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.
Articles by Philip Graham Ryken
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
How to Read (and Not Read) the Bible
We have to read the Bible as literature, but we also have to recognize that it is unlike any other book we know.
How to Apply Literary Sensibility to Christian Doctrine
We need a sensitivity to the different genres of literature in order to make the move from the literature of the Bible to the doctrines of systematic theology.
There’s Always More for You in Scripture
The more delight we take in the Bible, the more we want to get into it, and the bigger difference it makes in our spiritual lives.
Why Pastors Should Be Good Readers
When pastors do the right kind of reading, it can heighten sensitivities to the literary forms of the Bible.
5 Fallacies about a Literary Approach to the Bible
Leland Ryken, Philip Graham Ryken
When the Bible gives us literary subject matter, that subject matter is present through the agency of divine inspiration. The same is true of the genres and forms of the Bible.
The Importance of Lament in the Midst of COVID-19
The more you know about lament, the more things really come alive to you in reading Jeremiah's lament. His lament is so relevant to the suffering that we’re going through right now.
The Secret to Resolving Conflict
The Song of Songs does give us some guides for navigating marital conflict.
Intimacy with Christ Is for Men and Women
The Song of Songs gives us permission to have a very intimate, affectionate relationship with Jesus.
The Song of Songs: Highly Practical, Deeply Spiritual
When people read and interpret the Song of Songs, there are a couple of mistakes that they often make.
5 Myths about the Song of Songs
While the Song of Songs is for lovers, it applies not just to human relationships but also in our soul’s relationship to God.
5 Tips for Reading the Song of Songs
The Song of Songs can be a difficult book if it's not read through the right lens.
The question for each of us is: What is the one thing that is keeping me from giving everything to the kingdom of God?
How to Pray in Times of Trouble
When we cannot articulate our prayer requests to God, the Holy Spirit understands our groanings and translates them into intelligible prayers that God the Father can understand and will answer.
How to Hope in God When Life Gets Hard
Simply knowing the end of the story gives us hope in our present circumstances.
Why You’ll Never Be Ready for All of Life’s Troubles
God may give me way more than I can handle—and I think that’s normal.
Learning to Endure Life's Troubles Like Jesus
Whatever trouble you are facing, there is somebody that you can relate to in the Bible.
Why All Christians Should Expect Trouble
The longer you live in this fallen world, the more kinds of trouble you face.
Practical Help for Times of Trouble
The things that have helped me in times of trouble are the ordinary things that God talks about in his Word.
What to Do When It Feels Like God Is against You
When you’re facing times of trouble and it feels like God is against you, there are two important things to do.
When Trouble Comes: Phil Ryken’s Personal Testimony
A year or two ago, Phil Ryken went through a season of deep spiritual discouragement; some would probably call it depression.
Discontentment Says Something about You, Not Your Circumstances
Our own complaints are not caused by our outward circumstances; rather, they reveal the inward condition of our hearts.
2 Audacious Demands We Are to Make of God
Moses didn't want God simply to send down orders; he wanted to know the purpose behind God's plans.
Why It's Wrong to Take God's Name in Vain
One of the remarkable things about God is that no one ever named him.