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When we follow in the Savior’s footsteps and watch his life story told in the Gospels, we discover that prayer saturated all he did. Jesus prayed continually as he journeyed here on earth. Jesus is our example of all things good and beautiful. So what do we learn in scripture about his patterns of praying organically? Prayer in community Our Savior prayed in public. With a crowd of mourners gathered at the opened tomb of Lazarus, we read that Jesus lifted his face and voice toward heaven: “Then Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.’ When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’” (John 11:41–43). The Gospels also relate how the power of heaven moved through Jesus as he performed many miracles. A precursor to these life-changing moments was often prayer. “Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people” (Matthew 14:19). It’s easy to miss, but notice that before the miracle of multiplying the loaves, Jesus gave thanks and acknowledged God’s provision in prayer. More than five thousand men plus women and children ate this gift of bread, and there were even leftovers. Prayer marks moments when heaven intersects with earth. Healing, too, was often accompanied by prayer. “He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, ‘ Ephphatha! ’ (which means ‘Be opened!’). At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly” (Mark 7:34–35). Jesus, with eyes open, looked upward and spoke one word and the power of heaven was released. Prayer was so important for Jesus that when a major spiritual experience was on the horizon, Jesus gathered people to pray with him. “About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus” (Luke 9:28–30). Jesus knew he would soon face the trial and pain of the cross, so he asked these three friends to pray with him. God’s answer was a revelation of his heavenly glory and a reminder of his true identity and mission in anticipation of his final days of suffering. As we survey the life of Jesus, we should notice that prayer was not something Jesus reserved only for special and sacred moments. Yes, there were times when Jesus sought to be alone and experience the face of the Father in private intimacy, and so should we. But many of Jesus’ prayers were also part of the natural flow of life, spoken in public settings and lifted to heaven with his eyes wide open. Prayer in quiet Jesus also prayed in quiet and lonely places. “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35). After the previous full and taxing day of ministry, teaching, and healing, Jesus felt the need to slip away to be with the Father. When Jesus was preparing to make a big decision, he cried out in prayer. Choosing his followers was a critical moment in the ministry of Jesus, so he made space to talk with his heavenly Father: “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles” (Luke 6:12–13). What a beautiful model! Like Jesus, we should talk with God about every important decision before we make it. What can we learn from Jesus’ example of prayer? Jesus prayed in the most public of settings and in quiet places as he retreated from the world and sought the face of the Father. When we pray throughout the day, we too may find ourselves communing with God when we are alone and when we are surrounded by people. As you begin each day, let us seek to follow Jesus’ example. Let us pray for encounters with people—with all sorts of neighbors in the various places we inhabit, work, and live. May we pray to keep our hearts humble. Let us make sure there is room in our schedules to slow down. Then love generously and share freely. Organic prayers like these lead to organic conversations, and these in turn open the door for a powerful work of the Holy Spirit. Taken from Organic Prayer: Discover the Presence and Power of God in the Everyday .

Matthew 12:31–32   31Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. Blasphemy against the Spirit This passage functions as a warning about blasphemy. Jesus begins, “Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven” ( Matt. 12:31a ), but adds that “blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven” ( Matt. 12:31b ). Jesus does not define this ominous act, traditionally called the unpardonable sin, which cannot merely be a heinous sin (such as murder), since “every sin” can be forgiven. Blasphemy against the Spirit must have a unique feature that leads Jesus to warn the Pharisees that when they blaspheme him, they almost reach blasphemy against the Spirit ( Matt. 12:32 ). The difference hinges on the distinct work of the Holy Spirit, who convicts of sin and testifies to Jesus’ person and work ( John 16:7–14 ). To reject Jesus is not terminal, but to reject the Spirit’s testimony to him is. Sins of ignorance are pardonable. The case of Paul, blasphemer, persecutor, and apostle proves this ( 1 Tim. 1:12–17 ; Acts 8:1–3; 9:1–4 ). This implies that blasphemy against the Spirit must be a deliberate act. Hebrews 6:4–6  and 1 John 2:18–24  suggest it is a sober, measured rejection of Jesus against all the evidence, which the blasphemer has both heard and felt. Both passages describe people with extensive knowledge of the truth. They have once “been enlightened, . . . have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away” ( Heb. 6:4–6 ). They heard the facts and tasted the goodness of the truth, then spurned it. Similarly, 1 John 2:18–24  concerns people who have abandoned a community that has profound knowledge of Christ. The Pharisees sin heinously when they see Jesus’ works and judge him evil, but they do not yet blaspheme the Spirit. It is rejection of the evidence for Christ, clearly attested by the Spirit, that is unpardonable (cf. John 14:17, 26 ). It is impossible to repent after experiencing all the evidence for Christ, feeling its weight, then spurning it ( Heb. 6:4–6 ). An alternative, “soft” concept of the unpardonable sin argues that unbelief is, in itself, the unpardonable sin because while one does not believe, one does not seek pardon. But this makes the unpardonable sin pardonable as soon as one repents. This view does no justice to Matthew. The Pharisees do not believe, yet have not committed this sin. They are in danger of this great sin because one cannot trust Jesus while judging him an agent of Satan. Blasphemy is toxic but not unpardonable. These Pharisees have insufficient knowledge for that. The resurrection, for example, lies ahead, so their guilt is limited.   The warning about the unforgivable sin may inspire dread, yet it contains hope. Disciples, kept by God’s power ( 1 Pet. 1:1–5 ), cannot commit it, and rare is the unbeliever who has committed it. The Pharisees have not (yet) done it, despite their dreadful resistance to Jesus. The hope of repentance and forgiveness remains. Indeed, Acts records that certain priests and Pharisees do repent ( Acts 6:7; 15:5 ). Pastorally, let everyone learn from the teaching on the unpardonable sin. It is good news that every sin but one can be and has been forgiven. This implies that anyone who worries about committing this sin is probably far from it. Indeed, concern about the unpardonable sin may be a token of the Spirit’s work. Those who are guilty of the sin are probably so settled that this teaching will not alarm them. Therefore let every listener, every sinner, find mercy through Christ. It is good news that every sin but one can be and has been forgiven. This article is by Dan Doriani and is adapted from the   ESV Expository Commentary: Matthew–Luke (Volume 8)   edited by Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar.

The hope of many Christians is to go to heaven when they die, but biblical authors looked forward to being resurrected with their physical bodies after death, never to die again. Paul says that if believers will not be raised from the dead, then “we are of all people most to be pitied” ( 1 Corinthians 15:19 ). Christ’s resurrection proves that “those who belong to him” ( 1 Corinthians 15:23 ) will one day rise, too. Jesus’ Resurrected Body Not yet aware that Jesus had risen from the dead, the disciples are terrified when he suddenly appears in their midst, thinking they see a “ghost.” The Greek word translated here as “ghost” is pneuma , which is typically translated as “spirit” but is sometimes used in Luke to refer to demons (e.g., Luke 4:33 ; 9:39 ). Whatever it is the disciples think they saw, Jesus corrects their misperception by showing them the tangible flesh of his resurrected body. Jesus gives further evidence of his physical resurrection by eating a piece of fish in their presence ( Luke 24:41–43 ). This passage tells us a few things about resurrected bodies (both Jesus’ and ours): First, our resurrected bodies will be material, not some ghostly hologram. Second, Jesus’ request for, and eating of, food shows that resurrected bodies—like our current earthly bodies—get hungry and enjoy food. Third, the parallel passage in John 20:24–27  specifically mentions Jesus’ wounds that were still visible in his resurrected body. Some believe that this shows that while we will be healed of physical ailments in the resurrection, our bodies might still bear some evidence of our earthly experiences, perhaps even our disabilities. Fourth, the parallel in John’s Gospel also makes a point that the doors were “locked” when “Jesus came and stood among them” ( John 20:19 ), suggesting that Jesus’ resurrected body, though material, was also able to pass through walls, though John is not interested in exploring the scientific details surrounding the event. “How are the dead raised?” and “With what kind of body will they come?” ( 1 Corinthians 15:35 ) are the rhetorical questions of skeptics who think resurrection is impossible. As proof that God can in fact raise the dead, Paul points to seeds that appear to die, are buried like dead bodies and later rise from the earth. Moreover, seeds rise transformed, as different from when they were planted as various other kinds of bodies are from one another. Likewise, dead Christians will one day rise alive and transformed, their formerly frail, ignoble and mortal bodies rendered powerful, glorious and immortal. Thankfully, Christ-followers will not remain mortal forever. Whether they die and are later raised or are still living when Jesus returns, they will all be transformed. Christians need not fear death, because death’s destiny is to be destroyed ( 1 Corinthians 15:26 ), while their destiny is resurrection and immortality. Drawn from the NIV Upside Down Kingdom Bible .

The stories of the miracles Jesus performed have fascinated billions of people since they were performed thousands of years ago. They have risen to the level of general knowledge in the Judeo-Christian world, known even to millions who have never read the Bible before. For example, “turning water into wine” has become part of the cultural lexicon and is widely understood to be the first miracle that Jesus performed, to the astonishment of everyone at the wedding he was attending in Cana. To the first witnesses of these miracles, they were evidence that there was something special and divine about this humble teacher. To those who came to understand the power of the risen Jesus after his ascension, they were irrefutable evidence that Jesus himself was the one and only Son of God. As you read about these different miracles, note that many of them appear in the three Gospels that start off the New Testament. You can gain a wider understanding of the miracles themselves by reading these different accounts. As you do, imagine yourself standing alongside the disciples and witnessing the divine power of Jesus, proving to the world that the one who was present at creation ( Genesis 1:1 ; John 1:1 ) actually did walk the earth; and as he did, he demonstrated the truth of his identity for all to see. These miracles compelled thousands of people to flock to him while he walked around the Judean countryside, teaching and feeding and healing those who came to him for help. May those who read these miracle stories today feel a similar desire to learn more about who Jesus was, who he is now, and what he means for their own lives today. Here, we take a bit of the mystery out of miracles by answering four common questions asked by Bible readers. 1. How Can You Tell If a Miracle Is of God? There are at least three biblical tests for recognizing a legitimate miracle: a. The miracle glorifies God.Miracles declare that God is active in our world and that he can disrupt the activities of nature to reveal his character and accomplish his purposes. The principal test of a miracle is: Who receives the glory? Beware of people (such as Simon the sorcerer in  Acts 8:9 ) who boast of their own greatness. b.The miracle stems from a righteous source.Jesus said that in the last days false prophets will come and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect ( Matthew 24:24 ). Someone’s words may sound true and their actions may be impressive, but they are counterfeit if their lives show no good fruit. c. The miracle rings true to the Holy Spirit.According to Paul, one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is distinguishing between spirits ( 1 Corinthians 12:10 ). Paul demonstrated this gift when he told Elymas, a Jewish sorcerer, that he was a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right ( Acts 13:10 ). Through the Holy Spirit, Paul perceived the utter baseness that was in the man. Likewise, we must look to the Holy Spirit for guidance regarding the source of a miracle. 2. Why Did Jesus Perform Miracles? If miracles satisfied peoples’ craving for sensationalism, why did Jesus do them? Because they sometimes led to faith. Like many things, miracles produced both positive and negative results. Jesus’ miracles provided proof that he was sent from God ( Acts 2:22 – 24 ). Though they gave evidence of God’s victory over Satan ( Luke 11:14 – 23 ), they were never designed to be the primary focus of Jesus’ activity ( 1 Corinthians 1:21 – 25 ). Jesus pointed to miracles as signs of something deeper and more significant ( John 10:24 – 25, 38 ). Jesus’ miracles were like object lessons demonstrating the vast scope of his power. They showed his authority over nature, demons, disease and death ( Luke 8:22 – 56 ). Miracles occurred ultimately to reveal Jesus as the Messiah, the Savior, the one who came to perform the greatest miracle of all. Jesus’ miracles provided a spiritual starting point for those whose hearts were open to the things of God. But for those who resisted God, miracles were an end in themselves. That’s why Jesus refused to devalue his ministry to a kind of spiritual sideshow just to satisfy those who only wanted to see something sensational. 3. Why was Faith Necessary for Jesus to Do Miracles? God has unlimited power, but it pleases him to exercise his power in response to our faith. Jesus did not force divine blessings on people who openly rejected him. He often performed miracles for those who already believed, and sometimes his miracles led to faith in those who did not previously believe ( John 11:45 ;  12:9 – 11 ;  14:11 ). But Jesus would not perform miracles simply for his own personal benefit. 4. Will we be healed if we Have Faith? Jesus taught that faith prompts God to respond to our need. Sometimes it is the faith of friends or family that God rewards. Occasionally, God’s healing work seems unrelated to anyone’s faith — the only explanation is God’s sovereign choice. But Jesus never taught that faith automatically brings healing. Of Jesus’ 35 miracles recorded in the Gospels, no formula guaranteeing healing can be found. That said, as we go about our daily lives, miracles are happening all around us — in hospitals, schools, neighborhoods, and even in the workplace. We see the critically ill healed, at-risk students excel, addicts turn their lives around, and opportunities open up for those in the direst situations. If you experience a miracle in your life or you are blessed to witness something miraculous, let others know and be sure to give God the glory. Questions and answers are drawn from the  NIV Quest Study Bible.

“What would I have done if I couldn’t have grieved?” I asked my dad this question when we were sitting in a Chick-fil-A, watching my boys tear around the play area. I honestly don’t know what I would have done if God had not given me grief. Let me ask you this question: Have you let yourself feel the pain? Because grief is a door into something I know God wants for you: Himself. He’s the reward. Not heaven but Him. God desires that we desire Him. Heaven is not the goal, it’s the place we get to experience God. And I have never longed for God and more of what He longs for like this. I’m longing for peace. Deep, unaffected, untainted peace and delight. I look forward to laughter. I love laughing. Everything in me wants to see Randy again. But I know that my deepest longing is for someone of whom Randy was an image bearer: Jesus. I’ve never wanted this more in my entire life, and it’s because of my grief. It has drawn me to Him. I needed grief, and I think you do too. In his book Holy Longing , Ronald Rolheiser writes, What we have dreamed for our lives can never be. Thus we have a choice: We can spend the rest of our lives angry, trying to protect ourselves against something that has already happened to us, death and unfairness, or we can grieve our losses, abuses, and deaths and, through that, eventually attain the joy and delights that are in fact possible for us. Alice Miller states this all in psychological language, but the choice is really a paschal one. We face many deaths within our lives and the choice is ours as to whether those deaths will be terminal (snuffing out life and spirit) or whether they will be paschal (opening us to new life and spirit). Grieving is the key to the latter. There have been dark, hollow times when I’ve leaned toward the terminal. How could anything good come from this? I have to say “my late  husband,” and I’m in my thirties. I haven’t gotten used to that. Maybe I never will. But, because of God’s mercy, I have experienced new life through grief too. I’m longing for God like I’ve never longed for Him. My boys and I have been lifted up in prayer and materially provided for. We’ve seen miracles. Our grief has opened us up to new life and spirit. But even though this is true, it’s difficult to want grief. I can see everything that God has brought into my life through grief and still not want it. It’s a gift I never asked for. Even now, I tend toward wanting relief over grief. God Brings Purpose to Our Pain I’ll admit something embarrassing. I tried to make a grieving friend laugh while I was working on these thoughts. I’m serious. I was writing about grief, she walked into my office while grieving, and instead of just being present, of bearing witness to her sadness, I tried to shoo it away with a joke. Here’s some good news: God doesn’t ever shoo away our pain. It’s not that He doesn’t want relief for us; He just has greater plans for our pain. He wants us to get to relief, but eventually. In grief, we become more like Him. In our sorrow, we comfort others. We “get it” in ways that nobody else can. As we comfort, we find ourselves comforted too. God draws those who grieve closer to Him. “Blessed are those who mourn,” Jesus promised, “for they will be comforted” (Matthew. 5:4). Before the relief, He brings purpose to the pain. Second Corinthians 1:3–5 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.” We want to be plucked out of the pain, but God wants to be present with us in it. The Path to Healing Goes Through Grief If we don’t grieve, we’ll look for relief somewhere else, and there’s a whole host of unhealthy options. Or we’ll get stuck at the stage we’re in and we’ll keep reacting to everyone based on being stuck in depression, denial, or anger. The truth is that we can’t heal what we are unwilling to feel. If we don’t acknowledge Him in our grief, we’ll live out of the stage we’re stuck in. I like the idea that grief is the antidote to trauma. It’s the healthy response to loss. Trauma leaves us feeling stuck. Grief has the power to move us. Either downward into our hearts or upward to lament with God, and then ideally outward toward others as we allow them to carry our burden alongside us. Many shy away from grief, fearing it traps us, but avoiding grief is what keeps us truly stuck. So talk about it. Even if it feels like you’re talking about the same thing over and over. God moves us as we talk about it. Research continually suggests that discussing trauma and grief is critical to healing and growing through it. James Pennebaker’s groundbreaking studies on the importance of talking about trauma reveal that expressive writing and verbal processing can lead to significant psychological and physical benefits, including improved emotional processing, reduced distress, enhanced immune system function, and greater overall well-being. Submitting to God in grief meant opening up the grief and letting God use others. Eventually, I did start to give to others again. And it was different from how it had been before. I felt the words of Paul’s greeting in 2 Corinthians deeply: I could “comfort those in any trouble” with the comfort I myself receive from God. If you’re willing to go there with Him, if you’re willing to grieve, He will use the pain you’ve been carrying or maybe ignoring. Adapted from Relaxed: Walking with the One Who Is Not Worried about a Thing  by Megan Fate Marshman.

Read the Passage You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the LORD. — Lev. 19:28 Tattoos Sometimes people read a statement about tattoos in the Old Testament and wonder if it applies today. The Mosaic covenant has been terminated with the death of Christ, and we are now under the new covenant. Therefore, this law from the Mosaic covenant is not directly binding on us today. But the remaining question is whether the prohibition on tattoos still reflects wisdom for godly living, wisdom that we would do well to follow today, or whether it is a prohibition particular to the circumstances of the old covenant. This Command Probably Refers to Canaanite Religious Practices This same sentence in Leviticus also prohibits making “any cuts on your body for the dead,” which has nothing to do with Jewish religious commands and must therefore reflect a prohibition against Canaanite religious practices connected to the deaths of friends or relatives. Therefore, it is likely that the tattoos in question relate to Canaanite religious practices as well. But this is not certain. R. K. Harrison says, “The shaving of the hair on the temples and beard, or the incising of patterns on the skin, formed part of pagan mourning practices and as such were prohibited. The disfiguring of the skin, which probably included some emblems of pagan deities, dishonored the divine image in a person.” Jay Sklar writes, “Tattoos today—at least in Western cultures—do not have the same pagan associations as they did in ancient Israel, so believers are no longer prohibited from getting them.” Gordon J. Wenham, however, sees an additional, deeper reason for this command: “Man is not to disfigure the divine likeness implanted in him by scarring his body. The external appearance of the people should reflect their internal status as the chosen and holy people of God ( Deut. 14:1–2 ).” This Verse Is Part of the Mosaic Covenant’s Physical Purity Laws Even if Leviticus 19:28  were shown to be unrelated to pagan religious practice, the prohibition against tattoos should still be seen as part of the physical purity laws that were unique to the Mosaic covenant, such as the prohibition against cutting one’s hair or one’s beard ( Lev. 19:27 ), the prohibition against eating from a fruit tree until the fifth year ( Lev. 19:23–25 ), or the prohibitions against hybrid cattle, planting two kinds of seed in a field, or wearing garments made of two kinds of material ( Lev. 19:19 ). These laws all emphasized outward physical purity, a purity of appearance, that is no longer binding on people in the new covenant. There seems to be no reason to see any abiding moral principles reflected in these commands. Therefore, there is no biblical prohibition against tattoos for people who are no longer living under the Mosaic covenant. Is It Wise to Get a Tattoo? Beyond the question of whether there is a direct biblical prohibition against tattoos is the question of whether it is wise to get a tattoo. It is similar to buying a piece of clothing that you can never take off for the rest of your life, even if you no longer like it. Tattoos are extremely difficult and very expensive to remove, with the total cost potentially reaching $10,000, depending on the number of sessions needed, and the removal process requires several treatments that are very painful. Tattoos that are visible are a barrier to employment or are prohibited for jobs in many companies. A survey done by Salary.com found that 76 percent of respondents felt tattoos and piercings hurt an applicant’s chances of being hired during a job interview. More than one-third—39 percent—felt that employees with tattoos and piercings reflected poorly on their employers. Finally, 42 percent felt that tattoos are always inappropriate at work. Another study from Scotland’s University of St. Andrews showed that managers thought visibly tattooed workers could be perceived as “abhorrent, repugnant, unsavory, and untidy” by customers. Anyone considering getting a tattoo should at least be aware of these common perceptions. Self-Mutilation Sometimes people intentionally hurt their bodies by cutting them or wounding them in other ways. This is different from getting a tattoo, because the goal in getting a tattoo is to enhance a person’s bodily appearance (whether it does that or not is a matter of disagreement and personal taste). But with self-mutilation, the intention is to hurt  one’s body and harm  its appearance. Paul’s teaching about our bodies is appropriate here. As we have seen previously, he says that “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God” ( 1 Cor. 6:19 ). We Christians have the Holy Spirit living within us, so we should not dishonor our bodies. In addition, it is Satan’s purpose to destroy human beings made in the image of God. Jesus says, “He was a murderer from the beginning” ( John 8:44 ). He is like the thief who “comes only to steal and to kill and destroy” ( John 10:10 ). Therefore, along with a person’s own sinful desires and self-hatred, another factor motivating self-mutilation might be a demonic influence urging a person to hurt himself or herself. The question of what motivates this behavior is very important, and will require wisdom and spiritual discernment to understand. In many cases, the help of a wise and mature Christian counselor will be needed, along with much prayer, in order to effectively address this problem. This article is adapted from   Christian Ethics: Living a Life That Is Pleasing to God   by Wayne Grudem.

Warnings against Drunkenness Several New Testament passages specify the moral evil of becoming drunk: I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is . . . [a] drunkard . ( 1 Cor. 5:11 ) And do not get drunk with wine , for that is debauchery. ( Eph. 5:18 ) In addition, Paul includes “drunkards” among those who will not “inherit the kingdom of God” ( 1 Cor. 6:10 ). Elsewhere he says that “drunkenness” is among those activities of which “those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” ( Gal. 5:21 ; see also Luke 21:34 ; Rom. 13:13 ; 1 Pet. 4:3 ). In listing the qualifications for an elder in the church, Paul says that he must not be “a drunkard” ( 1 Tim. 3:3 ; also Titus 1:7 ), and a deacon must not be “addicted to much wine” ( 1 Tim. 3:8 ). Some Old Testament passages also warn against drunkenness. Two prominent stories show that people who get drunk lose good judgment and moral restraint, as happened with Noah, who shamefully “became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent” ( Gen. 9:21 ), and with Lot, who twice became drunk and, without realizing what he was doing, committed incest with his daughters ( Gen. 19:30–36 ). The author of Proverbs counsels: Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty , and slumber will clothe them with rags. ( Prov. 23:20–21 ) A longer passage describes with vivid poetic imagery the consequences of drunkenness: Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complained? Who has wounds without cause?       Who has redness of eyes? Those who tarry long over wine;       those who go to try mixed wine. Do not look at wine when it is red when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.       In the end, it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder.       Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart utter perverse things.       You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, like one who lies on the top of a mast.       “They struck me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt; they beat me, but I did not feel it.       When shall I awake? I must have another drink.” ( Prov. 23:29–35 ) But how should we define being drunk? Individual people vary widely in the amount of alcohol they are able to drink without becoming drunk, but some passages in Scripture emphasize the loss of good judgment and moral restraint (see Gen. 9:21; 19:30–36 ; Prov. 31:4–5 ) or being “led astray” by alcohol ( Prov. 20:1 ). Paul says that being drunk “is debauchery” ( Eph. 5:18 ; the Greek word, asōtia , refers to “reckless abandon, debauchery, dissipation, profligacy,” and the related adjective is used in Luke 15:13  of the prodigal son who “squandered his property in reckless living”). Therefore, a definition of drunkenness would specify that a person is drunk when he or she: has lost good judgment; is not thinking clearly; has lost some moral restraint; acts in a way that brings reproach on the person’s own reputation or the reputation of the gospel; or has lost good physical coordination (as in the inability to drive a car safely). Warnings about the Dangers of Alcohol 1. Scripture warns against being deceived by alcoholic beverages. The book of Proverbs frequently cautions about the deceptive nature of alcohol: Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler,       and whoever is led astray by  it is not wise. ( Prov. 20:1 ) Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man;       he who loves wine and oil will not be rich. ( Prov. 21:17 ) Governmental leaders have a special responsibility in this regard. They must be particularly careful of clouding their judgment through the use of alcohol, and thereby making wrong decisions: It is not for kings, O Lemuel,       it is not for kings to drink wine,       or for rulers to take strong drink, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted. ( Prov. 31:4–5 ; see also Eccl. 10:17 ; Jer. 13:13 ) Under the Mosaic covenant, certain groups of people were actually prohibited from all use of wine or “strong drink,” such as Aaron and his sons, who were priests ( Lev. 10:8–9 ), and people who took a Nazirite vow ( Num. 6:1–4 ; see also Luke 1:15  regarding John the Baptist). 2. Scripture also warns against making another person “stumble.” An important passage on this topic is 1 Corinthians 8:1–13 . Though it does not specifically discuss alcoholic beverages, but rather food offered to idols, there are still some helpful principles in the passage that we can apply to the question of alcoholic beverages. The city of Corinth was full of temples to various Greek and Roman gods, which Paul identified as “idols” ( 1 Cor. 8:1 ). Many of the Corinthian Christians had previously participated in the worship of these idols in their various temples (see 1 Cor. 12:2 ). But then the question arose whether it was right to eat food that had previously been offered to idols and then was sold in the meat market at Corinth. Paul responded to this question with these instructions: Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” ( 1 Cor. 10:25–26 ) In other words, the Corinthians were free to eat such meat without worrying that it had been tainted by its previous dedication to an idol in a temple. (However, Paul specified that they should refrain if an unbeliever explicitly stated that it had been offered to an idol, for then it would appear as though the Christians were agreeing with the offering of such food to idols and the spiritual efficacy connected with it; see 1 Cor. 10:28–29 .) Yet there was another complicating factor: though the Corinthians were ordinarily free to eat such food, realizing there was no spiritual harm connected with it, not all the Christians in Corinth shared this conviction or understood this principle. For them, it was morally wrong to eat food offered to idols, and thus it violated the conviction of their consciences. Therefore, Paul warned the Corinthian Christians to be careful in how they used their freedom to eat such food that had been offered to idols. In itself, the practice was harmless, but if it set an example that led other Christians to act contrary to the convictions of their consciences , then it was wrong. Therefore, Paul said, “Take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block  to the weak” ( 1 Cor. 8:9 ). Then he explained: For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. ( 1 Cor. 8:10–11 ) The sin involved here is encouraging a Christian to sin against his conscience by eating food offered to idols, even though he believes it is wrong  to do so (see also 1 Cor. 8:7 ).   Paul’s conclusion was that he would be very careful not to publicly eat food offered to idols in a place or a time that would encourage Christians to do so even though they themselves believed it was wrong: Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble , I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. ( 1 Cor. 8:13 ) We can apply this teaching to the question of alcoholic beverages. Christian believers who have no moral objection to drinking alcoholic beverages should still be careful that they not drink them in a way that might encourage younger Christians (or others who think drinking alcoholic beverages is wrong) to drink also and thereby to violate their consciences. This would be to cause them to “stumble” in the way Paul means in 1 Corinthians 8:13 . But it is also important to keep in mind that the verse does not say, “If food makes another person become upset with me or irritated with me . . .” It is talking only about the question of encouraging people who think that eating meat offered to idols is wrong to eat it anyway and thereby to violate their consciences. The verse does not mean that a person has to refrain from all use of alcohol when in the company of others who disagree about this question. Romans 14  contains a similar teaching about observing special days or refraining from eating certain foods, such as meat. But here Paul adds that Christians should not judge one another on questions of food: As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats , for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. . . . Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. ( 1 Cor. 8:1–4, 13 ) Taken together, the passages in 1 Corinthians 8  and Romans 14  encourage Christians to allow freedom for individual convictions on this matter and to be content to let each person individually be accountable before God for how he or she answers this question. Other Passages in Scripture View Alcoholic Beverages More Positively We should recognize that the warnings against drunkenness in Scripture (see passages above) reveal a tacit assumption that there is a right use of alcohol that does not lead to drunkenness. If it had been God’s intention to prohibit all use of alcoholic beverages in all circumstances, the Bible would explicitly prohibit it rather than prohibiting only drunkenness. In contrast to the Bible’s repeated and strong prohibitions against drunkenness  and the frequent warnings about the dangers  of alcoholic beverages, a number of other biblical passages see these beverages as part of God’s good creation, for which people should give thanks: You cause the grass to grow for the livestock       and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth       and wine to gladden the heart of man , oil to make his face shine       and bread to strengthen man’s heart. ( Ps. 104:14–15 ) This psalm says that one of the reasons God causes “plants for man to cultivate” on the earth is so that people may bring forth “wine to gladden the heart of man” as one of the good products of the earth, similar to oil and bread. A related verse is found in Ecclesiastes: “Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do” ( Eccl. 9:7 ). Proverbs says: Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty,       and your vats will be bursting with wine . ( Prov. 3:9–10 ) These “vats” may have contained unfermented grape juice for the first day or two, but in the climate of the Middle East, without modern refrigeration, it quickly turned to wine. Sometimes wine is seen as part of a joyful celebration in the presence of God, as when Melchizedek “brought out bread and wine” and blessed Abraham after his victory over the kings who had captured Lot ( Gen. 14:18–20 ), or when the people of Israel were to “eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock” in the presence of the Lord at a place he had commanded (see Deut. 14:22–26 ). In the New Testament, Jesus celebrated the Passover with the use of a cup of wine (see Matt. 26:27–29 ), and John’s Gospel records that Jesus’s first miracle was turning water to wine in six large jars, each holding “twenty or thirty gallons” and filled with water “up to the brim” ( John 2:6–7 ). This wine was so good that the master of the feast thought the bridegroom had saved “the good wine” until the end ( John 2:10 ). The point is that Jesus “manifested his glory” by miraculously creating excellent wine at a wedding feast ( John 2:11 ). When Paul names some things about which Christians should “not pass judgment on one another” ( Rom. 14:13 ), he explicitly names wine: Everything is indeed clean , but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. ( Rom. 14:20–21 ) Paul elsewhere says that one of the “teachings of demons” is to “forbid marriage” and also to “require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving” ( 1 Tim. 4:1–3 ). Though he does not specify wine in this passage, the principle still applies, and Paul’s reasoning in the following passages is relevant to the question of wine as well as food: For everything created by God is good , and nothing is to be rejected  if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. ( 1 Tim. 4:4–5 ; see also Col. 2:20–23 ) In one passage Paul explicitly tells Timothy to drink wine, and implies that there is some health benefit from it: No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. ( 1 Tim. 5:23 ) According to the Mayo Clinic, red wine seems to have heart-healthy benefits, because it contains antioxidants, such as flavonoids or a substance called resveratrol, which are good for the heart. Resveratrol helps prevent damage to blood vessels, reduces bad cholesterol (LDL), and prevents blood clots. Other antioxidants in red wine called polyphenols may also protect the lining of blood vessels in the heart. However, the Mayo Clinic says that additional research needs to be done to verify these benefits. John Hopkins University has found that red wine also helps protect against strokes. But Paul’s words of caution about not causing others to stumble by what we do are a reminder that not everything that is morally right in itself is wise or helpful in every situation. Paul also says, “‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things are helpful” ( 1 Cor. 10:23 ). Not everything that is morally right in itself is wise or helpful in every situation. This article is adapted from   Christian Ethics: Living a Life That Is Pleasing to God   by Wayne Grudem.

Theological Emphasis Some time ago we sent an email to our church family asking what sort of topics they’d like to hear teaching on, or which parts of Scripture and theology they felt hadn’t been given enough airtime. I’m glad we did so. We were able to identify some prominent pastoral needs across the congregation and plan our teaching program with that in mind. But it can be a mixed blessing to send out such a survey. Not every aspect of Christian theology is equally crucial. And while every verse of the Bible is equally true, not all are equally weighty. So whatever responses people may submit, some things should always be given more emphasis. But it served to remind me of how many focal points exist in a typical church family. The Christian world is full of options of things to make central to our churches. We are not short of hobbyhorses, special interests, and theological eccentricities, all of which lobby for more and more prominence in our thinking and church life. Because of this, a certain amount of any pastor’s time is spent letting people down gently—disappointing them at a rate they can absorb, as one older pastor friend put it. So it is common for people to want particular theological truths or cultural matters to be put front and center. All of this can make it difficult, therefore, when we are presented with a theological issue that genuinely is of crucial importance. The doctrine of our union with Christ is a case in point. To say so is not to force into the center something that deserves to be kept at the side. It truly does matter this much. The simple fact is this: without our union with Christ, Christianity is nothing . We’re not left with a diminished Christianity; we’re left with no  Christianity at all. It’s not the difference between original Coke and Diet Coke but between any  Coke and no drink at all. This becomes clear when we consider this doctrine’s prominence, importance, and significance. 1. Prominence Even a cursory glance through the pages of the New Testament reveals a startling truth: its main way of talking about a follower of Jesus is different to ours. Our default term is “Christian” and sometimes “disciple” or “follower of Jesus.” These are all terms we can find in the Bible, but the overwhelming descriptor of what we mean when we talk about being Christians is the phrase “in Christ” and “in him.” Front and center isn’t just our relationship with Jesus but the particular shape that relationship takes. We do indeed follow him and are disciples of him, but more fundamentally we are united to him—so closely that we can be said to be in him (and he in us). Paul can write that “he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him” ( 1 Cor. 6:17 ). Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit” ( John 15:5 ). Faith in Jesus unites us to him. We are one with him such that we now abide in him and live in him. This relationship is so all-encompassing of our Christian lives that the terminology of being united to Jesus comes up a staggering amount in the New Testament. In contrast, the word “Christian” is found only three times. This alone should make us consider what we might be missing if Scripture’s main way of talking about those who belong to Jesus is different to ours. 2. Importance It is not just that the language of union with Christ is ubiquitous in the New Testament; it is theologically pivotal too. Consider the following texts: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ  with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. ( Eph. 1:3 ) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ , he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ( 2 Cor. 5:17 ) For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him  we might become the righteousness of God. ( 2 Cor. 5:21 ) For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him . ( Phil. 3:8–9 ) For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ . ( Rom. 12:4–5 ) If Christian theology is an ecosystem, union with Christ is like a vital keystone species; if it is a house, union with Christ is a load-bearing wall. There are no blessings to be received from Jesus without being one with him. No union, no blessings. Not a one. With that union, we have all blessings, missing nothing. Through union with Christ we have justification. Apart from it, the righteousness of God would be forever beyond our reach and hope. But in Christ, what is his can properly become ours, just as in marriage what belongs to one properly belongs to the other. 3. Significance In addition to its theological importance of union with Christ is its practical and pastoral significance. I can think of no other doctrine that has been such a powerful balm for my soul. All of us ache for deep friendship and connection which no human relationship can ever fully provide. We have it in Christ. We can enfold ourselves in him. He will never let us down or fail to be enough for us. He will never tire of us or be too preoccupied to notice us. We each have his full attention all of the time. His union with us is how he fulfills the promise, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” ( Matt. 28:20 ). All of us make pledges to those near and dear to us to “always be with them.” But we can never truly live up to those words. I can’t be there fully for anyone, however much I mean to or try to. But Christ can be. We need not experience any moment of life apart from his presence. And the more we get to know his goodness, the more that presence means to us. All of us ache for deep friendship and connection which no human relationship can ever fully provide. We have it in Christ. Sam Allberry is the author of   One with My Lord: The Life-Changing Reality of Being in Christ  .

The Trinity is undoubtedly one of the most mysterious Christian doctrines. It can be intimidating to explain and we tip-toe carefully with our words so as not to slip into heresy. However, we would miss the point if we left the Trinity as a mere doctrinal discussion. How does the Trinity practically apply to our everyday life?   The practicality of the Trinity is clear in John 13–17. The disciples were deeply troubled at Jesus’ words about leaving them, thinking it would bring a devastating break in their relationship with God. But Jesus spoke tenderly to them, giving them guidance for continuing their walk with God after his departure. In giving this instruction, Jesus spoke about God’s Trinitarian nature. This passage of Scripture teaches that knowing God as three in one should be at the center of our daily relationship with him. Responding to the Father's Love   In light of Christ's lessons on the nature of the Father . . .       He is the fountain of divine love. He is the source of the encouragement we receive in the Scriptures, in answers to our prayers, in the grace of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and in all the other blessings we receive.       As the source of all, He is to be served as the object of all. He is the One to whom we respond with love, prayers worship and adoration. We also worship the Son and the Holy Spirit, but because even the Son and the Spirit give glory to the Father and share in his glory (e.g., John 16:14-15; 17:4-5), we worship the Three-in-One with an understanding that the Father is the ultimate object of all.       We should honor the Father with the fruits of our lives. Just as a vineyard owner plants his vines in order to receive a harvest, so the Father (the Vinedresser) rightly receives the fruits that Jesus (the Vine) brings to our lives (the branches). John 15:1-5.   Responding to the Son's Mediation   There are four main ways we are to respond to the Son's Mediation . . .       We look to the Son to bring us into favor with God. It is only in the words and work of Jesus that favor with God is provided.       We join ourselves with believers—specifically within a local church. Jesus instructed his disciples: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, your are also are to love one another. (John 13:34-35; cf. John 13:13-17; John 15:12)       We pray to the Father in Jesus' name. (John 16:23)       Jesus brings the Father's words to us, so we respond to his role within the Trinity by using the Scriptures as the standard for our faith and life. Because of the promise of the Spirit . . .       We expect the Spirit to instruct our decisions through the Word. This doesn't mean the Spirit will produce new meanings from the Bible tailored to our individual questions, but we expect the Spirit to help us as we bring our lives under the light of God's Word.       We expect the Spirit to guide Christians as a community. It is important for us to study our Bibles with confidence that the Spirit will help us, and to do so with careful attention to the counsel of others who have studied the same Scripture.       We trust that the Spirit authorizes us to serve as witnesses. Wherever Christians live, the Spirit is with them to make them witnesses to their communities.       We respond to the continual presence of the Spirit by welcoming his conviction. When we lack faith, the Spirit stirs our hearts to believe at the hearing of Scripture. When we sin, the Spirit brings conviction and draws our hearts to remember and obey the words of Scripture.   This article is adapted from Our Triune God by Phil Ryken and Michael LeFebvre.

Part your heavens, Lord, and come down; touch the mountains, so that they smoke. Send forth lightning and scatter the enemy; shoot your arrows and rout them. Psalm 144:5-6   David doesn’t want small favors from God. He begs the Lord to rip open heaven. He urges God to stretch out his hand and make mountains smoke. He wants bolts of lightning to send his enemies running. And those are just a few of the items on his list of prayer requests.   David needs an unusual brand of divine assistance to help him rule Israel. His enemies pursue him with deadly swords (verse 10). He fends off foreigners spewing lies (verse 8). He worries about enemies breaking through city walls, and he hopes he never hears cries of distress rise from the streets (verse 14). So he asks the Lord for military victory. He praises God for training him to win at war. He counts on God to make entire peoples submit to him (verses 1–2).   As David watches over the nation, he looks for God’s blessings not just for him but for every person under his care. He wants young women and men to grow up like well-fed plants (verse 12). He prays for barns full of crops and fields covered with flocks (verse 13).   David’s requests for military triumph might not resemble what you need from God. But you can make your own bold requests of the Lord, asking him to meet your real needs. He knows you’re a mere mortal. Your life is but a breath. But because he is your God, you can count on his care.   Takeaway Be bold in your requests and trust God actions and timing. We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).   Drawn from the NIV Bible for Teen Guys.

Doubting Thomas? Sometimes it is hard for us to believe in life after death. The true Bible story that shows this perhaps most clearly is the story of “Doubting Thomas,” as he is usually called. I prefer to think of him as Believing Thomas, but he did have his doubts. Most of us would have shared the man’s skepticism. Thomas was not with the other disciples when they first encountered Jesus after his resurrection from the grave ( John 20:24 ), which understandably made it hard for him to believe. We don’t know why he was absent, but God surely knew that his experience of doubt would help us believe. The fact remains that Thomas had more than the fear of missing out; he did miss out! So, when the other disciples said, “We have seen the Lord” ( John 20:25 ), frankly, he didn’t believe them. This is very relatable. The man’s associates were making the incredible, world-changing claim that a dead man had come back to life, never to die again. Evidently, they told him that this was a physical resurrection—that the risen Christ had appeared to them in an indestructible body. But Thomas wasn’t there, so how could he believe? Unwilling simply to take his fellow disciples at their word, Thomas wanted Jesus to prove himself, as we sometimes do, especially in the face of death. Thomas said, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe” ( John 20:25 ). Thomas wanted to see for himself. He also wanted to touch the Savior’s glorified wounds. He wanted what the philosopher Thomas Paine once enviously described as an “ocular and manual demonstration.” Otherwise, the disciple declared, he would never believe. Because of his famous nickname, Thomas has the reputation for being the only skeptic of the resurrection. His fatalistic comment after Lazarus died reinforces the popular view that he was an inveterate doubter: “Let us also go, that we may die with him” ( John 11:16 ). We may get the mistaken impression from all this that none of the other disciples doubted, and maybe we think that good Christians never doubt. But, in fact, most of the disciples had trouble believing in the resurrection of the body—or at least the men did. Luke tells us in his Gospel that three days after Jesus was crucified, the eleven original disciples gathered in Jerusalem with other followers of Jesus. They were discussing the testimony of some that Jesus “had risen indeed” ( Luke 24:34 ). Suddenly, Jesus was there, standing among them, giving them God’s peace. But according to Luke, “they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit” ( Luke 24:37 ). The disciples were scared out of their minds, as we would be if someone we knew to be dead suddenly showed up standing next to us. What Jesus said to these frightened men exposes their spiritual skepticism. He said, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?” ( Luke 24:38 ). It wasn’t just Thomas: they all had their doubts. Similarly, Matthew tells us that later on, when the disciples met Jesus in Galilee, “they worshiped him, but some doubted” ( Matt. 28:17 ). Matthew’s use of the plural indicates that Thomas was not alone in his skepticism. The Greek word he chooses to describe their spiritual struggle is a form of distazō , a word that indicates hesitation, such as we sometimes experience when we feel caught between faith and disbelief. Amazingly, the first disciples had this inner conflict at the very moment when Jesus commanded them to go into all the world and preach the gospel. The Great Commission was given to doubter-believers who worshiped Jesus but also struggled to have faith, even when they were in the physical presence of the risen Christ. Christian Wiman finds this encouraging in his personal struggle to believe the biblical gospel. He writes: The Gospels vary quite a bit in their accounts of Jesus’ resurrection and the ensuing encounters he had with people, but they are quite consistent about one thing: many of his followers doubted him, sometimes even when he was staring them in the face. This ought to be heartening for those of us who seek belief. If the disciples of Christ could doubt not only firsthand accounts of his resurrection but the very fact of his face in front of them, then clearly, doubt has little to do with distance from events. Some interpreters are critical of Thomas’s demand for more evidence, but I think we should commend him for his quest to know the truth. When he had his doubts, Thomas did not stop struggling to believe. And at least he was willing to consider the evidence. The notorious atheist Richard Dawkins—who taught evolutionary biology at Oxford and advocated outspokenly for the elimination of the School of Theology—once defined faith as “the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence.” He continued, “Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence.” Thomas is a good counterexample to Dawkins’s dismissive claims. Thomas believed not in spite of the evidence; rather, he insisted on evaluating the evidence fairly for himself so that his belief would be well justified. To that end, he was willing to encounter Jesus, which some skeptics aren’t. Thomas was open to the evidence, and open to Jesus. His example is especially important for anyone who is doubtful about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. Are we willing to weigh the evidence? Truthfully, it is the only intellectually responsible thing to do. There is too much at stake simply to walk away. What is at stake, specifically, is the infinitely valuable possibility of eternal life. I have tried to be honest about the doubts that most Christians have, and to grant the freedom to be honest about our doubts. It is not necessarily sinful to be skeptical. But it is wrong to shut the door on God, to have what Barnabas Piper calls “unbelieving doubt”—the perilous perspective of someone who is unwilling to believe. In his analysis of the story of Thomas, Keith Johnson explains the difference between doubts that honor God and doubts that don’t: Doubt crosses into sin when a person stops trying to address it. Thomas doubted the resurrection, but he did not sin as he did so. His doubt arose because of his limited knowledge and his inability to make sense of what he heard. He had sincere questions that prevented him from affirming that Christ was alive, and he wanted more information to answer these questions. This is the key: Thomas sought to address the causes of his doubt. He was willing to learn, and he embraced the truth immediately after Jesus appeared to him. Believing Thomas Yes, despite his doubts, Thomas did come to faith. When artists portray his famous encounter with Jesus, they often depict the disciple reaching out and touching his wounds. Caravaggio’s painting The Incredulity of Saint Thomas  might be the most famous. Caravaggio’s Thomas takes his index finger and probes the fleshy folds of his Savior’s side, trying to comprehend what happened to the body of Jesus. I am not sure Caravaggio’s rendering is totally accurate. Certainly, Thomas said  that he wouldn’t believe unless he could put his fingers in the nail marks or place his hand in the Savior’s sword-wounded side. Maybe he said this because the other disciples told him that this is what they had done when they saw Jesus after he rose from the grave: they handled the evidence for themselves, touching his glorified body. It is also true that Jesus invited Thomas to touch him. “Put your finger here,” he said, “and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side” ( John 20:27 ). His instructions are so specific that Thomas may well have obeyed them. However, the Bible never says whether Thomas took Jesus up on his invitation and touched his wounds. All that John records is the answer he gave as soon as he was convinced: “My Lord and my God!” For Thomas, seeing was believing, maybe without any touching. This is one of the emotional high points of the Gospels. At the very moment when he became an eyewitness of the risen Lord Jesus Christ, everything within Thomas bowed down and worshiped. What made this reverent response possible was our Savior’s sympathy for skeptics. Jesus did not blame Thomas for his lack of faith or condemn him for his disbelief. He did not hold himself back until the disciple showed him more trust. Instead, Jesus moved toward Thomas in love and said, “Peace be with you” ( John 20:26 ). He held out his hands and invited his friend to step forward in faith. “Do not disbelieve,” he said, “but believe” ( John 20:27 ). Jesus is always moving toward us, especially if we have our doubts. In the face of everything fearful, he says, “Peace be with you.” He holds out his hands to welcome us—hands that were pierced with sharp nails for the payment of our sins. He tells us to stop doubting and start believing instead. The best way to respond is the way Thomas did, not only by seeing and believing but also by worshiping and surrendering. Declare that Jesus of Nazareth is both Lord and God, and then start serving him, as Thomas did. By all accounts, Thomas is the apostle who carried the gospel all the way to India, founding the church that honors his memory there to this day. Keith Johnson rightly concludes: “John’s goal is not to portray Thomas as a sinful doubter whose example is to be avoided at all costs. Rather, John presents Thomas as a role model for Christians.” Jesus is always moving toward us, especially if we have our doubts. This article is adapted from   I Have My Doubts: How God Can Use Your Uncertainty to Reawaken Your Faith   by Phillip Graham Ryken.

When you think about the gospel, do you think it is primarily redemptive or preventative in nature? Does the gospel primarily rescue us from trouble, or does it primarily stop us from getting into trouble? Redemption v. Prevention A redemptive gospel says, “No matter what we’ve done and what has been done to us, we can always come home.” Forgiveness, restoration, repentance, second chance, a new creation. A redemptive gospel focuses on God’s unconditional and specific love for each human being . God makes the first move, always toward us. This gospel focuses primarily on God’s love for us. A preventative gospel says, “Live within these guidelines to honor God and express your love for God. As a side benefit, you will avoid a world of pain and heartache.” Its goal is a life relatively free of regret and relational damage, a life based on a series of habits and decisions oriented around God’s ways—faithfulness, obedience, worship, wisdom in choosing friendships, generosity, let our yes be yes and our no be no, build our houses on the rock so we withstand the storm. The preventative gospel focuses on us moving toward God and our love for God. There is no question that the gospel of Jesus is both redemptive and preventative, but which do you think is primary? In the game of “Would You Rather?” we are forced to choose between two difficult options. If you were forced to choose only one dynamic of the gospel, which would you choose? I think most of us would choose the gospel of redemption as primary. To be sure, Jesus taught both dynamics, but his life arc, his teachings, and his death and resurrection bend strongly toward the redemptive as the foundational reality of the gospel. Day-to-Day Life The problem is, most of us live day-to-day as if the gospel is primarily preventative. That makes sense to me. When I think of God’s redemption, my default posture is to think of it in the past tense—God redeemed me, and now I live in response to that reality by orienting my life around God’s commands . I do not do this to curry favor with God or to earn anything. I do it to please God and because I believe God’s ways are the best ways for a human to thrive with unfettered freedom. I have come to believe that all God’s commands are designed for human flourishing and to access true peace. Who wants to blow their life up with secret habits? Who wants to cause relational damage to the people they love? It is better, and frankly easier, to live in God’s ways and avoid all of that. We love because God first loved us (see 1 John 4:19 ). That is true, and it works.   Harmful Consequences But when we live primarily in view of God’s preventative gospel, we create harmful consequences, especially if we have been Christians for a while. As a pastor, I have worked with many parents who want their children to love God in the same way they love God, but their language and posture are preventative, not redemptive. When parents ask for my help, they rarely say, “We really want our children to experience God’s love for them.” Instead they say, “We want our kids to love God,” except for when they have never experienced God’s love first and primarily. If we try to love God before we experience God’s love, we are in danger of practicing legalism, getting on the more-of-the-same and try-harder treadmills, and that can be soul-sucking. Other religions teach us to love God, but the Christian gospel teaches that “God loves us.” It is first and foundational. We love God because God first loved us. After a while, we keep that love in the rearview mirror, and by doing so, we unintentionally communicate to those around us, including our children, that the preventative gospel is primary. God’s Love First Before God’s kingdom ever issued a rule, it issued an invitation. That invitation is ongoing, never-ending, and always available. God’s mercies are new every morning; great is God’s faithfulness (see Lamentations 3:23 ). God’s love first. God’s love always. God’s faithfulness as primary. Our love for God pours out in response to God’s love for us. God’s love is scandalous to humans. Rich Mullins calls it a “reckless” love in his song “The Love of God.” Humans will always default to a posture in which we are at the center of everything, and it can cause us to cast ourselves as the primary actor in our own life. But the gospel of Jesus is that God acts first, and we react, not once but always. God makes the first move, and we respond. Unfortunately, over time, we tend to think our faith originates from us. These dynamics are why we quickly make our way to the preventative side. Prevention or redemption? How might your language and posture change as you raise kids or disciple others? How might it benefit your own faith to intentionally think redemptive first and always ? Adapted from The Expectation Gap  by Steve Cuss.