Tag: forgiveness

Whiter Than Snow

Dale Pollard

The most snow ever to accumulate from a single storm happened from February 13-19th in 1959. The storm hit Mount Shasta Ski Bowl in California with a total of 15.75 feet of snow (Guinness Book of World Records). 

Snow appears only a handful of times in the Bible, but when it does, it gives the reader some powerful illustrations. In a Middle Eastern climate where snowfall was pretty rare and memorable, snow became an image to describe God’s purity, or forgiveness, and even His ultimate authority over nature.

One of the most famous references is found in Isaiah 1:18, where God declares, “Though your sins be as scarlet, they will be as white as snow.” Here, snow represents a total cleansing — a visual for guilt being completely erased. The contrast between blood-red sin and snow-white purity made the promise pop to ancient readers— and not lost on the modern reader. 

Snow is also used to describe God’s control over the natural world. Job 37:6 says, “For to the snow he says, be on the earth.” Unlike modern scientific explanations, the Bible portrays snow as something that responds directly to God’s command. God established natural law and order so either way, even the most powerful weather phenomena are under divine authority.

In Psalm 147:16, snow becomes a symbol of provision, with a little mystery: “He gives snow like wool.” The comparison to wool is referring to the softness and abundance. The point? That which seems harsh and cold is still part of God’s sustaining design.

Even the terrifying becomes symbolic. When Moses’ hand turns leprous in Exodus 4:6, it is described as “white as snow,” and this really makes that cleansing of sin stand out more. Instead of being left with a disease as white as snow, we’re sanctified and made clean, like snow. 

Throughout Scripture, snow is used as a powerful image of transformation — from sin to cleansing, fear to awe, and then it’s obvious beauty. It’s a good reminder that even the coldest seasons are held within the hand of God.

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”

A Dangerous Lie We All Believe

Neal Pollard

We tell it in different ways. It may be, “Nobody is as bad, broken, or beaten as I am.” Or, “nobody understands what it’s like.” Or, “if anyone knew the ‘real’ me, they wouldn’t want anything to do with me.” Really, there are an infinite combination of ways we say it, but all of them boil down to some equivalent of “I am beyond the reach of God’s acceptance.”

Why is this lie so dangerous? It actually keeps us away from Him and His blessings. Our belief in our unworthiness is so deep that we keep ourselves from trying to get close to Him. Our guilt drives us to darkness, isolation, and despair. In this state, we actually feed sinfulness and encase ourselves in lethal isolation. We cannot be at our best in relationships with others and we put greater focus on self, leading to further misery and emptiness.

Perhaps the common and caustic nature of this lie is why the Bible stresses the transforming and truthful rebuttal to this devilish deception. How does the Bible respond to the idea that I am not good enough for God’s love? Consider these biblical answers.

  • God’s love is unconditional. “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8).
  • God IS love. “The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:8).
  • God’s love is unconquerable and indomitable by any force or power. “Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
    • God wants us to overcome. “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4).
    • God doesn’t want anyone lost. “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
    • God’s forgiveness is faithfully and fully applied. “But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:7-9).
    • God’s love is universal and proven. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Who is it that wants us to shun these beautiful truths? What do we gain by ignoring and rejecting them? What do we lose? None of us is perfect (Roman 3:10,23; 5:12). All of us struggle, with temptation (James 1:13-15; 1 Corinthians 10:13), with worldliness (1 John 2:15-17), with fear, and with weakness (Psalm 103:14). God has given us the resources we need to combat this terrible lie. We must see our intrinsic value in His eyes, fueled by His nature and proven by His actions. When we reject the lie, we choose the path of purpose and productivity. We can become what He intended for us to be and desires us to be. Our problems and struggles won’t disappear, but our resources to address them will become inexhaustible. Reject the lie!

The Tragedy of Judas: When a Heart Hardens Against Grace

Let us search our hearts with ruthless honesty, bringing every hidden sin, every cherished idol, every secret compromise into the light of Christ’s presence. Let us choose Peter’s path of humble repentance over Judas’s path of proud despair.

Brent Pollard

 The Humanity of Christ in the Face of Betrayal

In John 13:21-30, Christ reveals a profound insight into His humanity. Jesus, with a troubled spirit, revealed the identity of His betrayer through an act of fellowship—the sharing of bread. Jesus’ action was not a casual disclosure. The text reveals a Savior who experienced the weight of impending betrayal with genuine human anguish. He had chosen someone He knew to be a devil (John 6.70), and now the hour had arrived for that devil to execute his dark purpose.

Even in this moment of revelation, we witness Christ’s unwavering mercy. His acknowledgment of what Judas was about to do served as a final lifeline extended to the infamous traitor—one last opportunity to turn back from the precipice. This enduring mercy is a beacon of hope for all of us, reminding us that no matter how far we may have strayed, Christ’s grace is always within reach.

The Hardening Power of Unrepentant Sin

Sadly, Judas’s love of money and his own twisted ambitions had calcified his heart against both the deeds and words of Jesus. He had already negotiated his treachery, his mind fixed on the thirty pieces of silver promised by the chief priests (Matthew 26.14-16). Here we see a sobering truth: sustained exposure to Christ does not guarantee transformation. One can walk in the very presence of the Son of God and yet remain unmoved, unchanged, unredeemed.

The text tells us that “Satan entered” Judas (John 13.27). But what does this mean? We must resist the temptation to absolve Judas of responsibility by imagining some irresistible demonic possession. No, Satan did not override the will of a helpless man. Instead, he exploited the foothold Judas had already granted through his unrepentant sin, his corrosive greed, and his fundamental lack of faith. The phrase “Satan entered” signifies Judas’s complete surrender to the evil influence he had been cultivating in his own heart. It marked a decisive point of no return, the final rejection of Jesus’s appeals to repentance.

The Reality of Moral Agency Even in Darkness

Here we encounter a mystery that the shallow mind cannot fathom: even after Satan entered Judas, he retained sufficient moral agency to feel guilt, to return the blood money to the chief priests, and ultimately to take his own life (Matthew 27.3-5). This remorse, though powerful, was not genuine repentance. True repentance would have driven him to God for forgiveness, as Peter’s denial later drove him to weeping restoration. Instead, Judas’s guilt led only to despair—a worldly sorrow that produces death rather than the godly sorrow that leads to salvation.

James illuminates the progression: a person becomes enslaved to sin by yielding to their own lust. When that lust conceives, it gives birth to sin. When sin reaches full maturity, it brings forth death (James 1.13-15). Judas walked this path to its bitter end, each step a choice, each choice hardening the next.

The Contrast of Two Betrayers: Judas and Peter

The story of Judas serves as a stark warning about the human capacity to reject grace, even when confronted with overwhelming love and unmistakable conviction. While God’s offer of salvation extends to everyone, it requires a willing and humble heart to receive it. Judas’s ultimate fate—despair and suicide—stands in sharp contrast to Peter, who, despite his own devastating denial, turned to Jesus in repentance and received complete forgiveness.

Both men betrayed Christ. Both felt crushing guilt. Yet their responses diverged at the crucial point: Peter ran toward mercy; Judas ran from it. Peter believed forgiveness was possible; Judas believed his sin was unforgivable. This stark contrast serves as a powerful reminder of the impact our choices can have on our lives.

Practical Warning: The Danger of Walking with Jesus Without Surrender

Judas serves as a tragic example of someone who allowed his lust for money and power to lead him toward betrayal and destruction. His story reveals an uncomfortable truth: even people who walk closely with Jesus, witness His miracles, hear His teachings, and participate in His ministry can fall prey to the temptations of this world if they do not genuinely surrender their hearts.

What distinguished Judas from the other disciples was not the absence of sin—they all sinned—but the presence of unrepentant, cherished sin that he refused to bring into the light.

Closing: A Call to Self-Examination

The question Judas’s life poses to each of us is searingly personal: Are we cultivating hardness in our hearts through unconfessed sin? Are we, like Judas, close to Jesus in proximity but distant in devotion? Do we serve Him with our hands while withholding our hearts? The grace that could have saved Judas is the same grace offered to us today. But grace must be received, not merely observed. You should embrace it rather than acknowledge it.

Let us search our hearts with ruthless honesty, bringing every hidden sin, every cherished idol, every secret compromise into the light of Christ’s presence. Let us choose Peter’s path of humble repentance over Judas’s path of proud despair. The same Christ who extended mercy to His betrayer still extends it to us—but we must reach out and take hold of it before our hearts grow too hard to feel His touch. The time to respond is now, while the Spirit still speaks, while grace still calls, while the door of repentance remains open. Tomorrow may find us, like Judas, having crossed a point of no return that we never saw coming.

The Debt Of Love

The hymn “Alas and Did My Savior Bleed” captures the heart of the Christian response to Jesus’ sacrifice: “But drops of grief can ne’er repay the debt of love I owe; Here, Lord, I give myself away, ’tis all that I can do.” This “debt of love” isn’t like the $18 trillion in financial debt Americans carry…

Carl Pollard

The hymn “Alas and Did My Savior Bleed” captures the heart of the Christian response to Jesus’ sacrifice: “But drops of grief can ne’er repay the debt of love I owe; Here, Lord, I give myself away, ’tis all that I can do.” This “debt of love” isn’t like the $18 trillion in financial debt Americans carry, like mortgages, credit cards, or student loans. Unlike monetary debt, the debt of love is a lifelong obligation, as Paul writes in Romans 13:8, “Owe no one anything, except to love one another.” 

In Luke 7:36-50, we see this debt of love unfold in an account of grace and judgment, humility and pride. Jesus dines at the home of Simon, a Pharisee who prides himself on strict adherence to the law. In first-century Jewish culture, dining was an honor, yet Simon’s hospitality is cold. He offers Jesus no water for His feet, no kiss of greeting, no oil for His head. These were customary acts of respect (vv. 44-46). His indifference reveals a heart of pride.

Then enters an uninvited woman, a “sinner” (hamartōlos in Greek), likely notorious in her community, possibly a prostitute. Her presence in a Pharisee’s home is unheard of, yet she brings an alabaster jar of perfume, worth a year’s wages, and pours out her worship. Weeping loudly, she wets Jesus’ feet with her tears, wipes them with her hair, kisses them, and anoints them with perfume (v. 38). While Simon is judging silently the whole time! He questions Jesus’ discernment: “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him” (v. 39). Simon’s pride blinds him, while the woman’s humility drives her to worship.

Jesus responds with a parable: two debtors owe a moneylender, one 500 denarii (two years’ wages), the other 50 (two months’ income). Neither can pay, but both are forgiven. “Which will love him more?” Jesus asks (vv. 41-42). Simon answers, “The one who had the bigger debt forgiven” (v. 43). The woman, aware of her great debt, offers extravagant love; Simon, assuming his debt is small, offers none.

Jesus contrasts their actions: “You gave me no water… but she wet my feet with her tears… You gave me no kiss, but she has not stopped kissing my feet” (vv. 44-45). He says, “Her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown” (v. 47). Her love doesn’t earn forgiveness; it’s evidence of grace received through faith (v. 50). Simon, believing he needs little forgiveness, loves little.

So where do we stand? Like Simon, do we judge others while ignoring our own sin? Romans 3:23 reminds us, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Colossians 2:14 declares Jesus “canceled the record of debt… nailing it to the cross.” If our love for Him has grown cold, perhaps we’ve forgotten the weight of that debt.

Picture this woman, broken at Jesus’ feet, offering her tears and treasure. Now picture yourself. Are you offering pride or worship? Let’s remember the cross, where Jesus paid our unpayable debt. We would do well to pour out our lives like her perfume, through worship, obedience, and love for others.

Standing In The Gap

Prayer is a divine weapon, a sacred act that Satan dreads when wielded by faithful Christians. In the church, prayer is God’s design to weave us into a tight-knit community, binding us closer than proximity ever could. James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” Intercessory prayer, lifting others before God’s throne, is a duty and privilege that transforms both the pray-er and the prayed-for.

Carl Pollard

Prayer is a divine weapon, a sacred act that Satan dreads when wielded by faithful Christians. In the church, prayer is God’s design to weave us into a tight-knit community, binding us closer than proximity ever could. James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” Intercessory prayer, lifting others before God’s throne, is a duty and privilege that transforms both the pray-er and the prayed-for.

Why pray for each other? Scripture commands it. Matthew 5:44 urges us to pray even for enemies, fulfilling the call to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). Pray for others the way you’d pray for yourself! Colossians 1:9 Paul models ceaseless prayer for others’ spiritual growth, while Galatians 6:2 frames intercession as bearing one another’s burdens, fulfilling Christ’s law. Hebrews 10:24–25 reminds us that prayer knits the church together, spurring love and good deeds. Yet, how often do our prayers default to vague “bless them” pleas or focus solely on physical needs? Intentional intercession digs deeper, aligning with God’s will.

Biblical heroes show us this. Abraham pleaded for Sodom’s salvation (Genesis 18:22–33), mirroring God’s heart for the wicked to turn and live (Ezekiel 33:11). Moses stood in the gap for idolatrous Israel, offering his life to secure their forgiveness (Exodus 32:11–14, 31–32; Psalm 106:23). Jesus, in His High Priestly Prayer (John 17:1–26), interceded for His disciples’ protection, sanctification, and unity, modeling prayers for eternal impact. Paul’s prayers for the churches (Ephesians 1:15–23; Colossians 1:9–12) prioritized spiritual wisdom and strength over physical circumstances.

To pray intentionally, embrace three keys. First, keep God’s bigger story in mind. While praying for safety or healing is valid, God often uses trials to shape us into Christ’s image (Romans 8:28–29; James 1:2–4). Like Jesus in Luke 22:42, balance requests for relief with surrender to God’s will, praying for faithfulness through suffering. Second, use biblical models to form your prayers. The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9–13) prioritizes God’s will and provision, while Paul’s prayers (Ephesians 3:16–17) seek spiritual depth. Third, pray specifically and with persistence, as 1 John 5:14–15 assures that prayers aligned with God’s will are heard.

Intercessory prayer is a sacrificial act of love, a call to stand in the gap for others, as Moses did, or to plead for unity, as Jesus did. It’s a rebellion against Satan’s schemes, a bridge to connect our church, and a path to spiritual maturity. So, who are you praying for today? Let’s commit to intentional, fervent intercession, trusting God to work mightily through our prayers.

The Truth

The most urgent question anyone can ask is, “What must I do to be saved?” Its answer determines your eternal destiny. Sadly, many people have believed false promises: good deeds, or a quick prayer, but Scripture speaks with unwavering clarity.

Carl Pollard 

The most urgent question anyone can ask is, “What must I do to be saved?” Its answer determines your eternal destiny. Sadly, many people have believed false promises: good deeds, or a quick prayer, but Scripture speaks with unwavering clarity. Baptism is God’s non-negotiable command for salvation, the moment sins are washed away and we call on Jesus’ name. Not a ritual or optional act, baptism is where God’s grace meets our obedience. This undeniable truth is seen in Paul, Peter, and Pentecost. 

Paul’s conversion in Acts 9, 22, and 26 sets the standard. As Saul, he hunted Christians, dragging them to punishment. On the road to Damascus, Jesus blinds him with a vision (Acts 9:3–6), telling him to wait in the city. Ananias finds Saul praying (Acts 9:11), but neither seeing Jesus, believing, or fasting for three days removed his sins. Acts 22:16 is unmistakable: Ananias commands, “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” Paul’s sins stayed until baptism, not his vision, faith, prayers or belief took away his sins. This breaks the lie of “faith alone.” Baptism is God’s chosen moment for forgiveness, where Paul’s obedience met divine grace.

Peter leaves no doubt in 1 Peter 3:21: “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Linking baptism to Noah’s flood, Peter says it saves, not by washing skin, but as our plea to God for forgiveness, empowered by Christ’s resurrection. Romans 6:3–4 confirms baptism is where we die to sin, are buried with Jesus, and rise to new life. To reject baptism is to reject God’s plan for salvation.

On Pentecost, Acts 2:38 shows the church’s birth. Peter’s sermon convicts the crowd for crucifying Jesus, and they cry, “What shall we do?” Peter’s answer is absolute: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” That day, 3,000 were baptized, added to the church (Acts 2:41). Baptism wasn’t a later gesture, it was where forgiveness and the Spirit were received, God’s ordained step for salvation.

Scripture’s pattern is simple: Paul’s sins were washed away in baptism (Acts 22:16), Peter says baptism saves (1 Peter 3:21), and Pentecost links it to forgiveness (Acts 2:38). Mark 16:16 Jesus says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.” Acts 8:36–38 shows the eunuch baptized immediately upon belief. No “sinner’s prayer” exists in Scripture, salvation requires hearing the gospel (Romans 10:17), believing Jesus is Lord (John 8:24), repenting (Luke 13:3), confessing His name (Romans 10:9–10), and being baptized. The world’s claim that baptism is optional is a lie; God’s Word demands it.

If you haven’t been baptized for the forgiveness of your sins, your soul is at stake. Don’t delay, eternity hangs in the balance. That conviction in your heart is God’s call to obey. Repent and be baptized now before it’s too late. If you’re in Christ, proclaim this truth to others. Share it with loved ones, study with them, and lead them to Jesus. Baptism is God’s command to enter His family. Will you obey His Word today?

Hosea’s One Bride–and the One Messiah

But who is this woman? Is she the same Gomer whom Hosea married in chapter 1, or does she represent a second bride, perhaps symbolizing Judah alongside Israel in some grand drama of two sisters? Here stands one of those interpretive crossroads where the very trajectory of revelation hangs in the balance.

Brent Pollard

In the ancient landscape of Scripture, few passages arrest the soul quite like Hosea 3, where God commands His prophet: “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.” (Hosea 3.1). Here Hosea purchases her—this mysterious woman—“for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley,” then withholds marital relations for “many days” (Hosea 3.2-3).

But who is this woman? Is she the same Gomer whom Hosea married in chapter 1, or does she represent a second bride, perhaps symbolizing Judah alongside Israel in some grand drama of two sisters? Here stands one of those interpretive crossroads where the very trajectory of revelation hangs in the balance.

Two paths stretch before the careful reader. A minority of conservative scholars sees chapter 3 as a fresh symbolic act with another adulteress, sometimes linked to Judah through the “two sisters” motif found elsewhere in prophetic literature. Yet the majority view—held by the great cloud of classic conservative commentators—perceives one continuous drama with one wife, one covenant, one story of love’s persistence through the darkest valleys of unfaithfulness.

This latter reading, I would argue, best preserves the magnificent Messianic arc that governs the whole of Hosea 1-3, an arc as vast and purposeful as the eucatastrophe that crowns the most remarkable tales ever told.

The Divine Command and Its Shocking Grace

Chapter 1 opens with words that still have power to startle the modern heart: “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord” (1:2). What kind of God would command such a thing? Only one whose love burns with such intensity that He will use even the prophet’s agony to mirror His own heart’s breaking.

Hosea obeys—for prophets know something of the weight of divine calling—and marries Gomer. Their children become living sermons, their names carving judgment into the very air that Israel breathes. Jezreel speaks of scattering that follows political bloodshed; Lo-Ruhamah means “No Mercy,” signaling heaven’s withdrawal of compassion; Lo-Ammi—“Not My People”—depicts the ultimate horror: covenant rupture, the tearing of that sacred bond that once made them the apple of God’s eye (1.4-9).

The effect is deliberately devastating. This departure is no mere moral slip, no gentle wandering from the path. Israel’s sin bears the face of spiritual adultery against the very God who chose her, loved her, called her from Egypt, and made her His own.

The Promise That Changes Everything

Yet—oh, what power lies in that simple word!—judgment is not God’s final word. Immediately after the “Not My People” sentence, Hosea hears a promise of breathtaking scope: “Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.” And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head.” (1.10-11).

Here stands the North Star by which we must navigate all that follows. The story moves inexorably toward reunion under a single Davidic ruler—toward the Messiah. This reconciliation is not merely restoration but transformation, not simply healing but resurrection unto new life.

When Love Becomes a Lawsuit, Then Wedding Song

Chapter 2 unfolds like a covenant lawsuit in the courts of eternity. The Judge indicts His faithless spouse, exposes her idols and ill-placed alliances, announces discipline that will strip away the very gifts she has misused for evil purposes (2.2-13). Justice must speak its harsh truth before mercy can whisper its tender promises.

But then the tone pivots from court to courtship. “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.” (2.14). The wilderness, that place of testing and purging, becomes a wedding aisle where love writes its most beautiful poetry.

Hear how the Bridegroom’s voice grows tender: “And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.” (2.19-20).

This promise is a covenant renewal of the most glorious kind—not by human reform or religious effort, but by pure divine initiative. The righteousness will be His gift, the faithfulness His accomplishment, the steadfast love His very nature poured out upon the undeserving.

The Purchase Price of Love

Chapter 3 returns us to the sign-act, but now we see it through the lens of promise. God commands Hosea to “love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel” (3.1). He buys her—this woman whom love will not release—and then imposes a season of chaste separation: “You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.” (3.3).

On the majority reading, this is Gomer once more—the same woman, the same covenant, the same costly love. The symbolism thunders with gospel truth: the bride belongs to Hosea by right of covenant, yet he pays a price to reclaim her from slavery. She dwells under his protection, yet marital intimacy waits for the appointed time. It is a perfect picture of God’s people under discipline—kept and preserved by unshakeable love, yet awaiting the full warmth of restored fellowship.

Why prefer the “one wife” interpretation over “two”? Textually, the prophecy promises not two restored marriages, but one united people under “one head” (1.11). Thematically, a single spouse clarifies the gospel shape of this ancient drama: one relationship broken by sin, one redemption purchased by love, one reunion consummated by grace. To split the sign into separate unions risks obscuring that clean line running from Israel’s infidelity to the Messiah’s unifying reign.

The Long Wait and the Coming King

Hosea himself interprets the sign with words both sobering and hopeful: “For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods” (3:4). A prolonged season follows—kingless, templeless, suspended between judgment and restoration. It is discipline, but discipline shot through with promise.

For afterward, the prophet declares, “the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days.” (3.5). “David” here is no mere historical echo but the promised Son of David, the Root and Offspring of Jesse’s line, the King whose kingdom shall have no end.

In the New Testament’s brilliant light, that restoration dawns in Jesus Christ, who gathers the scattered, “broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility” and creates “in himself one new man in place of the two” (Ephesians 2.14-15). The apostles see clearly how Hosea’s reversal—“Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’” (Romans 9.25) applies to all who are called into Christ, whether Jew or Gentile. As Peter puts it with stunning directness: “Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2.10).

The bride is being made ready for the marriage supper of the Lamb (2 Corinthians 11.2; Revelation 19.7-9).

Gospel Theater in an Ancient Home

Hosea’s household, then, becomes gospel theater of the most profound sort: covenant love initiates the drama, sin wounds the heart of it, grace pursues through every shadow, redemption pays the necessary price, sanctified waiting refines the beloved, and Messianic reunion brings the story to its glorious close.

The “same woman” reading allows us to feel this story as Scripture intends—a single, unbroken through-line running from rupture to redemption, from betrayal to betrothal, under one Head who is Christ Jesus our Lord. In His nail-scarred hands, every broken covenant finds healing, every faithless heart discovers mercy, and every wayward bride learns the deep, costly joy of being loved with an everlasting love.

This is the gospel that Hosea’s pain purchased for our instruction, the good news that his obedience spelled out in living letters. One bride, one Bridegroom, one story of love that will not let us go—no matter how far we wander, no matter how deep we fall. For such is the love of the God who calls things that are not as though they were, and who makes His enemies into His beloved.

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Lamb, Not the Seductress: Reexamining Bathsheba’s Story

So, did David not know who she was? It’s difficult to believe that a woman connected to three men in David’s inner circle was a stranger to him. More likely, the evening light and David’s rooftop vantage point allowed him to see her form but not recognize her.

Brent Pollard

July 15, 2025, seemed like an ordinary day, but it became extraordinary when a CEO was caught canoodling with a fellow employee on the kiss cam during a Coldplay concert. The intimate moment quickly went viral, especially since the CEO was married. Many likely felt schadenfreude over the fall of a wealthy individual worth between $20 and $70 million. This contemporary scandal provides a lens through which to examine how we often misread similar biblical narratives. Frankly, I believe it is best to heed the words of Paul: while we expose evil deeds, we do not speak in detail about what is done in secret (Ephesians 5.11–12). Still, I needed to establish this cultural backdrop for this article.

One of those quick to offer a take on the July 15 incident was the satirical site The Babylon Bee. I typically enjoy their brand of humor, but this time they missed the mark. They likened the scandal to the biblical account of David and Bathsheba. If Bathsheba truly were the gold-digging seductress some portray her as, then the comparison might be justified. But she wasn’t. Bathsheba was a victim of a powerful man’s abuse, which makes The Bee’s joke not only flat but also deeply inappropriate.

This article will build a case, as if in a court of law, defending Bathsheba against unjust accusations. I will argue that she was a victim of rape and that her husband was murdered to conceal the crime. The evidence is found in 2 Samuel 11.

First, the text reveals David’s negligence and sets the stage for what follows. Verse one sets the tone: it was the season when kings customarily led their troops into battle. But David stayed home. He was not where he was supposed to be. Then in verse two, we find that David is getting out of bed in the evening. The text doesn’t say why, but the timing is odd. I can’t help but think of the words attributed to David’s son: “How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?” (Proverbs 6.9). It reminds us of the adage that idle hands are the devil’s workshop. This context of David’s negligence becomes crucial when we examine what happens next. Had David been at the front, none of what follows may have occurred.

As David walks on his rooftop, he sees a woman bathing. The text tells us she was very beautiful (2 Samuel 11.2). Unlike Job, who made a covenant with his eyes not to gaze lustfully (Job 31.1), David does not look away. Instead, he inquires about her (v. 3). The answer he receives is revealing: this is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, and the wife of Uriah the Hittite. Bathsheba has three direct relational ties to David. Uriah and Eliam were part of David’s elite band of mighty men (2 Samuel 23.34, 39). Additionally, Eliam was the son of Ahithophel, one of David’s counselors (2 Samuel 15.12).

So, did David not know who she was? It’s difficult to believe that a woman connected to three men in David’s inner circle was a stranger to him. More likely, the evening light and David’s rooftop vantage point allowed him to see her form but not recognize her. This is important: Bathsheba was not bathing at a time or place where she should have expected to be seen.

Second, examining Bathsheba’s actions shows she was following the Law, not acting seductively. There is debate about why Bathsheba was bathing. Some translations imply she was purifying herself from her monthly period; others suggest she was washing after intercourse with David. But here’s the key: if she were washing after sex, then both she and David would have had to bathe according to Leviticus 15.18. Yet the text only describes Bathsheba bathing.

More importantly, verse four tells us she was purifying herself from her impurity. The Hebrew word tum’ah refers to ritual uncleanness, and in Leviticus 15.19–30, this term is explicitly used for menstrual impurity. The law outlines a process of purification following menstruation, including waiting seven days and bathing before being considered clean. So the context supports that Bathsheba was obeying the Law of Moses, not reacting to a sinful encounter.

Furthermore, we are not told where Bathsheba was bathing. Was it on a rooftop, as depicted in art? We don’t know. The only specified location is David’s. He was on a rooftop with a clear, elevated view. Suggesting that Bathsheba was being immodest or trying to attract attention assumes she knew David was not at war, knew he was home, and knew he would be waking up and wandering onto the roof at that very moment—all highly improbable. The seduction theory collapses under its weight.

When we scrutinize the text, it becomes clear that Bathsheba was where she was supposed to be, doing what the Law required. David was not. He was idle, indulgent, and willfully blind. What followed was not an affair. It was an act of power and violation. We must stop blaming Bathsheba for being seen and instead call David’s sin what it truly was. I know we are uncomfortable calling David a rapist, but we don’t seem to have a problem with acknowledging his premeditated murder of Uriah.

Finally, the prophet Nathan’s parable confirms this interpretation and validates Bathsheba’s innocence. Of course, David later repented (Psalm 51), and Scripture still calls him a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13.14). But his heart was not aligned with God in 2 Samuel 11. The prophet Nathan’s parable does not depict Bathsheba as a co-conspirator. She is the poor man’s beloved lamb, taken and slaughtered by one who had many (2 Samuel 12.1–4). The lamb does not seduce the butcher.

Justice for Bathsheba does not mean denying David’s restoration. It simply means telling the truth: she was not the temptress. She was the victim.

10,000 Reasons To Forgive

Carl Pollard

How many sins did you commit last week? Intentional or not, the number’s probably higher than you’d care to admit. Now think about this year—four months in, how many times have you let God down? Sin’s no small thing. It defies God’s holy nature, builds a wall between us and Him, and tears us apart from the inside. We love picturing God as all about love—and He is—but Proverbs 6:16-19 lists seven things He hates: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that spill innocent blood, a scheming heart, feet racing to evil, a false witness, and someone who stirs up division. Done any of those lately? Zoom out to your whole life—how many sins would fill your book? The weight of that debt is crushing and “unpayable.”

Jesus tells a story in Matthew 18:21-35 that hits this hard. Peter asks, “How often should I forgive my brother?” Thinking he’s generous, he suggests seven times—way past the rabbis’ three. Jesus shuts that down: “Not seven, but seventy times seven.” Don’t count—just forgive. Then He goes on to teach about a servant who owes his king 10,000 talents—60 million days’ wages, an impossible debt. The king could’ve sold him and his family, but instead, he forgives it all out of sheer compassion. What does the servant do? He chokes a guy who owes him pocket change—100 denarii—and throws him in prison. Same plea, “Be patient,” but no mercy. The king hears, calls him wicked, and reinstates the debt. Jesus ends it blunt: “So My Father will do to you if you don’t forgive from the heart.”

Our sin debt’s like that 60 million days—”unpayable.” Yet God forgives it through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Ephesians 2 says it’s grace, not our effort. But here’s the point: if we’ve been forgiven that much, how can we not forgive others? That servant’s hypocrisy is ours when we hold grudges or burn bridges. Jesus says the standard we use on others is the one God’ll use on us. If we can’t release someone’s debt against us, our own forgiveness hangs in the balance. 

How often do we forgive? Don’t count—God doesn’t count your sins against you. He releases the debt every time we ask. We’ve got to do the same.

Two Goats, One Savior

Sometimes, we read in the Old Testament about events, people, and things, wondering its significance. But, if we keep reading, we will often see why they are there. Brent discusses one of those today.

Brent Pollard

An intriguing aspect of the Day of Atonement—frequently neglected—is the significance of the scapegoat. In Leviticus 16.10, the English Standard Version designates the scapegoat as Azazel. In contemporary discourse, scapegoat refers to an individual unjustly laden with blame during strife or turmoil. Remarkably, that concept traces back to the holy observance established by the Lord for the Day of Atonement.

We often focus on the goat whose blood the priest sprinkles on the mercy seat (Leviticus 16.15). And rightly so—this initial offering represented reconciliation, a blessing we yearn for profoundly. A definition of atonement is “making amends by offering something of equal value for a wrong done.” To put it succinctly, because the result of wrongdoing is death (Romans 6.23), the goat’s demise satisfied God’s just wrath.

However, the second goat—the one designated for removal—holds an equally important significance. Once offering the initial goat, the High Priest placed his hands upon the head of the scapegoat, proclaiming the people’s transgressions before releasing it into the wilderness (Leviticus 16.21–22). I have a deep appreciation for the way the NASB1995 translates verse 22:

“The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.”

This vivid image reminds me of Psalm 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” While this imagery may not resonate with flat-earthers, round-earthers understand that traveling east or west never ends—you never “arrive.” Similarly, the scapegoat symbolically carried the people’s sins to a distant place where they could never return.

The significance for Christians is deeply impactful. The Lord Jesus, the Lamb of God, offered His blood, establishing a lasting atonement for our transgressions (1 John 2.2; see Hebrews 9.12; 10.10). Yet He also embodied the scapegoat—removing our sins (see 1 John 3.5). Both were essential for our purpose. For reconciliation, death was necessary; therefore, Jesus took on the role of our Paschal Lamb. However, reconciliation with the Divine necessitated the removal of sin—and it is in this context, the symbolism of the scapegoat fulfills its purpose.

Ultimately, the scapegoat is extremely important to believers. It reminds us that Jesus paid the price for our sins and took them away altogether. Jesus bridges the gap between us and God by dying and absolving our sins. He is both the slain Lamb and the scapegoat who carried our sins away. Through this dual work, we experience forgiveness, freedom, and reconciliation—a gift we should never take for granted.

Nobody Is Perfect

Cody Basham

Nobody is perfect. That’s not news to anyone. However, if you are not a Christian yet and you are learning some of the Bible’s teachings you might wonder if you are too imperfect to become a Christian. But let me assure you; you are not. One of the most well-known apostles of the Bible is Paul. Most of us know the backstory of Paul and how he is known initially as Saul of Tarsus, a persecutor of Christians. He was literally the opposite of a Christian.

In Acts 9:1-18 the Bible records how Saul goes from being a persecutor to a baptized believer. In verses 1-3 we see how he was actively “breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord….” Now Saul was well known for zealously persecuting Christians throughout the entirety of Rome. He even recounts his own actions again in Acts 22:4 where he states, “I persecuted Christians this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.” At the time, Saul had a terrible reputation for someone that would later become a Christian. However, God had bigger plans for Saul.

Looking on down at verses 3-6, it says, “As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’” And he said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Then the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ So he, trembling and astonished, said, ‘Lord, what do You want me to do?’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’” Now we know that Saul lost his sight for 3 days until Ananias had laid his hands on him to regain his vision and ultimately to receive the Holy Spirit too.

Then in the second half of verse 18, the Bible recorded that Saul arose and was baptized. After his baptism he spent a few days with the disciples at Damascus learning about Jesus and God’s will. Furthermore after Saul had regained his strength from his journey to Damascus, he immediately preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He [Jesus] is the Son of God. In essence we see if you answer God’s call and as it states in John 8:31-32, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” But what are we free from?

In John 8:34-36, we see Jesus speaking to the Jews stating, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” As Christians we know sin is a bondage of death. We know we need a savior that frees us from that bondage. Jesus is that Savior.

Another example is found in the first few verses of Matthew chapter 9, where the Pharisees are questioning why Jesus sat with Matthew who was a tax collector and his disciples at the same table. In verses 12 and 13, Jesus responded intently with “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” If you are struggling with any kind of sin, any kind at all, you are not alone. There are plenty of people who struggle with sin day to day but are taking small steps each day to become a little better. Will we become perfect over a lifetime of dedication? No, but we will be better. And for what shortcomings we do have, God’s grace will abound.

God knows we will stumble from time to time, but that does not mean as a Christian we should continue in sin. In Romans 6:1-2 Paul wrote ,“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” Paul later suggests in Romans 6:11 “…reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” He then reiterates in verse 23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

I want you to know that no matter what your current situation is, you are not alone. We have so many Christians that would be more than willing to help you walk with Jesus.

When The Evidence Is Stacked Against You

Have you heard about Iwao Hakamada’s case? Maybe you have heard about someone innocent who was prosecuted for something they did not do. How is that not the spiritual situation for us? What does the Bible say about this?

Neal Pollard

Iwao Hakamada was a professional boxer convicted of murdering his employer and employer’s family in 1966. In 1968, he was sentenced to death by a Japanese court. The conviction was based on a confession Hakamada said was coaxed by threats, beatings, and twenty days of relentless police interrogation. 

He maintained his innocence from death row for almost 45 years, with 30 of those years in solitary confinement. But it was more than 600 pieces of evidence disclosed by a prosecutor that triggered a retrial. He was the world’s longest-serving death row prisoner. But on September 26, 2024, 88-year-old Hakamada was set free (much info gathered from amnesty.org). 

I don’t know about you, but finding out about this led me to multiple reactions–sadness, outrage, sympathy. An entire lifetime of freedom and experiencing what most take for granted was lost due to injustice. An innocent man was treated as guilty, and a sentence of death loomed over him every day. He knew he had not done what he was accused of, but those with the power in this situation concluded that he had. Or they tried to keep his innocence concealed. 

Have you considered our condition? Every accountable person in the world is on spiritual death row unless or until he or she is set free (2 Cor. 1:9). There is no evidence to overturn or bring acquittal (Rom. 5:16). We are guilty as charged (Rom. 3:23; 5:12). The offense will probably not be murder, but it is just as critical! 

What is incredible is that the One who will stand as our Judge in the last day (John 12:48) has done everything in His omnipotent power to set us free (Rom. 8:2; Gal. 5:1). Some run toward His rescue when they are young, then use that freedom to serve (Gal. 5:13). Some wait and others are not even aware freedom is possible until much later in life. All of this latter group would tell you they wish they had made the decision sooner! But no matter what the evidence is against you, you can be freed from the sentence (John 5:24; 1 John 4:17).  

Hosea: Unfaithfulness (XIV)

How is God’s expectation of repentance in Hosea’s day parallel to our day?

“Return” (14:1-9)

Neal Pollard

God ends His message through Hosea with a plan for Israel’s repentance. It is thorough and thoughtful. It is pointed, but pleading. God can perfectly foresee the collision course with spiritual disaster that this nation is on, and He wants them to feel the urgency of their situation. The postscript at the end of the book (9) calls on the wise, understanding, and discerning person to know and do. 

The Lord begins with what the people must do (1-3).  In a word, they must “return.” In this, they must acknowledge that they have gone astray (“you have stumbled…”)(1). Their repentance and returning would be articulated with words (2-3). With humility and honesty, they must confess to God how they had betrayed Him. 

The Lord promises what He will do (4-8). Notice that God looks to the future and uses the word “will” 12 times in these last six verses. If they genuinely return to Him, He is anxious and ready to heal and love them. But, more than that, God focuses them on what their return would do for them. Every other occurrence of the word “will” speaks of the abundance and blessings that would follow Israel’s restoration. It would be apparent to others that God was blessing these penitent people. 

The Lord appeals to what He expects and why (9). He expects people to evaluate their spiritual situation and make the right decision. He expects that every accountable one could do that and, in wisdom, would do that. He expects them to do that because His ways are right and “the righteous will walk in them, but transgressors will stumble in them.”

Consider that our situation parallels what God says to Israel through Hosea in this chapter. Through Christ, He has told us what we must do (Luke 3:10,12,14; Acts 2:37ff; Acts 16:30). Think about the multitude of promises that flow out of our obedient, penitent response to His will (Js. 1:17). He tells us what He expects and why (6:6; Dt. 10:12; Mic. 6:8). The question is, will we be wise, understanding, and discerning? Will we appreciate the protective love of our spiritual groom and His reasonable expectations that we be faithful to Him?

Let’s Stop Hiding!

(POEM)

Neal Pollard

We wall ourselves in and keep others out,
In fear that our struggles will be known,
We let Satan attack us and thrash us about
As we struggle, feeling all alone
“No one can know of my weakness or sin,
My worries, insecurities, or fears,
Or I’ll feel less than others, I’ll lose, they will win,
So I’ll languish in secret sorrows and tears.”
Why do we believe this biggest lie
That being known we won’t be loved and embraced ?
Others are perfect, together, why try
To share what will make us disgraced.
Who wants us to hide in humiliation
To isolate ourselves from each other?
Isn’t the devourer, who in his degradation
Makes us hide from our sister and brother?
Or our spouse, who we need to help us overcome
We must not run away from the flesh of our flesh!
Or hide or withhold, in any part or sum
From our helpmeet with whose heart we should mesh.
Alone we are vulnerable, fodder for Satan
We must come out of the shadows into light,
Lean on His family, there is no debating
Be transparent before Him, it’s what’s right!

Remember Lot’s Wife

Carl Pollard

Nowhere in the Bible are we told to remember Abraham, Isaac or Jacob. We are not commanded to remember Ruth or Rahab, David or Joshua, but we are commanded to remember Lot’s wife!

What is there to remember? She was married to Lot and she lived in Sodom. 

These cities were notorious for their wickedness and moral decay. Before God’s judgment came on Sodom and Gomorrah, she, along with her husband and two unmarried daughters, was forced from the city. God sent angels to urge Lot and his family to flee the city. They were all commanded not to look behind them as they fled (Gen. 19:17), but she disobeyed and was instantly killed and transformed into a pillar of salt.

Apparently, there is more to the story, and Jesus gives us that insight. Her glance back at the city represents more than just curiosity, it was longing for a life she was leaving behind. There are some lessons that can be learned from Lot’s wife. 

Our assignment from the Lord is that we remember her. But before we jump into our main scripture, we need some context. 

In Luke 17, Jesus has just been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God will come. His answer is to warn them to be ready because the coming of the kingdom is like the flash of lightening that instantly lights the sky. It is compared to the coming of the flood in Noah’s day and to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Lot’s day. On the day of the flood, people got up and did exactly what they always did. 

They got dressed, ate some food, went to the market. Others were at their wedding ceremony, celebrating. Then suddenly, their world ended. This is exactly what happened to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. It was just another day, until it wasn’t. 

Those who hear are warned to be ready to go when the Lord comes, and they are warned against turning back for anything. 

Then, in the midst of His teaching, the Lord tells those listening to Him that they should “remember Lot’s wife.” Luke 17:32. These three words spoken by the Savior invite us to examine our hearts, our choices, and our relationship with God. What can we remember about her? 

Remember Her Privileges

She had valuable relationships. To fully appreciate the significance of Jesus’ words, we need to revisit the story of Lot and his wife as recorded in Genesis 19. Lot was a man chosen by God to be saved from the impending destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah due to the rampant wickedness of those cities. He had the privilege of being a part of God’s redemptive plan, meaning that Lot’s wife also had this privilege. She was exposed to divine revelation. 

She lived with Lot, who was visited by angels sent from God with a clear message of warning. She was part of a family chosen for deliverance, witnessing firsthand the miraculous intervention of God. This is a privilege many long for—to experience the direct guidance and presence of God in their lives. The problem is that privilege without action leads to complacency.

Lot’s wife had the incredible opportunity to flee the city of Sodom, to escape its destruction. She had the chance to step into a new life and avoid the burning sulfur in her future. Not many receive such a clear opportunity for redemption. Yet, the very opportunity given to her was met with hesitation. Lot’s wife was part of a family that was chosen for salvation. She had the privilege of being surrounded by those who were meant to protect her spiritually. 

Lot, as her husband, was a righteous man who had made the choice to follow God. However at times his faith was a little cloudy, Peter still calls Lot a righteous man. 

With privilege comes the responsibility of choice. Lot’s wife had the opportunity to escape and start anew, but her heart was still tied to the life she was leaving behind. Her choice to look back was a rejection of the new life God was offering her. How easy it is to cling to the past, even when we know it is harmful.

God has blessed us with so many privileges in Christ like salvation, grace, prayer, and forgiveness. But how quickly we often throw it all away. Lot’s wife is a reminder that regardless of what privileges you may have, you can still choose to look away and let sin take control. It also doesn’t matter who is in your life, you will have to answer for your own choices. Lot’s uncle was Abraham, and that meant nothing to his wife. She was warned about the future. But she didn’t seem to believe the word of God. We have also been warned, and God gives us the choice to turn to His Son, or turn back to a life of sin. 

Absolutely Subjective

Gary Pollard

Carl sourced several of the most commonly asked questions and gave me 70 of them to write about. So I’ll try to tackle a question or three every week for a while (or until something more interesting grabs my attention). This week’s question is, “Are all morals absolute? Where does morality come from?”

Morality concerns itself with the difference between right and wrong. Some things are always wrong: murder, sexual sin, theft, neglecting people in need, etc.

But are all morals absolute? 

Some things are wrong, but forgivable. Jesus used David as an example of this. Leviticus 24.9 said that a special kind of bread was for “Aaron’s descendants only.” In I Samuel, David (left with no other options) ate that bread. This was a sin. Jesus used this incident to prove God’s desire for “mercy over sacrifice” (cf. Mt 12.5-7). Rahab flat out lied about keeping Israelite spies in her home, but was praised as an example of faith because of her actions (Hb 11.31). Then, of course, there’s I John 5.16-17: There’s a type of sin that doesn’t lead to death, and a type that does.

The Bible also teaches — unambiguously — that some things are wrong for some people, and not wrong for others (Rom 14.23; I Cor 8.7-8). The message of those texts is: 1. “Keep your beliefs about these things a secret between you and God, because it’s a blessing to be able to do what you think is right without feeling guilty” (Rom 14.22). 2. “Never do anything that would cause a weaker Christian to mess up” (Rom 14.13, I Cor 8.9, cf. Mt 18.7). 

Where does humanity’s sense of right and wrong come from? 

Some things are self-evident to most people. Most people understand that killing someone for no good reason is morally wrong. Most people understand that taking something that belongs to someone else is wrong. Not everyone is this regulated, though — I Timothy 1.9 says that the law was made for people inclined to harm others. 

On the flip side, “sin gets its power from law” (I Cor 15.56, Rom 3.20, 5.20, 7.7-8), so we should be careful not to emphasize the regulation side of Christianity with people who are generally inclined to do the right thing. 

But some things are not second nature. Not everyone understands that chasing happiness (which is often conflated with euphoria, pleasure, and dopamine) at the expense of someone else’s character or feelings is wrong. Fornication and adultery fall into this category. There are many (often understandable) reasons someone might fall for these, but none of them are ultimately justifiable. Not everyone understands that ordering their lives around anything other than God, or giving immense adoration and respect to a human over God, is wrong (this is idolatry). Our understanding of what is morally right in these (and other related) areas comes from God. 

God’s standard of what’s right has always existed to benefit humanity, prevent abuse of the vulnerable, to give us the most fulfilling life here, and to make us eligible for rescue when Jesus returns. Morality is an extension of God’s existence. It is the first and last line of defense against darkness. This Earth is still around, so bad people and bad things still exist. God gave us a standard of right and wrong that we can’t always live up to, and that’s where grace comes in. But some things are always very wrong and can’t be practiced by anyone who wants to live forever. 

Urgently Doing Something Weird

Dale Pollard

“Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” He commanded his chariot to stop and was baptized immediately (Acts 8:36-39). 

“…the same hour of the night…” (Acts 16:33).

If you’re ready— don’t wait. 

You know you’re ready when you feel an urgency that’s based on your understanding of God’s expectation. Once you know what it means to follow Jesus, and you know what it means to be lost, you know you have sins that need to be addressed, and you know that we’re not promised tomorrow. It’s fear driven, it’s love driven, and it’s clarity driven. While there’s nothing sinful about scheduling your baptism, it could be an indicator that you’re not exactly sure why you’re doing it. If you know you have sin that needs washed away, why would anybody wait? 

So, Baptism Is Weird 

This is my opinion based on conversations I’ve had with Christians who struggle with either the reason they were baptized or some other hold up they face before getting into the water. It’s just a strange thing to do. 

What About Feelings? 

You might feel relief. You might feel awkward or slightly uncomfortable. You might not feel anything at all. But don’t base your own baptism off of how you feel but rather what you know to be occurring. The baptism garments can be leaky and the water might be a little cold or dirty. The act itself might seem so foreign or unnatural that the whole event is tense or fills you with anxiety. 

All of that doesn’t matter. 

Is it a little weird? It can be. I’ve baptized people and even dropped a guy and had to start all over! We laughed, he was immersed, we hugged, and we quietly got out of the baptistery. His family didn’t know whether or not they should clap or sing or— really what to do afterwards!

All of that doesn’t matter. 

It has nothing to do with the people who are around; this is strictly a you and God thing. God’s doing every bit of the cleansing and adding. You need a belief that convicts you enough to act on an unnatural faith. You need two arms and a strong back to get the job done. You’ll need a body of water deep enough to cover you. That’s it! You don’t need family and friends around or a minister to give his certificate of approval. Everything is between you and God. Don’t overthink the Truth. God’s trying to save you, and it’s really that simple. 

————————————————

Here’s all the examples of salvation through baptism in the book of Acts: 

 (Acts 2:38,41; 8:12; 8:36-39; 9:18; 22:16; 10:48; 16:15; 16:33; 18:8; 19:5).

Love And Forgiveness

Harold Nicks

Love and forgiveness, two tenets of our Christian faith. Love and forgiveness, something we all desire and something God commands us to give to others. The New Testament is replete with scriptures on love and forgiveness. In Matthew chapter 5, in the sermon on the mount, Jesus instructs us to love our enemies. He also commands us to forgive others knowing the debt He paid for our forgiveness.

I recently attended a funeral. I did not know Elizabeth well, but I knew a lot about her influence. Tommy did her eulogy; she had asked him to do it.

I need to tell their story. A story the world would think odd but not those that know and understand the love and forgiveness we have in Jesus.

Elizabeth and Frank, her husband, had one son, Ted. Ted was coming home for Christmas break from college when he was killed by a drunk driver. Tommy was that drunk driver.

Tommy received what some may consider a light sentence … minimal jail time and community service to talk at schools about the dangers of drunk driving.

In the eulogy Tommy recalled how he felt as if nobody cared about him and that God had turned away from him. He realized the destruction and pain he caused in Elizabeth and Frank’s life.

As Tommy recalled, “I was walking home to my apartment one late evening and Elizabeth thought she recognized me and pulled over to the side of the road. I was fearful and reluctant when she rolled down the window of her car and asked if she could talk to me. She asked me to get in the car, that she just wanted to talk with me. As I got in, she explained that she did not want to harm me. She was desperately wanting to know who I was, how I felt about what I had done. She also wanted me to understand the great harm I had done. I felt the weight of my crime and I could not bear the sorrow. She asked about my past and alcoholism and why I would do something so careless. After several minutes Elizabeth asked me to promise I would not take a drink that night. We cried together and I promised I would not take that drink. Elizabeth had compassion for she could see a life of waste and a lost soul.”

Through her anger, grief and despair, Elizabeth saw a lost soul…someone in need of Jesus.
Elizabeth and Frank fully understood the example Christ left us about love and forgiveness even when it is painful and not easy. The thought of a lost soul was greater than their grief. They began studying the Bible with Tommy and eventually he obeyed the gospel. They became active in Tommy’s life helping to guide him as a young Christian. Tommy is an active faithful Christian some forty years later.

Love and forgiveness – they are choices we decide to give or withhold.

Sometimes it’s loving and forgiving ourselves as Tommy did – sometimes it’s loving and forgiving others as Elizabeth and Frank did … always mindful of what Jesus did for us. HE did not withhold from us.

Love and forgiveness – God has it for each of us – we all need it – and HE freely gives it.

Jesus Did It

Gary Pollard

Colossians 2.11ff teaches us that Jewish customs from the old system are no longer valid. Our relationship with Jesus was initiated in a totally different way. No flint knives were necessary — he made us his special people by freeing us from the power of our sinful selves. Rather than going through a painful procedure, we go through the painless act of immersion. Immersion buries us with Jesus and allows us to access the same resurrection he did. Our faith in God’s power makes that possible. 

Notice the emphasis in Col 2.11-15 on the passive nature of our forgiveness! Judaism was all about doing stuff for the purpose of being forgiven of bad actions. The whole purpose of the old law was to show us that we’re incapable of working off our existential debt. We are completely powerless by ourselves. 

Verse 11 — not done by human hands, you were made free, this is circumcision Christ does

Verse 12 — you were baptized, you were buried with Christ, you were raised up, God raised Christ

Verse 13 — you were spiritually dead, you were not free from the power of your sinful self, God gave you new life together with Christ, he forgave all of our sins

Verse 14 — we broke God’s laws, we owed a debt, God forgave that debt, God nailed that debt to the cross

Verse 15 — God defeated the ancient ruling powers of earth through the cross, they are now defeated and powerless prisoners 

God was and is responsible for our status. We can’t dig ourselves out of any sin-debt, but he can and does forgive. God’s grace through Jesus’s sacrifice is how we’re immortal! 

Good Stuff To Do

Gary Pollard

These are some of the positive actions God wants to see, taken from Colossians chapter three:

Show mercy to others — This was originally two words: σπλαγκνα οικτιρμου (sp-longk-na oik-tear-moo). The first describes that powerful gut feeling of compassion when you see someone’s awful situation. The second means something like pity or mercy. So this is an emotional response to someone’s plight, followed by actually doing something about it.

Be kind — This word is very closely connected with the concept of helping others. It’s a catch-all that means, “Be someone who benefits other people.” 

Be humble — This is someone who doesn’t think more highly of themselves than they should. It can be taken too far (as in Col 2.18, 23) in the form of “pious self-denial” or asceticism. God wants his people to have a balanced view of self. We are the heirs of his kingdom, but we are no more important than any other Christian. 

Be gentle — This is closely tied to humility, and it means “not being overly impressed by a sense of one’s self-importance.” A humble, gentle person recognizes their own position as someone who serves God and must therefore serve other people, and view them as being more important. 

Be patient — This word is also closely tied to humble and gentle in this context. While we serve other people with a balanced view of self, we have to be willing to put up with their shenanigans. People can be really hard to love, but patience puts up with their weakness while we try to show them God’s love.  

Don’t be angry with each other — This would be better translated “put up with each other.” In other contexts, it’s used to mean putting up with something draining or difficult without giving in. This word is a participle in the original text, so it tells us to what extent we’re supposed to live out the qualities of kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. That extent is limitless. God expects us to be good to our Christian family, even when that’s the last thing we want to do. We might even say, “Fake it til you make it.” Be good when you don’t want to until God’s love perfects your mindset. 

Forgive each other — Greek doesn’t have the word normally translated “forgive”. Instead, it seems to be similar to the kind of language Jesus used when he said, “If someone slaps you on the cheek, give them your other cheek to slap.” When our Christian family wrongs us, our reaction should be to go out of our way to do something good for them. Forgiveness is an element of that mentality, but this word really seems to stress having a positive reaction in the face of mistreatment from our Christian family, rather than a passive forgiveness. Paul even says here, “Be good to them because Jesus was good to you first.” Yes, Jesus forgave and forgives us! But more than that, he was good to us when we didn’t deserve it at all. 

Love each other — This is the most important element of all of the ones listed here (“επι πασιν δε τουτοις την αγαπην”). Paul says, “This is the most important thing,” and, “Love holds everything together the way it should be.” It’s safe to say that all of the other positive things we’re supposed to adopt from this list are practical ways to express this godly love.