There is a time to analyze, to study, to reflect. There is also a time to respond, to move, to act. Mark's Gospel is intended for the second occasion. It is 65-67 A.D. Nero is Emperor in Rome. He has just beheaded Paul and crucified Peter upside down. Now he is unleashing a wave of lethal persecution against Jesus' followers in the imperial capital. Some he ties to stakes, drenches in oil and burns as human torches. Others he dresses in animal skins and exposes to killer beasts. Others he crucifies. Jesus' followers remember the master's challenge: "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him … [Read more...]
FOLLOW ME (1)
Most likely, the earliest Gospel was written by John Mark of Jerusalem, helper to both Peter and Paul. The time was probably A.D. 65-67 and the purpose was to inspire believers in Rome against whom Emperor Nero had unleashed a wave of horrific persecution after having executed the two apostles mentioned above (see Acts 12:12; 2 Tim. 4:11; 1 Pet. 5:13). Mark's is the only canonical Gospel with a title: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (Mark 1:1). Early church tradition says that Mark wrote what Peter preached. Peter himself hints at plans for something like that (2 … [Read more...]
SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES (2)
A gracEmail subscriber writes, "I have trouble keeping up the discipline to read my Bible and to pray daily. I struggle with this, and I always backslide. It makes me think I've never been saved. Sometimes I think that if I just got rebaptized things would get better, but I don't know if that would help. What can you recommend?" * * * Do you have a Bible translation in modern English? If not, I encourage you to purchase one. The New International Version is excellent for reading with understanding. Find a time when you are unrushed and undisturbed. Some people pray before others wake in the … [Read more...]
THE RICH MAN OF LA MADELEINE
"I'm eating a rich man's lunch today," I say to myself, pulling up my chair to the feast of rotisserie chicken, Caesar's salad, fresh-baked bread and assorted jellies and marmalades spread before me. I usually lunch on the cafeteria "special," but today I am splurging at La Madeleine, a charming French bakery and cafe with locations around Houston. This cafe on Westheimer is my favorite, primarily because its decor features a full-size, working, water mill brought over from a village somewhere in France. I love the sound of splashing water, the rugged sight and creaking sounds of this ancient … [Read more...]
‘WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION’
A gracEmail subscriber from Texas writes, "Philippians 2:12 says to 'work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.' Does this mean that we must 'do our part' in addition to what Jesus has done?" * * * The word here translated "work out" occurs often in the New Testament and always involves bringing to fruition something already inherent in a situation. For example, "law works wrath" (Rom. 4:15). "Sin works death" (Rom. 7:13). "Godly sorrow works repentance" (2 Cor. 7:10-11). In each case the thing "worked" is present all the time, though originally invisible. Given full process it … [Read more...]
THE RICH MAN OF LA MADELEINE
"I'm eating a rich man's lunch today," I say to myself, pulling up my chair to the feast of rotisserie chicken, Caesar's salad, fresh-baked bread and assorted jellies and marmalades spread before me. I usually lunch on the cafeteria "special," but today I am splurging at La Madeleine, a charming French bakery and cafe with locations around Houston. This cafe on Westheimer is my favorite, primarily because its decor features a full-size, working, water mill brought over from a village somewhere in France. I love the sound of splashing water, the rugged sight and creaking sounds of this ancient … [Read more...]
REBELLIOUS CHRISTIANS
A gracEmail subscriber in North Carolina asks "How will God deal with people who profess to be Christians but who live in complacency and rebellion, using the grace of God as a license to sin against God and other people?" * * * Harshly . . . to answer in one word. Jesus was very clear that mere claims of faith do not a disciple make (Matt. 7:21-23; John 8:31-32). Professing believers whose conduct shows no evidence of spiritual life have a "dead" faith (James 2:17) and live a lie (1 John 1:6). A rebellious and haughty spirit is a mark of a false or counterfeit Christian whose end is … [Read more...]
OBEDIENCE
Responding to a gracEmail warning against trusting in our own performance to set us right with God, a subscriber asked the relationship between our obedience and salvation. He had heard someone else say that obedience has "nothing to do with salvation." What does the Bible teach about this? * * * Our obedience has much "to do with" our salvation -- indeed, it "accompanies" it from first to last (Heb. 6:9-12). Jesus identifies his family as those who do God's will (Mark 3:35). Not everyone who says "Lord, Lord" enters the kingdom, Jesus warns, but the one who does the Father's will (Matt. … [Read more...]
JUSTIFIED BY WORKS
A gracEmail subscriber asks what the Epistle of James means in saying that one is "justified by works and not by faith only," when the Apostle Paul clearly teaches that only by trusting in Jesus are we set right with God. * * * Some have suggested that James and Paul represent two opposing teachings in early Christianity, but I believe there is a better explanation than that. When we look closely at James, we see that he means something different from Paul by both "faith" and "justify." In the first century as now, some people claimed to have faith (2:14) when they really meant that they … [Read more...]
IS HE DOING ENOUGH?
A gracEmail reader writes, "I see so many problems in the world and I am overwhelmed. I have turned my life around since I asked Jesus to come into my heart. I am showing more love for myself and others. Can I assume I am doing what God expects of me so long as it feels right in my heart of hearts?" * * * Good works are very important responses to God's goodness to us, even though they are not the basis of his kind favor (Titus 2:14). Our works show our repentance (Acts 26:20), evidence our faith (1 Thes. 1:3; James 2), and demonstrate our love (Heb. 6:10). God has made us part of his new … [Read more...]