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To first century Roman soldiers, a shield was a very significant defensive weapon. If you are like me, when I think of a shield, I think of a round circular piece of metal with a fancy looking symbol on it. However, the shields of first century Roman soldiers were not like that at all. According to an ancient Roman historian named Polybius, Roman shields were very large; they were in the shape of a rectangle, being four feet long and…

In our lives, we have different shoes for different occasions. Speaking in generalities, a football player wears cleats, a cowboy wears boots, a runner wears running shoes, a lawyer wears dress shoes, a basketball player wears high-top sneakers, and a surfer wears flip flops. The shoes that we wear depend on where we are and what we are doing. As Christians, as we wage war daily against Satan and his demons by putting on the whole armor of God (Ephesians…

As we are all aware, Satan not only schemes against us (2 Corinthians 2:11) but also carries out those plans in an attempt to devour us (1 Peter 5:8). One way that Satan wages war against us is by trying to make us doubt our status before God. For example, Satan tried to create doubt in Eve’s heart concerning God’s word when he said to her, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?’”…

As we go to war each day against Satan and his schemes, according to Ephesians 6:10-20, we must choose to take up the whole armor of God. When we take up the armor that God supplies for us, we will be able to stand against our enemy. We cannot stand against Satan based on our own strength; as we take up God’s armor, we must be strong in the power that He supplies. Our enemy, Satan, is a liar. As…

We are all familiar with the idea of war. I read about a group of historians who claim that, within the last 5,600 years, there have been 14,351 wars resulting in about 3.64 billion casualties. During that same period, there have only been 292 combined years of peace. There is a war going on right now that is not included in those statistics; it is a war that all Christians are a part of. As followers of Jesus, every single…

Over the past ten weeks, we have had the opportunity to consider the identity of Jesus Christ. Although we have certainly not covered the topic exhaustively, I believe that we have seen several helpful ideas that are both applicable to life and anchored to Scripture. We have thought about Jesus’ incarnation and role as Creator and Sustainer of all things. We have considered how Jesus makes the invisible Father known to us and speaks on His behalf. We have seen…

As Job went through an indescribable amount of suffering in Job 1-2, in Job 9, Job pictures himself in a courtroom with God. In Job’s attempt to demonstrate his innocence before God, he highlights this problem in Job 9:33: “There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both.” In Job’s situation, there is no mediator between him and God. There is no one to intercede between the two parties. There is no one to lay…

One of the most familiar titles that is used to describe the Lord Jesus is “Son of God.” This phrase is used to refer to Jesus about thirty-seven times in the New Testament. Just to list a few of those, in Matthew 16:16, Peter confessed Jesus to be “the Son of the living God.” As Paul states, “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who…

In the Old Testament, God made a very powerful promise to King David: “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom… I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7:12-13). This promise is echoed to the prophet Isaiah: “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from…

If you had the opportunity to read last week’s article, we thought about what Jesus being the “Son of Man” means. Based on how the Old Testament uses the phrase the majority of the time, this title demonstrates our Lord’s humanity. Demonstrating great humility, Jesus came to earth and lived as a human being. While being true, this is only a part of what Jesus being the “Son of Man” means. For Jesus, the title “Son of Man” demonstrates not…

In the New Testament, the phrase “Son of Man” is used to describe Jesus almost eighty-eight times. In fact, this was Jesus’ favorite way to refer to Himself. Jesus refers to Himself as the “Son of Man” about fifty times throughout the four Gospels. What is the significance of this phrase? What does this title teach us about the identity of our Lord and Savior? In the Old Testament, the phrase “son of man” is oftentimes used to simply refer…

What does it mean for Jesus to be “the Christ”? When I was younger, I thought that “Christ” was Jesus’ last name. As I grew in knowledge, I found that to be incorrect. Instead of being a name, “Christ” is a title that Jesus holds, position that He occupies, and function that He carries out. “Christ” is a term that describes to us who Jesus really is. “Christ” is a word in the New Testament that comes from the Greek…

Consider the words of Hebrews 1:1-2: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.” Going back to the Old Testament, God spoke to the nation of Israel through His prophets. Prophets were messengers of God. God communicated to the prophets the message that He wanted the nation of Israel to hear. Then, the prophets would proclaim God’s message…

Scripture is very clear in stating that human eyes have never seen and are not able to see the fullness of God’s glory and person. In the Bible, God is described as being “invisible” (Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17). God is the one “whom no one has ever seen or can see” (1 Timothy 6:16). The Apostle John uses the same phrase two different times in order to describe this reality: “No one has ever seen God” (John 1:18; 1…

One of the most well-known, important stories in all of the Bible is the seven days of creation recorded in Genesis 1-2. Truly, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). In the midst of the Ten Commandments, we find an excellent summary of this indescribable series of events: “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day” (Exodus 20:11). All…

Over the next few weeks, I would like us to consider a question of the greatest importance. It is a question that determines who we are, what we do, and where we will spend an eternity. Who is Jesus? What does the Bible teach us about the identity of Jesus? As we think about this question together, we are going to examine several different passages over the next several weeks. Today, we are going to begin by thinking about what…

As I was researching in preparation for this article, I came across an article from USA Today entitled “Weirdest Laws Passed in Every State.” In previous generations in the United States, many laws have been passed that are truly odd in today’s world. In Tennessee, a person cannot hold a public office if he/she has been involved in a duel. In Virginia, a person cannot hunt on Sunday, unless it’s for raccoons. In Vermont, forbidding people to put up clotheslines…

Just as trees produce certain fruits, Christians must produce certain qualities and characteristics on a daily basis. These qualities and characteristics are listed in Galatians 5:22-23 and are identified as “the fruit of the Spirit.” Part of the fruit we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to produce is gentleness. Oftentimes, we struggle with gentleness. That could be because we believe that gentle people constantly get run over in life or because we want to mask rudeness as “simply being…

In his biography, C.S. Lewis writes of a dear friend that he had during World War I. This friend was worried about what would happen to his wife and kids if he were to die in battle. In order to ease his friend’s mind, Lewis promised his friend that, if he were to die in battle, he would make sure that his family was taken care of. As the war dragged on, Lewis’ friend ended up being killed. Being faithful…

“Are you a good person?” The answer to that question depends on a person’s perspective. On one hand, as Jesus says, “No one is good except God alone” (Luke 18:19). Emphasizing how all people are under sin, Paul says, “No one does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10). We all have sins and temptations that we struggle with. But on the other hand, as those who have been cleansed by the blood of Christ, we are to be people of…

Just as trees produce certain fruits, Christians must produce certain qualities and characteristics on a daily basis. These qualities and characteristics are listed in Galatians 5:22-23 and are identified as “the fruit of the Spirit.” The fourth fruit that we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to produce is patience. What does the Bible have to say about patience? Generally, in all circumstances, followers of Jesus are to be people of patience. As Christians, we are urged “to walk in…