After Adam and Eve gave into the temptation to eat the fruit, the consequences were immediately noticed. The shame and guilt was evident in their hiding from God and trying to cover their shame with garments of leaves. The relational chaos that ensued was evident in their blame-shifting and excuses. The death that was passed to us all immediately began to work. But even in all the bad, God continued His gracious provision for humanity by promising a seed who would bruise the serpent's head, by providing lasting clothing, and by preventing us from living endless lives tormented by the pain of our sin (in blocking the tree of life). In man's darkest days the light of God's grace shines brightly to bring us hope instead of despair. May we be reminded of our own hope in the gospel this Sunday! Read More

Everyday of our lives, the lusts of our flesh draw us toward sin and rebellion against God. If we don't recognize the tactics of temptation, how it twists the truth and lulls us into distrust, we will be caught off guard and frequently give in. But through the work of the Spirit and the grace of the gospel, there is hope for us to endure temptation and continue to grow in our experience of the righteousness that is our through Christ. May God strengthen us to resist temptation in spite of our fleshly tendency toward sin. Read More

The resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of our hope. We can face life and death because Christ is the firstfruits of the dead; He paves the way for our own resurrection. But that is not all; when God raised Jesus from the dead, He vindicated Jesus's righteousness and deity. We are justified through His death, but also through His resurrection (Rm 4:25), for if Jesus had not risen from the dead, He would have proven Himself to have deserved to die, but His resurrection proved that His death was not for His own sins but for ours. As we rejoice in the resurrection this weekend, I trust that we will stand strong in the righteousness that is ours through the vindication of Jesus, the firstfruits of the dead. Read More