I once preached at a church known locally as “The wages church”. The reason was that the church had posted on a banner outside Romans 6:23, Unfortunately, from the top deck of the bus, you could only see the first part of the verse emphasising that “the wages of sin is death”, you missed out… Continue reading Wages
Tag: Grace
Romans 6:20-23
We always belong to someone or something meaning that we are always free from someone or something. If we are slaves to sin, we are free from righteousness. That’s not as good as it might sound to some. It’s not that we are free from legal obligations, it is that we are free from being… Continue reading Romans 6:20-23
The trophy of grace
There’s that wonderful moment at the end of a major football competition where the tournament winners go up to the podium to receive their trophy. The team captain lifts the cup of shield as the players around him jump for joy, the press take photos and the crowd goes wild. Now, usually, by the time… Continue reading The trophy of grace
Our identity and purpose (Ephesians 1:3-14)
We have three basic or foundational needs: identity, comfort and protection. These needs when we look for them in the wrong ways, places or at the wrong time become the cause of temptation into sin and idolatry. However, they are real needs and meant to be met in and by Christ. Here, I want to… Continue reading Our identity and purpose (Ephesians 1:3-14)
Romans 4:16-25
The Law brings wrath rather than righteousness. So, God’s righteousness has to be received through faith, this means that it becomes about God’s grace, it is a free gift not earned. This means the promise is for all of Abraham’s descendants not just law observers. Given the link to circumcision, the implication here is not… Continue reading Romans 4:16-25
These things alone
I recently wrote about “sola Scriptura” or “faith alone”. The point is that Christians don’t only have Scripture on its own in isolation. They do have things like experience, their ability to reason things out and prophecy. The point is that Scripture alone and uniquely is our sole authority for knowing and serving God. So,… Continue reading These things alone
The man who got trampled to death
One of my favourite Bible events is in 2 Kings 7 where some lepers discover that the siege of Samaria has been lifted and go to tell the King that there is food outside the city. The king’s officer whom he relied on for advice was sceptical, cynical even. So the prophet tells him that… Continue reading The man who got trampled to death
John MacArthur 1939-2025
News broke overnight that John MacArthur has died. He was pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California. MacArthur was perhaps most known in recent years for two major controversies, first there were question marks about significant pastoral and church discipline issues in his church, second his resistance to Covid restrictions. I’ve written about… Continue reading John MacArthur 1939-2025
Grace working backwards
The other Sunday, I preached on Nehemiah 13. At the start of the chapter, God’s people are reminded that the Moabites were meant to be excluded from the assembly of God’s people. Afterwards, my dad, who was visiting, reminded me of the case of Ruth, she was a Moabite and yet was welcomed into God’s… Continue reading Grace working backwards
The difference between Jesus and Santa
I once made the mistake of provocatively stating that “Santa” about as close as you can get to the Anit-Christ. The mistake I made was not checking who was in the room. One of the youngsters in the church was present. Fortunately, I made the mistake in a Bible study/prayer meeting and not in a… Continue reading The difference between Jesus and Santa
