Category: Bible Study

“If we are children, we are heirs as well: heirs of God, heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with Him so as to be glorified with Him.” –Romans 8:17 Jesus is with us (Mt 28:20), and we are with Him. We are heirs with Him and glorified with Him “if only we suffer with Him.” Everyone wants to be a glorified heir, but are we willing to be a crucified sufferer with Him? Do we miraculously even find joy in sharing in His sufferings? (Col 1:24; 1 Pt 4:13) Do we consider it a privilege not only to believe...

“Be on your way. Your faith has healed you.” –Mark 10:52 The blind beggar Bartimaeus had faith, and Jesus immediately healed him of blindness (Mk 10:52). Bartimaeus expressed his faith in Jesus vocally, publicly, and repeatedly, even after he was scolded and told to keep quiet (Mk 10:47-48). Bartimaeus also expressed his faith when “he threw aside his cloak, jumped up and came to Jesus” (Mk 10:50). When a blind man throws away his cloak, he had better be healed, or he may never find his cloak. Moreover, a cloak was worth much more in Biblical times, for it was...

“Look here! For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree and found none. Cut it down.” –Luke 13:7 Jesus clearly warns that we will suffer tragic ends unless we bear the fruit of holiness (see Gal 5:22) and evangelization (see Lk 13:3, 5, 7). Nevertheless, we cannot bear fruit by our own power. All we need is to live in Jesus as branches that are part of a vine and He will live in us (Jn 15:5). We can do nothing apart from Jesus (Jn 15:5), but in Jesus we will bear abundant...

“Who can free me?” –Romans 7:24 All human beings are conceived and born as prisoners of war. We are created prisoners “of the law of sin” in our members (Rm 7:23). “This means that even though” we “want to do what is right, a law that leads to wrongdoing is always ready at hand” (Rm 7:21). It is wretched to have a war going on inside us, to be prisoners in that war, to not have the power to do the good we desire to do (Rm 7:18), and to repeatedly hurt the very people we want to love. When...

“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” –Romans 6:23 A man interviewed for two jobs, was offered both, and now had to make his choice. Both companies offered warm working conditions (Lk 12:49; Mt 5:22). The first company is called Sin, Inc. (Rm 6:12-13, 20). Job responsibilities for the first few years feature variable hours, with lots of “working” from home. Pay for the early part of his career is in the form of a great deal of pleasure. Pay in future years is back-ended lump-sum payments of...