From the Editor

Paul’s letter to the Philippians begins with an expression of confidence. Paul’s confidence is ultimately in God. It was God who had begun a good work in the Philippians (Phil 1:6); and it was God’s grace that they had been partakers of, along with Paul (Phil 1:7). But when Paul looked at the...

When I give instructions to my children, or even to my students, they often come in the form of warnings: “Be careful not to postpone this assignment to the last minute…” “Watch out for cars on the road…” “Make sure to proofread your papers…” I don’t think I’m alone in doing this; in fact, I think...

All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor clear unto all; yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed and observed for salvation, are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned , in a due use...

Last words are important. If you’ve ever been with someone at or near the moment of their death, you know what significance they have. What someone says in those final hours takes on added poignancy and significance. If they are of sound mind, we treat these last words with special reverence,...

Acts 2 is a familiar chapter. In it we find the great Pentecost sermon by Peter, just after the Holy Spirit descended on those in Jerusalem in tongues of fire. The proximate cause of Peter’s well-known sermon is the accusation that those Christians baptized by the Holy Spirit were actually drunk,...

I’ve been browsing the Christian blog sites lately. This is always a risky move; you never know exactly what you’ll find. But in the first few weeks of the New Year, there are some articles you can count on seeing. There are plenty of reflections on the year past. And there are always resolutions...

The coming of a new year offers an opportunity for consideration and prediction. Newspapers and websites are full of reflections on the previous year – in politics, sports, and entertainment. Some commentators move beyond the public and include personal reminiscences on various milestones, births,...

What could be more broadly evangelical than Christmas? It’s a time when all celebrating Christians agree on what the holiday means, and even many non-Christians pretend to believe – or at least to affirm that something good happened on the night Christ was born. Christmas would hardly seem to be...

What is Christmas all about? What are we to learn from God becoming a man? These should be pressing questions during this holiday season. And while these questions point us to great mysteries, they are also matters about which the Bible speaks plainly. In fact, on a number of occasions Jesus...

Paul’s last known letter – called 2 Timothy in our Bibles – contains a startling warning to a pastors and churchmen. In 2 Timothy 3:1-4 Paul lists out characteristics of the last days – the days in which the church lives. People, Paul says, will be selfish, greedy, arrogant, malicious, and reckless...