What Does It Really Mean to Take the Lord’s Name in Vain?
The Old Testament identifies several ways in which the third commandment can be violated.
Articles on The Christian Life
2091 results found
10 Key Bible Verses on God’s Sovereignty
When life feels out of control, it can be comforting to remember that we're never out of the sight of our Creator—and he never loses control.
10 Things You Should Know about the Garden of Eden
From the very beginning, Eden was not meant to be static; it was headed somewhere.
10 Things You Should Know about Christian Ethics
What is Christian ethics and what role should it play in the life of a believer?
10 Things You Should Know about Demons and Satan
Jesus came into the world as the incarnate Son of God to accomplish more than one thing and defeating the devil by tasting death was among them.
10 Key Bible Verses on Wisdom and Discernment
Wisdom is, first and foremost, from the Lord. When you desire wisdom, be encouraged to go to him and his word in prayer.
10 Key Bible Verses on Marriage
Be encouraged from God's Word about his plan and purpose for marital relationships.
What Did Jesus Teach about Homosexuality?
In a 2012 article for Slate online, Will Oremus asked a provocative question: Was Jesus a homophobe?
10 Things You Should Know about the Cross
The cross is not only where our sin is paid for, where the devil is conquered, but the shape of Christianity.
10 Key Bible Verses on Leadership
A leader is to be above reproach, held accountable for the care of those entrusted to them.
34 Ethical Issues All Christians Should Know
What does the whole Bible teach us about which acts, attitudes, and personal character traits receive God’s approval, and which do not?
10 Things You Should Know about Evangelism
10 foundational truths to consider about the biblical call to share the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
7 Steps to Walking the Spiritual Walk
Here are 7 suggestions that will fuel a passion for the things of the Spirit and further educate how to live a life directed by him.
Free Resources for Your Stay at Home during COVID-19
When many families are reorienting their lives and schedules around more time at home, we hope you will find these resources helpful in grounding you in the hope of the gospel.
How Suffering Reveals Your True Self
When the thing you have been trusting is laid to waste, you don’t suffer just the loss of that thing; you also suffer the loss of the identity and security that it provided.
How Jesus Viewed and Valued Women
Jesus’s regard for women was much different from that of his contemporaries.
10 Key Bible Verses on Salvation
Because of Christ, believers are granted salvation from sin and the promise of eternal life. What hope we have in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus!
5 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Studying the Bible
Reading God's Word is encouraging, life-giving, convicting, and guiding. But, our habits can also be misguided.
10 Things You Should Know about the Bible’s Teaching on Men and Women
Andreas J. Köstenberger, Margaret Elizabeth Köstenberger
Maleness and femaleness are creational, not contractual. They are divinely instituted rather than socially defined.
Pride is a sin because of its self-centered, rather than God-centered, perspective on life.
3 Things We Must Believe about God’s Word
In Psalm 119 we see at least three essential, irreducible characteristics we should believe about God’s word.
How Can We Know We'll Go to Heaven?
Hell is our default destination, but because Jesus Christ took our sin upon himself on the cross, we can have assurance that we will go to heaven.
Who Is the Man of Lawlessness? (2 Thessalonians 2)
The man of lawlessness seeks to make himself the central person of worship, beyond any other religious objects or personages in his day.
10 Things You Should Know about Sex
God created and has good purposes for sex in the context of marriage, and we don't always view it rightly.
In all the areas of theology where Calvin made his most distinguishing contributions, we see the exaltation of the work of the Spirit driving his analysis.
10 Things You Should Know about Charles Spurgeon
Charles Spurgeon was known as the 'Prince of Preachers.' Learn more about the life and ministry of this influential theologian and preacher.
10 Key Bible Verses on Persecution
Jesus suffered and died on behalf of sinners and calls blessed those that follow in his steps for his name’s sake.
Why We Should Not Fear Satan and Demons
John MacArthur, Richard Mayhue
How can one know which concepts about Satan and demons are biblically accurate and which are not?
10 Things You Should Know about the New Heavens and the New Earth
God will have the final victory over what God has made. It will not be discarded but rescued.
You should never stop pursuing your wife. Here are twenty ideas to help your marriage flourish.
10 Key Bible Verses on Discipleship
Christ calls us to himself and then invites us to lead others to follow him in obedience and trust. We are called disciples when we love each other in this way.
The Better Question Believers Should Ask about God’s Will
For the believer wanting to know God’s will for her life, the first question to pose is not “What should I do?” but “Who should I be?”
8 Reminders in the Face of the Coronavirus Pandemic
These are strange days, days of fear, days of hysteria. In other words, days that simply bring all our latent anxieties up to the surface.
We can learn what and how to pray to God from his very Word—even from the example of his own Son.
7 Passages to Read on Good Friday
Meditate on Good Friday by reading these 7 powerful Bible passages.
7 Good Reasons to Leave a Church
Illegitimate reasons for leaving a church abound, but there are circumstances when it is right to make the painful decision to leave.
8 Things We Can Learn from Augustine
What does Augustine mean to us now? What is there about his life and work that still speaks to the Christian life today?
Did You Know That Charles Spurgeon Struggled with Depression?
It comes as a surprise to some that Charles Spurgeon had a lifelong battle with depression. It shouldn’t be a surprise, of course: being full of life in a fallen world must mean distress, and Spurgeon’s life was indeed full of physical and mental pain.
10 Disciplines of a Godly Woman
Discipline seems like a hard word, but discipline is your lifeline, something that you learn to embrace and thank God for as you grow in him.
Depression can be quite as fiery a trial as any other. The good news is that God does indeed hear the cry of the afflicted.
10 Things You Should Know about Suffering
Suffering is not outside of God's control and he has a purpose for it.
2 Simple (Yet Profound) Questions to Ask Someone at Church This Sunday
What does it look like to strike up an intentional conversation aimed at deepening our relationships?
4 Ways to Fight Sexual Temptation
We must choke temptation to death—it is the only way out. Here are four ways to fight when temptation strikes.
If we have stripped ourselves bare of all besetting sins and every hindrance, and have begun to run with perseverance our race, we are then given the focus that guarantees our finishing well.
10 Key Bible Verses on Death and Resurrection
God’s Word paints a picture of a future when death will be swallowed up in Christ’s victory on the cross and where believers will live eternally with him.
An Open Letter to Those Nonchalant about Their Sexual Sin
Are you living in sexual sin and darkness? Find motivation and hope for lasting change.
8 Things to Remember When Teaching Kids Theology
Theology, taught well, must inevitably result in doxology—and we shouldn’t be satisfied with less just because we’re teaching children.
10 Things You Should Know about Union with Christ
In the New Testament we find literally hundreds of references to the believer’s union with Christ.
10 Things You Should Know about the Sexual Revolution
The sexual revolution is simply one manifestation of a broader culture of what we might call expressive individualism.
10 Things You Should Know about Christian Hospitality
Hospitality is not always easy or comfortable, but it is worth it. Learn why.
Practice Hospitality, Especially during COVID-19
Christians know that the dread of death can only be met by the redemption in Jesus Christ, so we need to proclaim Christ into a COVID-19 world.
10 Key Bible Verses on Obedience
We are no longer under Old Testament law; but as believers, we are still marked by our obedience to Christ.
The realities of hell give us all the reasons in the world to persuade sinners to put their faith in the one who experienced hellish despair on the cross.
Can Christians Lose Their Salvation? (Hebrews 6)
We must respond to the terrifying possibility of irreversible apostasy and the comforting evidence of God’s heart-transforming, love-producing grace
Why the Church Is Vitally Important for Every Christian
Mention the church to a group of Christians and you are likely to get a mixed response.
Does Baptism Save? (1 Peter 3)
God uses the water of baptism to save us—only in that it links us to Christ and his victory and promises.
10 Things You Should Know about Corporate Prayer
We tend to think of prayer as primarily a solitary and private activity, but the Bible tells a different story.
How to Pray When You Hate Your Job
May we cultivate the presence of Jesus in our workplaces and see the thorns and thistles of our work in light of the glory that is to come.
How to Pray in Spiritual Warfare
To fight the good fight, we need to be in constant contact with God, and the means by which we stay in contact is by prayer.
10 Questions to Ask at the Start of a New Year
Even those most faithful to God occasionally need to pause and think about the direction of their lives.
Infographic: How Is Your Prayer Life?
We recently asked over 14,000 people about the state of their prayers lives and gathered some stats about established habits as well as some common pain points.
10 Key Bible Verses on Humility
Christ set the ultimate example of humility by submitting himself to life on earth and then death on the cross on behalf of sinners.
10 Things You Should Know about Jonathan Edwards
In both the academic and pastoral realm, Edwards’s God-centered worldview is recognized as biblical in nature, shaping hearts and minds toward the pursuit of God’s glory in all things.
10 Things You Should Know about the Ten Commandments
The way to find moral instruction is not by listening to your gut but by listening to God.
Podcast: A Christian Doctor’s Guide to Thinking about Coronavirus (Bob Cutillo, MD)
A Christian doctor discusses the current coronavirus pandemic, explaining what's currently happening in the US and around the world and offering perspective on how we should think about this virus.
We have much to learn from the apostle who had the ability to be blunt and corrective while striving toward peace with others in kindness.
10 Things You Should Know about Reading the Bible
The Bible is a story, not simply a collection of religious sayings or an anthology of various people’s religious experiences. The Bible tells us the true story of the world, the way things truly are and should be.
10 Benefits of Reading the Bible: Part 1
Ask God to give you eyes to see the worth of Scripture and to waken in you an unyielding desire for the Word of God.
10 Things You Should Know about God’s Communicable Attributes
God's communicable attributes show us how to reflect God as Christ did.
Is the Bible’s Teaching about Homosexuality Offensive?
Jesus is sometimes caricatured as a prophet of free love, unconcerned about sexual ethics. But his teaching on sexual morality was consistently stricter than the Old Testament law.
How to Pray During Marital Conflict
Andreas J. Köstenberger, Margaret Elizabeth Köstenberger
The potential causes for conflict in marriage are virtually limitless. We must put on the armor of God and pray for each other and for our relationships—often!
What Is the Sin that Leads to Death? (1 John 5)
What is the “sin that leads to death” and why does John not say we should pray for people committing such sin?
What Did Jesus Teach about Politics?
If we take the lordship of Christ in our lives seriously, then we should seek to apply that lordship to our participation in politics.
A lot of misinformation exists related to abortion. Here are 5 common myths that many people—pro-choice and pro-life alike—often believe.
Resist the urge to see simple memory as the goal. Learning the text “by heart” is secondary; taking the text to heart is primary.
5 Ways the COVID-19 Pandemic Points Us to the Gospel
When we are weary and distraught, we have a place to go. Jesus welcomes us to come to him and cast our cares on him.
9 Ways to Guard Your Personal Relationship with God
Like all healthy and satisfying relationships, our relationship with God needs time and energy.
5 Reasons to Obey the 10 Commandments
God gave the commandments that they might be obeyed—not to earn salvation but because of who we are, who God is in himself, who he is to us, where we are, and what he has done.
How Does the Trinity Practically Apply to Your Life Today?
Michael LeFebvre, Philip Graham Ryken
The Trinity is undoubtedly one of the most mysterious Christian doctrines.
4 Tips for Defending Your Trust in the Bible
Could you explain to someone who is a total skeptic—doesn’t believe in God, Jesus, Jonah, or the big fish—why you think that everything the Bible says is true?
50 Books J. I. Packer Thinks You Should Read
A list of all of the endorsements that J. I. Packer has written for books published by Crossway, with an introduction by Sam Storms.
How to Pray When You’re Feeling Depressed
During seasons of depression or anxiety, most of us find it hard to concentrate, we feel God is far away, and we despair of God hearing us or helping us.
10 Things You Should Know about Angels
What does the Bible have to say about angels and what have we incorrectly adopted from a worldly perspective on spiritual beings?
Training Our Kids in a Culture That Affirms Transgenderism
We must tell the truth about what the Bible teaches about gender. Among other things, the Bible is clear that there is a normative connection between biological sex and gender identity.
Even those in their prime with perfect health have limits. We need a stronger strength to match our deep discouragements.
Disciplines of a Godly Young Man Resources
Discipline Is Everything in the Christian Life Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. (Hebrews 12:1) Will we enter the gymnasium of divine discipline? Will we strip away the things …
2 Reasons Christians Lose Their Joy (And What to Do about It)
How did you become a Christian? Was it after you got your life sorted out?
10 Things You Should Know about the Lord’s Supper
The Communion meal involves us in and embraces us in God’s grace. We are not mere observers. We do something. We eat something. We become participants in the story.
Why should you get baptized? Christ not only commands believers to get baptized, baptism is also a gift he graciously gives for our benefit and blessing.
10 Things You Should Know about Martin Luther
Here are ten things you should know about Martin Luther, the great leader of the Protestant Reformation.
2 Heated Cultural Debates the Bible Addresses
If we read the Bible carefully, we find that all of our modern cultural debates are addressed there.
3 Threats to the Mission of Small Groups
There are some common sins that keep us from living missional lives: apathy, indifference, and fear of man.
If We Were Created for God's Glory, Is God Merely Using Us?
Life is wasted when we do not live for the glory of God. All of life, all for his glory.
Does God Single Out the Sin of Homosexuality? (Romans 1)
While in recent years same-sex relations have been glamorized in some sectors of society, Jesus confirmed that God’s will for marriage has always been lifelong heterosexual monogamy.
Help! I Want to Read the Bible, but I Find It Boring
We won’t love God’s word until he helps us to do it. And the beautiful thing is that he will.
What is righteous vs. unrighteous anger? What does the anger of God look like? Glean insight about the right time and application for anger by reading these verses and commentary.
7 Tips for Keeping Your Cool When Your Kids Misbehave
Jesus came to make it possible for all kinds of people, including angry parents, to be changed into people who yield their expectations to God in service to others, specifically their children.
10 Key Bible Verses on Contentment
A believer’s contentment is not to be affected by circumstances, but firmly rooted in the good news of Christ and what he has accomplished for sinners.
What Does Jeremiah 29:11 Mean?
This verse is commonly found on bumper stickers, signs, cards, etc. to encourage people to have hope for the future. But is that really what this well-known verse means?
A Biblical Argument for Self-Defense
What did Jesus mean when he instructed his followers to turn the other cheek? Does that mean we're never to self-defend?
Christian Sufferer, Your Lord Is Near
I can’t think of anything that is more powerfully comforting than these words: I will never leave you or forsake you.
Men, we will never get anywhere in life without discipline, and doubly so in spiritual matters.
An Open Letter to the Depressed Christian at Christmas
In the midst of a tough season, learn ways to carefully navigate the holidays while also contributing to your long-term healing.
5 Myths about Complementarianism
Andreas J. Köstenberger, Margaret Elizabeth Köstenberger
Complementarian interpretation of Scripture holds that God’s creation purpose for man and woman entails equality of individual value but also distinct roles.
5 Idols Revealed through Hardship
Lamenting the toppling of our cultural idols can reorient Christian exiles as to what King and what kingdom we were supposed to long for.
This Day in History: The Execution of Dietrich Bonhoeffer
At the break of dawn on April 9, 1945, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hanged. As they prepared him for his death, he preached a final sermon.
Did You Know that the Bible Commands Us to Eat, Drink, and Be Merry?
God made the world good. And no amount of being a Christian ever changes the fact that God put you in a physical world with hands and food and drink and culture and relationships and beauty.
6 Lessons from Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen's classic novel, Pride and Prejudice contains some poignant lessons for Christians. Learn more about how her characters can point us to the Gospel.
Creeds and confessions are useful only to the extent that they reproduce faithfully the teaching of Scripture itself.
8 Short Questions about Faith, Hope, and Love
The whole Christian life, in terms of our living in response to God and his new work in us, springs from faith, hope, and love. Everything we do as Christians relates to these three virtues.
What Does It Mean That God Chose Us before the Foundation of the World? (Ephesians 1)
God’s choice of his people is related to their being predestined to be a part of his family, but predestination is not an end in itself.
An Open Letter to Those Debilitated by Their Sexual Sin
If you feel debilitated by a past of sexual sin or by the ongoing presence of temptation, hear these words of comfort and encouragement.
12 Principles for Disagreeing with Other Christians
When it comes to resolving conflict: there are two groups: the weak in faith and the strong in faith.
If the fear of public speaking is the general population’s greatest fear, fear of praying publicly may be its Christian equivalent.
6 Questions about Christ’s Heart for Sinners
We cannot present a reason for Christ to finally close off his heart to his own sheep. No such reason exists.
Pray your pastor would love God, and you, so much that he would be willing to disappoint you for God’s glory.
An Open Letter to the Suffering Christian
Jesus is a most sympathetic friend, fellow sufferer, and Savior. He has walked a hard road and he understands.
Jesus says to tell all nations the good news, but we haven’t. Jesus calls people to be fishers of men, but we prefer to watch. Peter says to always be ready to give a reason for the hope that we have, but we are not.
If Jesus Is God, Why Did He Pray?
Many theologians over the course of church history have wrestled with this question. The answer to this question is relatively simple.
10 Things You Should Know about Francis Schaeffer
The conviction that the Bible held basic answers for basic question would characterize his life and work.
Will the Unsaved Suffer Eternal Judgment? (2 Thessalonians 1)
Salvation comes by grace through faith to believers, who consequently display their faith as they continue to trust in Jesus, heedless of suffering and persecution in this life.
3 Ways Christians Are Sanctified
There are three primary agents in the character formation or sanctification of a Christian—ways that God uses to change us.
Which Sins Are Feeding Your Sin of Lust?
In ministry to someone who struggles with sexual darkness, you may get the breakthrough in another screening room, in an area that neither of you had noticed or considered to be related.
10 Things You Should Know about Baptism
A sacrament is a covenant sign that is appropriate to the promises made by God in his covenant.
What Did Jesus Teach about the Devil and Demons?
There is an enemy of God and humanity. That enemy needs to be known.
5 Myths about Studying the Bible
If we truly believe that our very spiritual lives depend on every word that comes from the mouth of God (Deut 8:3; Matt 4:4), we will make the time to study God’s Word.
How to Pray When You’re Feeling Anxious
Anxiety may misdirect us, or, properly grasped, may point us to the right path.
Here are five myths about evangelism that may lead us to neglect an important facet of the Christian life.
Losing your temper means you’ve placed anger in the saddle and you are now galloping along at its command.
Spiritual Blessing: More than Just a Nice Feeling
God's blessings are more than just polite sayings or false promises—we have assurance of these blessings from the the Holy Spirit.
4 Misconceptions about Contentment
One of our greatest struggles with contentment is that we often have an incorrect picture of what it means to be content.
10 Things You Should Know about R. C. Sproul
R. C. Sproul loved to laugh. He enjoyed people. He truly knew the generosity of God, and that propelled him to serve people.
Is There a Difference between Pastors and Elders? (1 Timothy 3)
Besides having good character, what qualifications must one meet in order to oversee others in the church?
10 Things You Should Know about Pastoral Counseling
If God has given you his Word and his Spirit dwells within you, there is much more you can do than you probably realize.
4 Truths About Christian Giving
How are we to think about and manage our money? How can we use it for ministry?
What George Mueller Can Teach Us about Prayer
George Mueller (1805–1898) is widely considered one the greatest men of prayer and faith since the days of the New Testament.
6 Keys to a Rewarding Digital Detox
Our screens project images to us that are more attractive than our real lives, and that’s all by design. Lured in, we escape into our screens, get hooked, and find it difficult to escape.
5 Tips for Maximizing Your Singleness
A season of singleness is not the minor leagues of marriage. It has the potential to be a unique period of undivided devotion to Christ and undistracted ministry to others.
21 Key Christian Figures You Should Know
We stand on the shoulders of the saints who have gone before, exemplifying how to live and love God faithfully.
An Open Letter to the Man Struggling to Form Deep Friendships
It can be difficult for men to find the time and energy to invest in deep relationships with other men. But it’s worth it.
7 Tips for Sharing the Gospel with Teens
Before teens can actually explain the gospel, they must first know it themselves. Then they must know how to articulate it.
How to Pray When You’re Struggling to Understand the Bible
Prayer is the means by which we implore the Holy Spirit to take up residence in our study time.
Is Making Decisions All about Knowing God's Will?
Before we can make decisions, it is helpful to have a robust biblical understanding of the nature of God’s will.
10 Things You Should Know about Shame
Talking about shame allows the light of the gospel to begin to free God's people from its dark grip.
A Message to the Christian Battling Sexual Sin
We can't blame our environment for our struggles. The root of our wrong thinking about sex is not cultural, it's our own hearts.
There are lots of people who are never really confronted by the wretchedness of their own hearts.
6 Attitudes We Need When Studying the Bible
It is a great blessing that God has revealed himself and that we have access to that revelation and Bibles in our own language.
What Did Jesus Teach about Violence and Turning the Other Cheek?
J. Daryl Charles, Timothy J. Demy
Does Jesus’s teaching in the sermon on the Mount to “turn the other cheek” and not resist evil require pacifism on the part of Christians?
The doctrine of the Trinity is for everybody who is saved by Jesus.
We May Be Confused, but God Isn’t
As much as we try to make sense of our lives, there are things that we simply aren’t able to understand.
10 Things You Should Know about Dating
Instead of making marriage your mission, make it God’s global cause and the advance of the gospel where you are, and look for someone pursuing the same.
An Open Letter to Those Frustrated by Their Progress in Sanctification
A professional counselor encourages believers who are experiencing doubt that God is still with them and working in their lives.
10 Things You Should Know about the Church after COVID-19
In all the important ways, nothing has changed about church. We are still the people of God, gathered in the presence of God, to bring glory to God.
How to Study the Bible: A 5-Day Plan with Jen Wilkin
As Christians, we believe the Bible is the very word of God, and it’s pivotal that we spend time knowing and loving him through it.
5 Guiding Principles for Church Elders
God has called elders to be men worth imitating. A healthy local church typically has many people, men and women, whose example we could follow.
10 Things You Should Know about Family Discipleship
In Jesus's call to make disciples everywhere and to teach his commandments entirely, we can be absolutely sure that this imperative includes those disciples we will make in our own homes.
10 Things You Should Know about Money
Money is an accurate window on what is truly important to us.
Seminary can by no means teach a minister everything he needs to know, but it puts strong tools in his box to set him up for a lifetime of learning and growing in the Lord.
How Could a Loving God Send People to Hell?
Jesus is not separable from the God whose wrath he faces on the cross, so he is not separable from us, if we but put our trust in him.
This Day in History: The Death of John Calvin
The struggles of his Calvin’s life tested his faith. At the heart of his faith was the confidence that for the sake of Jesus, God was his loving heavenly Father.
There is a reason to value some gifts above others, but the Bible does not teach that any are more important, lasting, or Christ-centered than other gifts.
5 Tips for Starting a Bible Study
The Holy Spirit must always lead us into God’s truth, so pray for his help to help you lead a study of his Word.
Podcast: Help! I Hate My Job (Jim Hamilton)
Jim Hamilton discusses what to do when you hate your job, offering encouragement for those frustrated in their work and explaining the difference between a job and a vocation.
An Open Letter to the Hesitant Church-Goer
Helpful reflections and encouragement for believers who are hesitant to return to church for a variety of reasons.
Like many larger-than-life figures in the history of the church, the memory of the French Reformer John Calvin has been subjected to various distortions that amount to urban legends.
God’s Plan for Your Discontentment
There is room for the power of Christ to rest on you in such a way that it will give you the strength to be content even as you continue to live your life in the wilderness of this world.
Podcast: Are Christians Obligated to Give 10%? (Sam Storms)
What does the Bible teaches about tithing? Are Christians still obligated to give 10% of their income today?
What Did Jesus Teach about Money?
We keep telling ourselves that the next thing will be what satisfies us, but it never does.
Our value comes from God and he has good purposes for every role and circumstance he puts us in.
10 Things You Should Know about Sound Doctrine
Bobby Jamieson lists ten things we should know about sound doctrine.
5 Ways to Ensure Our Souls Aren’t Strangled by Screens
The biggest deception of our digital age may be the lie that says we can be omnicompetent, omni-informed, and omnipresent.
New Year, New Mercies: A 15-Day Devotional with Paul David Tripp
When “behavior modification” or feel-good aphorisms aren’t enough to make you new, learn to trust in God’s goodness, rely on his grace, and live for his glory each and every day.
10 Things You Should Know about Love
We often say “love” when we mean sexual intimacy, or romantic love. But real love is far bigger than that.
Coronavirus and the Second Coming of Christ
Even though the history of the Christian church is littered with failed predictions of the end of the world, it remains true that Jesus Christ is coming back.
An Open Letter to the Weary Pastor
The gospel gives hope and encouragement to weary pastors—hope and encouragement that cannot be found anywhere else.
10 Things You Should Know about People with Disabilities
When we find ourselves weak, broken, disabled, we find that God shows up in unexpected ways.
10 Things You Should Know about Studying the Bible
We study the Bible because it is God’s word to the world. We want to hear him.
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.
An Open Letter to the Church on Singleness
Let’s not neglect what Scripture has to say about singleness. It may well surprise us. It will certainly bless us.
10 Passages to Read in the Face of Global Conflict
God is our refuge and strength. Read these passages for comfort and to help guide prayer during times of worldwide strife, conflict, and war.
You need to understand that there are two parts of the Christmas story, and you need both parts to make proper sense out of the whole story.
We come into this world as a danger to ourselves. We are naturally more discontented than contented.
4 Questions You Should Ask When Reading the Bible
What we get out of the Bible largely depends on the kinds of questions we ask when reading the text. But how do we know what are the right questions to ask?
The Goal of Submission in Marriage
Wives bend toward the nourishment and the leadership of their husbands—they are turning themselves toward what is for their good.
4 Reasons for Hope in Suffering
In our suffering God is at work to give us something much better than what we want.
You don’t need to unburden or collect yourself and then come to Jesus. Your very burden is what qualifies you to come.
Parents, Your Kids Need Big Theology
Let them grow into understanding the big truths of Scripture by building a foundation that will shape and guide them as they learn and understand the big words and the big theology of the gospel.
10 Things You Should Know about Prayer
It’s easy to complicate prayer; but at its essence, prayer is simply talking with God.
How Psalm 73 Speaks to the Christian Experience
A goal for all of us is to be able to say Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth I desire besides you.
Are Pastors Free to Accumulate Wealth?
Few people acknowledge the narratives that drive the assumptions that provide our framework for how we relate to money.
How to Face the Death of Someone You Love
We’ve all experienced the desolation of being left in one way or another.
10 Things You Should Know about The Pilgrim’s Progress
The classic tale of The Pilgrim’s Progress has been popular with readers through the ages because it is rooted in the truths of the Bible.
7 Tips for Being a Good Friend
As we emerge from this pandemic, we have a fresh opportunity to embrace essential relationships, not just returning to our pre-pandemic status-quo, but moving forward into something even better.
What Did Jesus Teach about Evangelism?
When we look at Jesus’s life and ministry we also see that he was the greatest evangelist. In his earthly ministry he was the light of the world, the one who always lived in a way that was pleasing to his Father.
3 Reasons Jesus Is Our Only Hope
The Advent story is a hope story because it chronicles the coming to earth of the One who is hope, Jesus.
10 Things You Should Know about the Imagination
Matthew P. Ristuccia, Gene Edward Veith Jr.
We use our imaginations all the time, whether we are daydreaming, planning, remembering, or meditating.
3 Causes for Political Tension between Christians
Jonathan Leeman, Andrew David Naselli
What is going on when a disagreements affects your heart’s posture or hinders fellowship with another person in your church?
Suffering and Hope in the Time of COVID-19
In these circumstances, we may find ourselves wondering, Where is God? How can these things be happening if God is perfectly good and all-powerful? Can’t he stop them? Doesn’t he want to?
10 Key Bible Verses on Serving
Christ set the ultimate example of service and sacrifice when he condescended to us and submitted to death on our behalf.
Adoption Isn't Charity—It's War
We believe Jesus in heavenly things—our adoption in Christ; so we follow him in earthly things—the adoption of children.
There are eight godly attitudes in Colossians 3:12–14 that are foundational to biblical peacemaking.
3 Pieces of Advice for Every Godly Man Fighting Porn
Prayer feels weak. We feel awkward trying. So we neglect prayer. But our prayers to God are not weak. They are powerful, because God is powerful.
10 Key Bible Verses on Freedom
As Christians, we’ve been released from the power of sin and death by Jesus and his substitutionary death on the cross.
4 Ways to Read the Bible for Personal Application
Your whole Bible “applies personally.” This Lord is your God; this history is your history; these people are your people; this Savior has brought you in to participate in who he is and what he does.
How Radically Ordinary Hospitality Changed Rosaria Butterfield’s Life
Rosaria Butterfield invites us into her home to show us how God can use “radical, ordinary hospitality” to bring the gospel to our lost friends and neighbors.
Will Your Phone Dominate Your Life in 2018?
As another new year begins, let's examine our habits, including our relationships to social media and our phones.
The Right Way to Ask for Prayer
God did not create us to be self-protective, so being so will eventually lead to misery rather than safety.
Christians, remember that God has graciously given us his Holy Spirit, who makes us fearless in troubled times.
It is the devil’s work to promote a fear of God that makes people afraid of God such that they want to flee from God.
Should the Sick Be Anointed with Oil? (James 5)
James instructs the church elders to “anoint” the sick person with oil “in the name of the Lord.” Throughout the centuries, Christians have struggled to understand and apply this verse.
6 Ingredients of True Friendship
What essential ingredients do we mix together to make true friendship?
10 Things You Should Know about Communion with Christ
Before we can have communion (or fellowship) with Christ, we must first be in a right relationship with him. That relationship can only come from our being in union with Christ.
Should Christians Always Submit to the Government? (Romans 13)
Paul’s counsel in Romans 13 assumes a government acting within its God-appointed parameters. When it does not, other measures may be in order.
4 Questions about the Attributes of God
His almighty power makes it possible for him to reach out to us in love and to save us from our sins. This is why the attributes of God matter.
Did Jesus Ever Complain to God?
Many Christians don't have a category for complaint—what it means to humbly and biblically take our sorrows to the Lord.
How to Grieve Racial Violence through Lament
Rather than allowing racial tension to drive a wedge between us or to frighten us into silence, lament can invite all of us on a journey toward seeking God’s grace together.
Gentle and Lowly: A 14-Day Podcast
Join Dane Ortlund for a 14-day audio devotional to discover the true heart of Christ for sinners and sufferers.
One Big Reason the Church Doesn't Pray
Are we living as if we can accomplish things on our own, or are we praying to God like we know we can't?
3 Reasons Jesus's Miracles Still Matter Today
The miracles of Jesus were relevant to the people back then. But what about now?
3 Lies Women Believe about Serving
It’s difficult to steward our time, talents, and treasure well in a world that invites us to self-satisfaction and self-fulfillment.
How the Resurrection Changes Everything
Jesus death an resurrection changed everything, and it has the power to change us.
A Christian Doctor Answers Questions about COVID-19
Read answers to common questions related to COVID-19 from a Christian physician.
The Day My Worst Nightmare Came True
Four years ago, Cameron Cole came face-to-face with his worst nightmare. The one thing that he hoped and prayed would never happen, did happen.
What Happens after Death (and before Resurrection)
The Bible assures us that we already have eternal life here on earth and that cannot be interrupted.
5 Lessons from Shakespeare's Hamlet
Leland Ryken compels us to focus on both the content and the form of Shakespeare's Hamlet.
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.
How Does Jesus Respond When We Doubt? (John 20)
Do we think our doubts trouble Jesus? Do we think skepticism is a surprise to him? Our honest thinking will not offend him. He can handle any question we have.
10 Reasons Why It’s Good to Be a Girl
We in the church should be the loudest voice in our world to rehearse all the ways it’s good to be a girl. We know the God who made us, and we know he made us very good.
3 Questions about Small Groups
We should be asking ourselves if we act like family members of the church and whether or not our participation in the church strengthens or weakens it.
A Prayer for Racial Reconciliation
Divisions of mistrust and historical bias run deep. Without God, nothing will ever change. In our pain and our weariness, we know that only Jesus can change our hearts and unite the church.
7 Tips for Reading the Bible with Another Person
Reading the Bible, like eating a meal, isn’t only for individual consumption. Some of the greatest joys come when we enjoy God and his word together with others.
10 Things You Should Know about Grieving People
People who are grieving don’t expect that you are going to say something that will make everything okay.
You Need Christ to Put Your Sin to Death
Christian salvation is fundamentally a matter of grace, rescue, help, deliverance—it is God invading our miserable little lives and triumphing gloriously and persistently over all the sin and self he finds.
4 Prayers to Pray When You’re Anxious
Read four prayers from church history along with passages from Scripture, and be encouraged to know the Lord hears you.
10 Things You Should Know about Abortion
Does each and every human being have an equal right to life?
Joy is the gift of God to those who trust in Christ—not circumstantial, but the result of a deep trust in and love for Jesus.
Delighting in God’s Law: A 10-Day Video Devotional with Jen Wilkin
Join Jen Wilkin, author of Ten Words to Live By, for a ten-day journey through the Ten Commandments, learning what they are and what they mean for our lives.
7 Important Lessons about Masculinity
Godly leadership doesn’t give us the right to lord our authority over others; it means that it is our glory to die first.
6 Questions about the Fear of God
On the one hand, we are told that Christ frees us from fear; on the other, we are told we ought to fear—and fear God, no less. Is fear a good or a bad thing?
Resources Related to Abortion and the Sanctity of Life
In light of the recent ruling by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, we wanted to highlight a number of resources that will help Christians to understand the truths of the pro-life position, to articulate that message, and to truly reflect on the sanctity of life.
Lessons from 7 of History's Greatest Theologians
Access nearly five hours of free video content exploring key teachings on the Christian life from seven of church history’s greatest theologians.
The Core Problem with Genetic Engineering
Children are not commodities to be bought and sold, or products to be manufactured, or objects to be designed for someone else’s use.
Why It Matters What We Do with Our Bodies
We might think it doesn’t matter what we do with our bodies, but the Bible repeatedly and powerfully shows us this is not the case.
How to Pray When You’re Tempted by Sexual Sin
Sexual sin is a matter of the heart. When it comes to sex, we all need to say that the biggest problem in our sexual lives is us.
The Reason We Don't Feel the Weight of Our Sin
Just as we can hardly fathom the divine ferocity awaiting those out of Christ, it is equally true that we can hardly fathom the divine tenderness already resting now on those in Christ.
Podcast: The Heart of the Abortion Debate (Scott Klusendorf)
Scott Klusendorf discusses abortion and the current state of the pro-life movement, highlighting the biggest mistakes pro-life people make and responding to common pro-choice arguments.
Christian, What Are You Watching?
For most Americans, media is the omnipresent backdrop of life. We generally give no more thought to it than we do to the air we breathe. But give thought to it we must.
What is prayer and when and how should we do it? Explore answers to some common questions from To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism.
4 Ways Paul Encourages Us to Love the Church (Even When It’s Hard)
Like it did for Paul, the truth should shape us, so that belonging to an ordinary gathering of unremarkable people becomes one of the highest joys and greatest privileges of our lives.
This Day In History: The Death of Charles Spurgeon
It was January 31, 1892, and after twenty-four years of ill health, the ‘Prince of Preachers’ went to be with the Lord, aged just fifty-seven.
A 7-Step Approach to In-Depth Bible Study
Studying God’s word is worth all the effort we can give, because it is God’s voice to us, making us wise for salvation and equipped for a life of love.
Can Christians Know the Timing of Christ’s Second Coming? (1 Thessalonians 5)
Many wish to know when Jesus will return to establish his kingdom fully. Even the disciples asked this very question .
8 Tips for Taking Good Sermon Notes
Consider using these eight tips, and use a notebook or the margins of your ESV Journaling Bible to record thoughts and sermon notes.
10 Things You Should Know about Being Single
God made you and me for far more than marriage. If we miss this, we risk wasting our lives running in wrong directions, pursuing pitiful dreams, and serving tiny gods.
Is God Far Away When He Feels Far Away?
Scripture captures both the subjective experience of being internally broken and the external experience of having something objectively hard circumstances.
Help! My Beliefs Are Viewed as Intolerant
As our world continues to speak about inclusivity, diversity, and tolerance, it can seem like Christianity is embarrassingly behind the times.
Why It's Destructive to Deny God's Sovereignty in Suffering
To deny God's control over suffering actually severs the root of our comfort when facing tragedy.
Paul Miller’s Story of Learning to Love
Paul Miller shares his story of learning to love by discovering the pattern of Jesus’s life.
5 Things to Consider When Confronting a Friend
Sin becomes public in three different ways: someone confesses it, we see it, or we are told about it. Here are some ways to enter into the discussion.
5 Questions about Mental Illness
Mental illness is an old problem; as old as the fall. Although God made everything very good, when sin entered, humanity—together with the rest of the creation—came under the divine curse.
How the Word of God Enables Us to Defeat the Devil
When the powers of darkness are arrayed against you, and aim to destroy your joy forever, nothing is more precious than to have the Word of God ready for the battle.
5 Questions about the Ten Commandments
We should love the law because we love Jesus, and because Jesus loved the law.
How to Believe against Your Feelings
Some people stop following Christ because they enjoy other things more than Jesus. To them, Christianity just isn’t satisfying anymore. So how should you deal with this important issue?
Why It Matters How We Treat Unborn Children
How serious is it in God’s sight to intentionally cause the death of an unborn child?
Songs of Suffering: A Short Film Featuring Joni Eareckson Tada
No one has spoken more personally and insightfully into the intersection of suffering and faith than Joni Eareckson Tada. In this 13-minute documentary, hear more from Joni herself about her story.
How Is Love of Money a Root of Evil?
The root system of the love of money runs deeper and wider through the soil of the human heart than we tend to think.
Is It OK to Call God My Friend?
Jesus is—and will always be—our king. And yet, it’s also true that our king has invited us to be his friends.
Does the Bible Direct Us to Have Quiet Times?
It may come as a surprise, but there is no explicit command in Scripture to have a time of worship each day, either as an individual or as a family.
4 Things Dads Should Teach Their Kids about Money
Your kids need more than practical tips for managing their money. They need theology.
What Does 1 Corinthians 10:13 Mean?
This verse promises that God will never allow a temptation that we cannot stand under because he will provide the power to escape through endurance. But what is Paul getting at here in particular?
J. I. Packer on the Hub of Christian Life
Packer would contend that one has fallen short in the knowledge of God until such time as the glory of God becomes central in all areas of life and thought.
10 Key Bible Verses on Slothfulness
According to Scripture, laziness or sloth is considered a sinful indulgence. Learn more about what God values in kingdom laborers.
10 Things You Should Know about Infertility
Infertility is a more common experience than some realize affecting 7–10% of couples.
10 Things You Should Know about Persecution
After telling his followers about his forthcoming death and resurrection, Jesus told them that they were to follow him by taking up their cross.
How to Pray When You’re Tempted by Anger
Here are five things you might focus on in your prayers as you seek to do the heart work necessary in your own circumstances.
A Christian Perspective on International Women’s Day
As the world takes a moment to applaud women and girls in various ways, may we Christians be the biggest champions, the loudest cheerers, and the most proactive supporters of women.
Hospitality is not a gift unto itself, but a means through which other spiritual gifts are displayed: mercy, serving, giving, and evangelizing.
What exactly is salvation and how does it work in the life of a believer. Get answers to the basic questions of God's saving work from How to Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism.
10 Key Bible Verses on Spiritual Discipline
Godly character is developed over time—honed by the practice of spiritual disciplines and commitment to living honorably before men and God.
What C. S. Lewis Believed about Hell
When the wrath of God is poured out, God gives us over to our desires and we become less and less human.
Infographic: How Is Your Phone Changing You?
We surveyed 7,000 people about their phone usage habits—learn more about their answers in this infographic.
An Open Letter to the Parent Who Has Lost a Child
As a parent whose child died four and a half years ago, I want to offer you two hopeful words about that wound in your heart that never will fully heal on this side of eternity.
10 Things You Should Know about John Stott
What do you know about the life of John Stott? Do you know about the various facets of his ministry? It can sometimes feel as if Stott lived a dozen lives.
Why Stay-at-Home Moms Don't Need to Be Embarrassed
God values all work that's done in his name and in service of others, so you don't need to be embarrassed about your at-home work.
What is the best way Protestants today should look back on the Reformation? Should we think of it more like a happy birth or an ugly divorce?
5 Tips for Being Disciplined without Being Legalistic
God is not counting our failures against us, and we are not building a treasury of merit with our successes. We are simply trying to live a disciplined life that pleases our loving Father.
Podcast: The Freeing Reality that You Are Not Enough (Jen Wilkin)
Jen Wilkin discusses God-given limits as created beings, reflecting on why the common refrain that we should look inside ourselves for meaning and purpose is so misguided.
An Open Letter to Those Who Feel Unqualified to Offer Counsel
The Lord specializes in using people who feel weak in themselves, and your sense of inadequacy will probably protect you.
Podcast: How to Read the Bible Every Day in 2020 (David Mathis)
David Mathis discusses how anyone can make Bible reading a habit in 2020, reflecting on the pros and cons of New Year's resolutions and offering practical advice on making a plan to read the Bible every day.
This gospel meditation by Paul David Tripp explores the idea of elusive rest and our ultimate hope in the life to come.
The Role of Prayer and Missions in Salvation
Prayer and evangelism are both part of the plan—the all-embracing, all-pervasive, unstoppable providence of God is the only hope for making our efforts effective.
4 Ways Christians Can Navigate Cultural Confusion around Gender in the Coming Decade
The question of transgender identity looks set to be significant for Christians both in matters of public life and pastoral care for the foreseeable future.
10 Key Bible Verses on Endurance
The Christian life requires strength, fortitude, and endurance. The path marked out for believers is never promised to be easy or smooth.
10 Things You Should Know about the Priesthood of Believers
Our role as priests—a role that includes both male and female—is a premier theme throughout Scripture.
7 Back-to-School Prayers for Students
Students: as you head back to school, don't forget to prepare and recalibrate your hearts for the days ahead through intentional prayer.
Why We Need to Gather as a Church
Collin Hansen, Jonathan Leeman
The push toward the virtual church, we fear, is a push to individualize Christianity. It trains Christians to think of their faith in autonomous terms.
Can I Serve God Better Unmarried?
The whole duty and calling of every human being who has ever lived is to love God with heart, mind, soul, and strength.
The temptation to forget God is always present. But there is a way to maintain one's devotion to the Lord.
10 Things You Should Know about C. S. Lewis
Lewis is a master of the soul. He understands the human heart, in all its deceitfulness and grandeur, both in its good design and in its twisted corruption.
4 Principles for Making Critical End-of-Life Decisions
There are four key principles that arise from Christian bioethics that can practically help us when we are in emotional turmoil.
The Kind of Love That Marks a Christian
Why does the Great Commandment instruct us to love God first, others second? Because this is the order in which God himself loves.
4 Prayers to Pray when You’re Sorrowed
Turn to the Word of God and the prayers of the saints when your heart is saddened and in need of the gospel’s hope.
It is within a man’s private life, in those “unseen hours,” where his character is most laid bare.
10 Things You Should Know about Apologetics
Apologetics is a means to an end: a means of helping people to live for Jesus.
Help! I’m Feeling Anxious about . . . Everything
Let’s be honest, we’re all worried, aren’t we? The good news is that God knew this day was coming and has provided counsel for us to stop worry at its source.
4 Cultural Factors That Contribute to Our Epidemic of Burnout
Diligence and discernment are necessary to combat these 4 cultural factors that contribute to burnout.
The Fear of God Is the Antidote to Our Anxiety
Fear is probably the strongest human emotion. But it baffles us. When we come to the Bible, the picture seems equally confusing: is fear a good thing or bad?
Why We Sometimes Prefer to Keep God at a Distance
The Lord pursues and offers forgiveness of sins to those who want their own way, who want to have their own kingdom.
The topic of money can be tricky for Christians to navigate. What does the Bible say about it and how ought we to use it to honor God?
8 Tips for Studying God's Word
Learn some practical tips for engaging with and getting the most out of your time in God's living, active Word.
An Open Letter to Those Who Divide over Doctrine
We live in polarized times. Outrage and rancor seem to be simmering all around us, and it’s making it harder to talk across ideological lines.
How Can You Show Radical Hospitality as an Introvert?
What is most lacking in this Christian world is not the need for more extroverts, but the need for more discernment.
A Simple Solution to a Boring Prayer Life
But if God invites and expects all his children—regardless of their age, IQ, education, or resources—to do the same thing—to pray—then prayer has to be simple.
Unrealistic standards of beauty are being pushed on us almost constantly by the media, and the cumulative effect is that it can leave us thinking about our bodies in a seriously distorted way.
Why Your Emotions Are a Good Thing
Carolyn Mahaney, Nicole Mahaney Whitacre
God didn’t redeem us, body and soul, only for us to leave emotions out of the Christian life.
I’m passionate that every Christian display the gospel in their lives, which is why I’m passionate about church membership.
How to Stop Thinking about What People Think of You
Self-consciousness is really bondage to the question What do people think of me?
Why Christian Mission Must Focus on Evangelism
The gospel of Jesus Christ, by its very nature, refuses to be bottled up. It must be shared.
Why Mourning Can Be Good for Us
Mourning sin—past, present, and future—is the first step in seeking and celebrating the hope of divine grace.
How to Pray for Your Child’s Salvation
We cannot force this faith. We labor for it, we teach to it, we encourage it, and above all, we can pray for it.
Jesus Is Not Ashamed of Those Who Are Hurting and Hopeless
Be amazed at the power of Christ to transform a helpless man; but also, marvel at the love of Christ that claims rebels like this as his own.
Ours is not a time of great respect for authority. For most people, including many evangelical Christians, personal freedom and liberty are avidly pursued virtues.
Rest in God’s Faithfulness, Not Yours
God not only forgives your sins and guarantees you a seat in eternity, but welcomes you to a radically new way of living.
Our occupation is what occupies us as we make a living. The word vocation originates in a word for “calling” and refers to what God has called us to do to fulfill his mission in our lives.
Help! I Don’t Know How to Initiate Meaningful Conversations
Cheryl Marshall, Caroline Newheiser
Whether speaking with strangers, acquaintances, or those we dearly love, we sometimes realize that we and they would greatly benefit if we would talk about God. But how?
Why Our Feelings ≠ Knowing God’s Will
Feelings are not meant to be our guide. That's the role of God's Word in our lives.
How the Lord’s Prayer Affected September 11, 2001
The pattern for prayer that Jesus has given to you and to me exists so that we may discover peace and contentment, hope and forgiveness, truth and assurance.
10 Key Bible Verses on Hardship
With the power and presence of Jesus in our lives, we are called to endure and thus shine the light of Christ in a dark world.
Embracing God in Your Trials: A 7-Day Devotional
A 7-day video devotional on ESV.org aimed at helping you run to God in the midst of trials and suffering.
10 Things You Should Know about Catechesis
What is catechesis? Here are 10 facts you should know.
10 Things You Should Know about Teenagers
Do teenagers confuse you? This article shares 10 things you should know about them.
5 Tips for Managing Your Emotions
Carolyn Mahaney, Nicole Mahaney Whitacre
How do we handle our feelings? How do we fix them when they are broken? How do we keep our emotions from taking control of our lives?
4 Prayers to Pray through Spiritual Darkness
Turn to the Lord in prayer and in his word during times of despair and discouragement. He is near and read to defend, protect, and preserve those he loves.
Legalism: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself
Legalism is the tendency to regard as divine law things that God has neither required nor forbidden in Scripture.
7 Tips for Starting to Learn Biblical Greek
This advice is purposed not to make things easier, but to make the process more realistic, and more pleasant.
Vocation: My Choosing or God's Calling?
One aspect of the doctrine of vocation flies in the face of every self-help book and occupational seminar, every conversation about “your plans,” and every agonizing bout of decision-making.
Podcast: Complementarianism Is Not about Competency (John Piper)
John Piper discusses complementarianism, with both personal and practical implications, and how we should think about it in the #MeToo era.
Are Christians Free to Enjoy the Things of Earth?
There are two dangers that we can fall into with the things of earth: idolatry and ingratitude.
Why the Study of Ethics Matters for Everyday Christians
Why should we study ethics from a biblical perspective? Why should we collect and summarize the Bible’s teaching in a systematic way?
Did Jesus Forbid Us from Taking Oaths? (Matthew 5)
Disciples must keep their word, especially when others depend on them, even if circumstances change or oath keeping brings real loss.
Why Modern Christians Should Obey the 10 Commandments
Jesus didn’t set the Ten Commandments aside. He fulfilled them.
5 Lessons I’ve Learned from Martyn Lloyd-Jones’s Preaching
I owe more to the ministry of Martyn Lloyd-Jones than I can put into words.
5 Pieces of Advice for Discussing Gender Roles with Other Christians
We won’t be able to say everything in one conversation, and we certainly won’t say everything perfectly.
An Open Letter to the Older Women in the Church
Older women, read Titus 2, and be encouraged to embrace your calling to train younger women in the church.
Who Are the 144,000? (Revelation 7)
Who will escape the wrath of God at the final judgment? Only those who belong to God, those who are sealed by him, who are numbered by him.
Why Jesus Cannot Be One Truth among Many
Jesus claims rule over all of heaven and earth. He presents himself not as one possible path to God, but as God himself.
10 Things You Should Know about J. I. Packer
Learn about a man from humble origin who the Lord has used in mighty ways.
10 Things You Should Know about B. B. Warfield
Warfield was a towering theological figure at the turn of the twentieth century.
Why Are There So Many Versions of the Bible?
Go into any Christian bookstore, and you can find an entire shelf—sometimes an entire section!—of different Bible translations.
Are the Old Testament’s Moral Laws Still Binding on Us Today?
Even if the Mosaic covenant no longer has binding force on us today, we still need to realize that the Old Testament is a valuable source of ethical wisdom.
J. Alasdair Groves, Winston T. Smith
The issue isn’t really whether or not God has emotions but what they are like. Does God experience emotions the way we do?
Help! I Can’t Stay Consistent with My Bible Reading
God is working in and through the daily, faithful, consistent discipline of Bible reading—even if it’s hard to see it in the moment.
The Problem with the Self-Help Movement
Sanctification demonstrates that right actions work their way out from the inside and not the other way around.
Why All Christians Should Care about Systematic Theology
Peter J. Gentry, Stephen J. Wellum
Biblical theology provides the basis for understanding how texts in one part of the Bible relate to all other texts.
Most of us like to think we’re basically good people. We know we’re not perfect. We sometimes do bad things. But at heart, we think we’re pretty good.
A Common Misconception about Suffering
A frequent misconception about suffering often recurs in Christian circles. It says: “You are suffering because God is trying to teach you something.”
Help—I Want to Be a Stay-at-Home Mom but Can't
Whether stay-at-home mom or career woman, where God has you now is his good design for you.
Seeing God’s Gracious Hand in the Hurts Others Do to Us
We need to know what Scripture says in general about God’s relationship to evil. Scripture declares that the Judge of all the earth will always do what is right.
What Does It Mean to Be Your True Self?
Expressive individualism, like a lot of things, captures something of the truth. Human beings do have an inner life, and that inner life is very important to who we are.
Paul Tripp’s Story of Unexpected Suffering
Four years ago, Paul David Tripp entered the hospital with what he thought was a minor issue and began a journey with pain and suffering for which he felt completely unprepared.
Podcast: How to Study the Bible (Jen Wilkin)
In this episode of The Crossway Podcast, we chat with Jen Wilkin about the importance of developing a habit of Bible study in various seasons of life.
5 Benefits to Reading Entire Books of the Bible in One Sitting
Read whole letters written by the apostle Paul in one sitting without distraction.
12 Reasons You Might Not Feel Like Going to Church
There are many reasons Christians might not feel like going to church. But if you can discern the reason behind your reluctance, the path forward becomes clearer.
A Category You Won't Find in the Bible: The Churchless Christian
The New Testament apostles can't conceive of anything called a Christian that's not connected to Christ's body.
The Key to Spiritual Stability in the Christian Life
As you prayerfully saturate your mind with God's Word, it begins more and more to control your thinking and behavior.
Dare to Believe in Your Own Dignity
You may see yourself as damaged goods, but that's not all you are. You are made in the image of your Creator.
Help! I’m Feeling Stressed about Finances
As members of our families, God calls us to love and serve one another, and, as members of the Household of God, to practice stewardship over the gifts God has given us.
Beware the Idol of Busyness at Christmas
We must be careful to guard the true meaning of Christmas, keeping it from becoming about busyness and bondage to creation.
5 Tips for Helping Your Teens Study the Bible
Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see growth right away. It might take months and it might even take years, but keep being faithful to your calling as parents.
Did Jesus Possess Faith and Hope?
Christ had to have trust in his Father, hope in his Father’s promises, and love for his Father.
Prayer is oxygen for the Christian. It sustains us. So it follows that prayer must be a source of life for any community of Christians.
J. I. Packer: In His Own Words
As we look back on the life of J. I. Packer, join us in thanking God for his humble writing ministry and the legacy of his service to the church.
Here are seven important principles for sharing our faith with others gleaned from a close reading of Acts 8.
God Is Sovereign and We Are Responsible
Exploring the theological past can unearth wonderful theological truths that are incredibly helpful for our own growth in grace and enable us to understand all the more how mighty and merciful God truly is.
The Gospel Is Good News for Mothers
What we say and write reveals what we place our hope in. Our words are the overflow of what is going on in our hearts.
10 Questions about Spiritual Gifts
Spiritual gifts are capacities or abilities imparted to Christians by the Holy Spirit to enable them to exceed the limitations of their finite humanity in order to serve other believers to the glory of God.
What Did Jesus Teach about Prayer?
As mediator, Jesus brings us to God, but he does so by pouring out his Spirit upon us so that our own prayer life is to replicate his prayer life in terms of how the Holy Spirit binds us to our Father in heaven.
4 Questions about the Lord’s Supper
When we understand that the church is a family, we more clearly perceive the biblical emphasis on the Lord’s Supper as a family meal, to be celebrated by the church as Jesus’s family.
Why It Is Unloving to Preach #YouDoYou
If the ship is going down, it’s not arrogant to tell people the truth and point them to the lifeboat. It’s deeply unloving not to.
5 Questions about the Sanctity of Life
What does the Bible really teach about abortion and the sanctity of human life?
Disguising Ungodliness as Righteous Anger
Christopher Ash, Steve Midgley
Sometimes our imitation of God slides, ever so subtly, into replacement of God. We do that thing that we do. We take his place, and soon it is our honor that we are concerned about.
An Open Letter to Those Apathetic about Their Sanctification
A professional counselor speaks to Christian who are unmotivated to continually seek God and serve others.
9 Tips for Making the Most of Your Bible Study
The more we are pulled in different directions, the more we have to work to guard the time we give to personal study of our Bibles.
What Does Deuteronomy 31:6 Mean?
What’s the most frightening thing you’ve ever had to do? Terror is a powerful force that can seize us and render us powerless to act.
Do We Live in a Post-Christian Society?
Our society may not be a happy Christian one, but that leaves the gospel room to speak, stand, and save.
Doctrine is a body of teaching. Christian doctrine is the teaching found in the Bible—about who God is, who we are, and why the world exists.
The question for each of us is: What is the one thing that is keeping me from giving everything to the kingdom of God?
An Open Letter to the Hesitant Host
Are you busy? Are you important? Do you work on a tight schedule? Are your boundaries well-fortified?
The Lord Provides—Even in Tragedy
Any good news in the hospital is a glimmer of God’s grace. Any cure reflects not the power of our own hands, but rather his provision for us.
What the Apostle Paul Teaches Us about Suffering
When God called Paul from being the church’s persecutor to be a gospel preacher, the Lord showed him how much he would suffer for the sake of his name.
Why Do We Sometimes Feel Empty?
Perhaps you have come to see your emptiness as your biggest problem. That’s not how God sees it.
10 Key Bible Verses on Anxiety and Worry
God tells us over and over in Scripture to lean on him for what our human strength and ingenuity cannot achieve.
How Reliable Is Your Conscience?
Martin Luther believed that maintaining a good conscience was worth going to prison for and even dying for.
What to Do When People Don't Sympathize with Your Suffering
In the midst of your heaviest grief, those around you will likely return to life as normal long before you can. Be realistic about people and their ability to enter into your suffering, to stay, and to remember.
Podcast: The Danger in Being a Self-Made Woman (Jen Oshman)
What does it look like to pursue real fulfillment in God, rather than in ourselves? And what's wrong with the self-obsessed, individualistic culture that dominates our world today?
We need to think of the blessings, to all concerned, of biblically responsible discipling when we are reminded of the pitfalls associated with unbiblical discipling relationships.
Why You Should Make Time to Read the Bible . . . Even When You’re Busy
We make time for many things. But none is so important as the life-giving Word of God.
An Open Letter to the Younger Women of the Church
Let’s talk about why we should take the Titus mandate seriously and not miss God’s rich provisions for our growth in grace.
Jesus Loves His Church, So You Should Too
Jesus calls us to this immense personal and corporate challenge. Are you up for it?
When You Don't Even Realize How Discouraged You Are
The truth is, most of us don’t like the look of discouragement. It feels embarrassing. But when we avoid areas of our own insufficiency, we also avoid finding the help we so desperately need.
What Does "Raised for Our Justification" Mean?
Is Jesus's Resurrection and Our Justification Linked? Romans 4:25 reads "[Jesus] was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification". The Greek behind our English word for could mean either “because of” or …
The Key to Not Grumbling in Suffering
It seems to me that suffering without grumbling is one of the world's rarities.
Church Membership Is Not a One-Way Street
What is church membership? It’s the commitment Christians make to keep one another accountable for regularly gathering and centering their lives together on the gospel.
5 Inspiring Stories about Evangelism
Hear stories from 5 women God is using right now to take the good news to those who need to meet the Savior.
We should admit up front that there are some decent reasons a person might have for being an atheist.
Social Media Is Discipling You
We are shaped by the winds that blow around us. In the age of the omnipresent smartphone, the wind that shapes us most is online.
Free Audiobook: How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics?
Free audiobook available of 'How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics?' by Jonathan Leeman and Andy Naselli read by
3 Reasons to Make Systematic Theology Part of Your Bible Study
What systematic theology offers is a way of surveying the essential content of the entire Bible.
The best self-care habits, not only for the Christian but for any human being, lead us back to our Maker and Savior.
When we make a home for others, we are often doing small and unseen work humanly speaking, but the meaning behind the work is never small.
Podcast: Disciplines of a Godly Man (Kent Hughes)
Kent Hughes discusses why discipline is so important for the life of a Christian man. He explains how discipline is actually aimed at freeing us to be the men that God called us to be.
7 Practical Things You Can Do for People Who Are Grieving
There are simple ways that we can demonstrate a deep sensitivity to the pain of grieving people.
10 Things You Should Know about Dementia
A medical doctor shares 10 things you should know about dementia, offering advice and encouragement for everyone affected.
Podcast: Parenting in Light of the Gospel (Paul Tripp)
Paul Tripp shares how raising children often exposes the idols of our own hearts—and gives us the opportunity to rely on the power of Christ.
A New Advent Devotional by Paul David Tripp
We all love the sights, sounds, colors, and tastes of the season, but are we loving Christmas for all the wrong reasons?
Help! I Have a Problem with My Pastor
Don't let your pastor be the only thing that connects you to your church.
How to Pray When You’re Feeling Apathetic about Your Faith
If we take apathy seriously, as does God, we will be better equipped to recognize it when it threatens, avoid it, or at least escape from it earlier.
No More Going through the Motions
There are plenty of men who know their names and their occupations and yet don’t really know who they are at the core of their being. Therefore, they have no real sense of purpose in life.
10 Things You Should Know about Poetry
We should all learn the language of poetry. Here are ten reasons why.
10 Things You Should Know about the Incarnation
The Son, who is in eternal relation to the Father and Spirit, willingly humbled himself and chose to assume a human nature in obedience to his Father and for our salvation (Phil. 2:6-8).
By the Spirit, We See the Cross
The bold and clear preaching of the cross materializes the spectacle of the cross before a congregation, for those with the faith to see it.
What the Bible Says about Women’s Physical Strength
Women's bodies are weaker because God made their bodies to be weaker than men’s bodies and that's what Peter's talking about in 1 Peter 3.
The devil is a very real, very powerful opponent, far too powerful for us to take on in our own strength.
Why You May Want to Take a Silent Retreat after Christmas
You may not know how badly you needed silence and solitude until you get to know them.
Exercise Spiritually as You Exercise Physically
Why should we Christian women turn our attention to the disciplines that will train us for godliness? In today's culture, disciplined Christian lives are the exception, not the rule.
C.S. Lewis and the Role of the Physical Body in Prayer
Prayer, whether it is confession, supplication, thanksgiving, or adoration, always involves a surrender, an embracing of God’s ever-present presence.
Abortion and the Forgiveness of God
Have you confessed your sin to God and acknowledged that it was wrong? His word says that he is faithful to forgive your sins.
We will often neglect what we don’t prioritize. And book reading is often neglected because it fails to be a priority.
3 Things to Remember about Your (Imperfect) Marriage
What are the essential wisdom perspectives that Scripture gives us that enable us to have realistic expectations for our marriage?
Retirement presents a new freedom to live your life according to your God-given priorities.
Fear Not, Your Future Is Secure
No matter how hard your story is right here, right now, it is guaranteed for you as God’s child that it will end better that you can imagine.
The Common Calling of All Women
Am I faithfully obeying God as his child by meeting the genuine needs of others, or am I pursuing self-actualization, self-fulfillment, or selfish ambition apart from him?
How to Embrace Your Emotions without Being Ruled by Them
Emotions can seem as unpredictable as the wind—apparently beyond your control. But we don’t have to live at the mercy of our emotions.
The Bible Is Not an Instruction Manual
The way so many of us treat the Scriptures—as God's "how to" book—doesn't seem quite right when we carefully look at what its own pages say.
3 Signs You're Idolizing Your Home
It can be hard to discern whether or not we're idolizing our work in the home. Unfortunately, the reality is that we often do. But there are a few questions we can ask ourselves that may help.
4 Prayers to Pray when You’re Repentant
Turn to God and his Word and the prayers of the saints when your heart cries out to the Lord in repentance.
4 Questions about Parenting and Screen Time
If we intend to teach our children how to appropriately enjoy, but not abuse, time in front of a screen, we must check our own hearts and habits first.
Help! I Don’t Like the Music at My Church
The mark of a faithful church service is not whether it caters to our tastes, but whether it orients us to devotion to God, love for the body, and zeal to see our neighbors know Christ.
Why Mentoring Is Better than Asking Alexa
In our digital age, it’s helpful to remember the importance of real-life relationships and the benefits of older believers in the faith who can offer us wisdom, presence, and pursuit.
While many know D. A. Carson for his mind and his impressive scholarly writings, fewer have an intimate acquaintance with the heart that produces those works.
10 Notable Quotes from Gentle and Lowly
The gospel flows from God’s deepest heart for his people, a heart of tender love for the sinful and suffering.
Help! I Don’t Know Where to Start with Racial Reconciliation
Lament doesn't solve all the problems of racial disharmony. It’s not without risk. But it helps.
Podcast: Why You Probably Need a Digital Detox (Tony Reinke)
Tony Reinke reflects on how to do a digital detox, why we should be careful with our social media habits, and what the massive success of the new Avengers film can teach us about our media saturated world.
3 Reality Checks for Your Marriage
What are the essential wisdom perspectives that Scripture gives us that enable us to have realistic expectations for our marriage?
Why You Should Stop Pretending You'll Live Forever
Living in light of our death reorients us to our limitations as creatures and helps us see God’s good gifts right in front of us—enabling us to live wisely, freely, and generously.
Why Living for God Depends on Good Theology
We live for Christ because Christ lived and died for us. But we are not able to maintain a Christ-focused life apart from being “Spirit energized.”
The gentle and quiet spirit of which Peter speaks, calling it “of great worth in God’s sight” (1 Peter 3:4), is the true femininity.
10 Things You Should Know about J. I. Packer
Learn about a man from humble origin who the Lord has used in mighty ways.
Douglas Sean O'Donnell exposes Job's under-the-surface theological foundations that made him hold up under duress.
The true woman does not compartmentalize domesticity, nor does she reduce it to a set of behaviors.
Podcast: Are Angels and Demons Still Active Today?
What does the Bible really teach about angels, demons, and Satan, and what have we implicitly adopted from culture?
4 Questions about Our Suffering
Why are we to rejoice in our suffering? Why do we suffer in the ways that we do, and why do some suffer much more than others? Why doesn’t God usually answer our prayers for him to end our suffering?
The Remedy to Self-Condemnation
We’re called to leave the past behind, but that doesn’t mean that the scars of painful things are gone.
5 Ways to Commune with Christ on a Busy Day
The crazy days will come. But with a little intentionality, and with a modest plan in place, you can learn to navigate these days, and even walk with greater dependence on God.
Self-care has become a thing. The trend got traction by appealing to necessity—you can’t care for others if you don’t first care for yourself.
Why Study the Book of Philippians?
Behind the text of Philippians stands a riveting story shared by Paul and the Philippian Christians—what we might call the “fellowship of the cross.”
Finding Contentment in Singleness
If you’re over the age of twenty-five and single, surely by now you’ve experienced at least some of the challenges of living an uncoupled life.
Some people have good friendships, some don’t. Friendship—true friendship—requires intentionality and even skill.
Where There's Hope, There's Life
We humans are hoping creatures; we live very largely on and in our anticipations, things we know are coming and we look forward to.
Before we can fight our sin, we must know what sins are currently present in our lives
An Open Letter to the Overwhelmed Parent at Christmas
For the believer, the most important thing we can do this Christmas is not wrap another present, but open up our hearts and minds anew to the wonder of God coming to earth.
Podcast: Navigating Conflict in Marriage (Christopher Ash)
Christopher Ash shares biblical wisdom and practical advice for couples working through disagreements related to money, sex, and kids.
Podcast: Verses That Changed My Life (John Piper)
John Piper reflects on key verses that have had a huge impact on his life and helped him grasp the connection between our joy and God’s glory.
Suffering with a Christian Worldview
The question we must always ask of suffering is this: What could possibly be worth it? Jesus’s flabbergasting claim is that he is.
5 Things to Remember about Worship
Music can be a part of worship, but it was never meant to be the heart of it.
Must We Be Hurt Deeply to Be Used Significantly?
We want our grand abilities and keen insights to make us usable to God, not our broken hearts and crippling weaknesses.
Mary J. Moerbe, Gene Edward Veith Jr.
Scripture is clear that all earthly fatherhood finds its origin in our heavenly Father, but it also reveals more than that.
Help! I’m Still Single and It Feels Like Life Is Passing Me By
Life has not passed you by. It’s not going to. If you are in Christ, your life has only just begun.
An Open Letter to the Pastor Desiring Racial Reconciliation in the Church
Reconciliation—vertical and horizontal—is the goal of the good news. Gospel unity creates racial harmony.
10 Things You Should Know about Your Smartphone
How much do you really think about your smartphone? Here are 10 things you should know.
You Might Be An Idolater If...
We need the Spirit to give us power over our idolatrous desires.
What Does It Mean That an Elder Must Be the Husband of One Wife? (1 Timothy 3)
One’s gifting is certainly a consideration (“able to teach”), but it is not the whole, or even the main thing, that Paul is looking for in an overseer.
4 Reasons We Neglect the Resurrection
The cross is the basis by which we can be forgiven. Because the cross is literally crucial, it sometimes overshadows the resurrection.
We Are Both Job and Job’s Friends
One important question in reading any biblical text is who you, as a reader, identify with. This is easier for some texts than for others. Who do we identify with in the book of Job?
7 Tips to Help Introverts Connect at Church
In our individualistic, consumer-minded culture, it can seem acceptable to conclude that, if you’re an introvert, church just isn’t your thing. But the Scriptures tell a different story.
How Can An All-Knowing God Not Remember My Sin?
Can an all-knowing, omniscient God ever truly forget? Is it not an essential element in being God that nothing ever slips his mind? Could God ever not remember?
As a stay-at-home mom, it can be really hard to think about balance in the work of the home because we don’t have a boss.
What to Do When Singleness Lasts Longer than You Expected
We tend to define our life based on our perception of our progress. Am I where I thought I would be at this age? Are my dreams more or less real today? Unfortunately, our plans and dreams can become idols.
Help! I’m Struggling to Strike a Work/Life Balance
Work is not primarily a place to please our boss, help our customers, make money, or build a career. Work/life balance begins with a biblical view of work.
Podcast: Making Sense of Transgenderism and the Sexual Revolution (Carl Trueman)
Why is our culture obsessed with gender identity and sexuality? Learn what history has to say about our modern times and how Christians can navigate this increasingly hostile issue.
4 Reasons to Let Go and Trust God
We can trust God to manage the future without our help. It is none of our business.
5 Questions about the Sacraments
What is a sacrament and what is its purpose in the church? Learn answers from To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism.
What the Grand Canyon Teaches Us about Ourselves
Ninety-nine years ago today, Grand Canyon National Park was established after President Woodrow Wilson signed a Congressional act. Learn the invaluable lesson John Piper thinks this national landmark can teach.
Sanctification: An Often Painfully Slow Process
We have sin patterns that we battle for years, and we can have the sense that we're getting any better at this re-imaging thing.
The Hidden Value of Pastoral Gentleness
As leaders of God’s people, we all long to make a difference for Christ. We don’t want to be unfruitful. The main reason to nurture gentleness is neither pragmatic nor historical, but biblical.
Podcast: Rethinking Multiservice and Multisite Church (Jonathan Leeman)
Do multiservice and multisite church models run counter to the pattern for the local church we see in the New Testament?
Our new status and our new identity are due to the saving mercy and transformative power of God and are not of ourselves.
Why Doing Theology Right Matters—for All Christians
The case can be made that every Christian is a theologian because every Christian has a theology, whether well thought out or not.
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.
Waiting on the Lord Is Not a Waste
You’re not doing anything, but God is. Waiting is one of the greatest applications of the Christian faith.
The word of God is more than enough for the people of God to live their lives to the glory of God.
An Open Letter to the Christian Disheartened by Ongoing Temptation
D. A. Carson, John D. Woodbridge
That you are experiencing rounds of temptation is not as unusual as you might suppose. From the inception of the church believers have found this pilgrim way to be strewn with multiple temptations.
Why It Is Good to Be Poor in Spirit
Our culture is obsessed with wealth and riches. Why, then, does Jesus call the poor "blessed?"
9 Ways the New Earth Will Be More Glorious than Eden
When we enter this Eden 2.0, we’ll begin to experience all that God has intended for his people all along.
The Holy Spirit Is at Work in Our Ordinariness
Our lives are building slowly toward a great climax of redemption when we will finally see God face to face. And there are smaller victories along the way.
How to Pray When Your Heart Feels Cold
Many Christians experience seasons of spiritual apathy when the heart seems miles behind what we know to be true in our minds.
Sanctification is a process that lasts a lifetime—it follows no formula or schedule. God's grace sustains us to grow as we simply point in the right direction.
Viewing the Christian Story through the Lens of Our Suffering
Suffering disrupts our lives, seeming to violate the way life should be. This can make us desperate to know why we are suffering.
Fearing God Is a Matter of the Heart
The fear of God is not a state of mind you can guarantee with five easy steps. It is not something that can be acquired with simple self-effort.
Discipleship 101: How to Disciple a New Believer
Discipleship involves a lot, but one of the most important things you can do with a new believer is read the Bible with them–teaching them how to read, understand, respond to, and apply God’s Word.
Dangers for the Churchless Christian
If you try to grow as a Christian apart from a church, your growth will be misshapen.
Who Needs Dogma when Stigma Will Do?
Sliding into liberalism is when you no longer take the time or make the effort to define your terms.
7 Tips for Confronting a Friend in Sin
Cheryl Marshall, Caroline Newheiser
Scripture speaks directly to the Christian’s responsibility to address or confront sin in the lives of other Christians.
You can be in community with any number of people, but not actually have any true friends.
What's So Wrong with a Little White Lie?
I believe God will always give an alternative by which we can do what is right in his sight.
Draw Near to the Lord in Your Fight for Purity
By persevering in prayer, your gaze will be fixed on Christ, which God will use to transform you.
When Studying the Bible, Don’t Follow Your Heart
We speak often in the church about how Christianity is a religion of the heart. It is right to speak of Christianity in this way, but not exclusively in this way.
The Difference Family Worship Makes
Having your family in a Christ-exalting, gospel-centered, Bible-teaching local church is crucial to Christian parenting—but it is not enough.
Help for Humanly Impossible Acts
The languishing come to drink at the fountain of God’s life-giving word. That too is worship. It magnifies the necessity and desirableness of God.
Because your world is not out of control but under God’s careful redemptive control, you can have hope even when it looks to you as if darkness is winning the day.
What’s So Important about Faith, Hope, and Love?
Faith, hope, and love have been referred to as the three divine sisters. We can think of them as three beautiful sisters joined together, hand-in-hand, swirling around as in a dance.
Finding God's Grace While Waiting for a Prodigal
By God’s grace, waiting on a prodigal can actually strengthen your faith.
Podcast: Disciplines of a Godly Woman (Barbara Hughes)
Barbara Hughes discusses why discipline is important for Christian women, highlighting her own struggle to cultivate a disciplined life over the years.
Since the Bible is the Word of the all-powerful God, we shouldn’t be surprised to learn that it is active and accomplishes much.
5 Questions about the Local Church
Ultimately, the local church makes visible what is invisible, and reflects in words and deeds the kingdom life that is to come.
The New Testament Epistles offer several characteristics of false teachers and those susceptible to their teachings.
4 Reasons Why We Need Biblical Theology
To read the Bible faithfully, we need the proper tools. The discipline of biblical theology is one of those helpful tools.
Why I Believe God Is Sovereign over Suffering
Scripture is not silent when it comes to the question of God's sovereignty in our suffering.
4 Tips for Discipling Younger Women
Older women are to be faithful examples as they teach younger women. As you think about Paul's message to older women, consider these questions from the book of Titus.
Faith is a necessary part of the Christian life and allows us to live as people of hope, even when we cannot always see the fruits of our hope.
The Christian Faith of Jane Austen
Learn more about how Jane Austen's faith went from sympathetic to genuine.
Why Good Works Are Crucial for the Christian Life
What is required of us to live in this world as citizens worthy of all the wonders and relationships belonging to the next?
How to Engage Emotionally with the Bible
Emotions are not a bad thing, but they must arise from accurate thoughts about the truths of Scripture.
How to Root out Apathy with the Power of Habit
Practicing spiritual disciplines may feel like work at first. Establishing new habits always presses against our apathy in uncomfortable ways.
6 Reasons Christians Need to Learn to Lament
For hurting people, knowing that this expression of grief is a biblical and a God-given category can be a watershed moment.
There is not an uninfluenced day, hour, or minute in our lives. We are constantly discipled by the cultural, relational, and spiritual forces around us. Which discipling forces influence you the most?
An Open Letter to Those Suffering from Depression
Although you feel hopeless and helpless, I want to assure you that there is hope and there is help.
4 Ways to Go Deeper in the Psalms
From the psalms we see that God works in and through our emotions to draw us closer to him and to mature us spiritually.
4 Simple (Yet Profound) Things to Remember This Thanksgiving
The great privilege of man is to receive everything that God gives, and then to enjoy it and to enjoy him in it.
The Importance of Preaching the Theology of Suffering
Preach to your people a theology of suffering that places all our trials in the hands and will of a loving Father.
An Open Letter to Husbands on Mother’s Day
The fact that Mother’s Day may have secular origins does not mean that it can’t be used by Christian husbands to remind us of biblical principles related to our mothers and wives.
I would argue that the author of Hebrews is presenting much more than a definition of what faith is, but also offering a summary of what faith does.
Are You Conveying the Loveliness of Christ to Your Kids?
Do our kids know the thing that will sustain and oxygenate them when other vital needs go unmet?
The Gospel Is about More (But Not Less) Than Your Personal Salvation
We are not just individually liberated from death, hell, and the Devil—the whole of creation is on an exodus journey as well.
Bible Q&A - Why Read the Bible Every Day?
Dane Ortlund explains the purpose behind reading the Bible every day.
3 Barriers to Spiritual Growth Faced by Teens Today
Christian teenagers attempting to grow in godliness tend to face a series of unique challenges.
Your struggle with assurance is a struggle to see yourself rightly—specifically, to exchange your perspective of yourself with God’s perspective of you.
9 Passages to Read on National Day of Prayer
Nine verses to meditate on during National Day of Prayer.
How the Love of God Helps Us Walk in Holiness
The testimony of Scripture is clear: if we want to walk in the way of holiness, the love of God is indispensable to our progress.
12 Passages to Read to Help Fight Laziness
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
What Does Philippians 4:13 Mean?
This verse is well-loved and often quoted, but frequently misunderstood and thus misapplied. This verse is not a promise that God will enable believers to do whatever they want whenever they want it.
3 Privileges of Intimacy with the Father
As God's children, we inherit God’s glorious new world. But more than that, we inherit God himself.
Podcast: How to Date Your Wife (Justin Buzzard)
Justin Buzzard offers advice for husbands eager to love and serve their wives on a daily basis.
Podcast: Does Jesus Really Like Me? (Dane Ortlund)
What does Scripture say about God's disposition towards us as redeemed sinners? What does it mean that Jesus is "gentle and lowly in heart"?
10 Things You Should Know about Covenant Theology
John R. Muether, J. Nicholas Reid, Guy Prentiss Waters
The Bible is a book about God’s plan to glorify himself by saving sinners through the work of his Son, Jesus Christ. At every point, Scripture’s covenant theology leads us to Jesus.
10 Disciplines of a Godly Pastor
As we sweat out the disciplines of a godly pastor, remember, with Paul, what energizes us to live them out.
10 Key Bible Verses on Gratitude
Gratitude to God is essential, but not only for the sake of the good things which he bestows.
Why Study the Book of Proverbs?
We don’t want to miss the heart of Proverbs—what God is saying to his people through this unique portion of Scripture.
10 Things You Should Know about John Owen
Now more than ever, it’s time to pick up Owen and find his encouragement for the Christian life.
Podcast: Habits for Better Bible Reading (Drew Hunter)
Drew Hunter discusses advice for Christians eager to reinvigorate, or maybe jumpstart for the first time, a consistent Bible-reading habit.
Norman L. Geisler, Frank Turek
Many non-Christians take a “blind leap of faith” that their non-Christian beliefs are true simply because they want them to be true.
Help! I Can’t Get Control over My Tongue
There is an intimate path between our words and our heart. Our speech simply puts on display what is produced in the heart–whether good or evil.
The Pros and Cons of a Global Economy
The global economy can be a little frustrating because globalization and the global economy are terms that mean different things to different people.
What glory right here, right now, has captured your heart, and how is it shaping the way you respond to the situations, locations, and relationships in your life?
7 Reasons to Study the Book of Job
Christopher Ash offers seven reasons to study the book of Job.
Cultivating Habits of Grace: A 5-Day Devotional
Start this 5 day video devotional on 3 life-giving habits that can act as channels of God's grace in your life.
Though God receives our offerings, he isn’t looking for our outward offerings that give back to him what he gave us in the first place.
Are Some Sins Worse Than Others?
John MacArthur, Richard Mayhue
Are all sins the same in God’s eyes, or are some sins worse than others? All sins are the same in the sense that each renders a person guilty and worthy of God’s wrath.
How to Find True Fulfillment in Marriage
The nature of the divine glory can sustain a marriage. We can marvel at its multifaceted radiance and rejoice at the very down-to-earth assistance it affords husbands and wives.
Learning to Accept Help from Others (Especially Your Husband)
Accepting help means you're acknowledging that you are not God. God doesn't need help from anyone, but you, as a human being, need a whole lot of help to get things done.
10 Obligations Christians Have to Scripture
John MacArthur, Richard Mayhue
Throughout his New Testament writings, the apostle John summarized a Christian’s obligation to obey the Scriptures. He made it clear that walking in the ways of the word was not optional.
Building a Culture of Spiritually Intentional Relationships
Most Active Does Not Equal Most Fruitful Could it be that the most active members of your congregation are the least fruitful? Consider for a moment: in God’s sight, not all activity carries equal value. …
You Need a Theology of Uncomfortable Grace
Mourning acknowledges that the world is not the way God meant it to be. Mourning cries out for God’s redeeming, restoring hand.
Dear Pastor . . . Your Shepherd Doesn’t Care How Big Your Church Is
What the Lord requires of us is faithfulness. And while it’s perfectly normal for every pastor to want his church to grow, it’s also idolatrous to marry our validation and our justification to our attendance.
J. I. Packer on One of the Most Urgent Needs in the Church Today
Catechesis—from a Greek word meaning "instruction by mouth"— is a historic teaching method of giving Christians the language with which to articulate the basic tenets of faith.
What Does God Think of My Pain?
While Christians are never promised immunity from suffering, they are promised a purpose in the midst of it.
7 Things We Can Learn from the Puritans
We need more of the Puritan focus on the Word of God.
J. I. Packer’s Thoughts on Holiness
Repentance begins with a recognition of the multitude of ways in which our thinking and attitude and belief system are contrary to what is revealed in Scripture.
Should the Church Operate Like a Business?
How we think about the church will affect how we think about our service in the church.
The Church’s Central Role in the Coming of the Kingdom of God
It’s not to the government, nor to any king or pope or any other ruler, but rather to the church that the keys of the kingdom of God are given.
What Does It Mean to Be Fearfully and Wonderfully Made?
There is something so intricate and meaningful about how God has made us that we really should be in awe of that fact.
10 Things You Should Know about Christmas
The primary purpose for observing Christmas is remembering Jesus’s birth.
What about Scholars Who Deny that the Bible Condemns Homosexual Practice?
It's just not accurate to say that what we are seeing now as expressions of homosexuality were completely unknown to the biblical authors.
Do We Still Need the 10 Commandments?
There are many people inside the church—and especially outside the church—who would say the Ten Commandments are irrelevant or antiquated.
How God Changes Hearts for His Glory
As Spurgeon saw it, the new birth of a Christian has to be a work of pure divine grace: the sinful human heart is impotent, unwilling, and wholly unworthy.
A Word for the Discouraged Christian
The Apostle Paul remembered who he was in Christ. He remembered that beating within him is none other than Christ himself—the indwelling Christ with all his resources of power and love and joy.
Signs You Are on the Pathway from Stressed to Depressed
God has a purpose for even our most difficult seasons. He offers hope and eternal perspective in the midst of them.
Norman Geisler (1932–2019) on the Truth about Truth
Norman L. Geisler, Frank Turek
Norman Geisler (1932–2019) distinguishes here between contrary beliefs and the absoluteness of truth.
How Advent Teaches Us to Wait Well
The hardest thing about waiting is not knowing when it’s going to end, if it is going to end.
Is Evangelicalism Today Truly Evangelical?
If evangelicalism is to have a future worthy of the name, we who would be people of the gospel must cultivate an integrity to the gospel, and on more than paper.
God has given us work to do faithfully and joyfully—with both our minds and our hands.
12 Truths for Depressed and Anxious Christians
Richard Baxter, Michael S. Lundy
Be sure that a theological error is not the root of your distress. Especially have a solid understanding of the covenant of grace and the riches of mercy revealed in Christ.
An Open Letter to Daughters on Father’s Day
Our heavenly Father has good news for each and every one of us, as well as fatherly gifts in store.
10 Key Bible Verses on Thankfulness
Reflect on the goodness of God and his gifts to his children, and give thanks for who he is!
3 Important Questions for the Church about the Lord’s Supper
The Lord’ Supper is an ordinance of remembrance, and recipients must turn their minds to the cross as they approach the Table.
Why Study the Book of Numbers?
It is one of the great ironies of Scripture that the generation that saw God’s works most vividly became the epitome of those who refuse to believe him.
A 10 Question Catechism for One-on-One Pastoral Care
What follows is the catechism that pastor Richard Baxter used in his parish to train and instruct those under his care.
Good Bible Reading Requires Humility
The first step in reading the Bible in the power of another is to begin with humility. It begins with the renunciation of pride.
3 Practical Ways to Battle Depression
There are some basic steps we shouldn’t miss before we try and treat anxiety and depression with medication and counseling.
The Bible is more than just a book about events in history: it’s a unified story.
2 Essential Doctrines of the Reformation
Works have no value before a perfectly holy God. Instead, place your faith in Jesus alone.
Do You Struggle to Discern God’s Will?
Thinking about the will of God is asking a secondary question when there’s a primary question that we need to ask first.
Does Singleness Require a Special Calling?
Many Christians have taken “the gift of singleness” to mean some special capacity to cope with it. But there are a number of problems with this way of thinking.
The Problem of Nice and the Promise of New
When it comes to how we think about conversion, it’s crucial to get both our doctrine and our practices right. Churches should believe that God makes people radically new, not just nice, through conversion.
What Grieving People Wish You Knew
Four things grieving people wish we knew about grief to help us confidently interact and helpfully take action.
Does the Bible Offer Guidance for Contemporary Ethical Issues?
The Bible has much to offer believers as they seek to obey the Lord in every area of life, but it is not always as easy as matching one Bible verse with a problem.
Does God Give Us More than We Can Handle?
Perhaps it takes growing old to realize that aging with grace sometimes feels impossible. It is more than we can handle.
An Open Letter to the Single Person on Valentine’s Day
You are completely valued and treasured just as you are because the Being running this massive universe is, in fact, a personal Being and he loves you wholly and completely.
The Lord's Prayer—a simple prayer which Jesus taught his disciples—can also show us how to talk with God in prayer.
Full Audiobook: The Biggest Story by Kevin DeYoung
We are pleased to share the entire audio of The Biggest Story by Kevin DeYoung on The Crossway Podcast.
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.
10 Things You Should Know about Adoption
Adoption reflects the gospel to a watching world. Learn more about the process and purpose of adoption.
What Your To-Do List Can’t Accomplish
When your eyes are fixed on the horizon of eternity, it affects your vision for motherhood.
Love the Neighbors Living in Your Own Home
Our neighbors are the people who are in closest proximity to us. They're not always in the house next to us or the homeless shelter across town. Often, they're sleeping in the next room over.
Podcast: Navigating Grief during the Holidays (Nancy Guthrie)
Nancy Guthrie discusses dealing with grief over the holidays and how God used suffering in her own life to teach her about his healing grace.
Podcast: Is the Church Facing a Discipleship Crisis? (Ajith Fernando)
Has the church neglected one-on-one discipleship? Why should an emphasis on this kind of intensive discipleship be recaptured today?
Why All Christians Should Care about Biblical Theology
Biblical theology is crucial for the health of the church because the church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.”
2 Big Barriers to Christian Hospitality
Too often, we're not honest with one another about where we hurt, how we struggle, and what we need.
Loving Others through Political Difference
Jonathan Leeman, Andrew David Naselli
What is wisdom? It’s a capacity of mind that combines the fear of the Lord with the skill of living in God’s created but fallen world in a way that yields justice, peace, and flourishing.
Men: Don’t Neglect These 4 Key Spiritual Disciplines
Godliness requires discipline. Here are four categories to commit to growing in.
Podcast: What It Takes to Persevere as a Pastor (John MacArthur)
Seasoned pastor, John MacArthur, reflects on what it takes for a pastor to persevere through the challenges of a long and faithful ministry.
How Moms Can Model God’s Grace
One way to teach our children about our need for God’s grace in Christ is to appropriately confess our sin to them.
Resources to Help You Dig into the Bible in 2022
Consider the following resources to help you as you commit to pursuing biblical truth this year.
To be converted as a Christian is to have changed your thinking and your believing about Jesus Christ, and to be changed into a person who is no longer an enemy of God but a beloved child of God.
Communion Is a Meal of Remembrance
As we eat the bread and drink the cup, we remember him, just as he told us to. We look back with thankful hearts to the cross.
Conflict is inevitable, so how will we handle it?
Help! My Kids Seem Uninterested in Family Worship
Do your kids try to avoid family worship? Do they find excuses not to be there? Do they obviously dread it and groan when you reach for the Bible?
5 Myths about Your Personal Identity
These days, knowing who you are and being true to yourself are seen as signs of good mental health and well-being, and the keys to authentic living and true happiness.
Did Jesus Really Mean That We Should Hate Our Families? (Luke 14)
He is to have absolute rule and sovereignty over one’s life; no family relationship can take precedence over one’s commitment to Jesus.
8 Real-Life Questions about Children and Discipline
You might feel overwhelmed by the amount of parenting advice that exists. Take a breath. Break the goal down into small steps, and take one step at a time.
An Open Letter to Women Straining under the Burden of Expectations
Are you worn down by the weight of the countless roles and expectations in your life? Are you feeling the pressure of doing more and striving harder to please the people around you?
Deaconing is not for the faint of heart. Much of it is thankless: grunt work, not stage work.
Godly growth and change happens through 5 influences and circumstances: God, Scripture, wise people, suffering, and you.
Why You Should Seek God When You Feel Lonely
When we fellowship with the Lord, we will find a new security, a new peace, and a new confidence in the Lord and in just getting through life.
4 Prayers to Pray for the Lost
We can call on the Lord on behalf of those who don't know him—for he knows and cares for them.
Why We Desperately Need the Message of Revelation
In the midst of evil, in a world in which the Christian faith is under attack, we need hope and assurance that evil will not have the last word.
Give Up on Your Own Self-Righteousness
There is a difference between a person in whom disappointment leads to self-reformation and someone in whom grief leads to heartfelt confession. We often confuse the two.
5 Myths about End-of-Life Care
Few things halt conversation as quickly as the topic of death, yet the stewardship of our God-given lives matters until the very end.
Do This Breathing Exercise for Healthy Christian Living
Think of Scripture and prayer as inhaling and exhaling because that shows the two necessarily go together.
If only we could depend on something more than the power of our thinking and the tools we possess to stand between us and disaster.
Will You Be Faithful Even if It Costs You?
When it looks like we’re facing defeat or failure, we’re often tempted to take things into our own hands.
A Word to Those Who Are Lonely This Christmas
Human beings weren't created to be lonely. We were created for intimate relationship with God and intimate relationships with one another.
Why You’ll Never Be Free Until You Start Obeying God
Biblical freedom doesn't mean doing what we want to do, but what we ought to do.
Podcast: A Trauma Surgeon’s Guide to Modern Medicine and the End of Life (Kathryn Butler, MD)
Kathryn Butler, MD shares from her experiences working as a trauma surgeon in an ICU and offers biblical wisdom for walking alongside loved ones at the end of life.
Woman: You Will Become What You Behold
If we spend our time gazing only on lesser things, we will become like them, measuring our years in terms of human glory.
Do We Play Any Role in Our Sanctification?
God is the one who enables us to do the good works he has called us to do.
An Open Letter to the Timid Evangelist
Only the Spirit can give life. But recognizing the Spirit’s role should thrill our hearts with hope.
Podcast: God’s Sovereignty, Pastoral Burnout, and Racism (John Piper)
John Piper discusses God's sovereignty, pastoral burnout, and the sin of racism.
Help! My Faith Is Being Opposed in the Classrom
Conflict can be an opportunity to be salt and light, particularly in academic settings.
How Studying the Bible Restores the Soul
How does the Bible restore our lives daily? I find no better explanation of what I have learned than the words of Psalm 19.
Tips for Students Facing Doubt in the Real World
When facing doubts and fears, the last thing you want to do is isolate yourself and struggle alone.
What Is Burnout and Why Is It So Dangerous?
Burnout is physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual exhaustion and breakdown. It is usually caused by living at too fast a pace, for too long, doing too much.
4 Steps to Engaging with Your Emotions
J. Alasdair Groves, Winston T. Smith
When you engage something, you move closer and explore it, preparing yourself to deal with whatever you uncover.
The Professionalization of the Home
With the work of the home being increasingly outsourced and professionalized, it can feel unglamorous. But the home isn't about compensation or perfection—it's about people.
If Grace Abounds, Why Not Sin?
Paul makes it clear in Romans 6, those who are truly in Christ will not want to keep on sinning.
Cultural Singleness vs. Christian Singleness
What Christians mean by singleness is often very different to what our secular friends mean by singleness.
An Open Letter to Those Living for Tomorrow
Remember death so you can remember Jesus.
The Best Reason to Read the Bible
A lot of people think that the reason they are to study the Bible is so that they can know the Bible well. But when we study the Bible, we always should be coming to an increasing knowledge of God not just the Bible.
An Open Letter to the Pastor in a Post-Christian World
Though we are in post-Christian times, when the culture is becoming increasingly secularized, Christianity is far from “over.”
Practical Counsel for Those Who Have Experienced Painful Divorce
Christians who have been through divorces also have a wonderful encouragement to realize that Jesus understands our sufferings and is willing to walk beside us in them.
The Idolatry of Spiritual Laziness
We can (and should) command repentance from sin, but it is grace that enables repentance and belief that accompanies it.
4 Examples of How Knowing Original Greek Improves Your Understanding of the Text
God’s word is powerful. When reading our Bible we hear his voice. However, it does not mean that Scripture is always easy to understand.
10 Things You Should Know about Inaugurated Eschatology
Traditionally eschatology consists of the return of Christ, the resurrection, the final judgment, heaven, and hell. Here's what else you should know.
Can we really be strong through our weaknesses?
Take a Bold Stance against the Commonality of Porn
What if not just one man but a whole generation of men takes a bold stand against the new slave trade of our time—pornography?
How Delight and Obedience Coexist
The law of God changes when we move from thinking about it in terms of our justification to our sanctification.
Finding Your Identity in Christ
We need to know that we are not in charge and we need to know how to submit to God as the one who is in charge.
10 Key Bible Verses on Courage
The Christian life isn’t guaranteed to be without struggle and strife—and it undoubtedly requires courage. God’s Word invites us to trust in God’s power and strength, and not our own.
Why Good Theology Matters in Prayer
Knowing who God is and what he’s like as revealed in Scripture is very important as we approach God in prayer.
What Did Jesus Teach about Men and Women?
Christ not only valued women very highly, but also demonstrated a clear role distinction between men and women.
How Women Can Disciple Younger Women
How should you disciple younger women? Keep the gospel in mind.
A Single Word to Sum Up Christmas
God’s response to our rebellion was to give us himself. He is the great redeeming, transforming gift. He is the rescue.
The Theology We Claim versus the Theology We Live
Our hope is the glorification without which we cannot see the Christ who saved us. But believing in the Christian hope is one thing. Living as though that hope is real is another.
Will God’s Wrath Come upon the Sexually Immoral? (Ephesians 5)
Not everyone who commits these sins is excluded from God’s heavenly kingdom. Yet, those who persistently give themselves over to them demonstrate that they are indeed excluded from eternal life.
How Prayer Exposes the Illusion of Control
Prayer reminds us of who we are and who God is.
How to Love God and Your Neighbor through Your Work
Four New Testament passages provide a cross section of the New Testament’s teaching on how to love God through our work.
What Is the Ultimate Goal of Sexual Renewal?
Depending on the particular struggle we face, the Lord knows how to renew us sexually in exactly the ways we most need.
Podcast: Are We Undervaluing the Lord’s Supper? (Tim Chester)
Do evangelical churches undervalue communion? What's the significance of the fact that Jesus gave us the physical elements of bread and wine?
God designed you with the capacity to pause and ponder. He means for you not just to hear him, but to reflect on what he says.
How to Guard against a Self-Centered Relationship with Jesus
Often without warning or intention, the drive to know ourselves becomes all-consuming. It’s impossible to not be affected by the age of self in which we currently live.
4 Principles for Political Engagement as a Christian
When we grasp the important contrast between the earthly and heavenly kingdoms, our hearts will direct our politics differently.
Bible Q&A - What Does the Bible Say About Swearing?
Dane Ortlund shares what the Bible says about swearing.
How to Pray in Times of Physical Pain
Father in heaven, in spite of all our uncertainties and all our embattled anxieties and all our discomfort, we say, great is the Lord and greatly to be praised.
Words That Mark a Gracious Woman
Cheryl Marshall, Caroline Newheiser
The words of a gracious friend are self-controlled, wise, and hopeful, and those who hear her speak are the better for it.
10 Ways Not to Help a Hurting Friend
There are ways to care for the hurting that look helpful on the surface, but in the end may only add to the pain.
4 Essentials for Finishing Well
As we think of the endurance of the saints, of enduring to the end and finishing well, there is no better example in Scripture than that of the apostle Paul.
Advice for a New Christian Reading the Psalms
We want to read the Scripture, inhale it, and then exhale it out to God in whatever way makes sense for our own life.
Podcast: Practicing Hospitality in a Pandemic (Rosaria Butterfield)
What does it look like to embrace the call on all Christians in a time where we're limited in unprecedented ways?
Podcast: What We Often Get Wrong about Our Emotions (J. Alasdair Groves)
In this episode, Alasdair Groves discusses what the Bible teaches about our emotions and how Christians should think about and deal with the full range of them.
What Does Radically Ordinary Hospitality Look Like?
Those who live out radically ordinary hospitality see their homes not as theirs at all but as God’s gift to use for the furtherance of his kingdom.
The Lord’s Work in the Lord’s Way
If we try to influence the world by using its methods, we are doing the Lord’s work in the flesh.
10 Things You Should Know about Sexual Assault
If you were the victim of sexual assault, you were sinned against. Despite all the pain, healing can happen and there is hope.
Why It’s Both Possible and Impossible to Know God
Joel R. Beeke, Paul M. Smalley
It is possible to know God because God has made himself known. Our knowledge of God is real but never exhaustive.
Don’t Quit the Everyday Work of Marriage
Why do we quit paying attention? Because it is hard work to care, it is hard work to discipline ourselves to be careful, and it is hard work to always be thinking of another person.
The (Anti-Christian) Moral Absolutes of Our Culture
We live in a time of high moral obligation. The question is who gets to determine what those obligations are?
The value of our work doesn't depend on what compensation we receive or don't receive, but on the love we offer in service to our neighbor.
The Danger of Neglecting Lament in the Local Church
Lament is a rich but untapped reservoir of God’s grace, and there is a danger in neglecting lament in the church.
How Scripture Empowers Personal Holiness
God wants Christians to share his holiness and to present themselves as slaves of righteousness, which will result in holiness.
8 Tips For Engaging with Your Bible Devotionally
Reading the Bible devotionally is about engaging with the text at the heart level.
5 Questions about Sanctification
Knowing that you are a beloved child does not leave you complacent and self-satisfied.
How to Study Scripture Theologically
Doing theology is a process that involves both study and personal spirituality. And these are not two separate activities.
Why the Doctrine of the Trinity Is Crucial for the Christian Life
Matthew Barrett, Michael A. G. Haykin
The Trinity is a doctrine that is to be not only believed but also experienced by the believer.
Why Jam-Packed Schedules Can Be Dangerous
It’s safe to say that on a typical day for most of us, our responsibilities, requirements, and ambitions add up to more than we can handle, whether we admit this or not.
Is Sexual Renewal a Simple or Complex Process?
The journey to sexual renewal is a complex but worthwhile battle.
How Should Christians Share the Gospel with Practicing Homosexuals?
You preach the same gospel that you would preach to someone who is not in the homosexual lifestyle.
The Little ‘C’ Catholic Church Explained
Most people associate the word “catholic” with the Roman Catholic Church. Yet, when used with a little c, the word simply means worldwide or universal.
10 Benefits of Reading the Bible: Part 2
Part 2 of 10 Benefits of Reading the Bible.
An Open Letter to Those Nearing Retirement
We need to have a clear understanding of our priorities in retirement and have a plan to implement them that can be flexible enough to adapt to changes in our abilities and life situations over the coming years.
How Idolizing Comfort Can Lull Us into Spiritual Sleep
We’re all comfort junkies and we crave it from the minute we get up until the minute we go to bed.
This Day in History: The Death of Hudson Taylor
Today marks the 113th anniversary of the death of Hudson Taylor, missionary to China. His legacy of faithfulness lives on.
With a Christian perspective, we can see the economy as a social web that God has created for people to serve each other with their work.
Despairing Over the Culture? There's Still a Reason to Get Out of Bed Tomorrow
Is the world so intent on dismantling what it means to be a human being that society is doomed to collapse, or at least committed to shunting Christians and Christianity to its far margins?
What Changed after C. S. Lewis Came to Christ?
He not only knew about God with his reason but also met God with his emotions. He experienced Joy. And God changed him.
When God's Timing Is Not Our Own
Often our schedule and God's seem out of sync. He often acts earlier than we had expected, or later than we had hoped.
Podcast: Preparing Our Kids for a Post-Christian World (Rebecca McLaughlin)
Rebecca McLaughlin discusses what it looks like for parents to prepare their teens for a life in a post-Christian world, reflectong on kids' propensity to ask hard questions and why that's a good thing,
10 Key Bible Verses on Patience
God is unendingly patient with us, his children. In turn, we can exhibit grace and patience with others through the help of the Holy Spirit.
10 Key Bible Verses on Brotherly Love
The faithful, covenant-keeping God asks the objects of his love to love him and other human beings too.
What to Look for in a Spiritual Mentor
A spiritual mentoring relationship is one where a younger believer is tethered to a more mature believer for a season so that he or she might grow stronger in faith and be equipped for ministry.
Dear Pastor . . . You Need to Recognize Your Limits
Our limits and weaknesses are not in the way of what God can do through us, but our denial of limits and our delusions of independent strength are.
Do You Take Your Irritability Seriously?
We should take our irritability much more seriously, because it is the very opposite of love.
Fighting Fear When It Comes to Sharing Your Faith
It's time to confront our fears about sharing the gospel.
If Christ came to die so that when you do sin, there is a propitiation, a removal of God’s wrath, then what does this imply for living your life? Three things.
Can We Have Jesus without the Church?
Being in fellowship with a church is integral to participating as a part of the body of Christ.
The biblical picture of love can differ wildly from how the world defines it. Be set aright and encouraged by these verses and commentary.
Survival mode for the weary Christian is not hibernation from Christ but perseverance in Christ.
How Baptism Changes Our Status
Baptism declares that you are in Christ. You have died with him and risen with him.
Why the Christian Faith Is Fundamentally . . . Uncomfortable
The very nature of Christian faith is uncomfortable—especially in today's world.
Discard Christianity, Discard Human Equality
Saying that the Bible undermines the idea of human equality is a bit like saying that England undermines the English language.
Jesus’s Troubled Family History
If you have no hope to be accepted into God’s family other than the perfect record of your righteous brother, Jesus, then you can be sure you’ve found your forever-family.
4 Traps to Avoid When You Suffer
How we respond to suffering shapes our experiences with suffering.
10 Things You Should Know about the J-Curve
Like the letter “J,” Jesus’s life descends through his incarnation and then death, and then upward into his resurrection and exaltation.
Cultivating Habits of Grace with David Mathis
For many of us, the "spiritual disciplines" are little more than a list of things we aren't doing but feel like we should be doing.
Podcast: Hymns and the Joy of Singing (Kristyn Getty)
What are hymns, and how are they still relevant in a Christian's life today? What are the benefits of learning hymns and congregational singing?
Isaiah is quite lengthy, but there is great joy to be gained from diligently engaging with it.
3 Doctrines We Can't Afford to Neglect
If you talk about a doctrine that needs to be recovered, you have to start with the doctrine of Scripture.
2 Dangers In Doing the Lord’s Work
Doing the Lord’s work in our own way is betrayal. It is a stab in the Lord’s back.
Learning Money Management from Jesus
We need to teach much more clearly and with far greater boldness the biblical message that we will have to give an account to God, and that the choices we make today have eternal consequences.
How God Helps Us Pray according to His Will
Our focus is on God through prayer; our glance is at the Bible; and we turn Godward and pray about every matter that occurs to us as we read.
The advice to listen to your heart is not only common, but it has also been exalted to a sacrosanct place of moral authority in our culture.
Jesus isn’t like you. Even the most intense of human love is but the faintest echo of heaven’s cascading abundance.
4 Guiding Principles for Cultivating Friendship
It may be true that you are too busy for friends. But that doesn’t mean you should be. We always make time for what we treasure.
Are We Meant to Enjoy Our Work?
The stories we tell reveal our understanding of the world, with our hopes and fears, and the songs we sing are reflective of the deep longings of our hearts.
2 Little-Known Facts about C. S. Lewis
Readers of C. S. Lewis may be quite surprised to discover that the man behind the pen was a bit different than how he may be perceived through his writing.
How C. S. Lewis Awakened John Piper to the ‘Realness’ of Life
Lewis made me more alive to beauty. He put my soul on notice that there are daily wonders that will waken worship if I open my eyes.
What Does It Mean to Pray “Your Kingdom Come”?
A simple definition is to think of the kingdom of God as his reign and rule. Another way to think of the kingdom is as God’s redemptive presence coming down from heaven to earth.
4 Ways to Practice Theological Humility
Our zeal for theology must never exceed our zeal for our actual brothers and sisters in Christ. We must be marked by love.
Do Christians Ever Need to Choose the Lesser Sin?
The notion that we sometimes have to choose the lesser sin is a dangerous and deeply harmful idea for the Christian life.
3 Threats to Deep Relationships
What makes deep relationships so uncommon and challenging today?
5 Prompts for Journaling through Scripture
As you spend time reading and journaling through the Bible, consider these five prompts to guide your study and reflection.
8 Bible Reading Habits to Establish as a Young Person
How can we establish healthy Bible-reading habits so that we are connected to God, have a God-centered worldview, grow in confident faith, and enjoy spiritual peace and confidence?
Why Are We Baptized in Jesus’s Name?
For Jesus’s name carries Jesus’s claim, and undergoing baptism is, for those who have reached years of discretion, a sign that the claim is being accepted.
Why the 10 Commandments Are Still Relevant
The law in the New Testament is to show us that in the life of the believer, the law is in fact a means of grace because it shows us what pleases God.
An Open Letter to Those Caring for a Loved One with Dementia
Taking responsibility for the care of a person suffering from any stage of dementia can be one of the greatest challenges of life. But there are not only challenges. There are also opportunities.
We were made for closeness to others and to God through Christ, and yet it doesn’t always feel as though we can grasp God’s nearness to us.
Podcast: What If I Don’t Feel Like Going to Church? (Gunner Gundersen)
What do we do when we just don't feel like gathering with God's people in corporate worship, and how has the pandemic affected us in this area?
The Connection between Thankfulness and Joy
Joy is fostered in us as we come together as God’s people, with God at the center.
Podcast: Gracefully Dealing with Doctrinal Disagreement (Gavin Ortlund)
What should Christians do when they disagree over doctrine?
Podcast: The False Messages Facing Women Today (Lydia Brownback)
What messages are Christian women hearing and imbibing from culture, and what does the Bible have to say?
Don’t Try to Make the Bible Say More (or Less) than It Does
To the degree that sin remains within us, we all seek to find in the Bible what we want it to say rather than what it actually does say.
10 Things to Remember When Reading the Bible
At the heart of the Bible is the gospel, the good news that Christ has come and has lived and died and has risen from the dead, and now lives to intercede for us.
The Most Important Thing Parents Can Do This Summer
Being faithful to the ABC’s of Christian living can have such a profound evangelistic impact upon your children.
Should I Choose a Church for Its Pastor?
The centrality of the Word coming from the front, from the preacher, the one specially gifted by God and called to that ministry, is the most important thing you can look for in a church.
Wise Women Know How to Think, Feel, and Want (Part 1)
God created us as thinking and feeling creatures, and therefore both are part of being made in his image, therefore both thoughts and feelings are vital components of true faith.
Jesus’s Love in the Midst of Sexual Sin
The unfailing love of Jesus is unspeakably glorious, sacred, and precious—especially right after sexual sin.
The Presence of God for the Christian Life
If we know the presence of God as it is expressed across the pages of Christian scripture, it can and will transform the way we understand and live our Christian lives.
Why All Christians Can (and Should) Share the Gospel
Opportunities abound for sharing our faith. Things are happening all around us that cause people to ask religious questions.
3 Things God Will Never Do with Your Sin
When we interact one with another, all too often we let our response be guided or dictated by past infractions. But this is precisely what God will never do.
Why the Church Needs Teens and Teens Need the Church
Because they are a part of the body of Christ, teens should be included in the active community of the church.
The glorious good news of Jesus is that you and I can change. Part of the problem is we often try to change in the wrong way.
An Open Letter to the Christian at a Secular College
Whenever we start doubting our faith, it’s usually because we’ve come to believe something else in its place.
5 Myths about Counseling and the Church
We come to Jesus as people in need, and we continue in Jesus as people in need.
Feminine Beauty and Masculine Strength
What do we say to our sons and daughters who ask, “Daddy and Mommy, what does it mean to be a man or a woman?” Tell them they are made in the image of God and for union with Christ.
Why You Should Read This Obscure Old Book about Pastoral Ministry
Every pastor faces that tension of cultivating a rich inner-life, focusing on the spiritual aspect of calling, without neglecting the mundane responsibilities of ministry.
What Should I Do When I'm Bearing Unbearable Suffering?
In the midst of pain and suffering, we must preach truth to ourselves rather than listening to the lies in our own heads.
The Red Herring of Bible Application
A red herring is something that distracts, whether intentionally or not, from the real purpose and goal.
What Did Jesus Teach about the Poor?
If poverty will always exist, does that mean any efforts to alleviate poverty—in our own communities and around the world—are in vain?
Why Computers Can Never Replace the Human Brain
If we are not just machines, but spiritual beings as well, even the cleverest computer could never replicate the priceless and wondrous imago dei borne by every human.
5 Questions That Steal or Seal Your Hope
It is quite clear that your view of God will inescapably shape your perspective on your circumstances. In this way your theology is like a lens through which you examine life.
Squeezing Marriage into Our Kingdom of Self
Why do we have to marry flawed people? Wouldn’t it have been much easier if God had worked it out so that we would be fully sanctified, then married?
Opening Doors to Faith at Work
Happy Khambule, Kathleen Nielson
God places us in particular professions and callings so as to be his witnesses, spread like salt and light in the world.
The Bible presents the greatest story ever told: the ultimate good-versus-evil storyline—the great cosmic battle between God and Satan.
What John Stott Learned about Theology from Bird-Watching
Stott’s obsession with the snowy owl was more than a charming eccentricity. It reflected some important themes in his theology.
Podcast: Tips for Leading an Effective Bible Study (Lydia Brownback)
What does it look like to lead an effective Bible study? How can a leader keep the conversation on track and guide people to discover the treasures of God's Word?
A Call for Theological Humility
There are plenty of issues over which Christians will be tempted to divide. We must even be willing to make sacrificial adjustments for the sake of our unity with others in the body of Christ.
Help! I Love Jesus but Not the Church
Have you given up on the church? Shift your gaze from your hurt and disappointment and behold the church through the eyes of Christ.
Pastor, Don’t Quit—Learn to Lament
In order to stem the tide of weariness and burn-out, pastors should learn how to lament.
What Is Successful Evangelism?
Following Christ means loving those who don’t follow Jesus, and that love includes sharing the gospel.
Help! I Find Myself Perpetually Discontent
Contentment is something that we, as Christians, must regularly work to cultivate. By not working on our contentment, we are working on our discontentment.
Why You Can’t Have Justification without Sanctification
Justification should not be abstracted from the person of Christ.
What Freedom from Sin Looks Like in This Life
It’s natural to feel frustrated that you’re still staring down the same habits of sin in your life.
Why the Physical Earth Matters to God
When we fail to value creation, we fail to honor the God who made and sustains it.
Hospitality: What It Is and What It's Not
Hospitality, biblically speaking, means love of the stranger. What hospitality is not is fellowship.
Why You Shouldn’t Read Isaiah Like You Read Romans
All believers should seek to learn how to read and understand the biblical prophets on their own. They are a different kind of literature from Romans, as much so as comics differ from the front page of a newspaper.
How Much Control Do You Have Over Your Health?
There's much that we can do to have influence over our health, but in reality, we have no control at all.
How to Pray for the Global Church
In praying for the global church, start by remembering that there is just one church of Jesus Christ.
God is interested in character far more than possessions. His intention is that our work becomes an integral part of the process of character development.
4 Reasons We Should Study the Book of Revelation
Many of us have a rather lightweight perception of what it means to be blessed. Revelation is going to correct some of our assumptions about what the blessed life looks like.
What Does It Mean to Enter God’s Rest?
We are like the Israelites: When God gave them his Sabbaths of rest in a land of rest, he had more work to do to make them believe it than he had to overcome their enemies and obtain it for them.
3 Misconceptions about Christian Growth
For the Christian to grow in a healthy way, we must clarify what growth is and is not.
Podcast: Common Misconceptions about Heaven (Ian Smith)
Ian Smith discusses what the New Heavens and New Earth will be like when Jesus returns.
How God Saved David Powlison from Destroying Himself
Counselor David Powlison shares his testimony of how God softened his heart and brought him to repentance and faith.
Was Shakespeare a Christian Writer?
Leland Ryken encourages us to look at the Christian elements present in Shakespeare's plays.
Fathers are called upon to choose not only between our children and our work, but between our convenience and the inconvenience of keeping a promise.
7 Tips for Becoming a Better Encourager
Because Christians are called to encourage one another, we must make sure that we are crystal clear on who we are called to encourage, how we are called to provide help, and why we are called to do so.
3 Ways the Gospel Encourages Weary Men
Freedom from the past, power for the present, and hope for the future.
Why Do I Struggle to Read the Bible Consistently?
Sometimes we think of Bible reading as a duty, rather than a grand invitation to encounter the living God by opening the pages of Scripture, reading it, seeing him, and understanding more of who he is and how we should follow him.
How Social Media Worsens Theological Divides
Rather than rushing to refute every theological misstep, we must exercise patience and grace toward those who disagree with us.
Is Any Love Greater Than a Mother's Love?
Not even the love of a mother for her children can compare to the love of God.
Double listening . . . is the faculty of listening to two voices at the same time, the voice of God through Scripture and the voices of men and women around us.
Hope for When Sanctification Feels Slow
You’re a new creation. So sanctification is a reality, affected by how obedient and willing we really are.
Why You Don’t Need to Be a Super Saint to Be a Spiritual Mother
Spiritual mothering may involve mentoring and coaching, but it is broader.
How to Hope in God When Life Gets Hard
Simply knowing the end of the story gives us hope in our present circumstances.
How the Bible’s Irony Combats the Prosperity Gospel
Since our life is to be like Christ’s, our life must include suffering of some kind so that God’s spiritual strength can be exhibited in our physical weakness.
12 Prayer Ideas for New Believers
Praying regularly is hard work. So how do we develop the discipline of a healthy prayer life?
We each have a blink. We can waste it in sinful busyness or laziness or discontentment or distraction. Or the gospel of Jesus Christ can change how we spend our time.
Why We Need Systematic Theology
Joel R. Beeke, Paul M. Smalley
Why do we need systematic theology? How we answer the question depends a lot on what we think theology is.
It’s the Spirit who brings life to our spirits and enables us to know, love, and worship God the Father through Jesus Christ.
What Is Anxiety vs. Depression?
It's important to realize that anxiety and depression are different while being careful to realize that they do sometimes overlap.
C. S. Lewis and the Beauty of Self-Forgetfulness
To become humble and self-forgetful is to become truly human so that we might truly know God. God wants to give us himself.
We live with a God who has many, many, many ways of meeting us, and it's good to become aware of them all.
Why We Desperately Need the Body of Christ
Why do I need the daily intervention of the body of Christ? The answer is as simple as it is humbling.
Your Kids Need You to Talk to Them
The Spirit makes godly conversations possible, and he expects you to give yourself to them because the people around you—your children—need them.
5 Ways to Use an ‘ESV Scripture Journal’
Journaling can be a great way to actively engage with Scripture. Learn five ways to use our new journaling edition to enrich your time in God's Word.
Help! I Don’t Know If My Words Are Helping or Hurting
Cheryl Marshall, Caroline Newheiser
As you have conversations with those who are suffering, remember how the Lord’s healing words have strengthened and sustained you in your own times of trouble.
Men, Are You Showing Signs of Burnout?
Recent statistics have shown that 77% of Americans have symptoms—physical symptoms—associated with stress. Then there are emotional symptoms . . .
Are You Frustrated by Others’ Spiritual Immaturity?
The Holy Spirit guarantees that he is at work. He will continue to be at work until it is completed on the day of Christ Jesus.
3 Questions about Blessings and Curses
God’s design has always been for his people to experience the fullness of life in his presence—physically and spiritually.
How a Busy Mom Can Stay Consistent in the Word
Here are some steps you can take to stay consistent in the Word.
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.
Is leisure something we really need? As Christians, we perhaps struggle with the concept, but it is vitally important.
Why Christians Should Study Ethics
Questions of right and wrong aren't always straightforward for people today.
Single or married, young or old, man or woman—everyone experiences loneliness at various times and to varying degrees.
How Books Help Us Connect in Ways the Internet Doesn’t
We sometimes characterize the digital age as a “post-literate” age, where images and video have taken over the place that written words used to occupy.
Why would anyone ever fast? What is to be gained from giving things up?
Help! I Don’t Know How to Bring My Faith to Work
Like all working people, Christians must deal with deadlines, difficult people, and office politics. How should a Christian approach life at work?
Why Moralistic Therapeutic Deism Is a Dead End
It's very easy to shelve God and decide we don't really need him, that we just need to believe in ourselves and to invent who we are and what we want to do.
The maker of the universe is not far off—he is nearby. Realizing this is a huge first step in trading anxiety for patience.
Stay on Mission—Even in the Later Years
One joy of aging is a stillness of soul that helps us see the small moments as sacred moments when we can reflect God’s glory to someone else.
3 Ingredients for a God-Exalting Worship Service
God gathers us to glorify him. Praise is the natural response of redeemed creatures.
A Brief Word to J. I. Packer on His 90th Birthday
As I reflect on who J. I. Packer is and what he has meant to me personally, several things come quickly to mind.
No More Hiding behind the Past
The Bible has a lot to teach us when it comes to thinking about our pasts. Whatever your situation may be, it is no surprise to God. Our challenge is to not allow the past to control our walk with God in the present.
You Don’t Get the Church You Want, but the One You Need
Collin Hansen, Jonathan Leeman
You have many reasons not to go to church. That’s why we see this moment in history as an opportunity to rediscover church.
Why should we endeavor to obey Christ comprehensively? Why should we serve him in every area of life?
Remembering Christ’s Power in Weakness in the Life of Billy Graham (1918-2018)
Billy Graham died today, after a faithful and Spirit-led life and ministry. We celebrate his legacy, and his weakness through which God to move so powerfully.
Filthy Rags or Fully Pleasing?
There is no righteousness that makes us right with God except for the righteousness of Christ.
When you come to Christ for mercy and love and help in your anguish and perplexity and sinfulness, you are going with the flow of his own deepest wishes, not against them.
An Open Letter to the Woman Struggling with Aging
If you’re like most women, fear about your changing physical appearance is just the beginning of aging anxiety. Many of us struggle with aging because we know it is often a season of loss.
The Lord’s Prayer Teaches Us How to Pray Every Other Prayer
The Lord's Prayer orients us, most importantly, to the vertical dimension of our prayers. That's why we start by saying, “Our Father.”
Be the Teen God’s Calling You to Be
There’s only one way for teens to find purpose, meaning, and joy. Only one message that has the power to change the life of a teenager.
5 Steps for Maximizing Time with Unbelievers
We interact with family in a host of mundane activities that seem disconnected from eternity—but they are most certainly not.
Podcast: A First Step toward Racial Reconciliation (Mark Vroegop)
How does the biblical practice of lament offer Christians from different backgrounds a common language for productive, God-honoring conversations about race?
We Read the Bible to Commune with God
We know God for who he is, and meet him as he is, when we meet him through his word—the Bible.
What Does It Mean to Be Blessed?
Just like themes such as law, sacrifice, and covenant, the theme of blessing must be understood within the full biblical story, if it is to be understood biblically at all.
How Do We Grow in Holiness? (Part 1)
Holiness isn’t a mysterious spiritual state that only an elite few can reach. It’s more than an emotion, or a resolution, or an event.
How Charles Spurgeon Learned to Preach through a Broken Heart
When the heart is overwhelmed, it’s one thing to survive adversity; it is something entirely different to continue preaching Sunday after Sunday, month after month.
13 Passages to Read on Mother’s Day
Consider these passages for encouragement as a mother or to reflect on the sacrificial love of a mother in your life.
Help! It Feels Like God Is Far Away in My Suffering
Lament is the biblical language for people who feel like God is distant.
Podcast: What an Old Controversy Teaches Us about Grace and Legalism (Sinclair Ferguson)
Sinclair Ferguson discusses the relevance of church history and divisive theological positions as we dig into a largely forgotten 18th-century Scottish debate about God’s grace and our works.
The Church’s Role in Making Abortion Unthinkable and Unnecessary
Our God laid himself down for us. He gave his life for us. So whenever we take life for our own purposes, it is deadly, both to bodies and to souls.
What does the Bible teach about how to make decisions and discern God's will in the life of believers?
Why Your Physical Body Matters
For the Christian, his or her body has been made a sacred location of God’s redemptive presence in the world.
4 Ways to Look for the Good in Others
All of us can see the good in our friends. Scripture, however, authorizes us to see the good and enjoy it in all people, even when most of us are not always so good.
Podcast: Delighting in the Ten Commandments (Jen Wilkin)
In this episode, Jen Wilkin discusses what's wrong with the way we often talk about the Law, along with some of the common dangers of legalism.
Q&A: Dane Ortlund Answers Your Questions about the Heart of Christ for Sinners
A couple of weeks ago, we asked readers to submit their questions for Dane Ortlund. Many of you sent in questions from around the world.
The Lord’s Prayer Reignites Our Desire to Want to Pray
Jesus doesn’t give us an impossibly high standard of prayer. It's lofty, and none of us will do it perfectly, but he's giving us something that we can do.
3 Doctrines That Sustain Us in Suffering
While we may not understand what God is doing, we can always trust who he is. We must never interpret God’s character by our circumstances.
Busyness is like sin: kill it, or it will be killing you. When busyness goes after joy, it goes after everyone’s joy.
How We Work Reveals Who We Are
What we need is a work ethic that is informed by God’s word and religiously lived out in the workplace and the church.
The Necessity and Danger of Mercy Ministry
Deeds of mercy can show the power of the gospel to change us. When we help our neighbor, we give evidence that our message is true.
Why Believing That God Is Sovereign Makes All the Difference
God's sovereignty applies to our everyday lives because it assures us that he working in every circumstance.
The Secret to Resolving Conflict
The Song of Songs does give us some guides for navigating marital conflict.
How to Maintain Everyday Faithfulness in Festive Times
God has equipped us to follow Christ faithfully no matter what season of life we’re living.
The practice of remembering the Sabbath requires Israel (and us) to remember what God has ordained for his children from the earliest moments of human existence: a pattern of work followed by rest.
How Suffering Can Be Our Teacher
There’s no way you’re ever going to learn endurance without having to keep on going through something hard that doesn’t go away.
Memento Mori: What It Means and Why It Matters
When we see death as an unshakeable reality, it has the ability shed perspective on life in the meantime.
Sexual ethics, and a high standard of sexual integrity, are so vital. It is vital because it isn't just a petty taboo.
Introducing ‘Do You Believe?’ by Paul David Tripp
Paul David Tripp takes a close look at 12 core doctrines and how they engage and transform the human heart and mind.
An Open Letter to the Churchless Christian
It is impossible to have a faithful walk with Christ and Christian life—biblically or practically—without committed participation in a local church.
Intimacy with Christ Is for Men and Women
The Song of Songs gives us permission to have a very intimate, affectionate relationship with Jesus.
How to Help Others Understand and Apply the Bible
Helping others understand the Bible and apply it to their lives is a great privilege and a great responsibility.
How and When Kids Learn Theology
Kids really learn theology when it moves from being information in their heads to truth in their lives.
8 Ways the Doctrine of Eternity Clarifies Our Values
If you want to know what you truly value, consider where you tend to invest your time, energy, gifts, and money.
When you’re talking about discipline for the purpose of godliness, it’s with an eye on the Lord Jesus Christ as the one who enables godliness.
Is the Church the Answer to Poverty?
The church is the answer to real, deep poverty because it is the gospel that reconciles us to God and takes away our shame.
Suffer the Loss of What Has You in Its Grip
Lent calls us to remember once again that sin reduces us all to idolaters somehow, someway.
5 Guidelines for Preparing Congregational Prayer
Effective public prayer must be well-prepared prayer. This is the engine that will move all the other principles.
My Breakthrough in Scripture Memory
Maybe the breakthrough could come with some simple change in perspective. What if Scripture memory really was about today?
Food played an important role in the life of Jesus and continues to be an ingredient in our enjoyment of God's goodness.
4 Crucial Truths the Gospel Presents
Perhaps more clearly than any other book of the Bible, Romans contains a deliberate, step-by-step expression of what Paul understood to be the good news.
When Jesus walked the earth, he wasn’t afraid to touch hurting people. He drew people in close. He met them empty and left them full and turned everything upside down.
The Hope of Renewal for the Sexually Broken
Is darkened sexuality even the prime battleground today? Where is today’s choice point? The current struggle is the place where the Vinedresser is pruning.
12 Notable Quotes from 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You
Technology is not itself bad, nor is it innocuous. Though we’re not all aware of how we are being changed by our digital habits, we are being changed nonetheless.
What Does 1 Corinthians 16:13 Mean?
“Act like men” is a phrase that could be easily misunderstood in light of modern sensibilities. For many, at first blush, it could read as a sexist statement by Paul. So, what does it mean?
God’s grace sustains us, even in the darkest hours, so that we never give up. Psalm 88 offers four lessons of hope.
An Open Letter to Women in the Church
Sister, don’t try to follow Christ alone. There is no substitute for your commitment and service to your local church.
9 Notable Quotes from Coronavirus and Christ
The only firm foundation we have in an unpredictable world is the rock of Jesus Christ.
4 Prayers to Pray When You’re Afraid
When fear paralyzes you, turn to the Lord through his word and in prayer and be comforted by the light that overcomes darkness.
Living an Others-Oriented Life
Being a disciple of Jesus means orienting our lives toward others, just as Jesus did.
Is it possible you look at personal holiness like I look at camping? It’s fine for other people.
6 Ways to Fight the Debilitating Power of Doubt
In your suffering, doubt is a battle worth fighting. Remember, you never fight this battle alone but with the strength that is yours because of the presence and power of Christ.
Male and Female He Created Them
Everything else in creation reflects something of God’s glory in a general sense, but humanity alone is described as being created in God’s image.
How to Go from Fearful to Forgiven
Isaiah 53 has to be the best news for sinners, and that's all of us.
6 Truths that Will Lead You to True Joy
God made us to magnify his greatness—the way telescopes magnify stars.
What qualities does something possess in order to merit the title classic?
Dear Pastor . . . You Need the Monday Gospel
Monday is the preacher’s dog day. Ask any of us. In the cold light of day we see just how far short we fell from what we wanted and hoped for.
Why Ordinary Faithfulness Is Enough
Feeding your faithfulness is an unremarkable practice in real-time. It’s unglamorous by the world’s standards, yet it is precious as it contributes to a life of holding fast to Christ.
Christian Hope Changes Everything
We can rest because our choices don’t actually have the final say in any sphere—God has the final say.
What Makes Charles Spurgeon Relevant Today?
Spurgeon's ministry was marked by his constant looking to Christ for his salvation.
3 Things to Remember When You're Feeling Anxious
Anxiety is an understandable part of life. God reassures us that we need not worry and can bring our fears to him in prayer.
There are three important factors that will help pastors combat burnout: hardness, honesty, and humility.
2 Things Pastors Can Learn from Spurgeon’s Preaching
One of Spurgeon's great strengths is that he would always seek preach Christ to people where they were at and to their needs.
3 Reasons We're Addicted to Digital Distraction
Author Tony Reinke explains how we use digital distractions to escape people, situations, and thoughts that make us uncomfortable.
Don’t Define Gender Apart from the Bible
What it means to be men and women is a really complex issue and one that's very controversial today, so we need to be really careful not to go beyond what God has said.
A Word to Parents at Their Breaking Point
It can be helpful to manage your expectations of what normal life can and should be, and recognize that the season you’re in is intensely difficult in a particular way and that it won’t always be that way.
4 Qualities of God-Honoring Work
Your vocation, be it ever so humble, is a divine calling, and thus must be done for the glory of God. This alone will take the church out into the world.
How to Honor the Lord with Your Summer Vacation
When you take your vacation time, how do you reflect your priorities and honor the Lord?
Why Should We Disciple Younger Women?
Disciple-making is helping others to see Christ for what he is
5 Questions about Church Membership
The local church is the authority on earth that Jesus has instituted to officially affirm and give shape to my Christian life and yours.
Podcast: Is Singleness Superior to Marriage? (Sam Allberry)
Culture often idolizes romance and intimacy. In this episode of The Crossway Podcast, Sam Allberry offers insight on the value and unique gifts of singleness.
Revival Is a Corporate Blessing
Revival is a work of the Spirit, it is extraordinary, and it comes to a group of people.
3 Ways to Surrender Your Will to Christ
God seems extremely concerned that we learn to submit ourselves to authority, especially to the one whose lordship demands obedience from the heart.
Does the Reformation Still Matter?
We study the Reformation because of what we can learn. We learn of the treasure of the gospel.
How to Commune with Christ on a Crazy Day
How should you think about, and engage in the “spiritual disciplines” when God’s good, but often inconvenient, sovereignty has you reeling?
Why Contentment Stems from a Thankful Heart
If the contentment goes and the giving of thanks goes, we are not loving God as we should, and proper desire has become coveting against God.
4 Reasons We Must Not Disregard God's Word
God's Word has cut me untold numbers of times since. But each pain, responded to, has brought a fresh, satisfying healing.
A Guide for Your Personal Worship Today
One day of structured content from the 31-day liturgical guide Be Thou My Vision to help you in your daily worship.
What God Starts, He Always Finishes
As New Testament passages abundantly emphasize, God is faithful to sustain and establish us in our relationship with Jesus.
15 Ways to Honor Christ as Women
As “true” Christian women, we consecrate ourselves to fulfill his calling and purposes for our lives.
What Does It Mean to Flourish?
As counterintuitive as it sounds, flourishing is a slow and progressive death that brings abundant life.
The Beauty of God’s Hierarchical World
Lewis insists on something that is radically out of step with the modern world.
Video: Jen Wilkin on Staying Motivated in Bible Study
In this video, author and Bible study leader Jen Wilkin offers some advice for staying motivated in our reading of God's Word and explains the limitations of topical Bible studies.
What I Learned While Waiting for My Spouse
I spent many years of my life wanting to be married. Sometimes I didn't know if I’d ever get married.
My Master wants room! Room for him! Room for him! I, his herald, cry aloud, Room for the Savior! Room!
To Cry Is Human, but to Lament Is Christian
Every human being has the same opening story. Life begins with tears. It’s simply a part of what it means to be human—to cry is human. But lament is different.
You Are Set Free from Self-Improvement
Many of us believe that Christian discipleship is synonymous with self-improvement. But true Christian discipleship is a call to die, not to improve.
4 Pieces of Advice for Stressed Out Christians
Take the necessary steps to communicate about and treat your burnout. These 4 steps will help you begin to heal.
The Relationship between Saving Faith and God-Pleasing Works
Paul underlines repeatedly the crucial and powerful relationship between faith and the good works of love.
The Origins of the Self-Esteem Movement
People threw off the shackles of the church and the state and they began to look inward. They began to look to themselves for what is true and what is real.
A Brief Biblical Theology of Friendship
In the beginning, we walked with God in friendship. Then we walked away. But now, God is befriending us again.
7 Passages to Read about God’s Protection
God is an ever-present help in trouble. Read from Scripture these truths about God's nearness to those who call upon his name.
An Open Letter to the Christian Frontline Medical Worker
The work to which you’ve devoted your life can plunge you into your darkest hours, luring you into doubts about God’s love, perhaps even about his existence. Where is God in all this?
How to Worship in a Way That Speaks to Unbelievers
Though we don't want to cater only to the unbelievers in our congregations, we need to be aware of certain things we can do to help them encounter Jesus in a way they can understand.
Infographic: 4 Biblical Ways to Pray
How do you pray biblically? Paul Miller outlines four ways to help you pray biblical prayers.
Why Godly Discipline Is about Learning to Fail Better
We're sinners and are not striving for perfection, but aiming to please God.
Why Pastors Have a Unique Responsibility to Counsel
You must counsel. It’s not optional. You can’t say no as if it were simply a career choice, a matter of personal preference, or an absence of gifting.
5 Things Jonathan Edwards Teaches Us about the Christian Life
Dane Ortlund talks shares five things Jonathan Edwards teaches us about the Christian life.
What Does a Committed Church Member Look Like?
There are many marks of true discipleship, but one mark is singled out as signifying to the watching world that we belong to Christ.
The Surprising Truth about Legalism
The root of legalism is almost as old as Eden, which explains why it is a primary, if not the ultimate, pastoral problem.
The cross of Christ was more than a victory for Christ alone. It was a triumph in which we, too, can participate.
How Faith in Christ Alters Our Perspective on Death
There are two main points in which Christian faith should differentiate how we approach end-of-life care.
Help! I Don’t Know How to Answer My Kid’s Tough Questions
Rather than seeing our cultural challenges today only as obstacles for our kids, I’m increasingly convinced they’re opportunities to do three important things.
Podcast: The Truth about Satan and Demons (Iain Duguid)
What does the Bible really teaches us about the devil and how can we avoid overestimating or underestimating his impact on the world?
Complaining about God vs. Complaining to God
There is a difference between complaining about God and complaining to God. He wants us to trust him with our anxieties and burdens.
How Does God's Love in Christ Relate to Islam?
How do we bear faithful witness to the love of God in Christ to our Muslim friends?
Hospitality Starts with Your Family
Hospitality towards others then becomes a natural outworking or extension of what we are already practicing within our own homes.
Practical Faithfulness in the Throes of Motherhood
Know that God’s mercy abounds every morning, and his grace covers you. The Lord loves you, he is working toward your spiritual growth, and he is not done sanctifying you.
Watch Paul Tripp Teach on 12 Doctrines That Will Transform Your Life
Paul David Tripp takes a close look at twelve core doctrines and how they engage and transform the human heart and mind.
We Must Worship God on His Terms
True worship is not possible unless God himself enables it, because human beings are unable to truly worship him without his enabling.
3 Questions about Christ’s Sinlessness
Temptation cannot be defined in terms of the capacity of the one tempted to succumb. Temptation is enticement to sin from whatever source.
Podcast: Should Christians Fear God? (Michael Reeves)
What is the Bible getting at when it commands us to fear the Lord? Is it ever sinful to fear?
How Can I Teach My Kids to Help at Home?
We want to raise our children to see themselves as contributors to society, and whether they work inside the home or work outside the home, we want them to see that work is not about pay, it's about contribution.
Don’t Let Go of God’s Sovereignty over Your Worst
God did and does have something to do with your tragedy. I know this sounds like a cruel statement, but stay with me. There is hope in the end.
12 Notable Quotes from Marriage and the Mystery of the Gospel
Marriage was created to evidence Christ’s love for his bride, the church. Our earthly relationships, though marred by our sin, can point us toward this true and ultimate reality.
Discipline Your Body—for Christ
The Bible is littered with cautionary tales of those who seemed spiritually vibrant but in the end showed themselves to be disqualified. The key to it all is the body. It needs to be disciplined.
David Powlison’s Answer to the Question “Why Me?”
David Powlison (1949–2019) reminds us that God does not offer advice and perspective from afar; he steps into our suffering.
How Hudson Taylor Shocked People out of Indifference about Missions
Hudson Taylor was committed to proclaim the gospel to people who were passing into eternity without hope and without God.
When human beings are delivered through pregnancy and birth pain, there is more going on than biological processes and physiological mechanics.
What Parents Can Learn from Children’s Books
In many respects, and certainly in spiritual matters, we are all weak and inadequate, and we need to face it.
The same grace that saves sinners from the penalty of their sin also instructs them in holiness.
Don't Miss What God Is Teaching You in Your Pain
God works through our weakness to bring glory to his name and make it absolutely clear that it's him who's at work.
Three Steps to Studying the Bible
The goal in studying the Bible is to find out what the Bible meant, what it means, and how it applies to us.
What is a creed and why is it important for the Church? Learn the basics from the answers to seven questions from To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism.
Andreas J. Köstenberger, Alexander E. Stewart
Jesus’s unusual supernatural conception, issuing in the virgin birth, served as a fulfillment of Scripture.
Your Salvation Doesn’t Depend on Your Feelings
If our salvation depended upon our feelings, we should be lost one day and saved another, for they are as fickle as the weather.
How to Pray for the African Church
Major news outlets in the world tend to concentrate on the economic poverty and social deprivation that characterizes much of Africa, but then many believers miss what God is doing in his church across the continent.
For Christians, the start of a new year arrives with reminders afresh of the glorious promises that God has made to his people through the Bible.
Men: Pursue Others Like Jesus Pursues You
All the biblical stories of the Lord moving toward people are stories of grace. Grace is God’s moving toward us in Christ.
When the eternal Son of God became flesh and dwelt among us, he crossed an infinite chasm.
God is transforming the city into a place that he intends to live in forever with his people
9 Notable Quotes from The Gospel Comes with a House Key
The Bible teaches that hospitality is not an option, but a requirement, for Christians. In opening our doors, we have the opportunity to shine the light of Christ in dark places.
Is There Such a Thing as Race?
It is a healthy sign to wish that the term “race” did not exist. It has not served well to enhance human relations.
Putting Emotions in Their Place
Carolyn Mahaney, Nicole Mahaney Whitacre
Though our faculties were corrupted by sin, all are being restored, and Christ makes peace between our minds, wills, and emotions.
Podcast: The Scoundrels of Scripture (Nancy Guthrie)
What can we learn from some of the less well-loved characters of Scripture? Why is Jesus's scandalous family tree good news for sinners like us?
What Does the Bible Say about Marriage?
Marriage is an ordinance given to human beings in creation. It is therefore not negotiable, but is entrusted to us both as a “given” and as a gracious gift.
An Open Letter to the College Student Facing Weighty Decisions
The further into college you step, the more you realize that what you thought was the destination is really only an incredible depot for decisions.
Why Study the Books of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi?
God sent the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi to speak powerful words of challenge and comfort to his world-weary people, words which are just as relevant and powerful for Christians today.
Tithing in Financially Tight Times
Giving out of scarcity declares in an especially profound way that God is better than money.
The Difference between Legalism and Discipline
Paul hated legalism but he enjoined discipline upon all of his followers for the purpose of godliness.
10 Verses that Have Been Central to Wayne Grudem’s Life
After being presented with a collection of essays in his honor, Wayne Grudem reflects on the verses that have impacted his life and ministry.
A Teen’s Argument for the Bible’s Truthfulness
Christianity isn’t a religious system that collapses if you think about it too hard. The truth can stand up to the toughest questions.
Advice for Wisely Navigating the Internet
Wisdom is knowing where you're going and sticking to that. Foolishness is straying off the path, being susceptible to people on the periphery calling for your attention.
5 Myths about the Armor of God
There are not two separate classes of Christians: Christian soldiers and Christian civilians. There are only prepared and unprepared Christian soldiers.
The Unresolved “Why” of Suffering
When tragedy strikes, almost everyone who believes in God, along with almost everyone who claims they don’t, asks the same question: Why does God allow suffering?
For the Joy before Him, Christ Came
When you come to Christ for mercy and love and help in your anguish and perplexity and sinfulness, you are going with the flow of his own deepest wishes, not against them.
Mundane with the Chance of Miraculous
The dirty dishes are not my biggest problem in life, even though it seems like they are. The biggest problem in my life and yours is sin.
Why You Should Be Thankful for Your Knowledge of Sin
Of all the blessings in my life, one is without a doubt the most wonderful blessing of all. Of all the things I most needed, but could never provide for myself, this was my deepest need.
Practical Tips to Prepare for the End of Life
As we’re coming to the end of life, it’s very important to make practical decisions about how and where we want to depart.
Podcast: The Human Need to Connect (Ed Welch)
Ed Welch discusses the human need for relationship, reflecting on the epidemic of loneliness in our world today, and offering advice for the person who feels God is distant.
Watch Out for Functional Atheism
In the midst of storms in your life, have you forgotten who Jesus is?
Help! I Don’t Know How to Help My Kids Focus on Christ this Season
To see the goodness of God most clearly—to focus on Christ during Christmas—your children will need to see you enthralled by him and captured by him.
How Suffering Crushes Our Unrealistic Expectations
Our expectation is that tomorrow will be just the same as today was, but this world is not operating the way that God intended for it to operate.
5 Ways to Flourish in Journaling
It can be helpful to hear that there’s essentially no wrong way to go about journaling, and no real rules for it, but that it’s something you can really make your own.
The fact that you have a cesspool of sin down in your heart doesn’t mean you should camp down there because that’s precisely what God is trying to lead you out of.
What Does the Bible Say about Evangelism?
There is a gift of evangelism, and we should be grateful for those to have it, but all believers are called to be faithful in sharing their faith.
A Movie So Good It Will Ruin You—Would You Watch It?
Do we have the ability to keep ourselves from entertainment unto death?
Advice for Singles Who Feel Lonely
Place your relationship status in God's hands and find freedom from worry and loneliness.
Help! I Don’t Like Praying in Public
Prayer can get repetitious, feel rote, rambly, or distracted. For these reasons, many are reticent to pray in public. How can we overcome our fears and misguided thinking?
9 Principles for Navigating Anxiety and Depression
What are the general principles to bear in mind as you begin to work with your teen through anxiety and depression?
Many unmarried people have strengthened their hands with the truth that no one has left anything for the sake of the kingdom, says the Lord Jesus, who will not receive back far more.
No human marriage, no matter how good, can bear the weight of our expectations.
Grace Gives Us a New Way to Live
The most outrageous acts of penance in the world are powerless to do what needs to be done—radically transform your heart. So you and I are left with only one final option.
Life is a war for glory. Even those of us who have rested in Jesus to bring an end to our battle for glory still fight skirmishes in which we feel our reputations are at risk.
A faithful response to sin involves drawing near to God in faith through confession, repentance, and trusting the forgiveness of Jesus Christ.
How Being Honest about Death Brings Hope
We live with more detachment from death than in any other time and place in history.
You Live in a God-Entranced World
The world is not a machine that God made to run on its own. It is a painting, or a sculpture, or a drama.
Work in the New Heavens and New Earth
This side of the sin at the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, our work is ruined by all manner of afflictions moral, physical, emotional, and mental.
Beware These 4 Common Threats to Your Contentment
Culture is like a big magnet, it’s pulling on us and around us.
Start Early: Teaching Your Kids the 10 Commandments
There have been three items that have formed the backbone of the church’s catechesis: the Apostle’s Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments.
God gave his own Son as the final sacrifice so that your brokenness could be the only prerequisite to receiving God’s abundant mercy.
Podcast: Honoring God in Singleness and Dating (Marshall Segal)
Marshall Segal discusses singleness and dating as a Christian, sharing some of his own story including his struggle with contentment as a single person.
3 Ways Teens Can Stay Rooted in God's Word
It's hard for teens to stay in the Word, but it's easier if they make a plan, set aside a specific time, and read with someone else.
How Angels and Demons Intersect with the Christian Life
What does Scripture have to say about angels and demons and what role do they play in the world today?
Praying in Jesus’s name is an acknowledgement of our total dependence on his provision. We push away from any personal claim on God’s blessing and lean entirely on Christ’s provision.
With our course marked out for learning contentment, let’s think about how we might evaluate where we are in our own personal progress.
Does Doctrine Matter for the Everyday Christian?
Does the doctrine of justification make a difference in the way that we live the Christian life?
12 Notable Quotes from Confronting Christianity
The gospel challenges some of our culture’s deepest beliefs and can prompt a lot of questions, yet we are called to make a defense for our hope.
What's So Special about John Calvin?
If readers look to Calvin they will find a godly pastor who, with all of his flaws, evades the caricatures and exhibits the sort of piety that we need desperately today.
10 Things You Should Know about the Book of Revelation
The challenge greater than understanding the book may be opening ourselves up to the adjustments in our lives this book calls for. Yet this greater challenge is also what promises the greatest blessing.
Jonathan Edwards gives us longings for God and for holiness that are more satisfying than even our best joys currently are.
Practicing Thankfulness during a Pandemic
There is a kind of thankfulness that is grateful not only for what isn’t but for what is. The Bible doesn’t exhort us merely to be thankful in everything, but for everything.
In God’s sweet providence, I began studying Psalm 90 about a year before my eightieth birthday, asking the Lord to teach me how to glorify him in old age.
The Collapse of the Secularization Hypothesis
It has long been assumed that the rise of modernity will be accompanied by the decline of religion, but the scholarly consensus today rejects the secularization hypothesis.
Jesus’s Troubled Family History
If you have no hope to be accepted into God’s family other than the perfect record of your righteous brother, Jesus, then you can be sure you’ve found your forever-family.
Sin is deceptive, both in its capacity to tempt us to follow its lead and in the way it confuses and clouds our thinking.
Deacons are not the church’s spiritual council of directors, nor the executive board to whom the pastor-CEO answers. They are a cavalry of servants.
Busting the Myth of Human Omnipotence
God’s power is at work within us. It is at work helping us to overcome sin and to grasp the extent of his love for us.
Podcast: Real Faithfulness Is the Kind No One Sees (Glenna Marshall)
Glenna Marshall talks about the life-changing practice of Scripture memory, the oft-given advice to give ourselves grace, and the importance of perseverance in the Christian life.
Why Philosophy Matters for Christians
Philosophy matters for Christians because many of the debates are about the "big questions" of human existence.
The highest meaning and the most ultimate purpose of marriage is to put the covenant relationship of Christ and his church on display.
Matthew Barrett, Michael A. G. Haykin
J. I. Packer has argued, we need to read the Puritans, and John Owen especially, because we are spiritual dwarfs by comparison.
A Simple Way to Think about Sanctification
Walking with and becoming like our Savior are two important dimensions of sanctification.
3 Goals of Pastoral Counseling
We need to rely on the gospel like this throughout our lives. Remember, Christ is both the means and the goal of counseling.
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.
Awe: Why It Matters for Everything We Think, Say, and Do
Human beings are hardwired for awe. We are worshipers. We are searching for joy, hope, and fulfillment.
Are you content with what you have—with your calling in life, your marital status, your income bracket, your home?
At Christmas, God thunders into our lives in his flesh and beckons us to behold in him the glory of God, full of grace and truth.
The Crushing Freedom of Decision-Making
One of the unanticipated weights of living in an age of unprecedented freedom is the anxiety that comes as its counterpart.
How to Fight Chronological Snobbery
C. S. Lewis saw and wrote about a suffocating enslavement to the beautiful myth of progress.
An Open Letter to the Student at the Start of a New Semester
How do we faithfully approach a new semester as Christian students? How do we steward our studies well and honor Christ?
6 Ways to Live in Light of the Serpent-Slayer Story
Jesus is the serpent slayer. So how should a Christian live in light of that thrilling storyline?
Are You Far from God This Christmas?
The Christmas story is a story of God making himself available, making himself near. And, so it's a story for everyone who feels distant from God.
4 Reasons We Need a Biblical View of Humanity
When we consider the view of personhood presented in Scripture, the question of whether we are mere brain machines or something more becomes a gospel question.
The object of our love can always be detected in our behavior.
Why Sanctification Is Not Passive
Sanctification is absolutely essential to the life of faith—so much so that Scripture frequently treats holiness as the identifying mark of a true believer.
How to Help Those Who Believe the Prosperity Gospel
How do we help our family members, friends, coworkers, or even fellow church members who are swept up in the prosperity gospel? Here are a few simple ideas.
An Open Letter to the Child Facing End-of-Life Decisions for a Parent
How can you make rational medical decisions while flailing in grief? Even if you know your parent’s wishes, the burdens can feel too heavy.
We’ll Be Truly Alive on Our Third Birthday
Some day, some way, my heart will stop, as sure as eggs are eggs, and that what the world will call my death-day will really be a birthday—the third in line.
The Fruits of Suffering in the Life of John Bunyan
In 1655, when the matter of his soul was settled, John Bunyan was asked to exhort the church, and suddenly a great preacher was discovered.
Rich communities can be harder to reach because wealth and comfort tend to make people think that they’re invincible.
Help! I’m Feeling Spiritually Listless
What do we do when we feel spiritually listless? First of all, don’t be surprised.
Why We Need to Be More Than Nice
God's not calling you to be a nice person only—he's calling you to be a Gospel-proclaiming person.
How to Do Family Worship with Young Kids
Several specific situations commonly prompt questions about the feasibility of family worship.
What Does It Mean to Be a Man in the Home?
Andreas J. Köstenberger, Margaret Elizabeth Köstenberger
Men are to be worshipers, disciples, witnesses, husbands and fathers, leaders, providers, and protectors.
How the Bible's Message Impacts Daily Life
Knowing the whole message of the Bible should be transformative.
Catechesis is meant to be a robust witness to biblical faith and practice, a tool which in the hands of skilled practitioners to be used to instruct, form, and make mature disciples.
Podcast: Is Christianity on the Decline? (Rebecca McLaughlin)
Secular culture often takes issue with various beliefs held by conservative Christians. In this episode, Rebecca McLaughlin responds to two of the most common.
Podcast: Diagnosing the Heart of Anger (Christopher Ash)
Christopher Ash discusses why anger is such a powerful, dangerous emotion for the Christian, walking through some of the key Bible passages that address the topic.
How to Die for the Glory of God
Coming to the end of life can be very self-centered and that’s antithetical to the gospel. When I die, I want my life to reflect the gospel.
The Best News Ever for Our Sexual Struggles
What does God give us to face our inevitable struggles and sufferings? The resoundingly glorious answer of Romans 8 is that he gives us the only thing that can truly provide the rescue, wisdom, and strength we need.
3 Battles Your Teen Faces Every Day
Teens must stand up against the untruths they hear from culture and from within themselves.
Men: Seek Transparency Rather than Accountability
Accountability opens the door for men to be pressured, cornered, and coerced into admitting what they really don't want to admit.
If a classic possesses the qualities that people ascribe to them, we know that we want them in our lives.
Glenn Harrington: Be Truthful, Not Original
In this six-minute documentary of artist Glenn Harrington, learn what inspires his paintings and how he interprets God's creative power in the natural world.
Infographic: 6 Counterproductive Approaches to "Studying the Bible"
The infographic below, drawn from chapter 2 of Jen's book, highlights 6 common—yet ultimately counterproductive—approaches to "studying the Bible" that we all struggle with from time to time.
Act Like the Human that You Are
C. Everett Koop, Francis A. Schaeffer
People are special and human life is sacred, whether or not we admit it. Every life is precious and worthwhile in itself—not only to us human beings but also to God.
Why Listening to a Podcast Is Not a Substitute for Going to Church
Going to a church has many benefits. If you are physically able to attend a church, you should make it a priority.
Nancy Guthrie's Story of Hope in the Midst of Grief
When Nancy Guthrie's daughter, Hope, was born, she quickly learned that something was wrong. Doctors informed her and her husband, David, that all of the little things that weren't quite right with Hope were evidence …
Why Christ’s Relationship to the Law Matters
Christ fulfills the law by obeying it perfectly during his earthly ministry. This is an important detail that's sometimes left out of gospel presentations.
John Piper’s Prayer for the COVID-19 Pandemic
Grant recovery. Grant a cure. Deliver us—your poor, helpless creatures—from these sorrows, we pray.
Podcast: How Should Christians Navigate Political Disagreements among Friends? (Jonathan Leeman)
How should Christians think about political disagreements within the church and how much should politics be shared from the pulpit?
Caregiving Is a Stewardship of Grace
It is easy to focus on physical needs in desperate times, but by God’s grace, remember there are spiritual issues, too.
