explore these questions related to righteousness

John makes this pretty easy for us; the living water is the Holy Spirit. This is further confirmed by God’s own testimony. Therefore, it would be more accurate to ask “Who is the living water?” instead of [more]

A Christian’s potential to fall from grace is a concept that runs contrary to many in the religious world today. Challenging certain pre-conceived doctrines (e.g Reformed/Calvinism), a fall from grace suggests that a person who had at one time [more]

The “Root of David” is a proper name used in Scripture, in particular in the book of Revelation. As is typical in Bible books of prophecy, a highly figurative and visual term is used to describe something…but what? [more]

Determining God’s pattern of salvation could be a helpful tool in understanding what God requires of us today. Many talk about God’s plan of salvation, but what about God’s pattern of salvation? The system under which man is accountable to [more]

A major debate regarding homosexuality has traditionally revolved around the “nature vs. nurture” discussion. Whether or not someone may be born with a “gay gene” was popular in the early 2000’s (and never proven) or other genetically-induced tendencies is still [more]

Sin is an unfortunate reality in this world. The remedy for sin and evil in this world has been pursued and framed by many different movements. Recently, the “New Age” philosophy has centered around man’s own ability to do [more]

Baptism “for the forgiveness of sins” is a statement Peter makes in his sermon on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:38 ). The preposition “for” comes from the Greek word “eis” which is defined by [more]

The idea that we will be judged according to works is a remarkably contentious one. It would seem that the thought of being “judged according to works” requires that God’s grace must be denied. In other words, to say that [more]

The idea of the Holy Spirit having a dwelling is well established in Scripture. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word “shekhinah” means dwelling or settling and culminates into this Jewish idea of “Divine Presence”. We [more]

The purpose of worship is a worthwhile question for the believer to ask from time to time. It’s doubtful that a Christian doesn’t understand the need to worship, but remembering the purpose of worship can get lost. There is a [more]

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.” This somewhat obscure statement occurs in Ephesians regarding the Holy Spirit. Understanding that this passage also speaks to something that the Holy Spirit does for the Christian today (e.g. [more]

God’s physical blessing of health and wealth in this life is often coined as the “prosperity gospel.” This ‘health and wealth’ doctrine claims that God wants what’s best for you…in this life. Good health and wealth beyond your imagination! It [more]

Working through how “works” are defined in Scripture isn’t for the faint of heart. Where one comes down on works defined has led some to question the very inspiration of the Bible. After all, Paul said, “one is justified by [more]

Fear is a strong emotion with a fairly negative connotation. It’s generally not a good thing. Psychology Today gives advice about how to overcome fear. Therefore, “fear God” could leave the secular thinker with a negative [more]

“Saved by grace only” is a catchy phrase that permeates websites and papers discussing salvation. We can’t prove it, but it seems to be “de facto” doctrine among most evangelicals. The grace only doctrine has its own Latin banner – [more]

Joy is a readily understood word, so a Christian’s joy may seem to be self-evident. As a word, “joy” means pretty much the same in the English as it does in the Greek – the language in which the New [more]

Sin is an ugly word that has its root and meaning in Scripture. Webster attests to the severity of this word in human terms. In the New Testament, the Greek word that’s translated as sin [more]

Free will: “Whether free will exists, what it is and the implications of whether it exists or not are some of the longest-running debates of philosophy and religion.” This is well-stated from Wikipedia. A search on [more]

At the intersection of religion and politics is influence. Specifically, can the righteous influence unrighteous leaders? Of course, there are all kinds of religious interest groups attempting to influence policy one way or the other. But what about individual influence?

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Inspired by the Omagh bombing in Northern Ireland in 1998, U2 wrote a song called “Peace on Earth”. The song challenged the very premise of its title. In the bombing’s aftermath, Bono, the Irish-native and lead singer [more]

Man’s free moral agency suggests that a person is free to make their own choices. Specifically, they are free to make their own decisions about what’s right and wrong. Free moral agency implies or assumes that:

1. A “free moral agent” [more]
   

The doctrine of original sin is typically credited to Augustine of Hippo (334-430), but he credits Irenaeus of Lyon, Bishop of Lyon (130-202). It’s a belief widely held between both Catholic and Protestant Christian religions. While the doctrine of [more]

In his first letter to Timothy, Paul makes a statement that deserves a closer look. When he says in 1 Timothy 2:15 that women should be saved through childbearing some immediate questions might arise. For example, is Paul saying [more]

Judge not, that you be not judged. Right out of Jesus’ sermon on the mount and one of the most quoted phrases from scripture. It speaks to the issue of judging others. Jesus’ statement in His sermon is usually [more]

Once saved, always saved teaches that once a person becomes in a “saved relationship” with God/Christ, there is nothing that can “unsave” them. It is vehemently upheld by many prominent preachers and “pastors” such as Billy Graham, Charles Stanley, and [more]