The Bronze Serpent

D JessenJesus Christ4 Comments

I recently had the privilege of teaching Sunday School, and the lesson centered on the story of the bronze serpent in Numbers 21. It was the perfect illustration of God as just and the justifier, and it was exactly what I needed after our lesson two weeks before on the divine execution of Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10).

There was one child in the class who exclaimed, “Why was God so hard on those people? It was just one little mistake. That’s not fair!”

Now, that exclamation stuck with me for two weeks because I had to answer it in more detail than my short time allowed. At the heart of the question was this: how can God be both just and the justifier? How can he save sinners when he must punish iniquity?

Here I Stand

D JessenHistory10 Comments

Exactly 500 years ago on this day, October 31, an audacious monk and professor named Martin Luther stamped his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Castle church in Germany. In this, Luther called into question the sale and legitimacy of indulgences (sheets of paper sold by the Church that allegedly absolved people of their sins). Soon after, he preached that popes and councils have no authority outside of the bounds of Scripture, and that salvation is only granted by the grace of God through faith alone.

What is the Gospel?

Against DoubtGeneral

The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple – simple enough to be outlined in a few pages. It is a message from the Bible about God and his Son, Jesus. It is about life and death, and the choice that we all face.