Understand the Bible

When we are in times of trouble or difficulty, who do we turn to for help? Maybe we trust in friends and family, or money, or the government to save us. This passage helps us to understand that, when it comes to God, we need to get our priorities right. At the end of the day, only he can save us. What does that mean for how we live? Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receiv...

Join me to read John Owen’s classic book “The Mortification of Sin in Believers”. This book is one of the best that have ever been written about how to live a holy life. This chapter is all about the symptoms of particular sins and how to deal with them. In my opinion, if there is one message God wants the church to hear right now, it is within this chapter. Topics covered in this chapter: * The p...

Do the ends justify the means? If something good as achieved, does it matter how it is accomplished? In this passage, we see once again a nuanced and complex picture of Saul: he may have been what the people asked for, and he may have even given the people victory — but was it really a victory? Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consid...

Join me to read John Owen’s classic book “The Mortification of Sin in Believers”. This book is one of the best that have ever been written about how to live a holy life. In this chapter we think about how we must take an ‘all or nothing’ approach to mortifying sin. Topics covered in this chapter: * We cannot be selective about the sins we choose to mortify. We must recognise that every sin is offe...

Have you ever wanted something so badly, then got it, and found out that you didn’t want it after all? We need to be careful with what we want — because sometimes it will turn out that it will be bad for us in the end. In this passage we see God giving the Israelites what they want — but perhaps it won’t be a good thing… Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts...

One of the constant temptations we face is to do things according to the world’s ways, human power and wisdom. In this passage we see why it is so important to do the Lord’s work in the Lord’s way: ultimately, authority comes from the Lord and real change will only happen when we know and serve him. Godly leaders are totally different to worldly leaders. Understand the Bible is a reader-supported...

Join me to read John Owen’s classic book “The Mortification of Sin in Believers”. This book is one of the best that have ever been written about how to live a holy life. In this chapter we start to think about how sin can be mortified, and we discover that it is something which can only be done by faith in Christ. Topics covered in this chapter: * Non-Christians cannot truly mortify sin * Sin can...

Do you have trouble ‘fitting in’ as a Christian? In this passage we see what it means to be different from the world around us. What does it mean for God to be our king, and how should we as Christians live? Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Understand the Bible at utbibl...

Join me to read John Owen’s classic book “The Mortification of Sin in Believers”. This book is one of the best that have ever been written about how to live a holy life. In this chapter we consider what mortification actually IS, rather than what it isn’t (as in the last chapter). Topics covered in this chapter: * What it means to mortify sin (to put it to death); * The need to habitually weaken s...

One of the most popular Christian songs of recent years has a line about God ‘roaring with power’ and ‘fighting our battles’. But does God really fight our battles? If God fought for Israel, why did they lose to the Philistines in 1 Samuel 4? In this passage we see what changed for the Israelites, and what that has to teach us about how God does (and does not) fight our battles. Understand the Bib...

Join me to read John Owen’s classic book “The Mortification of Sin in Believers”. This book is one of the best that have ever been written about how to live a holy life. In this chapter we look at what mortifying a sin is NOT, before going to look at what it is. This chapter is important to the modern church because many counterfeits of mortification exist which look like the real thing but are su...

Ancient churches and cathedrals give a sense of the awesome majesty and splendour and holiness of God. By contrast, modern church buildings are often much more functional and lack that sense of awe. Perhaps this is simply a reflection of the modern church. In this sermon we look at the holiness of God, and see what it means for how we should relate to him. Understand the Bible is a reader-supporte...

Join me to read John Owen’s classic book “The Mortification of Sin in Believers”. This book is one of the best that have ever been written about how to live a holy life. The fourth chapter covers the benefits of mortification — why it is that we should be concerned about it. Topics covered in this chapter: * Power and peace are closely connected with the mortification of sin; * By contrast, sin wi...

Many people have noticed that things in the world seem to be getting worse: it seems to me even that the darkness looks like it’s winning at the moment. How should we as Christians respond? This passage teaches us that the Lord is a warrior, and that he is able to fight with weapons beyond the reach of human beings. If we want to see victory, we need to seek his will and direction. Understand the...

Join me to read John Owen's classic book "The Mortification of Sin in Believers". This book is one of the best that have ever been written about how to live a holy life. The third chapter covers how we cannot be mortified by ritualistic / formal religion but only by the power of the Holy Spirit. Topics covered in this chapter: * The Holy Spirit is the sole author of mortification; * Ritualised eff...

Have you ever heard people saying, “Christianity isn’t a religion — it’s a relationship with Jesus?” It might be a cliché, but it does have an element of truth about it: Christianity isn’t a religion, it’s about walking with God and trusting him. In this passage we see how even those who are most ‘religious’ can get things wrong. Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive n...

Join me to read John Owen's classic book "The Mortification of Sin in Believers". This book is one of the best that have ever been written about how to live a holy life. The second chapter covers why mortification is a duty even of the 'best' / most holy believers. In this chapter we look at: * How sin remains in us once we have come to Christ; * Therefore, we always need to be fighting against it...

Communication is one of the most important things in the world: being able to listen to a message and relay it accurately is vitally important in almost every sphere of life. This is especially the case when it comes to God: God wants people who are prepared to listen to him. What does that mean for us? Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my wor...

People sometimes say “family is everything”. But what does the Bible say about how we should see families? In this passage we see both the importance of families, but also how families shouldn’t come before God. We are warned not to take our salvation for granted but make sure that we are seeking to live by faith every day. Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new pos...

Parenting is one of the hardest things that you can do in life — and it is also often a thankless task. It seems to be valued less and less by society. Yet, God values it hugely. In this passage we see the contrast between Elkanah and Hannah and Eli in the way they brought up their children, and what difference it made. Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts a...

In Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s musical “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, the message people come away with is: ‘dreams can come true.’ It doesn’t mention God at all! Perhaps people might read this story of Hannah and Samuel and think that the message here is the same. But here, as with Joseph, the Bible’s message is something very different: God has to be central. Understand the Bible is a...

One of the most common questions new Christians have is something like, “What is the difference between all the different kinds of churches?” Baptist, Pentecostal, Methodist, Anglican, United Reformed, Catholic… what’s the difference? Why do we need all these different denominations? In this video we take a closer look at denominations. We take a brief look at the history of denominations in the c...

If you wanted to change the world, how would you go about it? Become an activist or a politician? Try to get rich? The world is full of people trying to do just that — but God’s ways are very different to our ways. In fact, they are almost the complete opposite. God chooses to use people who look nothing like what the world would expect. Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To r...

What would you say is the most revolutionary teaching in the Bible? In this sermon we explore one of the most revolutionary things that Jesus taught — so much so that many churches today still have yet to grasp it. What is the family of God, and what difference does it make to how we are together as the church? Note: the sermon is a couple of days early this week due to holiday — I will be away fo...

Has anyone ever said to you they’d believe in God if God provides them with evidence that he exists? In this passage, the Pharisees asked Jesus to give them a sign — but Jesus’ reply showed their request up for what it was. We must avoid their attitude of hard-heartedness towards God and be aware of the root of unbelief. Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts...