Ask Pastor John

If God has really given us “a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control,” then why do we still struggle with fear and anxiety?

In the face of every fear and insecurity, the gospel says, “In Christ, God is for you — always and forever, with all of his heart and soul. So what can man do to you?”

In Psalm 15, David tells us to despise the vile; in Matthew 5, Jesus tells us to love them. How can we do both?

God “desires all people to be saved,” Paul tells us — but clearly not all people are saved. Does this mean God cannot do what he wants to do?

Christ’s global purpose to ransom people from every tribe and tongue can be summed up in his words, “I have other sheep. I must bring them also.”

God gave work as a blessing in the beginning, but we live now on the other side of the fall. So is our work today a blessing or a curse?

Alongside his personal study of Scripture, what whole-Bible commentaries has Pastor John found most helpful over the years?

If you want to settle the question of personal identity, don’t ask “Who am I?” Ask, “Whose am I?”

We know the devil can tempt us and attack us and try to deceive us, but can he put thoughts into our heads?

At every moment, God knows the thoughts and intentions of every human heart. Pastor John explores six vast implications of this foundational truth.

The book of Romans interprets life — and it also transforms life. Pastor John shares how Romans has shaped him, from conversion to the pastorate.

How can a Christian business leader speak about his success in a way that makes God, not him, look great?

Is there really a difference between complaining about our problems and venting about them — or are we just kidding ourselves?

What is the simplest, shortest definition of Christian Hedonism? Pastor John explains in two minutes why pursuing joy in God is essential to the Christian life.

Women, Paul says, “will be saved through childbearing.” How does childbirth save women — and what about women who never have children of their own?

Those who play the victim to their sexual lusts act like slaves, like dogs eating their vomit, like washed pigs rolling in mud. But in Christ, they don’t have to stay that way.

Even if you remember only one sentence of a book, that one sentence can create an immeasurable moment, a flash of insight that shapes you forever.

What might Scripture say to a woman who desperately wants to become a man? Pastor John offers six reasons why attempting to “de-gender” is a tragic act of sin.

Are Christians who have the opportunity to vote obligated to do so — or can we abstain from the whole process for righteous reasons?

Seven times in the book of Hebrews, the author captures the heart of Christianity in a simple, wonderful command: draw near.

No angel, no saint, and not even Mary herself can improve the access to God we already have through Christ and his finished work.

In 1 Timothy 1:15, the apostle Paul claims to have been “the foremost” of sinners. Is Paul speaking in hyperbole here, or was he really the world’s worst sinner?

How can we become bolder in evangelism? Pastor John shares a story of his stumbling attempts to love a neighbor, and God’s patient persistence through it all.

When we look with eyes of faith on our pre-conversion life, we find abundant reason to thank God for his mercy, and abundant reason to give others hope.

The jealousy of God shows his zeal for his own worth — and it also shows his zeal for our deepest joy.