Bethlehem’s Solitary Savior: A Poem

From the empty streets, wailing, weeping heard. Rachel’s hot tears falling on trembling hands. In darkness she there sits, moaning, heaving; hurt. A solitary, empty cradle in black corner stands. “The King, the King,” they did laughingly scorn Herod’s treacherous, brutal band In dark rage they sought one not long born, A solitary boy with READ MORE

Bearing the Marks of Jesus

As the Apostle Paul concludes his impassioned letter to his Galatian friends, he starkly contrasts a life of nominal Christianity with being a new creation because of the work of Jesus Christ. These are very important distinctions; worthy of amplification. Nominal Christianity. A “nominal value” is often a value that exists in name only. For Paul, the READ MORE

Our Remarkable Inheritance

When the Apostle Paul applies his pen to the fourth chapter of his letter to the Galatian Christians, he writes of a most remarkable reality regarding the Christian life. Consider what he says in Galatians 4:4-7: But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those READ MORE

Faith & Law

Galatians 3:5 and following offers an insightful contrast between the life of faith and the role of law. The Apostle Paul points out that the ancient father of nations, Abraham, embodies the life of faith, having been declared righteous not because of any works on his part, but because he “believed God” (Galatians 3:6; Genesis 15:6). This READ MORE

Anatomy of a Legalistic Hack

The Apostle Paul is brutal in his assessment of those who believe themselves to be the self-appointed masters of everyone’s spirituality. Remember, my definition of a religious legalist is one who measures everyone’s spiritual success not by the work of Jesus Christ but by his or her own spiritual efforts and expectations. For people like READ MORE