d “For you died” (Col. 3:3). Ecclesiastes expounds what it means to be dead with Christ: “For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward and even the memory of them is forgotten. Their love, their hate, and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they…
Category: The cross
Broken Roots
“For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). Not only is our life hidden with Christ, but the life spoken of here is zoe, divine life, the life Christ is. “Your life” is not you. The life that is ours is of another kind. Genesis chapter one tells us…
Blessed Are the Dead
“For you died” (Col. 3:3). What blessed rest there is for a dead man. Nothing is required of him. “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘They will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.’” (Rev. 14:13). At a man’s funeral, his employer…
The Aramaic Civil Liberties Union…?
Recently, I attended anti-harassment training for work. As in years past, I left feeling conflicted. On the one hand, I see the need to legally protect people, especially those who are weak or socially disadvantaged. This is biblical (James 1:27; 2:5-7). On the other hand, I am concerned that 1) we are an increasingly offended…
Give Hate a Chance
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26-27). Here’s how I’ve often heard this verse: “If you don’t live up…
If You’re Not Angry, You’re Not Paying Attention
I remember it clearly: I told God I hated Him. I was in my second year at a discipleship/ministry training school. Leading up to this, the Spirit was showing me Christ’s self-giving nature in a depth I had never known. (These words— “Christ’s self-giving nature”—seem like stupid, clumsy props when it comes to conveying their…
The Voice of One 