Miles CustisThe Christian life involves growth. The importance of maturing spiritually and growing deeper in our relationship with God cannot be overstated. However, many believers struggle to know exactly how to do that. How does one grow to be more like...
Ryan NelsonUnderstanding your spiritual roots plays a vital role in defining your identity as a Christian. Understanding the spiritual roots of the world around you is just as vital to evangelism. The writings and teachings that powerfully affect your daily...
Ray Deck IIIBiblical writers use several different word pictures to help us understand the power and function of Scripture. At different times, the Bible is compared to: Light (Psalm 119:105) A mirror (James 1:23) Fire (Jeremiah 23:29) A hammer (Jeremiah 23:29)...
Gabe MartiniIn the Orthodox Church, the fortieth day after Easter is celebrated as the day marking Christ’s ascension into heaven. The emphasis of this commemoration is our assurance not only that Jesus is truly the Son of God but that he has not left his...
Tayler BeedeCharles Hodge was one of the most influential theologians of the nineteenth century. During his time at Princeton Theological Seminary, Hodge instructed more than three thousand ministers, served as moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly in...
Logos StaffThe life of prayer for the child of God is worked by the Holy Spirit. JohnCalvin argues that it is through Christ and his work that the believer can now enter boldly before God and pray because the veil has been torn away between sinners and God...
John Calvin confirms in his Tracts that the Spirit is the witness, seal and earnest of the believer’s adoption. Scripture calls the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of adoption because… “he is the witness to us of the free benevolence of the God with...
Terry DelaneyWith a renewal of Reformed Theology spreading throughout Christendom in the last couple decades, it is truly to our benefit that we look to the past in order to understand how to move forward. This is aptly stated in the Introduction to each book in...
jake-belderLet me say first that we want you all to know that those of us who write things for this site are real people, and our contributions are often reflections both on our experiences in seminary and on the path of faith. With that said, I want to lead...
Ryan BurnsNot sure what’s going on, but it sounds intense. I’d suggest subscribing to the Said at Southern RSS to keep tabs on whatever develops… or at lest for further comments on what happened.
Fellow GtS writer, Jeff Patterson and I have been talking about Spirituality. It seems today everyone is spiritual. I remember reading an article in which atheists were describing themselves as spiritual. Jeff and I were talking specifically about...
James-Michael SmithIn my last piece we looked at some qualities that make for a good study Bible. Now it’s time to look at some things that I’d love to see Bible publishers stop doing when putting together a study Bible. Though it's no longer the hallowed season of...
Mitch ChasePeople are afraid of demons. What are demons afraid of? Have you ever wondered? Maybe you would think it strange to imagine demons being afraid of anything. The accounts of demonic possession in the Gospels, and the attempts to represent such...
Kyle R. Hughes (PhD, Radboud University, Nijmegen) is the author of three books, including How the Spirit Became God: The Mosaic of Early Christian Pneumatology and Teaching for Spiritual Formation: A Patristic Approach to Christian Education in a...
Kelley MathewsShuffling along the dusty paths of ancient Israel, travelers and residents would inevitably stumble upon piles of rocks. A particular pile near Gilgal, however, showed evidence of being constructed with purpose. The mighty warrior Joshua had...
Nick KennicottThe name Reformed Baptist raises numbers of eyebrows. Some Christians believe the moniker is a contradiction in terms. Others think it simply refers to Baptists who are Calvinists. Nevertheless, despite the understandable confusion, Reformed...
Elyse Fitzpatrick“Imagine” is my least favorite Lennon song. Sadly, Lennon isn’t a dreamer at all in this song, though he claims that he is. He’s living without real imagination or hope, foolishly thinking that the answer to death and war, greed and hunger, is to be...
Matthew Y. EmersonJesus’s crucifixion and resurrection rightly get the emphasis in both academic and pastoral treatments of Christ’s work. The cross and the empty tomb are the crux of God’s work of salvation, the fulcrum on which everything else included in that...
Malcolm FoleyAmerican Christianity is, in many ways, a cultural and denominational hodgepodge. Colonization led to certain emphases among American Presbyterians, Anglicans, and Baptists. And as Pentecostalism, Methodism, and others were added to the American...
Blake AdamsFor Catholics, Orthodox, and many Protestants, Holy Week is the most sacred time of the year. Traditionally, it is more important than Christmas, as it focuses on the central event of the gospel: the death and resurrection of Jesus. Contents The...
JoAnna HoytEvery year new students walk into classrooms ready to build upon their first-year biblical language skills by learning how to exegete the Hebrew or Greek text. They are taught how to examine the nuances of words, the rules of grammar. They discover...
Elliot Ritzema is an editor at Lexham Press and a master of sacred theology student at Nashotah House Theological Seminary. He is the editor of Lexham’s Spurgeon Commentary series. He has a master’s of divinity degree from Regent College...
Tim PerryAnother Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has passed, and a recent picture of current Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, blessing Pope Francis has, at least in some quarters, generated controversy. Recent convert to Catholicism and former...
Stan ReevesCreeds and confessions are precious gifts to the church of the present from the church of the past, through the work of the Spirit. They summarize the beliefs Christians have studied, worked, debated—and even died—to state clearly from Scripture...
Michael F. BirdThe only thing taller than the Burj Khalifa is the stack of books I’m currently intending to read. I like to read. I like to read fiction, non-fiction, cookbooks, news stories, human interest pieces, jokes, and Twitter threads. I like to read the...
Cheyenne LehtoIf I asked you to name a woman in the Bible, who would come to mind? How many could you name? Countless sermons have been preached about Esther and Ruth. We’ve scrutinized the woman at the well’s encounter with Jesus and celebrated Rahab’s strategic...
Ryan LyttonAs I’ve mentioned elsewhere, and speaking as a Pentecostal, Pentecostals do not typically have a stellar academic reputation. One of my friends often jokingly introduces me by saying, He’s a Pentecostal—but he went to Gordon-Conwell! as if to beg...
Daniel YoonLearning to read and study Scripture is an important part of the Christian life. And while pastors and teachers are essential gifts of Christ to his church, individual Christians should also be able to pick up any passage and read it with basic...
Rob EddyThere are many good reasons to start a Bible study for men. They include growth in understanding and applying the Bible, mutually encouraging relationships, and ultimately lives pleasing to God that have an impact for his glory. In short, getting...
John SchwandtFormal education is ripe for innovation. Non-traditional students—parents, professionals, retirees—have new options that are achievable, affordable, and accredited for advancing their Bible study abilities. Tradition and attempted innovation For...