daughters of our heavenly Father. Beloved is who we are.
What Does the New Testament Mean That Jesus Will Come Soon?
What would it mean for an infallible spokesman (an apostle!) of the Lord Jesus, who cannot predict the time, to say that Jesus is coming soon?
2 Ways Leaders Can Exemplify Humility to Those under Their Authority
Make it your personal ambition to build up those around you, and let them flourish in their gifts.
Podcast: The Dark History of Abortion in America (Leah Savas)
Leah Savas talks about some of the forgotten history of abortion and about the efforts to protect unborn life in America that extend back over 300 years, even before the nation's founding.
The Structural Abortionism That Remains after Roe v. Wade
I cannot forecast accurately the changes that will come in the first post-Roe decade. I can, though, list some fundamental things that will still apply.
What Did Jesus Teach about Discipleship?
Jesus’s instruction about discipleship applies to all (i.e., not simply the twelve) who want to follow him and includes three elements: denying oneself, taking up one’s cross, and following him.
Why Should Christians Care about Church History?
For the Christian community, history is the stage on which the drama of redemption is being displayed—at the beginning is the Fall, at the end is the Last Judgment. In between, the most crucial event of all.
“Mommy, Do You Like Being a Mom?”
Even if and when we talk about some of the harder parts of parenting, we want to do so in a way that affirms our love for our children and how much we value them.
How Can We Uphold Sola Scriptura as Well as Christian History?
This is a really crucial question. And to grasp this, let’s go back to the Reformation itself where sola scriptura was born.
10 Key Bible Verses on God’s Faithfulness
But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.
Godly Lament Reminds Mothers of God’s Goodness in the Midst of Pain
Godly lament is a vehicle that God gives us to be able to bring that sadness and heartache to the Lord in a way that we have emotional freedom with our Heavenly Father.
Can We Have Justice without Jesus?
The real question is whether or not we would want justice without Jesus. And there are two reasons why the answer to that question should be ‘no.’
Podcast: The Unexpected Sorrows of Motherhood (Katie Faris)
Katie Faris talks about the love, joy, and heartache of motherhood and how moms can experience God's comfort and grace in the midst of it all.
The weed of doubt never grows alone. When we plant the seed of doubt in God’s word or God’s power, the weeds of fear, disobedience, and pessimism also take root and grow.
Can Humility and Social Media Coexist?
We cannot stop the incessant screaming and scrambling that is the internet. But we can try to reduce our own involvement in the problems and do whatever we can to contribute to a healthier culture.
An Open Letter to a Young Woman Contemplating an Abortion
If by “personal” we mean something that belongs to you and no one else, your decision about whether or not to end this pregnancy by abortion is not as personal as they say.
The Spirit’s Work of Conviction through the Conscience of a Sinner
The work of conviction of sin on those who expected it not, who desired it not, and who would avoid it if by any means possible they could.
It’s more difficult to think too much of yourself when you remember what is currently riveting the attention of the mightiest angels.
What Is Distinct about the Theology of Mark?
Certainly Mark is the Gospel that has most in common with the other Gospels. But even Mark has some distinctives that are worth noting and that help us to read Mark as Mark.
We may take it for granted that women are equally valuable as men. But that was not what people in Jesus’s day believed.
Podcast: The Cure to Our Polarization and Outrage: Humility (Gavin Ortlund)
Gavin Ortlund talks about misconceptions we often have about humility—that it corresponds to weakness or that it hides our abilities—and discusses how humility is so foundational for experiencing true joy in Christ.
Learning to Hate for All the Right Reasons
Carolyn Mahaney, Nicole Mahaney Whitacre
Like Solomon, we must hate life. We must hate its terms and dread its end. We cannot control or comprehend anything.
The Fruit of the First Sin Was Shame
We feel shame when some fault, imperfection, or vulnerability of ours conflicts with what we think we should be. Finding this shameful, we attempt to hide.
11 Passages to Read When You Lose Your Job
Losing your job can be discouraging and confusing. Lean on the eternal hope of Christ in a difficult time with these Bible passages.
Revelation 5:8–12 portrays a similar scene, with multiplied thousands of voices singing of the worthiness of God and the Lamb. That is the song of heaven. I cannot wait to hear it.
Who Were the Nations in Nebuchadnezzar’s Prophetic Dream? (Daniel 2)
A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.
The biblical proverbs as a whole have a Godward goal: the fear of the Lord. As preachers, our job is to focus on that fear.
20 Engaging Questions to Ask Kids at Church
As churches everywhere shake their heads in frustration over declining commitment among younger generations, we need to remember that a person’s commitment to the church is often formed early.
What Our Pro-Life Predecessors Can Teach Us about Standing against Abortion
Success on the abortion supply side—cutting down the number of abortion suppliers—is only part of the battle. Work on the demand side is at least as important.
Podcast: Recover the Lost Art of Bible Meditation in 2023 (David Mathis)
David Mathis talks about the spiritual discipline of meditating on Scripture and why it has the power to lead us to renewed excitement, joy, and satisfaction when it comes to God's word.
Resources to Help You Read and Study the Bible in 2023
We know being in the Scriptures daily is essential to the Christian life, but it can be overwhelming to know where to start and what to do. These resources will help you read, study, and understand the Bible.
Introducing the New ‘Daily Strength’ and ‘Daily Joy’ Podcasts
Crossway is excited to announce the launch of two brand-new, daily podcasts starting January 1st—one for women called Daily Joy and one for men called Daily Strength.
Looking Back While Looking Ahead
As David looks back in reflection on his life, he writes not a lament about how many enemies he’s had to face but a praise song for how much deliverance and faithfulness the Lord has shown.
Are Vocation and Occupation the Same Thing?
In our ordinary conversation, vocation and occupation can be the same thing, but in the history of language and in the Bible’s expression of what we're doing, they actually have very special distinctions.
November and December 2022 New Releases
Learn more about the new and notable resources released this month and last from Crossway. Titles include the ESV Church History Study Bible and Fight for Your Pastor by Peter Orr.
Let’s Talk about Our Bible Literacy Problem
When women grow increasingly lax in their pursuit of Bible literacy, everyone in their circle of influence is affected.
Porn is Satanic. Why do I say that? Because the world of porn is infested with lies. Porn needs lies and myths to keep going.
Experiencing conviction over sin should actually encourage rather than condemn us, because it is evidence of being alive in Christ.
Podcast: 12 Quick Questions about the Reliability of the Bible (Peter Williams)
Peter Williams answers tough questions about the reliability of the Bible, offering assurance to those who have ever felt like their trust in God's word has been shaken.
Seeing Jesus the Way the Shepherds Did
Let us imagine that we are with the shepherds on those hills in Palestine. We come bursting into the presence of Mary, Joseph, and the baby, and immediately we wonder: what are we looking at?
But God’s plan to liberate his people exceeded anything they could have hoped for. He intended liberation from the tyranny of sin itself.
Earthly Categories for Spiritual Things
General revelation works both directly and indirectly. It works directly by creating categories in our minds and hearts for knowing God. This is direct because we move straight from the made thing to God himself.
10 Key Bible Verses on Goodness
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
The Bible promises that in Jesus, we have peace. But when our circumstances and our emotions threaten us with despair, it doesn’t always feel like that is the case.
The Most Shocking Story We've Ever Heard
You will never find anything so shocking, so strange, so weird and spellbinding as the story of the incarnation of the Son of God.
Podcast: There’s More to the Christmas Story Than You Think (Benjamin L. Gladd)
Benjamin Gladd talks about how the Gospel of Luke draws on the riches of the Old Testament to reveal truly amazing things about the identity of Jesus, Old Testament prophecy, and the real meaning of Christmas.
7 Tips for Deeper Conversations at Family Gatherings
Cheryl Marshall, Caroline Newheiser
Preparation for your family gathering will involve shopping, decorating, and meal planning. But it will also involve preparing your heart for how to achieve deeper conversations at your family gathering.
Who Were the Magi, and Why Did They Worship Jesus? (Matthew 2)
Popular Christian images of the magi clash with Matthew’s account. The magi were counselors, not kings, and while they bore three gifts, their number (unstated) was large enough to cause a stir in Jerusalem.
Crossway 2022 Book Award Winners
Christianity Today and the Gospel Coalition have announced the winners of their book awards for the year, including Overcoming Apathy by Uche Anizor, which won Christianity Today’s Book of the Year award.
Endure Suffering with Patience until Jesus Returns
It may be that many people approach the book of Revelation with the assumption that somehow, as they look at the book, it's going to give them a better sense of when Jesus is going to return.
Why Doesn't God Do More to Convince Us of His Existence?
If the Christian God exists and loves us, and if our eternal destiny hangs in the balance, why isn’t the evidence for his existence absolutely undeniable?
The Crushing Obligation to Keep Doing More and More
I understand there are lazy people out there who need to get radical for Jesus. I also know people like me, people who easily feel a sense of responsibility, people who easily feel bad for not doing more
Lots of people want to teach us how to postpone death through healthy living, but very few teach on how to face up to death when healthy living is fading.
Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
Excited about Christmas, Less So about Christ
As Christians, we sometimes find ourselves excited about Christian things, but surprisingly indifferent to Christ.
Podcast: Marriage Questions about Sex, Submission, and In-Laws (Chad and Emily Van Dixhoorn)
Chad and Emily Van Dixhoorn share personal insight on a number of questions related to marriage, discussing topics like submission, relationships with family, and the ultimate purpose of marriage.
However baptism is conducted, we go under the water as a picture of our death with Christ and we rise up from the water as a picture of our resurrection with Christ.
Why Is the Virgin Birth So Important?
The entry and exit miracles carry the same message. First, they confirm that Jesus, though not less than man, was more than man. His earthly life, though fully human, was also divine.
How (and How Not) to Discuss Doctrinal Differences
Divisiveness belongs to the works of the flesh. Believers who walk by the Spirit must address their doctrinal differences in the fruit of the Spirit.
Introducing ‘The Complete Works of John Owen’
The Complete Works of John Owen brings together all of Owen’s original theological writing, including never-before-published work, reformatted for modern readers in 40 user-friendly volumes.
A Devotional on Christlikeness by Florence Nightingale
If we have not true religious feeling and purpose, life . . . becomes a mere routine and bustle. . . . Our work must be the first thing, but God must be in it.
Reading the Christmas Story on the Shoulders of Giants
Read through this well known passage from Luke chapter 2 along with commentary notes from giants of the faith such as Martin Luther, John Owen, Charles Spurgeon, and Jerome.
Reclaiming Christmas Carols for Our Worship
In the midst of confusing, chaotic, and despairing times, carols give expression to the hope, peace, and joy we’re all longing for.
The Believe-in-Yourself Gospel
We’re a generation that has been raised on spiritual fast food, and we’re sick. It’s time for us to sit down at the table, linger, and sup on the feast the King has for us.
Is It True That “All Is Vanity”? (Ecclesiastes 1)
In a culture that promotes immediate gratification, will we have the endurance to persevere in the hard work needed to understand the message of Ecclesiastes?
Podcast: D. A. Carson on His Life, Vision for Ministry, and Biggest Influences (D. A. Carson)
D. A. Carson talks about his life and ministry, how God led him to the academy, the original vision behind the Gospel Coalition, and what it looks like to pursue simple faithfulness before God in his stage of life.
What Does Jesus Want This Christmas?
What does Jesus want this Christmas? We can see the answer in his prayers.
His Blessings Flow Far as the Curse Is Found
What is the scope of the work of redemption? What in the world is God working on? What does the final chapter of the grand redemptive story look like?
Dear Pastor . . . You Have Wonderfully Unique Opportunities to Counsel
Pastoral counseling is unlike any other form of counseling because of the many unusual opportunities a pastor has to engage lives. Here are seven unique facets of the pastoral life that open doors.
How Hannah’s Prayer Found Its Fulfillment in Mary’s Magnificat
Why does Luke talk so much about God being "high"? The answer lies in Mary’s praise in the well-known Magnificat.
You Become Like What You “Like”
Social media has become the new PR firm of the brand Self, and we check our feeds compulsively and find it nearly impossible to turn away from looking at—and loving—our “second self.”
What Do I Do If I Don’t Like My Job?
Even in the onerous jobs, there is a glory that God intends for his people as they do what needs to be done.
Introducing ‘Meg Is Not Alone’
With easy-to-understand language and colorful illustrations, this children’s book highlights Jesus’s command to “love one another,” showing kids that God has provided the local church to be their loving community.
4 Ways to Help Save Your Pastor from Burnout
The reasons for pastoral burnout are deeper and more complex than just how congregations relate to their pastors. Intentional support can help alleviate some of the main causes.
Podcast: Why Discernment Today Is So Needed Yet So Neglected (Tim Challies)
Tim Challies talks about what spiritual discernment actually looks like, why it's so important for the mature Christian, and how to cultivate it in our own lives.
What Should Christians Think about Same-Sex Marriage?
What’s the big deal about marriage? Why not let people have whatever relationships they choose and call them whatever they want? Why go to the trouble of sanctioning a specific relationship and giving it a unique legal standing?
When It's Time to Get in the Van and No One's Ready
God always intends his words with his children to restore relationship with himself. And when that’s been your experience, you long to pass it on to others.
Jesus Comes for Sinners and from Sinners
The point is that Jesus not only comes for sinners—that is, to die for our sins—but he comes from sinners. He identifies with sinful people like us.
I want to conduct a thought experiment by thinking about how some of our behavior can negatively affect our pastors.
12 Passages to Read on Thanksgiving Day
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!
Can We Find Lasting Encouragement through the Power of Positive Thinking and Self-Help?
But God's word says that God's power is made perfect through weakness. So I'm intended to come in my weakness in search of God's power, not in search of my own power.
This Day in History: The Death of C. S. Lewis
Jack faced the prospect of death bravely and calmly. “I have done all I wanted to do, and I’m ready to go,” he said one evening.
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.
Podcast: Our Pastors Are in Crisis, and You Can Help (Peter Orr)
Peter Orr talks about why he thinks we're facing a pastoral crisis and what regular Christians can do to help stem the tide of pastoral burnout.
What If I Differ with My Pastor on Politics?
You may disagree with your pastor’s approach on a particular issue. He could be wrong. You could be wrong. It may be important enough to leave. It may not.
Of course, every Christian faces difficulty—Jesus called us to a life of carrying our crosses as we follow him. However, the challenges of those in pastoral ministry are often more acute.
Introducing the ‘Pour Out Your Heart Prayer Journal: A Planner for a Life of Prayer’
Designed to be used over many years, this durable hardcover journal features a unique method that guides readers toward an intentional, Scripture-focused prayer life.
Identifying Devotional Gems in Unexpected Places
In compiling my anthology, I worked hard to find devotional riches in unexpected places. Many of the authors would doubtless be surprised by what I chose for devotional purposes.
Podcast: What Your Muslim Neighbor Misunderstands about Christianity (A. S. Ibrahim)
A. S. Ibrahim talks about misconceptions that Muslims may have about Christianity and misconceptions that Christians may have about Islam which could even lead to ineffective evangelism.
One Million Bibles: A Crossway Global Initiative
Would you prayerfully consider a gift to help distribute God’s Word to those with little or no access? Our overall goal for this initiative is to raise $5 million for the distribution of 1 million Bibles.
What Is Distinct about the Theology of Luke?
The four Gospels present Jesus as true Israel and the divine Son of God who lived a faithful life, died for sins of his people, and rose from the dead, but each evangelist retells this story a bit differently.
God is a good God and a generous God who wants to bring joy and happiness into our lives. He loves to bless his children.
Did a Prophet Really Lay on His Side for More than a Year? (Ezekiel 4)
The signs of the prophets are not merely visual aids; they are designed to reach people’s wills and hearts, enabling people not just to see the truth but to feel it.
Be encouraged to embrace God's grace to believers through these Scriptures.
What Is the Difference between God’s Discipline and God’s Punishment?
God promises never to repay us for our sins. Why? How? Because he's already poured out that judgment and that wrath on his Son in our place.
10 Things You Should Know about Limited Atonement
What is the doctrine of atonement and what does it mean for us?
A Devotional on Prayer by Jane Austen
Teach us to feel the importance of every day, and every hour as it passes, and earnestly strive to make a better use of what thy goodness may yet bestow on us, than we have done of the time past.
What Does It Mean to Represent Jesus in My Job?
If we are representing Jesus in our work, it means there's value to our work because we are showing the world his character and care—and that's always part of our witness.
Podcast: Is the Sabbath Still Relevant for Christians? (Guy Waters)
Guy Waters discusses God's original purpose for the Sabbath, how the idea of Sabbath rest recurs throughout the Old and New Testaments, and whether the Sabbath is relevant for Christians today.
16 Passages to Read to Help Fight Lust
When faced with temptation, arm yourself with these verses from the word of God about fighting sexual sin.
10 Things You Should Know about the Pentateuch
Just like missing the first fifteen minutes of a movie will spoil our ability to fully enjoy its plot line, a lack of familiarity with the Pentateuch will compromise our ability to fully appreciate the Bible’s overarching story.
The Son of Man Came Eating and Drinking
The meals of Jesus represent something bigger. They represent a new world, a new kingdom, a new outlook. But they give that new reality substance.
Is Feeling Discouraged Always Wrong?
If Jesus knew our humanity and that we needed to be encouraged to be strong and courageous, then we don't have to feel embarrassed or ashamed when we feel afraid.
4 Questions about Headship and Head Coverings
What does it mean that the husband is the head of his wife? What is the covering? What “head” does the woman dishonor? What does Paul mean by “authority”?
God's Word Is Living and Active (Even Genealogies)
Is there any hope that reading a biblical genealogy can lead us to encounter God? The (perhaps surprising) answer is yes, but first we need to learn about the purpose of these passages.
Is The Song of Solomon about God's Love or Human Love? (Song of Solomon 1)
Although we are fallen and our sexual desires can easily be distorted and debased, there is still something “very good” about the desire for physical intimacy.
Podcast: Growing as a Follower in a Culture Obsessed with Leadership (Richard Langer, Joanne Jung)
Richard Langer and Joanne Jung point out the prevalence of books, podcasts, and workshops on leadership and suggest that the contrasting idea of followership is where our focus should be.
10 Passages to Read on Reformation Day
Foundational truths from Scripture in celebration of Reformation Day.
What Did Jesus Teach about Resurrection?
Jesus's teachings affirmed a future resurrection for the righteous and the wicked, but he himself was raised in the middle of history as the firstfruits of the life that will be ours.
Dear Pastor . . . Home Is Where You Are Most Loved and Most Needed
I want to affirm something you already believe but might hesitate to embrace. You are not alone in your ministry.
It’s by Design That We’ve Never Lived without the Sabbath
In the creation account, God makes the world and everything in it in six days. A seventh day follows that is set apart from the previous six in some important ways.
Jesus Is Not Ashamed of Those Who Have Nothing: The Story of the Thief on the Cross
The reality is that Jesus doesn't need anything. And we see this vividly in the story of the thief on the cross.
Is It Okay to Pray a Curse on My Enemies? (Psalm 5)
Prayers of this sort generally carry the unstated assumption that the evildoers will not repent and seek forgiveness; should they turn, these prayers are reversed as well.
Is the Hope of Resurrection Found in the Old Testament?
What if I told you that a glorified and risen body was not just a New Testament hope? And what if I told you it was rooted in previous biblical revelation?
How (and How Not) to Keep the Sabbath
It is tempting to rush into discussions about what to do (and not to do) on the Sabbath. But before we get there, there are a couple of questions that we need to ask.
How Tall Was Goliath? A Textual Dilemma
Through the discipline of textual criticism, we can have a high degree of certainty as to the content of the original Old Testament manuscripts.
Podcast: Embracing Spiritual Authority in the Face of Pastoral Failure (David Mathis)
David Mathis discusses the topic of spiritual authority—what it is, who has it, and how we should respond when that authority is abused.
4 Distinct Ways That God Is Unchangeable
God is unchangeable in his essence. He is unalterably fixed in his being, so that not a particle of it can be lost from it, not a mite added to it.
The One and Only Way to Enjoy Evangelizing
If we fear that God’s love for us is reluctant or that his approval rests on our performance, we won’t feel any real affection for him, our service will be grudging, and the world will likely see through us.
Learn more about the new and notable resources releasing this month from Crossway. Titles include the ESV Prayer Journals and Reactivity by Paul David Tripp.
Can Evangelicalism Be Defined?
Can evangelicalism be defined, or is it so flimsy and malleable that it constantly succumbs to its context, shapeshifting according to when and where it is?
Should Protestants Read the Apocrypha?
What's the New Catholic Edition Bible? Which Bible is right and which one contains the canon?
Practical Atheism Comes Naturally to Us
Practical atheism is natural to man in his depraved state and very frequent in the hearts and lives of men. “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” He regards him as little as if he had no being.
Money talks, but some rich people can’t hear what it’s saying. Read James 5:1–6, and as you read it, listen to how money is speaking.
5 Myths about How We Got the Bible
When it comes to books, none is more famous than the Bible. As with anything of historical importance, the Bible has accumulated its share of mythical distortions in the popular mind.
If the Good News Is So Good, Why Aren’t People Flocking to It?
Perhaps the most perplexing response we encounter in evangelism is not so much anger but apathy. This reaction may frustrate the evangelist, but it should provoke our compassion.
Podcast: How Can We Be Sure We Have the Right Bible? (John D. Meade & Peter J. Gurry)
Bible scholars John D. Meade and Peter J. Gurry discuss the Bible—where we got it, what we know about the original manuscripts, and how the text was passed from generation to generation.
What Would Be Lost If We Didn’t Have the Last 2 Chapters of the Bible?
Revelation is not simply another book in the Bible. It's the final book of the Bible, and it's such a fitting end not only to the book of Revelation, but to the Bible as a whole.
As we move through life, the world just constantly dupes us into believing a false story. Our heads and our Bibles might tell us, “God willing,” but we are immersed in the oxygen of the world, which says, “Me willing.”
What Makes Our Prayers Distinctively Christian?
We're asking for God to do gospel things in our lives, among our families, and in our churches. And that's what makes Christian prayer distinctively Christian.
In a Divisive World Your Values Reveal Your God
The gospel is entirely relational. Christ purchased for us peace with God and, through that peace, peace with one another.
The Birth of Narnia and Why Tolkien Hated It
Lewis found that his creative imagination was drawing him forward the way something magical drew the children into Narnia.
10 Things You Should Know about Church Discipline
Church discipline is not man’s idea, but God’s. Learn more about what it is and why it's so purposeful in the Christian life.
Your Words Will Change the World Today
Do you ever consciously and deliberately set your words to work, sending them off into the world and into someone else’s life to do them good?
Do We Secretly Resent Evangelism?
Every Christian knows we’re meant to share the gospel and look for opportunities to witness to Christ, yet almost all of us find it a genuine struggle, if not a gloomy discouragement.
The Most Powerful Force of Transformation in the Universe
Grace is the most powerful force of transformation in the universe. The incalculable transforming power of grace should never be minimized or doubted.
Podcast: Why Is Obeying God So Simple and Yet So Incredibly Hard? (David Gibson)
David Gibson talks about our struggle with obeying God's word and what that reveals about our sinful hearts, our theology, and our understanding of the Christian life.
Our craving for love is good, for we were made to be known intimately and loved faithfully. However, when misplaced, this craving becomes deeply destructive.
What to Say to Someone Suffering like Job
The book of Job does not directly tell us how to address Job-like suffering. But I think we can sketch what a helpful answer would be, if we take an approach exactly opposite from the friends.
7 Commitments to Make before Using Social Media
Because of who human beings are by God’s design and their lofty place in God’s economy, we should always treat everyone with dignity no matter who they are.
Today it is considered good form to weep discretely, dab tears and turn away, to be quiet and subdued. But in Jewish culture in the first century, that was simply not the way it was.
12 Passages to Read to Help Fight Impatience
Waiting is not easy, and the strength for patience comes only through trusting in the Lord. Be encouraged by these verses from God's Word when you're in a season of waiting.
8 Ways We Normalize the Abnormal
God has made it clear that the norm for his children should be love. It is the thing that the listening and watching world should know us for.
10 Key Bible Verses on Pastoral Ministry
Scripture offers wisdom for those leading churches in roles of pastoral ministry. Return to the words of God for guidance, hope, and encouragement about this important calling.
Podcast: The Dehumanizing Habits That Social Media Has Normalized (Paul Tripp)
Paul Tripp discusses how we as God’s people should think about the reactive culture in which we live and how to make sure we're not part of the problem.
Priests of God in the Workplace
You are a priest of God in your workplace. A priest represents the glory of God by showing his character and care to his people.
According to Jesus, the people who are ashamed of him are those who refuse to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow him. They’ve considered Jesus unworthy of their devotion and obedience.
Two Truths You Must Believe When You Feel Stuck in Your Sin
It is a good thing for you to see your sin. You need to feel the conviction of the Spirit on the one hand, but God doesn't want you to stay in that mindset.
The Most Important Lessons John Piper Learned from His Dad
Where did I learn that delight in God is our highest duty? Before I encountered Jonathan Edwards and C. S. Lewis and Daniel Fuller, there was my father, Bill Piper.
Maximus the Gladiator and Jesus the Christ
Just as Maximus was not just a gladiator but the ultimate Gladiator, the Gospel authors claim that Jesus is not just a king, but the King.
The crass references to hell we hear in everyday conversation shouldn’t dull the agonizing awareness all believers should have of the pains of hell.
How Does Being Created in the Image of God Change How We Think about Our Work?
Because we're created in the image of God, reflecting him in what we do, we're also fulfilling his purposes for our lives.
Why Do Christians Make Such a Big Deal about Sex?
The fundamental reason why Christians believe that sex belongs only in the permanent bond of male-female marriage is because of the metaphor of Jesus’s love for his church.
Podcast: Fighting for Faith in the Midst of Doubt (Glenna Marshall)
Glenna Marshall discusses how we should view our doubts about the Bible, the gospel, and God's love for us, and how our struggles with doubt should give way to a more resilient faith.
A Superlative Guide to All 15 Elder Qualifications
As Christians, we have our conflicts and controversies to grieve about our leaders, but the risen Christ has not left us to confusion about what to expect, pray for, and hold our leaders to account for.
Make Your Face Shine upon Us—A Reading of Psalm 67 by Conrad Mbewe
Listen to Psalm 67 with new ears as it is read by Zambian pastor and author Conrad Mbewe, one of the new voices coming to ESV.org and the ESV Bible app in 2023.
The Hardest Thing Jesus Said about My Money
Perhaps you felt a twinge of discomfort when Jesus told the rich young man to give everything he had to the poor and follow him. But he’s not done.
Preaching Can't Love You Back (but People Will)
I love expositional preaching. It re-centered my ideological world, exploded my love for Jesus, and opened my mind to the wonders of the Scriptures. But expositional preaching has never loved me back.
7 Tips for Improving Your Ministry Team
Jesus does not mean for his followers to go about their work alone. He is the one singular leader in his church. No peers. The rest of us follow his example together.
3 Times Jesus Told Us He Was God without Saying It
“Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” The scribes aren’t wrong: the only person with the right to say these words is God himself.
Introducing ‘Confronting Jesus’
Award-winning author Rebecca McLaughlin explores who Jesus really is in this follow-up to Confronting Christianity. Learn more about this new title today!
