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I'm a husband, father, minister, and nerd. Oh, and I'm also a bit of coffee addict.

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Christianity 101 - The Spirit of God

This week's edition of Christianity 101 is focused on the Holy Spirit.

We’ve spent the last several weeks looking more closely and carefully at the salvation God offers us through his son, Jesus. God carries out the continuing process of healing and transforming us by means of God’s Spirit, also sometimes called the “Holy Spirit” or just “the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is present and active in the world, and extends the offer of salvation to human beings. The Spirit…

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How to Talk About Salvation, Part 5: A Matter of Life or Death

Today's post is the finale of the several ways to talk about salvation. Check it out, and check out the preceding posts as well for a more well-rounded view.

Christianity 101 is an ongoing series. To get yourself up to speed, check out some of the preceding installments here.

One of the most common ways to talk about salvation, and a way which goes back to Jesus’ own teaching, is to compare the state of rebellion against God to death.According to this metaphor, cutting ourselves off from the one who gave us life is just like being dead. Sin, and the…

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If this is your first time reading a Christianity 101 post, catch up here. If we think of sin and…

If this is your first time reading a Christianity 101 post, catch up here.

If we think of sin and salvation in financial terms, as several of the authors of the biblical texts did, then salvation is like having our debt forgiven.In other words, God forgives our debt. Some people would call this “remitting” a debt, but the principle still holds. In this way of thinking about salvation, we have all…

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How to Talk About Salvation, Part 3: Justified

Here's the most recent blog post. Enjoy!

            Sin and salvation are, at bottom, a matter of right and wrong. One of the ways we can understand salvation, then, is by using a court of law as an analogy. The court is a place where those accused of breaking the law face judgment and, if guilty, sentencing. Those who have not broken the law are in good standing with the court. Those who have broken the law, on the other hand, are not…

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How to Talk About Salvation, Part 2: Clean and Dirty

How to Talk About Salvation, Part 2: Clean and Dirty

One of the oldest and most common-sense ways of thinking about the process of God saving us is the metaphor called “purification.” In this way of thinking, we picture sin as a contaminant which we introduce into our own systems, but which we are unable to remove, clean, or sanitize. By rebelling against God, we turn an originally pure human being (ourselves) into a polluted, unsanitary human…

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How to Talk About Salvation, Part 1: Redemption

How to Talk About Salvation, Part 1: Redemption

The first of the ways of thinking and talking about salvation that we listed last week was “redemption,” where God purchases us or buys us back from the power of sin. The image is basically commercial: It’s as though we were merchandise, or even slaves, that God purchases for himself, out of his own wealth. In our rebellious and defective state, we are slaves to sin. Through Christ, however, God

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Christianity 101 - Salvation

Christianity 101 – Salvation

Because Jesus died for us, and because God raised him from the dead, we have the opportunity to return to original state of humankind, in which we want what God wants simply because God is our Creator and we are the creatures. It’s an opportunity for a truly good life – an eternal life lived in God’s company. The opportunity is a gift from God that Christians call “salvation.”Salvation is a…

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What I Learned About Prophecy While at the Zoo

What I Learned About Prophecy While at the Zoo

Someone Told Me It’s All Happening at the Zoo

While at the zoo recently, the chimpanzee handlers talked about the typical life of chimps born in captivity. When they are born in captivity (or “in artificial habitats created by humans”), chimpanzees live about 20 years longer than they do in the wild. Chimps born in captivity, however, hunt less than chimps born in the wild – they don’t need to…

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Exegetical Notes on Zech. 9.9-12

Exegetical Notes on Zech. 9.9-12

Zech. 9.9-12

9 Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion

Shout in applause,[1] daughter of Jerusalem

Look, your king comes to you

Just and victorious[2] is he

Humble[3] and riding on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a she-donkey[4]

10 I will cut off[5] the chariot from Ephraim

and the horse from Israel.

The battle bow will be cut off;

he speaks peace to the nations[6]

His dominion is from sea to sea

and…

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Spock, the Apostle Paul, and the Most Misused Verse in the Bible

Spock, the Apostle Paul, and the Most Misused Verse in the Bible

You know who the best character was in Star Trek: The Original Series? Spock. His brilliant mind, amazing facility with a tricorder, super-cool Vucan neck-pinch, also-super-cool Vulcan salute, and also-pretty-cool pointed Vulcan ears all add up to one thing: an awesome character. As Spock himself would say, “it’s only logical” that I prefer him to the other crew members of the USS Enterprise:…

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Christianity 101 - Return of the Living Lord!

Christianity 101 – Return of the Living Lord!

What happens now that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead and enthroned as Lord of the universe? Jesus died and rose again in the past, so what comes next? What comes now? Christians in the present live in anticipation of Jesus’ return. We believe that one day, at the end of the current age, Jesus will appear in glory and judge the living and the dead.

Christ will appear in glory

When Jesus first…

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Let's Stop Repeating that Gandhi Quote About Christianity

Let’s Stop Repeating that Gandhi Quote About Christianity

Have you ever noticed that one of the most popular quotes about Christianity doesn’t come from a Christian? You know which quote I’m talking about – that one by Gandhi:

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

I’m sure you must have heard it before now, because the quote seems to be popular among Christians and non-Christians. Since Gandhi is…

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Christianity 101 - Jesus is Lord

Christianity 101 – Jesus is Lord

(This post is part of a series called Christianity 101, which presents Christianity in short bits without any jargon. You can get up to date here)

Jesus’ work was not done after he had died for our sins and God had raised him from the dead. After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to many people in his resurrected form. After he had given final instructions to his followers, he was taken up from…

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The Jesus Christ Look-Alike Contest

The Jesus Christ Look-Alike Contest

Hello everyone, and welcome to today’s Jesus Christ Look-Alike Contest! Contestants will be judged on how nearly they resemble Jesus of Nazareth in several categories. At the end of the day, the winner will be crowned Son of God.

In order to qualify for today’s competition, each contestant has had to win competitions at the local level, as well as demonstrating that they are popular, well-liked,…

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Byte-Sized Sermon: All Too Simple

Byte-Sized Sermon: All Too Simple

Mt. 28.16-20  

          16 The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the hill which Jesus designated to them. 17 On seeing him they worshiped, but some doubted. 18 Jesus approached them and spoke to them as follows: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 As such, go and make all nations disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20Te…

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Exegetical Notes on Mt. 28.16-20

Exegetical Notes on Mt. 28.16-20

Mt. 28.16-20

        16 The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the hill which Jesus designated to them.[1] 17 On seeing him they worshiped, but some doubted.[2] 18 Jesus approached[3] them and spoke to them as follows: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.[4] 19 As such,[5] go and make all nations disciples. Baptize[6]them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy…

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Jesus Versus Sin and Death - Let's Get Ready to Rumble!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jesus Versus Sin and Death – Let’s Get Ready to Rumble!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jesus was buried in a tomb near Jerusalem (the city where he was executed) over the weekend. On the ensuing Sunday, after being dead for the better part of three days, God raised him from the dead and Jesus left the tomb. Ever since human beings first sinned, sin and death had been an unstoppable tag-team for every individual human. They cut humans off from God repeatedlyduring life (through sin)…

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