Living Theology

The Book of Psalms is divided into five sections, each closing with a doxology (i.e., a benediction)—these divisions were probably introduced by the final editors to imitate the five-fold division of the Pentateuch. Book 1 (Psalms 1–41) Book 2 (Psalms 42–72) Book 3 (Psalms 73–89) Book 4 (Psalms 90–106) Book 5 (Psalms 107–150)

Martin Luther says that “when the cross is abolished, and the rage of tyrants and heretics ceases on the one side, and all things are in peace, this is a sure token that the pure doctrine of God’s Word is taken away.” The world’s hatred is sometimes a sign that we are being faithful to Scripture, provided the world detests us due to the message we preach, not because we are obnoxious. If we meet n...

Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit giving them power to witness. The kingdom of God is his rule in the lives of his people. It is spread by witnesses, not soldiers, through a gospel of peace, not a declaration of war.

The resurrection is the triumphant and glorious victory for every believer. Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). And He is coming again! The dead in Christ will be raised up, and those who are alive at His coming will be changed and receive new, glorified bodies (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18).

The doctrine of the Trinity means that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons — the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Stated differently, God is one in essence and three in person. These definitions express three crucial truths: (1) the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons, (2) each Person is fully God, (3) there is only one God. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit a...

Pluralism’s claim that all religions are true is self-refuting, for the undeniable law of noncontradiction affirms that opposites cannot both be correct. Consequently, for instance, since Islam claims there is only one person in God, and Christianity says there are three, both religions cannot be right on this point. Likewise, since Islam teaches that Jesus did not die on the cross and rise from t...

Liberal theology, with its belief in the inherent goodness of man and his ability to help himself is now making a comeback. For the doctrine of salvation by grace has practically become an insult, for it shows that man is innately spiritually dead - unable to ever come to God. The word “grace” is also emptied of all spiritual meaning and vanished from religious discourses. It is retained only in t...

God is above all things and before all things. He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. He is immortal, and He is present everywhere so that everyone can know Him (Revelation 21:6). God created all things and holds all things together, both in heaven and on earth, both visible and invisible (Colossians 1:16). God knows all things past, present, and future. There is no limit to His...

Suffering is unavoidable in this life. Will your relationship with God be enough when trials come? Will you trust Him through your suffering? Read Job 38–42. Spend time with the Almighty. Pray for a stronger faith in the powerful Creator described in those chapters. Pray for a right perspective of Him so that you might see your situation through His eyes. Instead of asking where God is in the mids...

The Bible says in Eph 3:21, “to [God] be glory in the church.” It is our highest calling, our very purpose, to glorify God: 1 Cor 10:31 Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. The main verb in this verse is “do.” It is an imperative in the present tense, and it means “a command to do something in the future which involves continuous or repeated action.” God gives...

Elihu tells why he finally must speak. The key verses are 8 and 9, "It is the Spirit (of God) in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand. It is not the old that are wise, nor the aged that understand what is right. Therefore, I say, 'Listen to me; let me also declare my opinion.'" The lesson Elihu teaches us here is that it is not age that brings wisdom but the Spirit of God....

Salvation by grace through faith is not a difficult thing, in that it’s not a formula to follow but rather a miracle to believe and receive. Salvation is God’s righteousness at work in us when we say yes to His plan. Saying yes is how we demonstrate faith. We get saved by grace through faith, but we also live by grace through faith.

Martin Luther said in his first of 95 Theses, “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent,’ he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” To walk in repentance is not to walk in condemnation, but in freedom. For the Father so loved us in kindness (Ephesians 2:7), that he sent his only Son to do justice for us (Romans 3:26), in supreme humility (Philippians 2:5–8), that...

Because God is spirit, He does not have a physical body. This means He is able to be omnipresent and is not limited by physical location. In John 4, Jesus tells the woman at the well, "But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must wors...

"For He is not a man, as I am, that I should answer Him, and we should come together in judgment. Neither is there any daysman between us, that might lay his hand upon us both." Now if you have a different translation you may read the word umpire, middleman, arbiter, or mediator instead of daysman. I prefer the word mediator. "And neither is there any mediator between us that he might lay his hand...

Witchcraft is often present in society because it expresses something deep-seated in our broken humanity, namely, our desire to carve out a space where we can make things happen apart from God. The seriousness of witchcraft tends to be overlooked both in materialist societies, such as the UK, that pretend spiritual activity doesn’t exist and in societies that actively collude with supernatural pow...

The Book of Job is a book of the Hebrew Bible. It addresses the problem of theodicy, meaning why God permits evil in the world, through the experiences of the eponymous protagonist. The book is found in the Ketuvim section of the Hebrew Bible, and is the first poetic book in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.

The book relates the story of a Hebrew woman in Persia, born as Hadassah but known as Esther, who becomes queen of Persia and thwarts a genocide of her people. The story forms the core of the Jewish festival of Purim, during which it is read aloud twice: once in the evening and again the following morning. The books of Esther and Song of Songs are the only books in the Hebrew Bible that do not men...

Christ came into the world as the second Adam. And Paul demonstrates here in Romans 5 that just like Adam, Christ is the covenant representative of all those who believe in Him. So, just as all humanity was condemned on the basis of Adam's disobedience, so too, all those who belong to the Saviour are justified on the basis of Jesus' obedience as their covenant representative.

And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.

Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for his service.

Deuteronomy 28:136“The LORD will take you and your king away to a foreign land, where neither you nor your ancestors ever lived before; there you will serve gods made of wood and stone. 37In the countries to which the LORD will scatter you, the people will be shocked at what has happened to you; they will make fun of you and ridicule you. 38“You will sow plenty of seed, but reap only a small harve...

The Communion meal involves us in and embraces us in God’s grace. We are not mere observers. We do something. We eat something. We become participants in the story.

The crucifixion and its meaning were revealed hundreds of years before the fact Jesus himself often quoted from Isaiah 53, that said of the Messiah: He poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors (Isaiah 53:12)

Ezra and Nehemiah were called to restore God’s kingdom, in the midst of a partially-hostile, partially-supportive environment. Today’s workplaces are also partially hostile and partially supportive of the work of God. This encourages us to work out how our work may contribute to implanting God’s kingdom in today’s world.