Posts from July 2025
In the Same Current
Romans 8 begins with the mind-blowing good news that “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” But Paul follows that up with one heavy dose of good news after another. The Spirit has set us free from sin and death (Romans 8:2), because God did what no one else ever figured out how to do – destroying sin on the cross (8:3). And now, living in tune with God’s will is truly possible because sin is…
Plainly True
“There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” -Romans 8:1 I find Jesus and the gospel to be good and true, but also exciting, interesting, captivating, haunting, life-giving, and endlessly enjoyable. That’s why we gather, why we open our Bibles and fold our hands in prayer – not because we’re obligated to do so, but because Jesus stirs up something in us, something powerful, beautiful, and eternal. The Gospel is not good advice, a good plan, a…
Who Will Rescue?
Halfway through Romans 7, Paul has been exploring the bizarre relationship between sin and religious law. As good as the law (Torah, as the Jewish Romans would have called it) is, pointing us toward patterns of living that are good, just, and holy, law is also a catalyst for sin. We can love law too much, making observable righteousness an ultimate good that it was never supposed to be. Plus, giving a prohibition can inflame the desire to violate that…
What We Really Want
We’re a peculiar bunch, church. We are the ones who strive to experience that which is eternal, infinite, that which lies beyond all human possibility. In one sense, it’s a fool’s errand. But we can’t imagine any other way to be human, can we? We read in 1 Timothy that Christ “dwells in unapproachable light.” Unapproachable, but we hunger and thirst to approach anyway. Yet, the means we have to do so are entirely finite. Meeting times. Paper hymnals and…