God himself is love (1 John 4:8). Love for God is the greatest commandment. Love for others is the second (Matt 22:34–40). Love is the greatest Christian virtue. But what is love? That is a rather important question. Similar questions come to mind ...
Christian feast days—what are they? Far from being a strange and sour corruption from the late middle ages, the feast days of the church—or what is called the liturgical calendar—offer Christians a gospel-centered way of walking through the year...
When anxiety hits, among the places we go for advice and comfort—e.g., family, friends, pastors, spiritual directors, or perhaps even to a counselor or therapist—we must not forget to go to God’s Word to calm our anxious hearts. The Bible...
Genesis 3:8 is a familiar verse in a familiar story: Adam and Eve have sinned, and now, in the cool of the day, they hear the sound of the Lord God walking in the Garden. Afraid, they hide among the trees.
Who is God? What’s he like? Ask a hundred people, and you might just get a hundred answers. So let’s find out the truth of who he is—from Scriptures. They’re his Word to us, a gift that allows us to get to know him directly. As...
Hebrews 11:6 says “without faith it is impossible to please him.” Not unlikely. Not difficult. Impossible. Thomas a Kempis, author of The Imitation of Christ, wrote, “Faith is required of you, and a sincere life, not a lofty...
Hope. It’s a word most of us overuse: “I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow.” “I hope there’s a good parking spot open.” And, of course, “Hope you’re well!” as a pleasant (admittedly unoriginal) email intro. The Bible uses hope this way sometimes...
The alarm chimes and our busy day begins. Our to-do list is ready and our phone is fully charged. But wait! Are we forgetting something important? Here’s a collection of morning prayers, collected both from Scripture and from the sermons or...
“In everything give thanks.” The importance of thankfulness is impossible to miss in that well-known verse. Other aspects of 1 Thessalonians 5:16 and the following two verses, however, are easier to overlook. Keep reading to find out how “in...
Many of us read Luke 2 at Christmastime, but what Scriptures can we read at Thanksgiving? Here are 54 Bible verses about thanksgiving and gratitude to meditate on during the holiday season or take turns reading around the table on Thanksgiving Day...
More people go to church on Easter than any other day of the year, and churches around the world are already preparing for more visitors—whether online or in person. There are plenty of ways to ensure your Easter service is great, but what about the...
God calls all Christians to become more like Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 3:18), and this transformation happens in the innermost part of a person: their heart. This progression is called spiritual formation, which involves...
Today is Valentine’s Day, a day on the greeting card calendar for celebrating romantic (or what the Greeks called eros) love. We’d like to twist this day a bit (though there’s nothing wrong with hearts, flowers, and chocolate) and turn our eyes...
The coronavirus has spread throughout the globe and impacted not only the health of millions of people but also daily routines and everyday tasks. But thanks to the unsung heroes who have put themselves in the path of the virus to keep our world...
The world can be a scary place. From wars to epidemics to natural disasters, we often have good reasons to be afraid. But Scripture reminds us that we have even better reasons to trust God. These 14 Bible verses about fear help us remember that God...
1. Job 42:10–11 Then Yahweh returned Job’s fortune when he prayed to him on behalf of his friends. Thus Yahweh increased all that Job had twice as much as before. So all his brothers and all his sisters and all those who had known him before came to...
atonement [ uh–tohn-muhnt ] Also called: Expiation, Propitiation Reconciliation between God and humanity, specifically through Jesus’ death. Top Bible Verses about Atonement 1. Leviticus 16:29–34 “And this shall be a lasting...
Today’s guest post is by Dr. Daniel Bush, author of Live in Liberty: The Spiritual Message of Galatians and Embracing God as Father: Christian Identity in the Family of God. Dan holds a B.Sci. from Michigan Technological University, the M.Div...
The Bible doesn’t promise us that life with Jesus is easier. The difference is that when life gets hard, we have somewhere to turn for strength, courage, hope, and peace. When times are tough, these verses are tougher. Here are seven Bible...
In this episode of What in the Word?, Lynn H. Cohick joins Kirk E. Miller to unpack Paul's exhortation. Together, Kirk and Lynn explore the passage’s literary and theological context, its implications for how we think about salvation and...
In this episode of What in the Word?, Kirk E. Miller is joined by New Testament scholar Jeannine Brown to explore one of Scripture’s most challenging passages: Matthew 16. Did Jesus mistakenly predict his return? Together, they examine various...
If God is good and created all things good, where did evil come from? In this episode of What in the Word?, Phillip Cary joins Kirk E. Miller to explore Genesis 3 and the origins of evil.
How should we understand the Bible’s Creation story in Genesis 1? In this episode of What in the Word?, Kirk E. Miller is joined by Vern Poythress to explore the genre, interpretation, and theological intent of Genesis 1:1–2:3. They discuss various...
In this episode of What in the Word?, Malcolm Foley joins Kirk E. Miller to discuss the challenging passage of 1 Timothy 6. Together, they unpack Paul’s warnings about the desire for wealth and consider how the love of money is described as a root...
Is Jesus really less than the Father? In this What in the Word? episode, Kirk E. Miller is joined by theologian Michael Horton to tackle John 14:28. Together, Kirk and Mike explore multiple historical interpretations, including Arianism, eternal...
The end of 1 Peter 3 presents one of the most challenging passages in all of the New Testament. What does it mean that Jesus preached to the spirits in prison? Did he descend into hell? Was he speaking through Noah in the past, offering the deceased...
What does Paul mean when he says that all Israel will be saved in Romans 11? Does this refer to a restoration of the nation of Israel, the salvation of the church or something else? In this episode of What in the Word, Richard Lucas and Kirk Miller...
In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus states that he does not know the day or hour of his return—only the Father does. But how can that be? If Jesus is fully God, wouldn’t he be omniscient? In this episode of What in the Word?, Kirk E. Miller is joined by...
What does it really mean to take God’s name in vain? Is it just about using God’s name irreverently, or is there more to it? In this episode of What in the Word?, Kirk E. Miller is joined by Carmen Joy Imes, an expert in Old Testament studies, to...
If I asked you to name a woman in the Bible, who would come to mind? How many could you name? Countless sermons have been preached about Esther and Ruth. We’ve scrutinized the woman at the well’s encounter with Jesus and celebrated Rahab’s strategic...