“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Do you read the Bible? You obviously do at least a little bit since you’re reading this. Reading the Bible is pretty enormously important, but not by itself, as James makes clear here and throughout his letter. If we do not also “do” the Bible, it has profited us exactly nothing. Read the rest…
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds…” (ESV – Read the chapter)
This is a rather jarring beginning to a letter. Count it all joy when you experience trials. Really?!? ALL joy? How? Why? Read the rest…
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Most people have two kinds of manners: Private manners and company manners. When we’re by ourselves we’ll let certain things go that we won’t when other people are around, particularly people whom we are interested in impressing. Read the rest…
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
As the writer of Hebrews defines it here, faith is, by definition, a conviction about the positive existence of something we have not seen. For instance and as the writer observes in v. 3, it is by faith that we conclude the world and everything in it was created by God. We weren’t there and so we could not possibly have seen it. And yet we believe it all the same. The question here we must address in light of modern misunderstandings about the nature of faith, though, is this: Is it reasonable? Read the rest…
“…let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
This is the tail end of an incredible argument that has stretched on for several chapters focused on the greatness of Jesus, our high priest. He is infinitely superior to the old system of priests and sacrifices that had been laid out under the law of the old covenant. Because of Him, through Him, we draw near to God with boldness and confidence of being received. Read the rest…
The Nexus 