Living Faith From Ancient Lives

Dennis McCallum

Genesis 6:11-14

Chapter 11 began by describing what faith is: confidence in what is yet to come. Now the author dives into examples of men and women of the Old Testament who acted in obedience in this type of faith. He begins his list of faithful people with Abel, Enoch and Noah. All of them obeyed God in faith even though they did not have any firm assurance and proof of what God asked of them. In the end, their faithful obedience was rewarded with righteousness and a relationship with God.

From Ritualism to a Personal Relationship with God

Gary DeLashmutt

Galatians 4:1-11

Biblical Christianity is not ritualistic. On one hand, ritualism can lead to a false sense of confidence; on the other, ritualism can turn into an aversion against Christianity, which is a shame because Biblical Christianity is not ritualistic. We can cultivate a personal closeness with God without reducing our faith to a formula.

Once for All

Chris Hearty

1 Peter 2:5-9

Most people experience guilt at some point in their lives, and their experience leads them to a variety of responses: denying their wrongdoing, shifting the blame to others, or attempting to do more good deeds to outweigh the bad. Christians, however, can realize that Christ's once-for-all sacrifice has cleansed us from all of our sin and made us right in God's eyes. Jesus' death has made the Old Testament rituals obsolete, and to return to them is to deny the sufficiency of the cross.

Old vs. New

Chris Hearty

Hebrews 7:18-8:13

The author of Hebrews explores the nature of covenants throughout the Old and New Testaments. He explains that the covenant that Christians have with God is unconditional because of Jesus' sacrifice and that it is even better than the one established under Moses. The new covenant inaugurated by Jesus gives all people access to God through faith, is focused on the finished work of Christ, and creates a basis for internal change in believers. Furthermore, this new covenant through Jesus has rendered the old one obsolete, and Christians can now enjoy a permanent and unconditional relationship with God.

The Reality is Christ

Conrad Hilario

John 3:19-22

All religions feature rituals, but Christianity's rituals from the Old Testament differ from other religions in that their purpose is to pre-authenticate Jesus' mission. Besides being a shadow of what was to come with Christ, rituals also functioned as physical depictions of God's character for the Jews. The author of Hebrews details three specific aspects of these rituals to demonstrate Christ's complete fulfillment of them: the tabernacle, the role of high priest, and the innocent victim needed for the atoning sacrifice. Because of Jesus' fulfillment of the Old Testament system, we as Christians are freed from our moral guilt and no longer are obligated to follow the Mosaic Law.

A Change of Priesthood

Conrad Hilario

Genesis 14:18-20

In the Old Testament, humans could only approach God through a high priest, a role that had to be fulfilled by a man descended from the tribe of Levi. God, however, prophesied through David that one day there would be a priest from the line of Melchizedek whose priesthood would be eternal, and Jesus is that high priest. Since Jesus is the perfect and eternal high priest whose priesthood replaced the old one, humans are no longer under the Old Testament law and can be rescued forever from their sin.

Two Ways

Mike Sullivan

John 3:16-19

Each person has a choice between what Jesus calls the ?narrow way? and the ?broad way,? and each route has its own ramifications for how people will live now and where they will spend eternity. Jesus says that most people will choose the broad way because of the influence of false teachers, but he also gives criteria for our evaluation of such teachers and encourages his hearers to act on his truthful teachings instead.

God Speaks

Conrad Hilario

Psalms 19

David's psalm celebrates God's revelation of Himself to humanity through creation and His written Word. David celebrates God's revelation of His character through the manner of the world's design. Finally, David rejoices in God's revelation of Himself through His Word, leading people into a life within God's Will. Includes a video about the fine-tuning argument.

Fight the Good Fight

Jim Leffel

1 Timothy 6:12-16

In his letter to Timothy, Paul encourages him to fight the good fight to manifest the truth and life of Christ. Jesus' sacrifice offers a new life that Christians most choose to live out. An understanding of the character of God is essential.