explore these questions related to righteousness

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” understands [more]
   

In his first letter to Timothy, Paul makes a statement that deserves a closer look. When he says in 1 Timothy 2:15³ that women should be saved through childbearing some immediate questions might arise. For example, is Paul saying that [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 Ephesians¹ regarding the Holy Spirit. Understanding that this passage also speaks to something that the Holy Spirit does for the Christian today (e.g. seals), [more]

When it comes to Jesus and OSAS (the doctrine of “once saved, always saved”), we gathered our top four passages. Once saved, always saved teaches that once a person becomes in a “saved relationship” with God/Christ, there is nothing that [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]

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]

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]

The “Root of David” is a proper name used in Scripture, in particular in the book of Revelation¹. As is typical in Bible books of prophecy, a highly figurative and visual term is used to describe something…but what? Many times, [more]

Profanity, cursing, swearing….four-letter words! It’s language that is generally not acceptable in “proper” or professional settings. But can’t a Christian use profanity in certain situations? Like when you stub your toe at night? Or when you slice it left into [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? Obviously, the system under which man is accountable [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]

Did Jesus sin while He walked the earth? Some might argue the question is mute, believing that He couldn’t sin since He was the Son of God. However, Scripture is clear on that point — while Jesus was the Son [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]

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 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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

The seal of God or ‘God’s seal’ is a term that comes up enough in Scripture to take note. In fact, based on much of the published material about God’s seal, there is too often only [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?

At [more]