Fighter Verses

What would it have been like to be a Christian living in Rome almost two thousand years ago when the book called “Romans” arrived from Paul? As news spread in the community that a long letter had come from the apostle, think how it might have sent your mind racing. What amazing teachings will he [...]

There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus It should be breathtaking to us that our God is not only ours but everybody’s—everybody in the whole world. There is no other God. Just one. He made everything, everyone, is in control of every moment, and everyone [...]

Our anger is dangerous. And the clock is ticking. True, there is righteous anger that is rightfully riled at the God-belittling sin we see around—and in us. Sometimes Jesus exuded compassion over the hardness of heart he encountered, but other times he expressed righteous anger, especially toward two-faced leaders. The Bible frequently characterizes God as [...]

Imagine yourself in a courtroom, but no ordinary one. It’s like a courtroom-stadium—countless millions are watching. You’re the defendant, and God is the judge. And you’re not on trial just for one act, but your whole life. When the judge asks for your plea, as to whether you have lived perfectly to his glory in [...]

Christians are people who have been accepted and are learning to live acceptably. Throughout the first 11 chapters of Romans, Paul calls this “acceptance” justification. We have been accepted fully by God, through faith alone, not through anything we’ve done to earn it, and because of Jesus—and what he did to win God’s full acceptance [...]

For our good. It is no small thing that the obedience God commands from his people is for our good. It’s not for some bizarre divine entertainment, to see how silly he can make us look. It’s not that he derives pleasure from making us suffer. It’s not that he’s getting back at us for [...]