Misunderstood Passages About the Christian Life

When it comes to cultural concerns of our day, Bible passages are often used by pastors, politicians, or concerned family members to calm or stoke anxiety and fear in others. In this episode, Michael Horton, Walter Strickland, and Bob Hiller situate these passages in their original context and discuss how they’re often used to address […]

From the Nephilim to the imprecatory psalms, there is a lot of weird stuff in the Bible. The problem is that for many people, these texts can quickly turn into rabbit holes of vain speculation. In the episode, Michael Horton, Walter Strickland, and Bob Hiller show how ordinary Christians can be inquisitive readers of Scripture—being receptive to their meaning and place in God’s revelation—while also refraining from making the strange and the niche central to our who we are.

The Bible is a large library of ancient books, covering different ancient literary genres. While all things that pertain to how we can be saved are made plain and clear in the words of Scripture, not everything in the Bible is equally as clear. There are many passages that seem to contradict themselves, which can create a hay day for those antagonistic toward the faith. It can also make for a difficult devotional time for the Christian just trying to faithfully read Scripture. In this episode, Michael Horton, Walter Strickland, and Bob Hiller show how we can make sense of passages in the Bible that seem to subvert each other and more.

Paul describes the teaching of the gospel—all that is needed for salvation—as “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). Our kids need that counsel, too. Read through Acts with them! Explain the stories. Help them see the goodness, power, and love of the God who made them and sent his Son to die for them.

Following sound doctrine requires our eyes to remain fixed on Jesus. It also requires that our faith rests in him. Faith opens the door to God’s plan and allows us to accomplish his will for our lives. It does so chiefly because it fosters a heart that yields to the counsel and leading of God. In this way, we remain on the road of truth.

The Prophets are not just abstract apocalyptic literature, included in the canon of Scripture because of their audience or subject matter. No, they—like the rest of Scripture—are the divinely inspired word of God. They are included in the unfolding of God’s redemptive plan and written within the covenant context of God and his people for a theological purpose, reflecting a specific historical and geographical context.

The church today finds itself amidst a revived trend of advocating for hearing God speaking to his people apart from his word. While there are new figures in this movement, the content of their message is hardly original. One can think of late medieval mysticism’s emphasis on a mystical encounter with God […]