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.
Articles on The Christian Life
2161 results found
You Were Made to Love Your Neighbor
Just because the Bible says that not all men are our brothers, it does not follow that we are not to love all men as our neighbors.
You Were Designed for Spirituality
Justin L. McLendon, Christopher W. Morgan
Humans are created good and blessed beyond measure, being made in God’s image, with an unhindered relationship with God, and with freedom.
Jesus said that it is out of the overflow of the heart that the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45). What comes out of your heart displays what’s in it and what has captured it.
Your Words Will Change the World Today
Do you ever consciously and deliberately set your words to work, sending them off into the world and into someone else’s life to do them good?
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.
Your Physical Presence Is an Irreplaceable Gift
We need to realize that being embodied means that we are designed to relate to one another physically.
We must train ourselves to slow down and recognize the greatest need we have is met in Christ’s coming.
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.
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.
You’re Needed, No Matter What Life-Season You’re In
Without trying to be somebody you're not, think about how you can be hospitable to those around you in your current season of life.
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.
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.
You Might Be an Idolator If...
Where is the line between a healthy enjoyment and an idol?
You Might Be An Idolater If...
We need the Spirit to give us power over our idolatrous desires.
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.
You Have Everything You Need for Life and Godliness
Knowing that God has promised to complete the work he began in us, we are well equipped to practice perseverance.
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.
Tim Chester explains how his book, You Can Change, unfolds.
You Can Change: A 5-Day Devotional Reading Plan
Over the course of five days, be encouraged by God’s commitment to his own in this devotional adaptation from John Piper’s book, Providence.
The problem with all of our desires to change is that they’re not ambitious enough.
You Become Like What You “Like”
Social media has become the new PR firm of the brand Self, and we check our feeds compulsively and find it nearly impossible to turn away from looking at—and loving—our “second self.”
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.
It is our achievements that make us; our lack of achievement leaves us wondering who we really are.
Just as much as we Christians take seriously the call to disciple how we think, so we should also take seriously the call to disciple how we imagine.
You Are More Than Your Twitter Bio
What does the way you introduce yourself say about how you see yourself, about where you find the source of your identity?
You Are in Constant Communication with the Lord
If you are a true believer in Jesus, you are in constant communication with your Lord in some way—either vocally or in your heart.
You Are Complete When God Is Yours
Dwell in the light of your Lord, and let your soul be always delighted by his love.
You Are Being Changed for the Good of the Church
When we join Jesus, we join his family and his mission. When Jesus Christ is Lord, he integrates disciples into a missional church family.
Yoda and Our Search for Wisdom
The reason we have a hard time talking about wisdom is that we have a very misguided notion of what it is.
God speaks in light of who he is and what he has done, and we respond back to God.
The root of idolatry is pride.
Work Matters: More But Not Less Than a Carpenter
It is all too easy for us to overlook the fact that Jesus knew what it meant to get up and go to work every day.
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.
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.
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.
Women in Crisis and the Gift of God’s Word
Please join us in prayer for the many partners of Crossway who are serving on the frontlines of ministry.
Think about it: a woman’s sphere of influence today is far more diverse and extensive than ever before.
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.
Wise Women Know How to Think, Feel, and Want (Part 3)
Our desires—the things we want—tend to govern our lives and our choices. For that reason, it is important that our desires get formed in a biblical mold.
Wise Women Know How to Think, Feel, and Want (Part 2)
Just consider the roller-coaster ride of emotions we can experience in the course of a single week (or, for some of us, a single day): anger, love, frustration, joy, sorrow, annoyance, irritation, fear, anxiety, peace, satisfaction, exultation, discouragement, happiness, fulfillment, dissatisfaction, anticipation.
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.
Wisdom for Dealing with End of Life Issues from a Hospice Nurse's Perspective (Part 2)
Part two of an interview with Deborah Howard on her book, Sunsets: Reflections for Life’s Final Journey.
Wisdom for Dealing with End of Life Issues from a Hospice Nurse's Perspective
Crossway interviews Deborah Howard on Sunsets: Reflections for Life’s Final Journey.
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.
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.
Will You Be a Lifelong Learner?
For Christians, the stakes are even higher for cultivating holy curiosity and the mindset of a lifelong learner.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
Why You Should Read John Owen Next Year
What Owen offers is not quick relief, but long-term, deep growth in grace that can make strong, healthy trees where there was once a fragile sapling.
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.
Why You Shouldn't Ignore Your Conscience
Your conscience can function like a moral version of your nervous system.
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.
I’m passionate that every Christian display the gospel in their lives, which is why I’m passionate about church membership.
Why You Should Go to Bed Early Tonight
Sleep is a gift from God. It’s one of his most wonderful gifts to us—when we receive it as he intended us to receive it.
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.
The theological doctrine of calling is a rich, rich doctrine all of us should wrestle with and embrace.
Why Your Sermons Should Address Believers and Unbelievers
Preachers should aim to capture the attention and inspire the affection of both unbelievers and 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.
Why Your Parents' Limitations Aren’t Limiting
Limits force you to come to grips with both your humanity and your sin nature by showing you that you are not God, but you sure want to be.
What is my vocation? How do I find one? Or, as the self-help books put it, how do I find the vocation that is right for me?
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.
Why You Need Faith to See God’s Glory
The supreme spectacle of the cross brings a cosmic collision with the spectacles of this world. And we’re in the middle.
Why You Need a Sabbath from Your Tech
The human body is remarkable in similarities to an efficient machine, but we are physical beings with finite limitations and eternal souls.
Why You Must Leverage Your Self-Despair
There is a strange though consistent message throughout the Bible. We are told time and again that the way forward will feel like we’re going backward.
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.
Why You'll Never Grieve Well without Hope
To grieve well is to have a growing sense of confidence and rest that God's promises of resurrection, centered in the resurrected Jesus, are really true.
Why You’ll Never Be Ready for All of Life’s Troubles
God may give me way more than I can handle—and I think that’s normal.
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.
Why You'll Never Be Content without God
Since God is able to be completely content in himself, we are able to find contentment in him as well. We will never find true contentment with God.
Why You Don't Need to Live Confused, Accused, and Defeated
The truth of the gospel frees us from the power of guilt and condemnation.
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.
Why You Can’t Have Justification without Sanctification
Justification should not be abstracted from the person of Christ.
Why You Can’t Be a Christian without the Church
A Christian is someone who, by virtue of his reconciliation with God, has been reconciled to God’s people.
Why Work in the Home Matters to God
The first thing we need to understand regarding why stay at home work matters to God is that God created us for work.
From the very beginning of Scripture we see that the one true God is not a couch potato God, nor did he create a couch potato world.
Why Wisdom Is More than an Intellectual Pursuit
To do theology we need to do with an attitude of reverence to the God who has made himself known in his Word.
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.
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?
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.
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.
Spiritual warfare made the Puritans what they were. They accepted conflict as their calling, seeing themselves as their Lord’s soldier-pilgrims.
The devil is a very real, very powerful opponent, far too powerful for us to take on in our own strength.
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.
Why We Need a Paradigm Shift about Money
We need a brand-new way of thinking about money, a way that is rooted in the gospel story and its narrative of the lavish grace of God.
Why We Don't Have to Hide Our Pain from God
Like a child going to a parent, we don't have to clean up our spiritual act to pour out our hearts to God.
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.
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.
Why We Can’t Lament without Listening
When it comes to loaded subjects like racism or ethnic tension, too often believers fall into the familiar ditches of denial or despair.
Tracts are meant to be informal or conversational—easily comprehended and relational in style.
Andreas J. Köstenberger, Alexander E. Stewart
Jesus’s unusual supernatural conception, issuing in the virgin birth, served as a fulfillment of Scripture.
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?
Why the Reformation Isn't Over
We need to be constantly searching in God's word to see how further reformation needs to work itself out in our lives.
Why the Physical Earth Matters to God
When we fail to value creation, we fail to honor the God who made and sustains it.
Why the Message of Salvation Is Evidence of the Truth of Christianity
Isn't it obvious that most Christians adopt their beliefs on the basis of emotion or tradition or culture, rather than on the basis of reason and evidence? This is an interesting objection. How could we respond?
Why the Gospel Requires Undivided Attention
The gospel of Jesus Christ, the message of the book of Hebrews, calls upon the world to give earnest heed to what it has to say.
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 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.
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.
Why the Church Can Rest in Christ’s Victory
We’re a part of what the Lord is doing in the world when we’re pastoring a church or even a member of a church. We know that he will accomplish his good end.
Why the Christian Faith Is Fundamentally . . . Uncomfortable
The very nature of Christian faith is uncomfortable—especially in today's world.
Why the Book of Psalms Is for You
The Psalms were written for ordinary Christians leading ordinary lives—lives marked by depression, discouragement, despair, frustration, or maybe even numbness toward God or anger toward others.
Why the Apologist Must Also Play Offense
Apologetics does not just entail defense. It also involves offense, the positive task of constructing a case for Christianity.
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.
Why Study the Books of Jonah, Micah, and Nahum?
Each book of the Bible has something unique, something distinct, to teach us about God, about ourselves, and about the meaning of life.
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.
Why Study the Books of 1–3 John
The more divisive, the more stressful, the more anxious, and the more lonely our society grows, the more compelling the need becomes for a clear exhortation to love.
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.
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.”
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.
Isaiah is quite lengthy, but there is great joy to be gained from diligently engaging with it.
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.
Why Spontaneous Prayer and Planned Prayer Are Both Important
Praying about something right in the moment reminds us of our dependence, but planned prayer has its place, too.
Why Sin Wasn’t Humanity’s First Problem
It’s not good to be alone. Why? Because God made us for friendship.
Why Should We Disciple Younger Women?
Disciple-making is helping others to see Christ for what he is
Why Should We Care About Holiness?
Kevin DeYoung shares his heart and vision behind the new book, The Hole in Our Holiness.
John Piper lists why we should affirm others.
Sexual ethics, and a high standard of sexual integrity, are so vital. It is vital because it isn't just a petty taboo.
Why Seek the Truth? The Achilles’ Heel of Free Thought
Atheists and agnostics insist we pursue the truth about reality—even if the idea of a meaningless universe frightens and depresses us. We ought to face facts and accept reality as it is, not as we want it to be.
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.
Why Restoration from Victimization Is Possible
God's Word is neither shy about topics of sexual victimization nor simplistic when it comes to solutions. Restoration is possible!
If a classic possesses the qualities that people ascribe to them, we know that we want them in our lives.
Thoughtful reading is becoming a lost art. Artful reading is dying. Many people believe it’s drawing a final breath on its deathbed.
Why Pursuing Sanctification Is More Than Just Remembering Justification
There are many truths in Scripture that speak to the process of sanctification.
Why Philosophy Matters for Christians
Philosophy matters for Christians because many of the debates are about the "big questions" of human existence.
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.
Why Pastors (and All of Us) Should Read the Puritans
Reading the Puritans can contribute to our growth, holiness, and conviction of the need to stay close to the Lord.
Why Our Limits Are a Good Thing
Every boundary that he places in our lives—every limit that he gives us—is for our flourishing.
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.
Why Ordinary People Matter to God
One of the things that I love about the stories in the Bible is how many ordinary people you meet.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Why Modern Christians Should Obey the 10 Commandments
Jesus didn’t set the Ten Commandments aside. He fulfilled them.
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.
Why Men Need to Be Transparent with Each Other
One of the best ways men can encourage each other with the gospel is simply with honesty and transparency.
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.”
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.
Why Land Is More than Real Estate
After the resurrection of Jesus, God sends the Holy Spirit, who fills not just Israel, but the whole earth with his glory.
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.
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.
Why I Wrote a Book about Helping the Hurting
While my physical pain and emotional stress is difficult, it doesn't just affect me—it affects all of the people around me.
Why I Wrote a Book about God's Incommunicable Attributes
Most of us have some familiarity with the attributes of God, but we probably haven't spent a lot of time contemplating those things.
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.
Why It’s Surprisingly Easy to Reward Disobedience
Reward the behaviors you want and don’t reward the behaviors you don’t want.
Why It’s Easier to Show Regular (Not Sporadic) Hospitality
It’s much easier for me to practice daily hospitality than it would be monthly because I don’t have to do something different.
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.
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.
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.
Why It Matters That Jesus Was and Still Is Human
The impression often seems to be that the Son of God came down from heaven in incarnate form, spent three decades or so as a human, and then returned to heaven to revert back to his preincarnate state.
Why It Matters That Jesus Is Better Than Everything
Introducing people to Jesus involves showing them how Jesus meets their needs better than anything else.
Why It Matters that God Is Our Father
God is our Father at the level of creation and at the level of redemption.
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?
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.
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?"
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.
Why I Care about Women's Issues
In an increasingly pro-women society, you can’t even watch the Super Bowl anymore without seeing media campaigns elevating the dignity and worth of women.
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.
Why Hospitality Is for All Christians
Radically ordinary hospitality—those who live it see strangers as neighbors and neighbors as family of God.
It happens sooner or later in every relationship: someone will let you down.
Why Healing Requires More Than Self Help
We seek healing as if we have the power (and right) to obtain it, whereas it is our very weakness and lack of valid claim to such a cure which are defining characteristics of our illness.
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?
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.
God saves people for a purpose. Salvation in Christ begins a life spent growing into being like him and serving him faithfully.
Why Godly Discipline Is about Learning to Fail Better
We're sinners and are not striving for perfection, but aiming to please God.
Human beings—as image-bearers of the God who made the world—are responsible to take care of the world and to use their time, talent, and treasure in everything they do for the Lord.
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.
Why Do We Need to Keep Praying “Forgive Us Our Debts”?
If you want to be happy in the church (or simply not give up on the church), you need to learn forgiveness. You need to grant it, and you need to receive it.
Why Do We Need So Many Books on the Gospel?
This post by Dane C. Ortlund was originally published on May 25, 2011. We're reposting it as we celebrate Crossway's 75th anniversary.
Why Do We Need a Liturgy for Our Daily Worship?
It's not whether or not you're going to have a liturgy for your daily quiet time, it's just which kind of liturgy you're going to have.
Many passages in Scripture speak to the missionary task, but at the foundation we need to remember that we do missions because Jesus commissioned his people to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth.
Although we cannot bequeath God to our children, we can help them know him and understand him in ways that prepare them to believe in his name.
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.
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.
Food played an important role in the life of Jesus and continues to be an ingredient in our enjoyment of God's goodness.
Developing doctrine in the church is one more in a series of improvisations.
Why Doctrine and Devotion Must Never Be Separated
The Bible calls men today to lead in their churches and in their homes through both doctrine and devotion.
Why Do Christians Make Such a Big Deal about Sex?
The fundamental reason why Christians believe that sex belongs only in the permanent bond of male-female marriage is because of the metaphor of Jesus’s love for his church.
Why Devotional Bible Reading Is Good Bible Reading
The purpose of reading the Bible devotionally is to commune with God and grow closer to him.
Why Death Is the Final Stage of Salvation
Death often brings reality to light. When individuals are thrown onto their last resources, they show where their true hopes lay.
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.
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.
Why Church Planting Can’t Be Church Franchising
I have seen empires come and go, but never have I seen anything so radical and pervasive as the gospel of the kingdom.
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.
Why Christians Should Study Ethics
Questions of right and wrong aren't always straightforward for people today.
Why Christians Should Read Shakespeare
Leland Ryken explains why more Christians should read or view Shakespeare than currently do.
Why Christians Should Encourage Consistent Atheism
times when I actually encourage unbelievers to continue in their error, in fact to do so more.
Why Christians Must Remain Dissatisfied
The Christian is not merely a man who knows now that he’s been forgiven, and that’s the end of it all. Not at all. That’s merely the introduction.
Why Christians Depend on Revelation from God
Christianity is a religion that rests on revelation: nobody would know the truth about God, or be able to relate to him in a personal way, had not God first acted to make himself known.
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 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.
Why Being Discontent Can Actually Be a Good Thing
While my never-ending desire to explore the unfamiliar can lead to sinful discontent, there’s a holy discontent it reflects too.
Why Are We So Reluctant to Die?
Is there a rest remaining for the people of God? Why then are we so reluctant to die and to depart from here so that we may possess our rest?
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 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.
Why are so many people so unhappy in so many different circumstances?
Why All Christians Should Expect Trouble
The longer you live in this fallen world, the more kinds of trouble you face.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
According to Jesus, the people who are ashamed of him are those who refuse to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow him. They’ve considered Jesus unworthy of their devotion and obedience.
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.
Gregg R. Allison, Stephen J. Wellum
In God’s providence, it was to a teaching career that God graciously called John to use his gifts and abilities to serve the larger evangelical 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.
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.
We need to remember that the Bible is God's direct speech to us. His word is the source of wisdom. It is God himself speaking to us.
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.
Where Did Youth Ministry Go Wrong? Identifying a Way Forward
It's concerning that our ideals about how to do family discipleship have sometimes distracted us from our more primary responsibility to teach kids the gospel. Here are a couple of the ways we get distracted.
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.
When Trouble Comes: Phil Ryken’s Personal Testimony
A year or two ago, Phil Ryken went through a season of deep spiritual discouragement; some would probably call it depression.
When the Gospel Transforms Your Christmas Expectations
Stephen Altrogge reflects on how he can be content at Christmastime.
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.
What someone shouldn’t immediately offer to the couple struggling with infertility is a set of solutions to the problem.
When Our Ambitions Are Delayed...
How we live when ambitions are delayed significantly shapes who we become. God uses the wait to teach us to walk in a manner worthy of our calling.
When ‘I Don’t Know’ Is a Good Answer and When It’s Not
It’s vital that everyday Christians are speaking into nuanced cultural issues from a biblical perspective.
As we savor the good news of the sin-bearing servant of the Lord, we learn to enthuse. The gospel of a surprising salvation can only make us laugh, sing, and cheer.
When Good Gifts (Like Marriage) Distract Us from God
The problem with so many of us today is that we have close to no anxiety about spiritual realities and endless anxiety about the things of this world.
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.
When God’s Provision Isn’t What We Expected
After Jesus’s first show of miraculous power in the Gospel of Mark (his healing of a man with an unclean spirit), the amazed people turn to each other and say, “What is this?”
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.
When Did You Realize You Were an Imperfect Pastor?
Recognition of pastoral imperfections and flaws comes with experience and reflection on past ministry.
When Christians Misunderstand Christians
Sam Storms draws on Paul's interaction with the church in 2 Corinthians 1:12-2:4 to provide some wisdom that we can apply as we seek to grow in godly communication.
What Your To-Do List Can’t Accomplish
When your eyes are fixed on the horizon of eternity, it affects your vision for motherhood.
What Your Complaining Says about God
One of the things that’s important for us to do for our own sanctification is to ask the question, “Why am I grumbling and complaining about this?”
What Women Wish Men Knew about Beauty
Men who take the time to understand the pressures women face will be able to help them resist the lies from our culture and pursue a biblical vision of beauty.
What We Think We're Entitled to in the 21st Century
We realized just how much we had assumed we would have, how many things we believed were almost rights of ours.
What We Can Learn from Reading Jonathan Edwards
Sean Michael Lucas shares his new book, God's Grand Design: The Theological Vision of Jonathan Edwards.
What to Say to Someone Suffering like Job
The book of Job does not directly tell us how to address Job-like suffering. But I think we can sketch what a helpful answer would be, if we take an approach exactly opposite from the friends.
What to Say to a Grieving Person
Sometimes it can be hard to know what to say to someone who is grieving. Yet there are helpful words we can give to people who are suffering—words that will actually help and encourage in the midst of grief.
What Tom Brady Can Teach Us about Contentment
He made it to the top and thought “There’s got to be more than this.”
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.
What to Do with Mom Guilt on Mother's Day
If you struggle with guilt over your parenting, consider that God does not require perfection from you.
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.
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.
What to Do When Life Messes with Our Plans
Carolyn Mahaney, Nicole Mahaney Whitacre
We can do the next thing because we know that God orders the seasons of our lives. Even the most difficult ones.
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.
What to Do When God Doesn’t Answer
We are called, as was Job, to begin our lives of discipleship with the fear of God and repentance from evil.
What Those Who Care for the Hurting Need Most
This book is not for one who is necessarily suffering physical trauma or depression. Instead, it is a book for everyone.
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.
What the Church Today Needs to Hear from the Book of Revelation
This message to patiently endure persecution for Christ is a message our church needs today. And if where we are right now means we don’t need it today, maybe we will tomorrow.
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.
What the Atonement Means for You
In our sin, we—who were created to know, love, and obey the God of all glory—stand guilty and condemned before him; we cannot save ourselves.
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.
For every generation, how we live and what goals we pursue depends a great deal on why we think we are here and where we think we are going.
What’s Your Ambition’s Agenda?
God’s glorious agenda for our ambition, like his glorious gospel, begins not with what we achieve but with who we are.
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.
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.
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.
What Should We Do When Members Won’t Attend?
Pursuing longstanding non-attenders and disciplining those who can’t be found is a mark of a healthy church.
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.
What’s All This ‘Gospel-Centered’ Talk About?
A gospel-centered life is the only life that can truly be enjoyed, no matter your circumstances.
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.
What Our Physical Diet Says about Our Spiritual Appetite
He has prepared food for us. The food he has prepared is himself. He serves us himself through his holy word—the Bible.
What Not to Say to a Grieving Person
Here are three things that grieving people wish no one would ever say to them again.
What Modern Atheists Could Learn from David Hume
One of the most important things that modern atheists can learn from David Hume is the limitations of sense perception and reason.
What is more wonderful than to be able to put your head on the pillow knowing that if you die during the night it doesn’t matter, that you will go to heaven and wake up there as a child of God?
What Makes Our Prayers Distinctively Christian?
We're asking for God to do gospel things in our lives, among our families, and in our churches. And that's what makes Christian prayer distinctively Christian.
What Makes Charles Spurgeon Relevant Today?
Spurgeon's ministry was marked by his constant looking to Christ for his salvation.
We are convinced in our heart of hearts that love is a feeling, but God’s word says nothing of the sort.
What Jonathan Edwards's Daughter Can Teach Us about Friendship
Our culture is not one that provides great encouragement for the nurture and development of deep, long-lasting, satisfying friendships.
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.
What It Means To Be a Missional Mother
Our responsibilities may have shifted, but our role in the kingdom remains unchanged.
It’s the Spirit who brings life to our spirits and enables us to know, love, and worship God the Father through Jesus Christ.
In order to have this unified focus on God and his glory in our lives we must carefully review each area of our lives to see what changes are needed.
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.
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 Is the Difference between Union and Communion with Christ?
An important distinction that a lot of Christians misunderstand is between the eternal union we have with God and the experiential communion that we have on a daily basis.
What Is the Difference between God’s Discipline and God’s Punishment?
God promises never to repay us for our sins. Why? How? Because he's already poured out that judgment and that wrath on his Son in our place.
What Is the Best Question to Ask a Hurting Friend?
There are lots of good questions to ask someone who is hurting, but I think one of the best questions is this: "How are you doing today?"
What Is Successful Evangelism?
Following Christ means loving those who don’t follow Jesus, and that love includes sharing the gospel.
What Is Our True Comfort in Life and Death?
If you want both comfort in life and death, start by recognizing the truth about the world and about yourself.
What Is Hurtful about Playing the Comparison Game?
Unless you are Jesus, it almost never helps to tell someone that you know exactly what they’re going through.
A person is gospel fluent when the gospel becomes their "mother tongue."
What Is Doctrine and Why Does It Matter?
Faith is not just something you do with your brain. Faith is a commitment of your heart that changes the way you live every day.
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.
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.
What qualities does something possess in order to merit the title classic?
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.
What If I Differ with My Pastor on Politics?
You may disagree with your pastor’s approach on a particular issue. He could be wrong. You could be wrong. It may be important enough to leave. It may not.
What Happens When We Forget We’ll Die
If we see our lives through the truth about death, then Jesus’s promises begin to take on an entirely different tone for us.
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.
What Grieving People Wish You Knew
Four things grieving people wish we knew about grief to help us confidently interact and helpfully take action.
What Good Self-Esteem Can’t Do For You
Having self-esteem doesn't solve all of our problems, because underneath it, we know our weaknesses and we know our sin.
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.
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.
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.
What Do I Do If I Don’t Like My Job?
Even in the onerous jobs, there is a glory that God intends for his people as they do what needs to be done.
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.
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.
What Does Scripture Actually Accomplish?
Sometimes it's hard to nail down what reading God's Word is actually supposed to accomplish.
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 …
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.
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.
What Does Jesus Want This Christmas?
What does Jesus want this Christmas? We can see the answer in his prayers.
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?
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.
What Does It Mean When We Pray “Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread”?
This is still a powerful reminder and a necessary prayer because even though we may see grocery stores around every corner, we still are dependent upon God to give us what we need.
What Does It Mean to Represent Jesus in My Job?
If we are representing Jesus in our work, it means there's value to our work because we are showing the world his character and care—and that's always part of our witness.
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.
What Does It Mean to Flourish?
As counterintuitive as it sounds, flourishing is a slow and progressive death that brings abundant life.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
What Does It Look Like to Be Blessed?
What is the proof that God is for us? Where else do we need to look other than God giving the most valuable thing in the universe, offering up his one and only Son for his people?
Even those in their prime with perfect health have limits. We need a stronger strength to match our deep discouragements.
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.
What Does Gospel Fluency Look Like in Action?
Listen and pay attention—the Lord will give you the right words to bring the gospel to a non-Believer in a way that meets their needs and fulfills their longings.
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.
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.
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.
Christians, remember that God has graciously given us his Holy Spirit, who makes us fearless in troubled times.
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?
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?
What Difference Does God Make on Monday Mornings?
God does his sustaining work through the actions of human beings.
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?
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?
What Did Jesus Teach about the Devil and Demons?
There is an enemy of God and humanity. That enemy needs to be known.
What Did Jesus Teach about Resurrection?
Jesus's teachings affirmed a future resurrection for the righteous and the wicked, but he himself was raised in the middle of history as the firstfruits of the life that will be ours.
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.
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.
What Did Jesus Teach about Money?
We keep telling ourselves that the next thing will be what satisfies us, but it never does.
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.
What Did Jesus Teach about Homosexuality?
In a 2012 article for Slate online, Will Oremus asked a provocative question: Was Jesus a homophobe?
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.
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.
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.
What Can We Learn about God’s Anger from Jesus?
When Jesus is angry, he is right to be angry; the cause of his anger is right, and he expresses his anger rightly.
What Can I Give to a Grieving Person?
What can we give as a gift to someone who is going through grief—something that we can do for them that would be really helpful?
What Can I Do to Foster a Deep Hunger for Jesus?
There are so many ways that we can foster a hunger for Jesus, but the most important and primary thing is to be praying for the Holy Spirit to change our hearts.
Sometimes we end up disappointed with Jesus because we want the miracle, the answer, the reconciliation, the restoration, the healing right now.
Our blind spots lead to divisions and disagreements, preventing God’s people from testifying to his grace with one voice.
Our hearts are always captured by something—that’s how God made us.
Christmas is about the coming of Christ into the world.
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.
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.
We Should Expect Frustration When Reading the Bible
If we give in to impatience with the learning process, we tend to react in one of two ways.
We’re All Writing the Stories of Our Lives, but We’re All Failed Authors
We’re all writing the stories of our lives, and we’ve all failed to write and publish the book we wanted. Some of us failed at the beginning, some of us fear failed endings, all of us have failed chapters.
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.
We Need the Soul-Stirring of John Wesley
Is anybody listening to the voice of John Wesley anymore? Outside the self-identified Wesleyverse, the Wesley Literacy Quotient among evangelicals has declined alarmingly.
We Need Gospel Community, not a Behavior Modification Program
It is dangerous and tempting to change behavior without also changing heart and mind.
We Need Both Rules and Relationship with God
To obey the law is to look like Jesus Christ. While legalism builds self-righteousness, lawfulness builds righteousness.
We Need a Theological Framework for Racial Reconciliation
It’s really critical that the Bible and theological categories inform the racial reconciliation conversation lest culture and politics become where we start from.
We Need Another Storyline to Put Ours in Perspective
Orienting ourselves by stories involves using their storylines to put our lives in proper perspective.
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.
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.
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.
We Desperately Need What We Reject
There is a disharmony between our thinking and feeling, between our willing and acting. There is a discord between religion and culture, between science and life.
Look at the Jesus of the Bible. Look at him. Don’t close your eyes and hope for a word of confirmation. Keep your eyes open and fill them with the full portrait of Jesus provided in the Bible.
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?
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.
Watch Out for Functional Atheism
In the midst of storms in your life, have you forgotten who Jesus is?
Watch for Faithfulness in Those around You
As you spend time in the local church, observe how the believers around you follow Jesus. Watch for people who radiate the life of Jesus and spend time with them.
Was Shakespeare a Christian Writer?
Leland Ryken encourages us to look at the Christian elements present in Shakespeare's plays.
Was Christ’s Coming the End of the Law? (Romans 10)
Christ is the termination of the law in the sense that he ushers in a new age— both continuous with and different from the former age.
Warfield—A Model and Challenge to Christians
Fred Zaspel shares what he has learned most from Warfield and how that has challenged him.
Casting off the old self and walking in love is only possible through God's work in us as new creation.
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.
We all long for the restoration that will come when God gives us new, resurrected bodies. But we don’t have those bodies yet.
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.
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.
Video: What Does It Mean to Be Gospel-Centered?
We recently sat down with some Crossway authors and asked them, *"What does it mean to be gospel-centered?"
Video: The Picky Eater Approach to Bible Study
We all know it’s important to study God’s Word, but sometimes it’s hard to know where to begin . . . especially when you're feeling a bit lost in the middle of Leviticus.
Video: The Impetus for A Loving Life
In this video, Paul Miller discusses the impetus for his new book, A Loving Life: In a World of Broken Relationships.
Video: The Fruitful Wife by Hayley DiMarco
Hayley DiMarco gives a brief overview of her new book, The Fruitful Wife: Cultivating a Love Only God Can Produce.
Video: Sam Storms on Eternal Security
Sam Storms sits down with Justin Taylor to discuss his new book, Kept for Jesus: What the New Testament Really Teaches about Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Security.
Video: Kathy Keller on Reading the Bible Every Day
In this video, Kathy Keller encourages us to make time for God's Word each day, even if it's just a few short minutes.
Video: Justin Taylor and Kevin DeYoung Discuss "The Hole in Our Holiness"
Justin Taylor and Kevin DeYoung, author of The Hole in Our Holiness discuss the topic of holiness.
Video: John Piper on Poetry, Music, and Affections
John Piper encourages the Crossway staff (and you) to cherish language as the sacred gift that it is.
Video: Joe Thorn on the Most Difficult Season of His Life
Justin Taylor talks with author and pastor Joe Thorn about walking through difficult seasons and finding refuge in the triune God.
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.
Video: Francis Schaeffer on the Christian Life
Justin Taylor and Steve Nichols, discuss Dr. Edgar's first visit to L'abri and his resulting relationship with Schaeffer.
Video: Four Ordinary Means of Grace
Kevin DeYoung explains that there are four very ordinary means to pursuing holiness.
Video: Engaging Our Culture with Joy
In this video, Greg Forster sits down with Justin Taylor to discuss his new book, Joy for the World: How Christianity Lost Its Cultural Influence and Can Begin Rebuilding It.
Video: Don Whitney on the Benefit of Praying the Bible
In this video, Justin Taylor sits down with Don Whitney to discuss what it means to pray through God's Word.
Video: Disability and the Gospel
"Why do we in the evangelical church in the West demand that everyone be “normal” and look the same? Why do we as a culture try so hard (and succeed so well!) at hiding people …
Video: Collin Hansen on Identifying Our Blind Spots
Justin Taylor talks with author Collin Hansen about how Christians can view their differences as opportunities to more effectively engage a needy world with the love of Christ.
Video: Being Disciples of Jesus in the Everyday Stuff of Life
Many Christians have unwittingly embraced the idea that “church” is a once-a-week event rather than a community of Spirit-empowered people.
Video: A Word of Encouragement from Jen Wilkin
This video provides a final word of encouragement and advice from Jen Wilkin.
Video: 6 Reasons to Pray the Bible
Here are six benefits of praying through the Bible.
Union with Christ When You Don’t Fit In
Jesus was excluded by all and abandoned by his friends in a time of need so that we could always be welcomed into relationship.
Understanding the Role of Justification
Theologically understood, justification is the moment—the event—that God declares a sinner righteous in his sight.
Two Truths You Must Believe When You Feel Stuck in Your Sin
It is a good thing for you to see your sin. You need to feel the conviction of the Spirit on the one hand, but God doesn't want you to stay in that mindset.
Two of Prayer’s Essential Ingredients
The resurrection is the most important thing to behold in God’s word to fuel our desire to pray. But really, we need all of God’s word. We also need God’s people.
Turning High Thoughts to the Help of the Lowly
Paul loved God and people. His love for God summoned him ever higher into God’s revealed glory, and his love for people summoned him alongside ordinary folks.
Zack Eswine explains how Ezekiel 18 provides a summary of the gospel in the Old Testament.
Truth That Transforms the Teen Years
The teenage years have been hijacked—by pleasure, pressure, entertainment, and distraction. But there is one truth that has the power to totally change the life of a teenager: the gospel.
Trust Your Savior, Not Your Efforts
When we trust Jesus, we displace rules from the center of our discipleship and replace it with his gospel
Trusting When We Don't Understand, Believing When We Can't See
The question that haunts most people who experience significant suffering and loss—is, “why?”
Carolyn Mahaney, Nicole Mahaney Whitacre
We don’t have to accept our culture’s ever-changing and ever-more-tyrannical definition of beauty.
Trevin Wax's Challenge to the Church, to Us
Do our hopes and dreams look the same as the world's? Do we claim Jesus is Lord, and then relentlessly pursue a bigger paycheck, a bigger house, a better job, or more leisure?
Treasured Words on the Altar of the Urgent
If we're honest with ourselves, often, in the craziness of life, instead of treasuring and applying more Scripture to a heart that needs it we shy away from time in the Word.
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.
The maker of the universe is not far off—he is nearby. Realizing this is a huge first step in trading anxiety for patience.
If we’re after true and lasting change, we must pray that the Lord work out our sanctification by his Spirit
To Lead Others, Become a Disciple
A disciple of Jesus follows in Jesus’s steps, doing as Jesus taught and lived. But it means more than that.
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.
To Be Human, To Read the Bible, To Live
James M. Hamilton Jr. discusses the challenges of being human, bearing the image, striving to know God, to find truth, and to help others find their joy, satisfaction, purpose, meaning, and life in knowing God through his Son, Jesus Christ, by the power of the Spirit.
To Be a Woman Is to Be Fully Human
Being a woman means being human. And this is good news.
Tithing in Financially Tight Times
Giving out of scarcity declares in an especially profound way that God is better than money.
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.
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.
Three Purposes of God in Your Suffering
We know that suffering is a result of sin and a fallen world, but that usually feels inadequate when we're in anguish.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This Day in History: John Stott Was Born
On this day in history John Stott, one of the most influential Christian leaders of the twentieth century, was born. This year marks the centenary of his birth.
This Day in History: John Newton Was Born (and Surrendered His Life to the Lord)
“The day is now arrived when I propose to close all my deliberations on this subject with a solemn, unreserved, unconditional surrender of myself to the Lord.”
This Day in History: John Calvin Returns to Geneva
We can learn three important lessons from this episode in history.
This Day in History: C. S. Lewis Is Born
On this day in history, the most significant Christian apologist of the twentieth century was born at home in Belfast, Ireland.
The Wisdom of God-Centered Rhythms in a Me-Centered Age
When every moment of our iWorld existence conditions us to celebrate the self, the church boldly celebrates something bigger, grander, and more compelling.
The Wilderness Offers Us New Sight
When we walk through any season of wilderness, the greatest danger is not the scorching heat of the trial; it is that we would be blind to the God who sees us.
The Why behind Rapid Cultural Shifts in Gender Politics
Christians are often prone to focusing on symptoms rather than looking at underlying causes.
Mentoring is a discipleship relationship that focuses on equipping younger believers for the work of ministry so that they grow in maturity and unity in the faith with the ultimate goal of glorifying God.
We need to look to Christ. We need to draw our strength from him. The way we grow is simply by looking to Christ.
The Vicious Cycle of Idolatry and Loneliness
Escape from difficult circumstances can easily turn into idolatry and unhealthy coping mechanisms. But God always provides a way out.
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.
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?
The Unexpected Outcome of Self-Sufficiency
Do you ascribe something to yourself that is only true about God?
The Unbiblical Pursuit of a Trouble-Free Life
How can we keep on loving and serving people when life has so much pain and disappointment? What are the roots of endurance?
The True Way of Keeping Christmas
I entreat that your time may be thus spent. Let it not be about your dressing, your plays, your profits, or your worldly concerns but let it be the wonders of redeeming love.
The Transition from Centripetal Worship to Centrifugal Worship
Continued from part 1 of Makoto Fujimura's chapel address at Crossway on January 21, 2011.
When Jesus, the Clean One, touched an unclean sinner, Christ did not become unclean. The sinner became clean.
The Top Two Ways Dads Can Love Their Kids
As we approach another Father’s Day, Timothy Witmer asks us to reflect with him on the top two ways we can love our children.
The Three Stages of Temptation
Temptation is typically gradual. There's more going on behind the scenes before one gives in to full-blown sin. Russell Moore explains the three stages of temptation.
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.
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 Super Bowl and Folk Culture
The event around which we gather shows the erosion of folk culture just as much as it fosters it.
The nature of temptation is not random. There is strategy, purpose, and power involved.
The Spiritual Marathon: Two Sides of Perseverance
In the book of Jude, we find two realities about perseverance that we must keep in tension if we are to persevere in faith.
The Son of Man Came Eating and Drinking
The meals of Jesus represent something bigger. They represent a new world, a new kingdom, a new outlook. But they give that new reality substance.
The Song of Songs: A 7-Day Devotional
Through this video devotional, beging to grasp God’s vision for love and marriage by working through the Song of Songs.
The Solution to Our Beauty Crisis
The truth of the gospel is the only answer to our beauty crisis.
The Singlemindedness of Purity
A double-minded woman is two-minded; she is divided between two ways of thinking, and, as a result, she is ruled by competing options.
The Self-Forgetfulness of Real Love
This universe of self-love is collapsing in on itself. It’s like a black hole that shrinks itself into a smaller and smaller space.
The Secret to Resolving Conflict
The Song of Songs does give us some guides for navigating marital conflict.
Maybe in every story is a thread that the human heart that can’t give up the belief that one day, true love will come along.
The Scoundrels of Scripture: A 6-Day Video Devotional
Learn from the stories of a handful of the Bible’s scoundrels and see more clearly the ways in which they reveal the generous grace of Jesus toward sinners.
God wants me to learn how to wait so that I can wait well, even if my waiting continues for the rest of my life.
The Sabbath: A 5-Day Devotional
What does it mean to take a Sabbath? Does this Old Testament law even practically apply today?
The Role of Technology and Media in the Sexual Revolution
Technology and the media have played a significant role in the triumph of the sexual revolution—specifically in terms of the LGBTQ+ movement.
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.
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.
There's No Such Thing as the "Christmas Spirit"
As has often been pointed out, Christianity is Christ. It all centers around Him, and every doctrine that we have and every idea that we possess is something that comes from Him.
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.
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 Red Herring of Bible Application
A red herring is something that distracts, whether intentionally or not, from the real purpose and goal.
The highest meaning and the most ultimate purpose of marriage is to put the covenant relationship of Christ and his church on display.
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.
There Are No Unimportant Parts of the Church
The Spirit gives exactly the right gifts in exactly the right measure at exactly the right time to exactly the right people for the well-being of the local church.
The Question at the Heart of Christianity
Central to our faith is the answer to this question: How is one right with God?
Only when we catch a glimpse of this God and his glorious purposes that our lives finally make sense and can truly be purpose driven.
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.
The Promises of God: A 7-Day Devotional
We are to treat a promise of God as reality, as someone treats a check. We are to take the promise and endorse it with our own name by personally receiving it as true.
The Promise of Full Healing Here and Now: Kindness or Cruelty?
The day is coming when our God Who Heals will consummate his kingdom where there will be no more sickness.
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.
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.
The Problem with Manufactured Femininity
There is no ideal standard of a woman that we are supposed to achieve apart from the virtues found in Christ himself.
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.
The Priesthood of Believers: A Lens for Viewing the World
As we live in our identity as a priest—which means that we are near to God—there are a couple of things that emerge as we look out into the world.
The Present Hope of the Gospel
It is life-changing to know and believe that Jesus came so that we would have all that we need to live as he intended right now.
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.
The Prayers of Jesus: A 5-Day Devotional
Jesus’s ministry on earth as a human was marked by a devotion to prayer. Through his prayer life, we see what it means to truly depend on 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.
The Passionate Plea of Preaching
Alistair Begg, Sinclair B. Ferguson
There is a vast difference between simply conveying information to people, which can be cold and ineffectual, and true preaching and witness.
The paradox of evangelism is that when we remember that evangelism is impossible, we are more likely to evangelize.
The Paradoxical Pattern of Jesus’s Life
God is unswervingly active in bringing about good from troublesome circumstances in the Christian’s life.
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.
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.
The Only Way We Can Overcome the Debilitating Power of Shame
Shame is undoubtedly one of the most crippling and destructive experiences in the human soul. To a certain extent, we’re all hardwired for self-punishment.
The One Essential Ingredient for Biblical Manhood
As men, we can fight the symptoms of a disquieted inner life—anger, lust, insecurity, anxiety, and the like. Such fights are necessary. Or, we can wage war against the bunker out of which these enemies come.
The One and Only Way to Enjoy Evangelizing
If we fear that God’s love for us is reluctant or that his approval rests on our performance, we won’t feel any real affection for him, our service will be grudging, and the world will likely see through us.
The Notion of Authority in God's Created Order
Authority is integral to God’s created order, and when his work of creation was completed, the structure of authority he’d established in the world was good and beautiful.
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.
The Most Powerful Force of Transformation in the Universe
Grace is the most powerful force of transformation in the universe. The incalculable transforming power of grace should never be minimized or doubted.
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.
The Most Important Lessons John Piper Learned from His Dad
Where did I learn that delight in God is our highest duty? Before I encountered Jonathan Edwards and C. S. Lewis and Daniel Fuller, there was my father, Bill Piper.
The Most Accessible Person in the Universe
Jesus is lowly, he's accessible. You don't have to go through security to get to him. You just have to humble yourself.
The Modern Challenge to the Doctrine of Justification
In the 21st Century, though, we not only continue to face that challenge that the Reformers had with the Roman Catholic Church but also a bigger task.
The Mission Field I Never Expected
For those of us who are parents, God wants us to esteem the field he’s given us. It’s not a tiring distraction from the true mission field we should be tilling.
We live with a God who has many, many, many ways of meeting us, and it's good to become aware of them all.
Our craving for love is good, for we were made to be known intimately and loved faithfully. However, when misplaced, this craving becomes deeply destructive.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
The Longing of Every Human Heart
There is no emotion, no experience, and no quest more authentically human than love.
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.
The notion of proof is multifaceted. It is often assumed that it is illegitimate to assert anything not susceptible to a strict proof.
The Liberation of Being Bought By Christ
With the gospel, if we belong to Jesus physically and bodily, then actually the only person our bodies need to please is Jesus.
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.
Everyone wants to have a good life. What will make you truly blessed?
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.
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.
The Key to Not Grumbling in Suffering
It seems to me that suffering without grumbling is one of the world's rarities.
The Key to Happiness Is More Stuff . . . Right?
Our contentment is unshakeable when it is rooted in our unchanging God.
There is no doubt about it—the Bible is a big-picture book that calls us to big-picture living.
Despite the commercialization of Christmas and its overall worldly cast, God still infuses wonder into the season.
Derek W. H. Thomas, John W. Tweeddale
For Calvin, self-denial was not a special requirement for the few but a norm for all believers, and we deny self because we have been united with God, not because we want to achieve such a union.
Jesus has come to inaugurate that peace among God’s people and to unveil the true joy of Christmas.
The Journey of Following Jesus Isn’t Always Smooth
Dying and rising is the pattern not only of Jesus’s life, but of our lives—of our everyday moments.
The Importance of the Gathered Church
Love is messy. You know what else? The gospel is messy. It means loving sinners—people like you and me.
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.
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.
The Importance of Lament in the Midst of COVID-19
The more you know about lament, the more things really come alive to you in reading Jeremiah's lament. His lament is so relevant to the suffering that we’re going through right now.
The Importance of Books in Christian History
From ancient times, books have had a profound and mysterious power to move us. We find this in every culture and in every time period.
If we are honest, our real image is nowhere near as attractive as we want it to be.
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.
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.
This gospel meditation by Paul David Tripp encourages us to turn to Christ in our hardships, taking even our most difficult moments to him.
The Holy Spirit, Our Helper and Beautifier
Without the Holy Spirit, the church would never have been founded. Godly leaders would never have been called, believers added, gifts distributed, service rendered, or growth realized.
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.
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.
One of the most prominent burdens felt by society and church in the early 20th Century was the plight of orphans.
The Hardest Thing Jesus Said about My Money
Perhaps you felt a twinge of discomfort when Jesus told the rich young man to give everything he had to the poor and follow him. But he’s not done.
The Greatest Promise in the Bible
What we see in Eden is God preparing a home that he intended to dwell in with his holy people.
The Great (American) Commission - Part 3
This is the third post (part 1, part 2) in a 3-part series by Tim Keesee on the role of American missionaries in the 21st century.
The Great (American) Commission - Part 2
This is the second post (part 1, part 3) in a 3-part series by Tim Keesee on the role of American missionaries in the 21st century.
The Great (American) Commission - Part 1
This is the first post ([part 2]http://www.crossway.org/blog/?p=35254), part 3) in a 3-part series by Tim Keesee on the role of American missionaries in the 21st century.
The Grace of Mentors in Pastoral Ministry
We need not only solid teaching and preaching about obedient Christian living, we also need to see holiness in practice.
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.
If the people in our charge are to teach, admonish, and exhort each other daily, no doubt we pastors may do the same for one another
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.
The Gospel in Worship: An Excerpt from 'Rhythms of Grace'
Designed to help Christians think more theologically about the nature of true biblical worship, Rhythms of Grace shows how the gospel is all about worship and worship is all about the gospel.
The Gospel and Moving Toward the Lost and Broken
In their book Faithmapping, Daniel Montgomery and Mike Cosper challenge us as we witness to our communities
Christ's resurrection is more than just a historical event—it is good news about eternal life!
The God Who Runs After Those Who Wander
We are a people who are prone to wander. We are so drawn to instant gratification. We're drawn to the things that we can see that are tangible and right in front of us.
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.
You and I and all those who belong to him and are his children are indeed called to his glory, and we shall become partakers of his divine nature.
One of the hardest people to love is a self-righteous sinner who thinks he has his spiritual act together.
Are we swimming in the mental and emotional universe of what God has told us our future is?
Why would anyone ever fast? What is to be gained from giving things up?
When the church ceases to treat the Bible as a final standard of spiritual truth and wisdom, it is going to wobble between maintaining its tradition in a changing world and adapting to that world.
The Fundamental Decision We All Must Face
You can either put God at the center of the universe in your heart or you can put yourself or something else there.
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.
A faithful response to sin involves drawing near to God in faith through confession, repentance, and trusting the forgiveness of Jesus Christ.
The Food of Christian Survival
When you understand Bible reading as the means, the food, the fuel, the sustenance of your Christian life, then you will consume it with joy, like a hungry person eats bread.
The First Step in Celebrating Divine Grace
It’s good to mourn, it’s healthy to be sad, and it’s appropriate to groan. Something is wrong with us, something is missing in our hearts and our understanding of life.
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?
The Family Photo of God’s Family Is a Little Surprising
Imagine if we gathered together all of the believers throughout history and lined them up for a massive family photo. Whom would we see? What kinds of people would be there?
The Eternal Importance of Our Earthly Bodies
Jesus's resurrection body is the foretaste of what is going to happen to all of us. We will all be raised to new physical life.
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.
The Economy’s 3 Essential Ingredients
Economists are looking at things that people have to make trade-off decisions about. That includes material resources, time, and relationships.
The Economy Is about More than Money
The economy is a system of choices we make about all of our resources. Every choice we make is an economic choice.
Why has there arisen this impulse in our day toward pastor-scholars and scholar-pastors? Why are so many in the younger generation reluctant to let the pastoral and scholarly roads diverge?
Money will either bless you or curse you. It will be a tool in the hands of a God of grace, or it will be a doorway to bad and dangerous things.
The Discipline of the Tongue Resources
68 Select Proverbs Regarding the Use of the Tongue 1. Proverbs 10:11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. 2. Proverbs 10:18 The one …
The Discipline of the Mind Resources
Online Bibles ESV.org YouVersion Bible Apps ESV: iOS | Android | Windows Olive Tree: iOS | Android | Windows YouVersion: iOS | Android | Windows | Blackberry Fighter Verses: iOS | Android Bible Memory Verses: …
The Discipline of Purity Resources
Setting Captives Free X3 Watch Covenant Eyes
Good deeds matter to God in regards to their purpose for the church, the world, our sanctification, and God’s glory.
The Discipline of Devotion Resources
Choruses and Scripture Songs Praise Psalms Especially Appropriate for Personal Worship Hymns for Personal Adoration and Praise
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.
The Difference between Legalism and Discipline
Paul hated legalism but he enjoined discipline upon all of his followers for the purpose of godliness.
The Difference between Gospel-ish and Gospel Fluency
To become truly gospel fluent is to be able to listen to somebody well enough to hear the real longing or hurts that they're dealing with.
The Demise of the Deified Self
Truly, we are lost in a darkness of our own making, and we got here by dethroning God and enthroning ourselves. We’ve deified ourselves. And it’s led to our demise.
Rich communities can be harder to reach because wealth and comfort tend to make people think that they’re invincible.
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.
The Danger of Wrongful Comparison
The knowledge of God and the knowledge of self always go hand in hand. There is no true knowledge of self apart from the knowledge of 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.
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.
The Cure to Our Frustration in Caring for the Hurting
Let's discuss the emotions we often feel when caring for the hurting.
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.
The cross of Christ was more than a victory for Christ alone. It was a triumph in which we, too, can participate.
The Counterintuitive Nature of Authority
Authority can be dangerous. But, if used rightly, it can also be a blessing.
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.
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.
The Conversion and Execution of Tokichi Ishii
An example of the power of God’s word to awaken well-grounded faith, even if the believer does not know how to describe what has happened.
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 Connection between Thankfulness and Joy
Joy is fostered in us as we come together as God’s people, with God at the center.
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?
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.
This gospel meditation by Paul David Tripp contrasts the broken cities of this world with the restored one to come.
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.
The Church’s Most Powerful Witness to the World
God is using the power of the church’s shared witness in remarkable ways all over the world.
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.
As much as a church does facilitate and organize relationships and practices, the church is more than a means to an end, a utilitarian resource for an individual Christian’s needs.
The Church Has One Testimony—and It’s Anything but Boring
In various times and places and life circumstances, God calls his people. For all the outward variety in our testimonies, we actually have a common story.
The Christmas Invitation You Can't Ignore
No matter how you feel about holiday parties, you need to know that you have been invited to a very important celebration this Christmas that you don’t want to miss.
The Christian Life Is Not Interrupted by Death
The New Testament answers the question about whether Christians at the point of death are in heaven with the comfort that they are “away from the body and at home with the Lord.”
The Christian Life Is about Wakefulness
The Spirit of Christ burns in our hearts, awakening us to the presence and activity of Jesus Christ. Sleeper, awake!
We don’t need more information. We need God’s revelation.
The Christian Faith of Jane Austen
Learn more about how Jane Austen's faith went from sympathetic to genuine.
The Bored Life Isn’t Worth Living
If the American Medical Association were to label boredom a disease, we would have to declare an epidemic.
The Book That Is Essential for Knowing God
You must somehow hear the Bible’s message—whether by reading it yourself or hearing someone else read or explain it—in order to become a Christian.
The Blessing of God’s Presence
The most important blessing of the church’s new existence will be its similar experience of the immediate, palpable presence of God.
The Biggest Detriment to Longevity in Ministry
The call to pastoral ministry is unlike anything else you're going to do in life. What's the key to staying the course?
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.
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?”
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.
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.
No human marriage, no matter how good, can bear the weight of our expectations.
The Beauty of Shared Suffering
God delights in identifying with us in our suffering. He feels the sting in his chest when you hurt. He takes
it personally.
The whole reason we care about sound doctrine is for the sake of preserving God’s beauty,
The Beauty of God’s Hierarchical World
Lewis insists on something that is radically out of step with the modern world.
The Battle of Accepting Our Limits
This gospel meditation explores the idea of being worried and confused with the Christian life, offering an invitation to turn to God when life doesn't make sense.
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.
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.
What are some sure signs of misdirected priorities in sports?
The Apostle Paul: A 5-Day Devotional
Over the next five days, learn more about the apostle and be encouraged to imitate his example of unwavering confidence in God's grace and love toward others.
One great temptation of singleness is an unrelenting self-focus. We need to be reminded to look outside of our circumstances and ourselves.
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 5th Commandment Is for Adults Too
The fifth commandment is found in the middle of a list of commands clearly addressed to adults, targeting issues that are, developmentally speaking, primarily the concerns of adulthood.
That Idol That You Love Doesn't Love You Back
Everyone has to live for something and if that something isn’t the one true God, it will be a false God–an idol.
Technological Progress Must Honor God’s Design for Our Bodies
We may eventually modify our bodies in ways that are helpful and necessary. But we will never reach a point where the human body is a disposable machine.
Teaching Your Kids Gratitude in the Media Age
Media doesn’t create a sense of entitlement—a sense of “I deserve”—but it fuels that belief by holding in front of our eyes what others have and do.
Talking about Heaven with a Grieving Person
What do you do when that’s the way everyone is talking about someone who has died, but you’re not sure that you ever saw any genuine relationship with Christ?
Take Your Life Off Your Shoulders
God not only forgives your sins and guarantees you a seat in eternity, but welcomes you to a radically new way of living.
Take Up Your Cross: Live a Balanced Life
Living a balanced life does not mean doing everything in moderation; rather, it means being obedient in every area of life.
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?
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.
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.
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?
Suffering: A 7-Day Reading Plan
This 7-day Bible reading plan was created to help you draw encouragement from God's Word in the midst of suffering—leading to hope in the gospel through the power of the Spirit.
Students: Don't Let Your Head Get Ahead of Your Heart This Semester
David Mathis, Jonathan Parnell
Seminary is dangerous. Its gospel fragrance proves life-giving to many. But for others—far too many others—its aroma can lead to death.
Struggling with All His Energy
We don't have to change our children's hearts, we can instead trust in Him to work through us in their lives.
Can we really be strong through our weaknesses?
Stop the Spread of Infectious Anger
Christopher Ash, Steve Midgley
Anger is infectious. It is not a purely individual phenomenon; there is a corporate dimension. Here, we'll explore five biblical examples of infectious anger.
There are lots of people who are never really confronted by the wretchedness of their own hearts.
Steward Your Body for the Glory of God
The fact that God has made us physical means that attending to our physical life is not unspiritual; our bodies are not unspiritual.
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.
The Christian life, the church, our faith are not about us, they’re about him—his plan, his kingdom, his glory.
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.
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?
Sproul on the Foolishness of Elevating a Spiritual Gift
In R. C. Sproul's St. Andrew's commentary on Romans, he warns readers not to be jealous of other people's spiritual gifts or elevate our gifts over the gifts of others. "During my forty-plus years of …
If we’re going to defeat the sin of discontentment, we need to be able to spot its lies.
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.
So You Think You Can Understand God's Word...
While it is good to have motivation and strategies in place for reading and meditating on God's Word, they cannot be what we ultimately rely on.
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.
Social Media Isn't All that Social
Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest, “social” media doesn’t serve to make us any more social at all.
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.
Social Algorithms Are Today’s “Lady Folly”
Algorithms lure us into constant distraction by putting “suggestions” into our minds, waiting to pounce and consume our attention.
Slay the idol of focusing on only what can be seen, lauded, noticed.
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.
Should We Look for God in Every Story?
Glenda Faye Mathes, Leland Ryken
Finding God is our primary task and our greatest treasure. Can he be found in every story? How can literature feed us spiritually?
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.
Should the Church Operate Like a Business?
How we think about the church will affect how we think about our service in the church.
Shouldn’t God’s Power Fast Track Me to Big Things?
There is to be no Christian guru. We must reject this constantly and carefully. Leaders are to serve in humility.
Should I "Like" a Social Media Post about Grief?
By liking a post about grief, you are letting the writer that they are not alone.
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.
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.
The antidote to hypocrisy is humility. What good deeds do you do that are seen by few or none? When did you last volunteer for a menial task?
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.
Seeing God’s Grace in the Hospital Room
It can be really hard to remember God's love when you're working in the hospital witnessing other people's suffering, or even in the hospital as a patient yourself.
Secularism: The Cosmos Is All That Is
Secularism, more than any other single word, aptly describes the mental framework and value structure of the people of our time.
Scripture: The Treasure of the Christian Life
When we immerse ourselves in Edwards's writings, we do not find him speaking of Scripture so much as speaking from it.
The doctrine of the atonement reassures us with what Christ has done in the past, the doctrine of his intercession reassures us with what he is doing in the present.
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.
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.
If God sent his own Son to walk through the valley of condemnation, rejection, and hell, you can trust him as you walk through your own valleys on your way to heaven.
Revival Is a Corporate Blessing
Revival is a work of the Spirit, it is extraordinary, and it comes to a group of people.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Resisting the Power of Idolatry
One of the things that has really helped me understand the power of idolatry in our own time and place is, strange to say, the plagues in the book of Exodus.
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.
Elyse Fitzpatrick calls us to remember how what Christ has already done transforms who we are right now.
Pastor Jeff Vanderstelt encourages us to remember our baptism—the sign of the new identity that Christians have in Jesus Christ.
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.
It is within a man’s private life, in those “unseen hours,” where his character is most laid bare.
James Montgomery Boice writes about the difficulty of relativism.
Serving ourselves hinders our effectiveness and skews our priorities as Christians.
Reconciling the Reality of Hell and the Grace of God
We can’t scare people into heaven. Our union with Christ is not simply a self-serving choice to walk streets of gold rather than be cast into a lake of fire.
Recommit to Bible Reading in 2017
Adopting habits and regimens may appear to provide some stability in out-of-control situations, but without Christ, our feet falter on shifting sand.
Read the Bible for the Sake of Others
Sermons, classes, and small groups aren’t the only ways the church teaches us to read Scripture. We’ll also become better Bible readers by investing in relationships with fellow members.
Reading God's Word When You Don't Want To
Pick God’s Word up not with the burden of guilt or as a call to duty, but because it’s a gift given to you by a God of amazingly tender mercy and grace.
How does a biblical role model in Proverbs 31 demonstrate that women have been made in the image of God?
When the eternal Son of God became flesh and dwelt among us, he crossed an infinite chasm.
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.
G.K. Chesterton said that "life is as bright as diamond and as brittle as a window pane." Our lives and health are beautiful but fragile, and we need to cherish them.
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.
Pursue God, Not Just His Blessings
God’s blessing is not contingent upon whether we live in material wealth or whether we live in material poverty because we can learn to be content.
Purposefully Structuring Our Free Time in a Way That Glorifies God
Too often, we give lip service to seeking first the kingdom, while our lives demonstrate pagan preoccupations.
Is God opposed to prosperity? Where is the line between being grateful for the gifts he's given us and idolatry?
Priests of God in the Workplace
You are a priest of God in your workplace. A priest represents the glory of God by showing his character and care to his people.
Preview: What God Has to Say about Our Bodies by Sam Allberry
There’s a danger in focusing too much on the body. There’s also a danger in not valuing it enough.
Preview: The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman
Enjoy a special two-hour preview of The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman on The Crossway Podcast.
Preview: ‘The Death of Porn’ by Ray Ortlund
Today, we are pleased to share a special hour-long audio preview of The Death of Porn by Ray Ortlund.
Preview: Ten Words to Live By by Jen Wilkin
Today, we are pleased to share a special hour-long audio preview of Ten Words to Live By: Delighting in and Doing What God Commands by Jen Wilkin.
Preview: ‘Strange New World’ by Carl Trueman
We are pleased to offer a special preview of Carl Trueman's new book, ‘Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution.’
Preview: R.C. Sproul: A Life by Stephen Nichols
Today, we are pleased to share a special hour-long audio preview of R. C. Sproul: A Life by Stephen J. Nichols, including the book's prologue and first chapter, on The Crossway Podcast.
Preview: ‘Gospel People’ by Michael Reeves
We are pleased to offer a special preview of Michael Reeves’s new book, ‘Gospel People: A Call for Evangelical Integrity.’
Preview: ‘Demystifying Decision-Making’ by Aimee Joseph
We are pleased to offer a special preview of Aimee Joseph's new book, 'Demystifying Decision-Making: A Practical Guide.’
Preview: ‘Be Thou My Vision’ by Jonathan Gibson
Today's episode is a special audio preview of Jonathan Gibson's new book, Be Thou My Vision: A Liturgy for Daily Worship.
Preview: A Special Excerpt from ‘R. C. Sproul’ by Stephen Nichols
A special one-hour excerpt from ‘R. C. Sproul: A Life’ by Stephen J. Nichols, focusing on the final days of Sproul’s life and the lasting legacy of his ministry.
There are three important factors that will help pastors combat burnout: hardness, honesty, and humility.
As humanity proved incapable of fulfilling God’s purposes from the very beginning, God, in his grace, became present to do what man was unable to do.
Prepared to Give a Reason for Your Faith
The main task of an apologist, which on some level is every Christian, has been to defend the core doctrines of the faith both within and outside of the church.
Pregnancy and the Gospel: A 5-Day Devotional
In this devotional, Gloria Furman brings Scriptural light on the topics of pregnancy, child-birth, and motherhood.
Preface to the Theologians on the Christian Life Series
Series Preface Some might call us spoiled. We live in an era of significant and substantial resources for Christians on living the Christian life. We have ready access to books, DVD series, online material, seminars—all …
Preaching Can't Love You Back (but People Will)
I love expositional preaching. It re-centered my ideological world, exploded my love for Jesus, and opened my mind to the wonders of the Scriptures. But expositional preaching has never loved me back.
Praying to Our Father Is a Spiritual Privilege
To pray with intimacy to God as father is not a human right; it is a spiritual privilege. It is a privilege for the people of God who have been born again by the Spirit of God.
Praying the Bible with Don Whitney
When it comes to prayer, do you ever feel like you’re saying the same old things about the same old things?
Praying in Response to God's Word
We have a conversation when we hear God speak to us in the Bible and then we speak to him in prayer.
Praying for Fullness this Christmas
Paul prays that we would experience Christ’s fullness—not just know about it, but be filled with it.
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.
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.
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.
Practical Suggestions for Cultivating Communion with God
We were made by God to find our greatest joy in fellowship and communion with God.
Practical Help for Times of Trouble
The things that have helped me in times of trouble are the ordinary things that God talks about in his Word.
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.
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.
Practical Atheism Comes Naturally to Us
Practical atheism is natural to man in his depraved state and very frequent in the hearts and lives of men. “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” He regards him as little as if he had no being.
Podcast: Why You Shouldn't Feel Bad about Enjoying the World (Joe Rigney)
What does it look like to love God and enjoy this world? Are the two in contention with each other?
Podcast: Why You Shouldn't Be Afraid of the Book of Revelation (Nancy Guthrie)
Nancy Guthrie discusses why the book of Revelation is actually more accessible, more timely, and more encouraging than you probably know.
Podcast: Why Your Physical Body Matters to God (Sam Allberry)
Sam Allberry talks about the eternal significance of our physical bodies, how it relates to our identity, and why our bodies matter here and now.
Podcast: Why Your Job Has Meaning and Purpose . . . Even If You Don't Like It (Bryan Chapell)
Bryan Chapell talks about why the work you do day in and day out matters to God—probably more than you realize.
Podcast: Why Your Church Needs Plural Leadership (Dave Harvey)
Dave Harvey discusses why plural leadership—a team of elders—is so crucial for the health of a local church.
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.
Podcast: Why Union with Christ Is More Amazing Than You Think (Marcus Johnson)
What is the doctrine of union with Christ, and why is it so misunderstood today?
Podcast: Why Is Our Culture So Obsessed with Identity? (Brian Rosner)
Brian Rosner talks about how our cultural obsession with identity impacts us as Christians and how we should think about that through the lens of the Bible.
Podcast: Why Is Obeying God So Simple and Yet So Incredibly Hard? (David Gibson)
David Gibson talks about our struggle with obeying God's word and what that reveals about our sinful hearts, our theology, and our understanding of the Christian life.
Podcast: Why Is Making Decisions So Hard? (Aimee Joseph)
Aimee Joseph discusses why we struggle to make decisions, where God's will fits in to the topic, and how we can work on our efforts to make God-honoring choices in everyday life.
Podcast: Why Discernment Today Is So Needed Yet So Neglected (Tim Challies)
Tim Challies talks about what spiritual discernment actually looks like, why it's so important for the mature Christian, and how to cultivate it in our own lives.
Podcast: Why Church History Matters (Justin Taylor)
Justin Taylor reflects on the immense importance of church history, highlighting why it’s important to make time for it alongside our study of the Bible.
Podcast: Why Are We Apathetic about What Really Matters? (Uche Anizor)
Uche Anizor discusses seven deadly causes of spiritual apathy that we should all be on the lookout for and how to take steps back toward God when we realize we’re not doing well.
Podcast: Why Apologetics Is Easier Than You Think (Neil Shenvi)
Neil Shenvi talks about how every Christian can do apologetics and why we must not stop advocating for the truthfulness of Christianity—even in our post-truth age.
Podcast: Where Is God in Suffering? (Ligon Duncan)
How can Christians can face profound life-changing suffering with their faith intact and find encouragement from God's word in the midst of a season of intense pain?
Podcast: What Your Muslim Neighbor Misunderstands about Christianity (A. S. Ibrahim)
A. S. Ibrahim talks about misconceptions that Muslims may have about Christianity and misconceptions that Christians may have about Islam which could even lead to ineffective evangelism.
Podcast: What Your Marriage Needs Most (Paul David Tripp)
Paul Tripp discusses how the gospel comes to bear on the day-to-day realities of marriage and why that's more than just a platitude.
Podcast: What You Believe about God's Sovereignty Matters for Real Life (Paul Tripp)
Paul Tripp discusses what the Bible actually teaches about the extent of God’s sovereignty, the purpose of evil and suffering, and the idea of free will.
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.
Podcast: What Keeps You from Going to Church? (Jonathan Leeman)
Jonathan Leeman discusses the vital importance of in-person church fellowship, how we can and should prioritize involvement with the people of God in a local church—especially after a year like 2020.
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.
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?
Podcast: What Do Protestant Evangelicals and Roman Catholics Disagree About? (Michael Reeves)
Michael Reeves discusses what the Protestant Reformation was really all about and whether or not is it still relevant today.
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.
Podcast: Were the First Christians Socialists? (Greg Forster)
How should believers think about the global economy and what practical difference should our beliefs make in the way that we spend and live?
Podcast: We're in a Strange New World. Now What? (Carl Trueman)
Carl Trueman explores the history of Western thought with the view of answering two simple questions: How did we get here? How should the church respond?
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.
Podcast: Using Stories to Help Kids Understand Right and Wrong (Betsy Childs Howard)
Why are stories such powerful tools for instilling deep, biblical truths in our kids? Are moral formation and the gospel of grace mutually exclusive?
Podcast: Understanding the World of the Bible through Archaeology (David Chapman)
How can archaeology bolster our faith and enhance our understanding of the Bible?
Podcast: Understanding the Presence of God (Ryan Lister)
What does the Bible say about the presence of God, and how does it relate the Christian life?
Podcast: Trauma, Pain, and Loss: A Doctor’s Story of Faith and Healing (Katie Butler)
Kathryn Butler discusses her work as a trauma surgeon working in the ICU, sharing what it was like to be inundated with life and death situations day in and day out.
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?
Podcast: Thinking Biblically about Transgenderism (Denny Burk)
How should Christians think about transgenderism, and how should we talk to our kids about it? What does the Bible teach on gender and sexuality?
Podcast: The Unlikely Legacy of Jonathan Edwards (Dane Ortlund)
Dane Ortlund looks back on the life and theology of famed pastor-theologian, Jonathan Edwards, gleaning wisdom that we can learn from him nearly 300 years later.
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?
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?
Podcast: The Rewarding Risks of Church Membership (Thabiti Anyabwile)
Thabiti Anyabwile reflects on the value and benefits of local church membership, showing what the Bible really teaches about the idea of formal membership.
Podcast: The Power of Habitual Gratitude (Sam Crabtree)
Sam Crabtree explains why gratitude is actually more foundational to the Christian life than you probably think and offers practical advice for cultivating gratitude in the ups and downs of our everyday lives,
Podcast: The Life and Mind of C. S. Lewis (Harry Lee Poe)
Learn fascinating details about the start of Lewis’s career, his personal faith, the relationships that would shape his world, and the books that would make his name world-renowned.
Podcast: The Life and Legacy of R. C. Sproul (Stephen Nichols)
Stephen Nichols discusses the fascinating life and ministry of the late R. C. Sproul reflecting on who he was in private and how his theological passions shaped his ministry.
Podcast: The Life and Legacy of J. I. Packer (Sam Storms)
Sam Storms reflects on Packer's remarkable life and ministry, including how Packer came to faith and the impact that his many books have had on generations of Christians.
Podcast: The Life and Legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Stephen Nichols)
Stephen Nichols discusses the remarkable life, tragic death, and enduring legacy of the German theologian and pastor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
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.
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.
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.
Podcast: The Fight against Porn Is a Fight for Justice (Ray Ortlund)
We are royalty created in God’s image for a great and noble purpose. This has the power to free us from the dehumanizing lies of the porn industry.
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?
Podcast: The Dehumanizing Habits That Social Media Has Normalized (Paul Tripp)
Paul Tripp discusses how we as God's people should think about the reactive culture in which we live and how to make sure we're not part of the problem.
Podcast: The Day I Lost My 3-Year-Old Son (Cameron Cole)
Cameron Cole talks about losing his three-year-old son and how that tragedy and all the suffering it entailed has ultimately strengthened his hope in God.
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?
Podcast: The Antidote to a Boring Prayer Life (Donald Whitney)
Donald Whitney talks about a simple, proven approach to prayer that has the potential to transform your spiritual life for the better.
Podcast: Surviving College with Your Faith Intact (Michael Kruger)
Michael Kruger discusses the top intellectual challenges to biblical Christianity many students will face on a secular campus.
Podcast: Struggling to Pray? Start Here. (Kevin DeYoung)
Kevin DeYoung talks about our common struggle to pray and how the Lord's Prayer—the prayer that Jesus offered as a model for our prayers—can help us to pray to God day in and day out.
Podcast: Sourdough Starters, Daily Bread, and the Goodness of Jesus (Abigail Dodds)
A discussion with Abigail Dodds about what the mixture of flour, water, and yeast can teach us about God, the Bible, and what it really means to be satisfied by our Savior.
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?
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?
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.
Podcast: Reading the Psalms with Jesus in View (Dane Ortlund)
Dane Ortlund discusses how the psalms uniquely invite us into prayer and devotion, how they reflect the greatness of God, and how he cares for his people.
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,
Podcast: Prayer as an Invitation, Not an Obligation (John Onwuchekwa)
In this episode, John Onwuchekwa discusses how prayer can deepen our relationship with God instead of being a source of guilt.
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: Positive Thinking ≠ Lasting Encouragement (Lindsey Carlson)
Lindsey Carlson talks about the discouragement we all face and where to turn for true encouragement that won’t let us down.
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.
Podcast: Paralysis, Heartache, and Hymns of Hope (Joni Eareckson Tada)
Joni Eareckson Tada talks about how she has wrestled with the truth of God’s sovereignty over her life through the years and how she hangs on to the hope of heaven each and every day.
Podcast: Overcoming Me-Centered Discipleship (Jonathan Dodson)
Jonathan Dodson talks about what a gospel-centered approach to discipleship entails, highlighting the importance of transparency for everyone involved.
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: 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: Mind Your Own Conscience and Love Your Neighbor (Andy Naselli and J. D. Crowley)
Should always obey our conscience? What should we do when our conscience disagrees with another Christian’s, and how the conscience relates to objective right and wrong?
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.
Podcast: Learning to Love the Local Church (Megan Hill)
Why is the local church so important and essential for our spiritual growth as Christians—especially in the time of COVID-19?
Podcast: Learning from the Church Fathers (Michael Haykin)
What can we learn from the early church fathers and how can early Christian creeds help us define our faith today?
Podcast: Knowing Your Heart and When (Not) to Follow It (Craig Troxel)
What's the difference between a Christian and secular understanding of the heart, what are the heart's spiritual functions, and how we can think about them in terms of our minds, desires, and will?
Podcast: Is the Sabbath Still Relevant for Christians? (Guy Waters)
Guy Waters discusses God's original purpose for the Sabbath, how the idea of Sabbath rest recurs throughout the Old and New Testaments, and whether the Sabbath is relevant for Christians today.
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?
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.
Podcast: Is Evangelicalism out of Touch with Church History? (Gavin Ortlund)
Have Protestant Evangelicals lost our connection to church history? How can we embrace our heritage and appreciate how to learn from past Christians?
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: Inherent Dangers of the Information Age (Brett McCracken)
Brett McCracken discusses what it looks like to pursue true wisdom in a noisy and confused age.
Podcast: If You Don't Catechize Your Kids, the World Will (Kevin DeYoung)
Kevin DeYoung talks about how Christians (parents and non-parents alike) can help children to trust Jesus, embrace the Bible, and love others—even those with whom we disagree.
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?
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.
Podcast: How to Read the Old Testament in a Christ-Centered Way (Bryan Chapell)
The Old Testament can feel confusing and intimidating. In this episode, we hear from Bryan Chapell about how reading it with an eye on the gospel helps us understand it better.
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.
Podcast: How to Pursue Meaningful Mentoring Relationships (Melissa Kruger)
What are some core aspects that should be in place in every mentoring relationship, and how can we build relationships that actually help others follow Christ?
Podcast: How to Lament after Two Years of Loss (Mark Vroegop)
Mark Vroegop considers what it looks like to lament the COVID-19 pandemic—and how that lament can help us heal, both individually and as churches.
Podcast: How to Intentionally Disciple Your Kids (Lindsey Carlson)
Lindsey Carlson discusses what it looks like for parents to thoughtfully disciple teenagers during a pivotal point in their lives.
Podcast: How to Have Hard Conversations with Those You Love (Caroline Newheiser and Cheryl Marshall)
Cheryl Marshall and Caroline Newheiser discuss how to have hard conversations with others that put the focus on what God has said, not their own opinions.
Podcast: How to Find a New Church (Edward W. Klink III)
Mickey Klink talks about what you should look for in a new church, what factors should impact your decision, and what warning signs to be on the lookout for in your search.
Podcast: How to Endure Inexplicable Suffering (Eric Ortlund)
Eric Ortlund looks at the example of Job and how, as Christians, we should respond when we face the kind of suffering that Job did.
Podcast: How to Do Family Worship During the Holidays (Don Whitney)
How can you help your family not lose sight of God and the gospel during the holidays and build in a rhythm of regularly worshiping him together?
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: How to Become Fluent in the Gospel (Jeff Vanderstelt)
What does it mean to be fluent in the gospel, and why is it an essential part of living as a disciple of Jesus?
Podcast: How Should We Define the Gospel? (Greg Gilbert)
Greg Gilbert discusses why Christians so often struggle to clearly define a simple yet foundational concept: the gospel.
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?
Podcast: How I Study the Bible (Lauren Chandler)
Lauren Chandler shares her Bible study and reading habits and how Scripture has impacted her personal life and work as a songwriter.
Podcast: How Confronting Death Helps Us Live (Matthew McCullough)
How can thinking and being really honest about the reality of death paradoxically free us to find hope and joy in God like never before?
Podcast: How Ancient Liturgy Can Renew Your Walk with Jesus Today (Jonathan Gibson)
Jonathan Gibson talks about why liturgy can be such a powerful force for good in the life of the Christian when rightly understood and practiced.
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.
Podcast: Help! I’m Afraid to Share My Faith (Isaac Adams)
Isaac Adams discusses the nature of evangelism and why we so often feel intimidated, unequipped, or unsure of how to even speak about the gospel to others in our lives.
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.
Podcast: Hear What God Has Truly Done with Your Sin (Sam Storms)
Sam Storms talks about how God deals with our sin, once and for all.
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.
Podcast: Growing as a Follower in a Culture Obsessed with Leadership (Richard Langer, Joanne Jung)
Richard Langer and Joanne Jung point out the prevalence of books, podcasts, and workshops on leadership and suggest that the contrasting idea of followership is where our focus should be.
Podcast: Gracefully Dealing with Doctrinal Disagreement (Gavin Ortlund)
What should Christians do when they disagree over doctrine?
Podcast: God’s Sovereignty, Pastoral Burnout, and Racism (John Piper)
John Piper discusses God's sovereignty, pastoral burnout, and the sin of racism.
Podcast: Fighting for Faith in the Midst of Doubt (Glenna Marshall)
Glenna Marshall discusses how we should view our doubts about the Bible, the gospel, and God's love for us, and how our struggles with doubt should give way to a more resilient faith.
Podcast: Faith, Family, and the Creative Life (Ruth Chou Simons)
Ruth Chou Simons discusses her life as an artist, sharing her passion for creating beautiful pieces of art that reflect the beauty of our Creator.
Podcast: Dragons, Absent Fathers, and Stories That Heal (Kathryn Butler)
Kathryn Butler talks about the power of stories to help our kids grasp and value the true story of God’s redemption and shares about how reading with her kids helped to carry her family through the pandemic.
Podcast: Do You See the Church as Lovely? (Dustin Benge)
Dustin Benge explains why the church—despite all her faults—is worth fighting for.
Podcast: Do You Know That Jesus Is Praying for You? (Joel Beeke)
Joel Beeke discusses the doctrine of Christ's ongoing intercession in heaven and why it's more important and spiritually edifying than you may realize.
Podcast: Don't Despair, Jesus Can Rewrite Your Story (David Murray)
David Murray talks about why there’s more to our stories than what we can do or have done, and how, in Christ, our stories can become part of God’s story—a story full of hope, and beauty, and grace.
Podcast: Does Your Heart Ache for More? (Amy DiMarcangelo)
Amy DiMarcangelo talks about how our many longings point us to Christ—the only person who understands our every need and offers us eternal joy in himself.
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"?
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.
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.
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.
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.
Podcast: D. A. Carson on His Life, Vision for Ministry, and Biggest Influences (D. A. Carson)
D. A. Carson talks about his life and ministry, how God led him to the academy, the original vision behind the Gospel Coalition, and what it looks like to pursue simple faithfulness before God in his stage of life.
Podcast: C. S. Lewis on Truth, Beauty, and the Human Heart (Joe Rigney)
Joe Rigney explores the legacy of one of the most beloved Christian thinkers and writers of the 20th century.
Podcast: Covenant Theology 101 (Guy Waters)
How do we understand the biblical covenants, and how can they help us to read Scripture rightly?
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.
Podcast: Common Misconceptions about the Trinity (Fred Sanders)
Fred Sanders explains why the doctrine of the Trinity is essential to the gospel, highlights why Trinitarian analogies are of limited value, and responds to the charge that three-in-one is inherently illogical.
Podcast: Common Misconceptions about Heaven (Ian Smith)
Ian Smith discusses what the New Heavens and New Earth will be like when Jesus returns.
Podcast: Can We Really Be Content? (Erik Raymond)
What does it look like to cultivate a spirit of contentment in a world that often seems dead set on helping us do just the opposite?
Podcast: Can Christians Lose Their Salvation? (Dennis Johnson)
Dennis Johnson discusses Hebrews 6:4–6, one of the New Testament's most famous—and debated—warning passages.
Podcast: Can Affectionless Faith Be Genuine? (John Piper)
John Piper discusses how he came to saving faith in Jesus and how his view of that faith has changed over the years.
Podcast: Becoming Better or Going Deeper? How Real Change Happens (Dane Ortlund)
Dane Ortlund discusses why we, as children of God, can remain hopeful—even when our journey toward Christlikeness is painfully slow.
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.
Podcast: Asking God "Why" in the Midst of Suffering (Mark Talbot)
Is it okay to ask God why when suffering? What do you do when you go through profound suffering?
Podcast: Are You Aware of Your Own Blind Spots? (Collin Hansen)
What problems with our lives, priorities, and even theology do we not recognize? What would it look like to wake up to our own blind spots and to lovingly engage with those with whom we disagree?
Podcast: Are You Ashamed of Yourself? Jesus Isn't (Erik Raymond)
Erik Raymond talks about why nothing in our lives is a surprise to our Savior because Jesus’s heart is bent toward those who have an embarrassing history, feel far from God, or struggle with sin.
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?
Podcast: Are We in a Loneliness Epidemic? (Lydia Brownback)
Lydia Brownback talks about her experience of the pandemic and how Christians can rally together and support one another in the wake of two years of social isolation, masks, and lockdowns.
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?
Podcast: Are Christians More Divided Now Than Ever? (Rhyne Putman)
How should Christians think about theological diversity and gracefully disagree within the body of Christ?
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?
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?
Podcast: A Christian Scientific Perspective on Evolution
Stephen Meyer discusses the controversial topic of theistic evolution and explains what the term does and doesn't mean.
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.
Podcast: 8 Questions to Ask Every Time You Open Your Bible (Matthew Harmon)
Questions we should ask when studying the Bible to help us get at the true meaning of Scripture, and how to apply it to our lives today.
Podcast: 5 Attributes of God We Too Often Neglect (Mark Jones)
How should we understand God in his fullness—both near to us as our Father and yet above and beyond us as our Creator?
Podcast: 15 Questions about Reading and Understanding the Bible (Greg Gilbert)
Greg Gilbert answers common questions about reading the Bible such as: How do I get started with a consistent habit of Bible reading? When should I read it? How long? And what if I don’t understand something?
Podcast: 12 Key Tools for Bible Study (Lydia Brownback)
Lydia Brownback discusses 12 key tools for Bible study that all Christians can use—tools that will help us go deeper into the biblical text and understand the Bible’s life-giving message for ourselves.
This 7-day Bible reading plan was designed to help you find the peace that God offers to us in his Word.
Paul Was a Missionary Consumed by God’s Approval
If receiving God’s affirmation is of critical concern for our mission, then isn’t the antithetical desire for others’ approval to be a potential snare for Christian ministers?
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.
Paul Tripp's Daily Thanksgiving Devotional
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10 Day 11 Day 12
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.
Pastor: Is Your Holiness a Priority?
There's diminishing interest in holiness and godliness among this generation of younger pastors because of pragmatism.
Pastor: Equip Your People to Counsel Each Other
The leadership of the church has been commissioned to equip the congregation in caring for each other’s souls.
Pastor, Don’t Quit—Learn to Lament
In order to stem the tide of weariness and burn-out, pastors should learn how to lament.
You must be willing to do whatever is necessary to position yourself as a tool of redeeming grace.
Pastor, Are You Growing in Submission to Scripture?
God’s leaders are to be people who are growing in submission to Scripture. Their daily lives are to reflect and exemplify the scriptures that they teach.
We are often tempted to find contentment in our circumstances: If things were only going better, then I would be happy.
Passionate about the Trivial and Apathetic about the Vital
The paradox of apathy is that, for the spiritually apathetic, there is an inverse relationship between the greatness of a truth and our emotional and practical response to it.
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.
Parents, Disciple Your Teens (While There's Still Time)
Teens need discipleship, and parents are some of the best disciplers.
When human beings are delivered through pregnancy and birth pain, there is more going on than biological processes and physiological mechanics.
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.
Overflowing with Peace and Thanksgiving
When the buckets we carry are full of Christ, our lives are bathed with the peace of God in thanksgiving.
Only one Comforter is great enough: the infinite-personal God who exists—that is, the God of Judeo-Christian Scripture. Only He is the sufficient Comforter.
Health and salvation, for three good reasons, have much in common.
One day the ruler—the King of kings and Lord of lords—will return and make peace a reality.
Do not minimize your sin or excuse it away. Raise no defense. Simply take it to the one who is already at the right hand of the Father, advocating for you on the basis of his own wounds.
Opening Windows to Christ’s Kingdom
More than forty years have passed since I first traveled across the world and what drives me now are the glimpses of glory I get as I follow my King in the power of His rising.
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.
One Thing You Might Not Know about Charles Spurgeon
Spurgeon possessed an ability to use humor from the pulpit and in his life as a weapon.
Though God’s loving disposition toward us was settled at the cross, our feelings and circumstances often shake our confidence in who God is for us.
One of the Church’s Greatest Needs
People outside the four walls of the church will eagerly embrace the faith of believers who model the honesty and integrity for which they long.
One Great Encouragement to Spend Personal Time With the Lord
The Lord Jesus is the one who encourages us not just to say the Lord's Prayer together at church, but also to go to our room, to shut the door, and to pray to our Father in heaven.
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?
Obsessed with Our Own Biography
Telling your own story is at the heart of expressive individualism. It is possible today to document your life story in considerable detail and publish it widely on a daily basis.
Obey Even When You Don’t Understand Why
Whenever we take a rule from our Father and begin examining it apart from him—apart from his character, his fatherly affection, his authoritative goodness—we fall into sin.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Never Severed from God, Not Even for an Instant
Through Jesus, that is, by the death of Christ, a redeemed believer’s death is not a penalty but a falling asleep.
This poignant account of a man’s ruin and restoration dramatically reveals a gospel story of God’s mercy toward those who have stood against him.
Never Forget: You Need What Your Kids Need
It’s helpful for our kids to hear that they’re not alone in their struggles and that you're not perfect either—but Jesus is.
The atoning work of the Son, decreed by the Father and applied by the Spirit, ensures that we are safe eternally.
Nehemiah's Deeper Concern for Building Up God's People
The work of God gets done when there is a good heart for God and his work. It starts in a heart with a deep concern for the glory of God and the health of his church.
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
My Suffering Savior Taught Me to Sing
My suffering Savior has taught me to always choose a song—a song that fortifies my faith against discouragement and breathes hope into my heart.
My Heart Cries Out: A 6-Day Devotional
Over the course of six days, watch videos and read Scripture and gospel meditations written by Paul David Tripp, adapted from My Heart Cries Out: Gospel Meditations for Everyday Life.
My Breakthrough in Scripture Memory
Maybe the breakthrough could come with some simple change in perspective. What if Scripture memory really was about today?
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.
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.
The object of our love can always be detected in our behavior.
Motherhood Is for the Faint of Heart
You may have read on a greeting card somewhere that motherhood is not for the faint of heart. Don't believe it.
Money can’t buy you a satisfied heart, money can’t buy you peace and happiness, and money can’t buy you a reason to get up in the morning.
The question for each of us is: What is the one thing that is keeping me from giving everything to the kingdom of God?
Modeling Our Faith to Our Kids as Both a Sinner and a Saint
Two key components are essential for family discipleship through Christian modeling. A godly role model needs to be reliable and relatable.
Misunderstood Christian Classics
The way to get attention and be mainstream in the secular establishment is to debunk what has been accepted as true for centuries.
Pastor Jeff Vanderstelt explains why it's important to realize that God has called the church to be in community and on mission.
Mere Christianity as C. S. Lewis’s Personal Testimony
Believing in a moral God is still not the same as believing that God took on flesh and dwelt amongst us as Jesus.
It takes a lot of sermons and a lot of suffering to believe that God’s deepest heart is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger.”
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.
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.
Men: Don’t Neglect These 4 Key Spiritual Disciplines
Godliness requires discipline. Here are four categories to commit to growing in.
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 . . .
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.
Meditate On and Mutter God’s Word
Slowly and prayerfully turning over Scripture engages the eyes, the ears, and the mouth, and drills through the granite to the heart—maximizing internalization and devotion.
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.
Making Jesus the Lord of our Free Time
The way we spend our free time reveals what we believe about God.
God gave his own Son as the final sacrifice so that your brokenness could be the only prerequisite to receiving God’s abundant mercy.
Make a Change from Me-ology to Theology
Me-ology prizes you and me. Theology prizes the God of the universe who holds everything together.
Make a Change from Me-ology to Theology
Me-ology prizes you and me. Theology prizes the God of the universe who holds everything together.
Lydia Brownback Discusses the Largely Undiscussed Topic of Loneliness
In this video, Justin Taylor sits down with Lydia Brownback to discuss her new book, Finding God in My Loneliness.
Luke: A 10-Day Devotional Reading Plan
See how the Gospel of Luke presents Jesus as the promised King of kings, showcasing how Jesus’s earthly ministry is good news to the downtrodden, the hurting, and the outsider.
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.
Loving God in Marriage or Singleness
I guess being married or not married, being in a relationship or not—is a really, really big deal.
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.
Loneliness: A 5-Day Devotional
Single or married, young or old, man or woman—everyone experiences loneliness at various times and to varying degrees. No one is exempt.
Living with the Enemy That Is Sin
The greatest victory in David’s life was not a victory of David’s at all, but, rather, God’s victory of grace over the sin that had captivated David’s heart.
Living in God's Two Kingdoms - A Vision of Christianity and Culture
In his new book Living in God's Two Kingdoms, David VanDrunen suggests an alternative "two kingdoms" model for cultural engagement.
Living an Others-Oriented Life
Being a disciple of Jesus means orienting our lives toward others, just as Jesus did.
As we move through life, the world just constantly dupes us into believing a false story. Our heads and our Bibles might tell us, “God willing,” but we are immersed in the oxygen of the world, which says, “Me willing.”
What 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?
Life Is a Battle; Dress Appropriately
You don’t put your armor on once the battle starts, you wear your armor so you’re ready when the battle begins.
Let's pray. How many times have you been privileged to say or hear those words?
Let's Make Every Sunday Resurrection Sunday
As we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus this Easter, let's resolve to make every Sunday a resurrection Sunday, living in all the good that the resurrection accomplishes for us each day.
Remember that God is good even outside of the gifts he often graciously bestows to his children.
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.
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.
Learning to Understand the Real God
Nancy Guthries shares how Abraham Kuyper captures the modern mind-set and experience of doing battle with the God we've created in our own mind.
Learning to Love in the Midst of Suffering
Paul E. Miller discusses learning to love in the midst of suffering.
Learning to Live a Grace-Paced Life: An Interview with David Murray
Justin Taylor sits down with David Murray to discuss his new book.
Learning to Lament: A 5-Day Devotional
Explore how the psalms of lament and the book of Lamentations give voice to our pain and invite us to grieve, struggle, and tap into the rich reservoir of God's grace and mercy.
Learning to Endure Life's Troubles Like Jesus
Whatever trouble you are facing, there is somebody that you can relate to in the Bible.
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.
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.
Learning from the Life and Death of Stephen
This is the way all of us want to live and die. We want to live full of faith and the Holy Spirit.
Learning Evangelism from G. K. Chesterton and C. S. Lewis
Though we will likely never establish the sort of platform of Chesterton or Lewis, through their examples we may find the kind of confidence that compels us to cross our yard and begin a friendship with that neighbor who has made it clear that they don’t believe in God
This gospel meditation by Paul David Tripp laments the effects of sin’s curse on the world.
Lament: An Open Door for Racial Reconciliation
Most Christians are not sure what to do about racial reconciliation. There are some whose hearts are sinfully closed, but I think most Christians simply lack the tools.
Lacking Assurance of Salvation? Join a Church
You don’t join a church in order to be saved, but you may want to join the church to help you in making certain that you are saved.
Before we can fight our sin, we must know what sins are currently present in our lives
Know Why You Think What You Think
Norman L. Geisler, Ryan P. Snuffer
The theistic worldview begins with a belief in a personal, all-powerful, and morally perfect God. Moral ideas that flow from God’s nature are absolute.
Keep It Simple Stupid: Martin Luther on the Christian Life
Martin Luther saw clearly that the Christian life is actually distinguished not by elaborate complexity but by its beautiful, simple, accessible Christ.
Can we simply say “no” whenever we are tempted?
Justin Taylor Interviews Nancy Guthrie on the Topic of Suffering
Justin Taylor Interview: Nancy Guthrie from Crossway on Vimeo.
Justification: The Heart of the Reformation
The issue at the heart of the Reformation was without a doubt the question of justification.
Journey through the Psalms: A 7-Day Devotional
Humans are relational, emotional beings—and nothing reveals this more beautifully than the book of Psalms.
The ESV Journaling Bible and the ESV Single Column Journaling Bible were designed especially for those who enjoy the discipline of journaling.
Jonathan Edward’s Response to Spiritual Arrogance
Jonathan Edwards was stirred by his congregation’s spiritual pride, apathy, and confused notions about true religion, alongside misunderstanding about genuine spiritual life.
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.
John Owen’s Ministry to Young Christians
John Owen specialized in ministry to young people, though that’s not how he tends to be remembered.
Joe Thorn on the Practice of Preaching to Ourselves
Crossway asks Joe Thorn various questions related to the practice of preaching to ourselves.
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.
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.
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.
J. I. Packer: In His Own Words - Transcript
Transcripted by desiringGod.org Part 1: Early Life Leland Ryken: Who is J. I. Packer? Put simply, in the last half of the twentieth century and early part of our own century, J. I. Packer has …
J. I. Packer: In His Own Words
We ask you to join us in thanking God for J. I. Packer—a man who has consistently evidenced a passion for God's glory and a love for God's church.
J. I. Packer: In His Own Words
We ask you to join us in thanking God for J. I. Packer—a man who has consistently evidenced a passion for God's glory and a love for God's church.
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.
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.
Stress sickens the soul. Yes, stress causes bodily disease (some estimate that 90 percent of doctor visits are stress-related), but it also causes soul disease. Stress and spirituality are mortal enemies.
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.
Jesus’s Love for the Marginalized of this World
We are inclined to give our attention to and serve those with influence and power, to praise those who wield influence in the world, but every person is made in God’s image and every person is significant.
For all his resplendent glory and dazzling holiness, his supreme uniqueness and otherness, no one in human history has ever been more approachable than Jesus Christ.
Jesus Loves His Church, So You Should Too
Jesus calls us to this immense personal and corporate challenge. Are you up for it?
Jesus Is Not Ashamed of Those with an Embarrassing Past: The Story of Tamar
While we may blush over our sin and our stories and our embarrassing past, we have a Savior who doesn't blush. He actually enters into the mess with us.
Jesus Is Not Ashamed of Those Who Still Sin: The Story of Peter
Our sin doesn’t put us on the sidelines for the rest of our lives. Christ forgives us and he puts us back in the game to serve him, just like Peter.
Jesus Is Not Ashamed of Those Who Have Nothing: The Story of the Thief on the Cross
The reality is that Jesus doesn't need anything. And we see this vividly in the story of the thief on the cross.
Jesus Is Not Ashamed of Those Who Are Overlooked: The Story of Bartimaeus
It's not hard to feel overlooked, right? In a world this big, we can kind of just blend in and it just makes us feel, in many ways, insignificant.
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.
“He is altogether lovely. This is our beloved, and this is our friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.”
Andreas J. Köstenberger, Alexander E. Stewart
The Bible is God’s story, recounting the Creator’s involvement with his creation.
Jesus Didn’t Show Up Unannounced
The surety of past prophecies and the specificity of how Jesus fulfilled them is also your guaranteed future hope.
Jesus' Death Should Lead to Your Own Daily Dying
The death of Jesus is not just what cleanses you of guilt, but it is also the means by which you experience transformation.
It Takes Time to Become an Effective Missionary
God works in mysterious ways, and we should never set limits on him. All the same, depending on God to work in unlikely ways just because he can do so is unwise.
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.
It’s by Design That We’ve Never Lived without the Sabbath
In the creation account, God makes the world and everything in it in six days. A seventh day follows that is set apart from the previous six in some important ways.
Is Your Check Engine Light On?
Are you experiencing any warning signs of burnout? This articles tells you what signs to look for.
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.
Is the Reformation Yesterday’s News?
The Reformation still matters because the debates between Catholics and Protestants have not gone away.
Is There a Silver Bullet of Sanctification?
Sanctification isn't a one-size-fits-all process—God guides different people in different ways.
Is There Any Purpose in Our Loneliness?
We were originally created by God, alone. The reason God created in this way is so that we will find our all in him.
Is There a Distinctively Christian Approach to History?
How should we think and write about history? How should we read critically the historical accounts of the past? How should each of us think about personal history and the history of relatives and friends?
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?
What about the window of time in between forgiveness of past sins and assurance of future heaven?
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.
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.
Is Sexual Renewal a Simple or Complex Process?
The journey to sexual renewal is a complex but worthwhile battle.
This gospel meditation by Paul David Tripp explores the idea of elusive rest and our ultimate hope in the life to come.
Is Propositional Revelation Nonsense?
There are two ways to consider the question of propositional revelation and infallibility. Until the first is in place, the second cannot be sensibly pursued.
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.
Is Joy in Christ Possible When All I See Is My Sin?
We think that somehow we have exceeded God’s capacity to forgive. We deceive ourselves to think that our sin is greater than his grace.
Is Jesus Worth Following at Any Cost?
Are you ready to receive him and believe in him as your supreme treasure, even if it costs you the loss of your family and your life?
Is It Right for Christians to Think the World Is Not Our Home?
There really are two kingdoms that are competing within the gospels. There is the kingdom that is ruled by Satan and there is the kingdom that is ruled by Jesus.
Is It Possible to Suffer Well?
It takes discipline to carry pain with you while not letting it asphyxiate you. It will not crush you if you believe Christ is in it.
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.
Is Islam Really the Fastest Growing Religion in the World?
You have probably heard that Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world. This claim is driven by Pew Research Center data, but it can be misleading.
The crass references to hell we hear in everyday conversation shouldn’t dull the agonizing awareness all believers should have of the pains of hell.
The word of God is more than enough for the people of God to live their lives to the glory of God.
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.
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.
Is Feeling Discouraged Always Wrong?
If Jesus knew our humanity and that we needed to be encouraged to be strong and courageous, then we don't have to feel embarrassed or ashamed when we feel afraid.
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.
Is Doubt the Backstory Behind Your Apathy?
While I am consoled somewhat by the fact that doubts are normal and potentially formative, they still feel like what Lewis calls an emotional “blitz” on my belief.
The true woman does not compartmentalize domesticity, nor does she reduce it to a set of behaviors.
Is Complementarianism Oppressive to Women?
Exegetical support for why we believe Scripture teaches that headship includes primary leadership, which is the responsibility of the man.
Is “Be True to Yourself” Good Advice?
You don’t need to look far today to notice that personal identity is a do-it-yourself project. People think about themselves constantly, it seems, and with high expectations!
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.
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.
As the election season nears its end, we are left wondering how to process it all, and what the Bible has to say in times like these.
The Bible is more than just a book about events in history: it’s a unified story.
Introducing the ESV New Christian’s Bible
A new edition created to help the new Bible reader orient to the foundational building blocks of the Christian life revealed in God's word.
Introducing the Church Questions Series
Church Questions booklets answer common questions about the local church and what it means for the daily life of a Christian.
Introducing Exploring the Bible Together
Help your family establish regular devotions through realistic aims, a clear plan and direction, and stimulating interaction with Scripture and prayer.
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.
Introducing a Bible Study Resource for Kids
Learn more about this resource designed to lead children ages 6–12 to a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.
Introducing 2 Devotionals from Paul David Tripp
With 40 daily readings, each of these short devotionals encourage Christians to experience the life-giving message of the gospel every day.
Intimacy with Christ Is for Men and Women
The Song of Songs gives us permission to have a very intimate, affectionate relationship with Jesus.
In the Darkness Before the Light
We simply can’t appreciate the light unless we’ve allowed ourselves to sit a bit in the darkness.
Interview with Tim Chester: Eating with a Mission
Crossway interviews Tim Chester on his newest book, A Meal with Jesus.
Inspiration for At-Home Schooling
Life includes not only living experiences, but also the best that mankind has produced in art, books, music, ideas, and many more areas.
Innovation Exists by God’s Design
Innovators—both virtuous ones and nefarious ones—are created by God. Scripture protects us from the myth that God is trying his best to stifle and subdue the unwieldiness of human technology.
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.
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.
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.
Infographic: 4 Biblical Ways to Pray
How do you pray biblically? Paul Miller outlines four ways to help you pray biblical prayers.
In an Outrage Culture, Choose Respect
We would do well to remember that behind the social media post is someone who was formed by God to bear his likeness.
In a Divisive World Your Values Reveal Your God
The gospel is entirely relational. Christ purchased for us peace with God and, through that peace, peace with one another.
Imagine Reading ‘The Lord of the Rings’ the Way You Read the Bible
Imagine reading The Lord of the Rings out of order. You pick it up, flip over to Rivendell for a moment, then hop over to Mordor before slamming back into the Shire.
Imagination: Not Just for Kids
Imagination is not just for kids; it’s part of all of us.
What am I going to do with the things of earth?
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.
If the Good News Is So Good, Why Aren’t People Flocking to It?
Perhaps the most perplexing response we encounter in evangelism is not so much anger but apathy. This reaction may frustrate the evangelist, but it should provoke our compassion.
If the Bible Is Enough, Why Is It Good to Retell Bible Stories?
God, throughout history, has always given not only his word to people but also has given qualified men who might teach others.
If My Sins Are Fully Forgiven, Why Must I Confess My Sins Daily?
There are a lot of Christians today who, amazingly, deny the importance of confessing our sins. It has to do with this distinction between eternal union and experiential communion.
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.
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.
Leaders are life-long learners and one of the best ways that we can know of to keep learning is to keep reading.
Identity and Imitation: Getting First Things First
Why is grace so important to the chemistry of the heart from which godly lives emerge?
Identifying Devotional Gems in Unexpected Places
In compiling my anthology, I worked hard to find devotional riches in unexpected places. Many of the authors would doubtless be surprised by what I chose for devotional purposes.
Hurtful Ways to “Help” the Hurting
No one wants another treatment, ointment, acupuncture reference or a diet that is 100% guaranteed to heal them.
Human Obedience VS. Passive Righteousness
Elyse Fitzpatrick, Jessica Thompson
What's the difference between human obedience and passive righteousness? And how does this affect the way we train our kids?
Humanism: You Will Be Like God
James Montgomery Boice explains the dangers of secular humanism.
Human Dignity: A First Principle
We are made in the image of Jesus the Messiah. This is real ground of human dignity.
How Work in the Home Reflects God
As Christians serve and care for those around them, they are acting as God's hands and feet in the world.
How Women Can Disciple Younger Women
How should you disciple younger women? Keep the gospel in mind.
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.
How We Can Best Pray for Our Hurting Friends
Rather than just telling people you're praying for them, pray aloud for them in their presence.
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.
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.
How to Turn Weeping into Witnessing
We can’t jump straight to It’s alright. God will be good. We can be sure he will, but that’s probably not where we should start.
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.
How to Study Scripture Theologically
Doing theology is a process that involves both study and personal spirituality. And these are not two separate activities.
How to Stop Thinking about What People Think of You
Self-consciousness is really bondage to the question What do people think of me?
How to Stop Praying the Same Old Things about the Same Old Things
“Empty phrases” are ruinous in any area of spirituality, but especially in prayer.
How to Stay in Ministry Over the Long Haul
It's important for those in ministry to establish checks and balances in their lives to prevent burnout.
How to Stay Holy When Under Pressure
Daniel and his three friends faced extreme pressure during their captivity in Babylon.
How to Spend Your Time Waiting for an Adopted Child
God has designed the universe so that anticipation is built into the order of things.
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.
How to Respond to Hurtful Comments When You're Grieving
So you’re grieving and someone has said something to you that, instead of being helpful like they’d hoped it would be and like you would have wanted it to be, was actually hurtful. What are you going to do with that?
Jonathan Edwards gives us longings for God and for holiness that are more satisfying than even our best joys currently are.
How to Read (and Not Read) the Bible
We have to read the Bible as literature, but we also have to recognize that it is unlike any other book we know.
If a classic is a work that possesses the qualities that I ascribed to it, and if there are good reasons why some of our reading should be reading the classics, then how should we go about our reading of them?
We will often neglect what we don’t prioritize. And book reading is often neglected because it fails to be a priority.
How to Prioritize Family Prayer as a Leader
We must proactively pursue the priority of prayer in the home and somehow make the time for it.
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.
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.
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.
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.
How to Pray When You’re Feeling Shame
Here are three things to pray for when you’re feeling ashamed.