Genesis 3:1-7
The Bible begins with the affirmation that both creation and humanity were created “very good” (Genesis 1:31). In last week’s article we discussed what it meant for humanity to be created good in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27).
If God created humanity and creation good, what happened? Why all this strife, conflict, division, and suffering? Continue reading
Submitted by Andy McIlvain.
Since the fall, since pride and sin contaminated the world, men have tried to deny or explain away Hell. God’s judgement is that there are consequences to our sin, evil thoughts/deeds and behavior. Hell is the ultimate consequence of our unbelief and our choices. Continue reading
Submitted by Andy McIlvain.
Sin gives us amnesia; it makes us forget.
Our amnesia has its roots in our sin nature and in our world. We forget how faithful God has been in the past. Even now his steadfast love, grace and mercy is at work. We know this, yet… Continue reading
God understands sin more broadly than we. We might think of sin as breaking one of the Big Ten. However, for God, sin is insidious. It engenders every action, thought, and attitude that is contrary to God’s flourishing design for this world. Sometimes we sin without even knowing it. Continue reading
Submitted by Andy McIlvain.
Macbeth Act 5 Scene 5
There would have been a time for such a word.
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
We see in this quote from Shakespeare’s Macbeth that the theme of Ecclesiastes is felt and expressed by all men in all of history. Continue reading
The late teacher and theologian R.C. Sproul once told about an encounter he had with the holiness of God. He was in college and a recent convert to Christianity. One afternoon, he felt compelled to leave his dorm, brace icy weather, and make his way to the chapel. There he sank to his knees, speechless. Terror overcame him, which gave way to deep peace. Continue reading
Submitted by Andy McIlvain.
We must not forget Christmas is about celebrating the Incarnation of God, Jesus fully God and fully man. Before he was born, the Ancient of Days thought about being born. The form God chose to enter and experience his creation was an infant that grew and matured and was born in the same way as you and I. Somehow God’s infinite power was contained within a fragile infant. Continue reading
Submitted by Andy McIlvain.
I have been in the nursing profession for 10 years now. I am an LPN and have experienced nursing in a hospital setting, home health, and now in family practice. We in America, despite the dysfunction of our medical system, live in a time and place of unprecedented health benefits. Although many people do not get the health care they need, many do. We should be thankful to God for these blessings. Many people travel from around the world to have health care in our country. Continue reading
The Apostle Paul said: “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourself of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.” (Colossians 3:5-11)
When I was a youth, our youth group had an annual fall retreat. Part of this retreat included a half-hour hike up to a mountaintop overlook we called “The Ridge.” Continue reading
Why did our nation’s forefathers not choose a king or queen for our government? No one had ever had a “president” before. Continue reading
