When certain Jews became Christians in the first century, they brought with them a self-generated arrogance, thinking that they were better Christians because they boasted in their circumcision, their fastings, their denial of certain meats, etc., etc. To these Christians Paul wrote, “Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another” (Gal. 5:26). Think about that statement for twenty-first century Christians. Is…
Let's Go Back to the Bible
Let's Go Back to the Bible
Posts by David Sproule (Page 92)
The only two words some folks know in Matthew 7 are “Judge not.” And they act like there is a period or exclamation point after the word “not.” They could not be further from the truth. Certainly, Jesus says, “Judge not,” but following the comma He goes on to say, “…that you be not judged” (Matt. 7:1). Jesus is not teaching that it is…
When you think about the POWER of God, when you think about the GRACE of God, and when you think about the LOVE of God, what do those three things have in common? Well, we might be able to find a number of things that they have in common, but I want to focus your attention on a word that Paul uses…
When Jesus came to be baptized of John, He said, “it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matt. 3:15). The Greek word for “fitting” is prepo, which indicates that something is “becoming, suitable, proper, seemly.” Take that word and see it other times in the New Testament. Regarding Jesus, it was “fitting” (becoming, suitable, proper, seemly) for Him to be made “the…
James B. Coats wrote a hymn in 1940 that expresses the heart of every faithful Christian. Here we are, “Living below in this old sinful world,” and “striving alone to face temptations sore.” And, while “life here is grand with friends I love so dear,” it is not an easy life. So, as a Christian, whether I am facing life’s difficulties, Satan’s temptations or “the…
There are many modern-day proverbs that would surprise some people to find out that they are not in the Bible. For example: “Cleanliness is next to godliness”; “Spare the rod, spoil the child”; “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.” These are popular maxims today, but if you look them up in…
Family trees. Have you ever checked to see who you’re connected to? That used to be a lot harder of a task than it is these days. With the internet, all sorts of connections can be found now. Have you ever done an ancestry search that requires you to send off a blood sample to test your DNA? Guess what I found. I’ve done some digging into…
We place a great deal of emphasis and trust in so-called “Bible scholars.” We entrust our understanding of the Bible and the foundation of our faith, often times, to what some educated person writes in a book or in an article. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve got around 4,000 books in my personal library. I read, study, digest and consider what a host of Bible scholars…