Josh Hunt's Blog, page 243
May 22, 2017
Romans 8.28 and the tragic death of a son
The importance of context hit home for Laurie after the death of his son Christopher in July 2008. He says that Romans 8:28—“for those who love God, all things work together for good”—gets thrown around a lot in times of struggle, and it was no different during his grief. But Laurie says that understanding verses […]
The Second Adam Comes to the Fight
We sometimes make an elementary mistake when reading the temptation narratives. We assume that their chief purpose is to teach us about our temptations and how we should resist them. True, our Lord’s example of resisting his temptations does help us to withstand our temptations. But their point is not to say, “Jesus was tempted, and […]
May 21, 2017
The research on what makes people grow spiritually
There has been a good deal of research done in recent years into what transforms people’s lives. This is what researchers and students of the subject have found: No Spiritual Discipline is more important than the intake of God’s Word. Nothing can substitute for it. There simply is no healthy Christian life apart from a […]
May 20, 2017
Name Above All Names
Jesus Christ has been given the name above all names.1 The names assigned him begin in Genesis and end in Revelation. Taken together they express the incomparable character of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. Reflecting on them better prepares us to respond to the exhortations of Scripture, to focus our gaze upon him, and […]
May 19, 2017
Is Christian living easy or hard?
Is Christian living easy or hard? Is it easy or hard for you to live the Christian life? I have asked this question to thousands of Christians and consistently they will answer with resolve, “Hard!” Then, I show them this familiar verse: For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:30 (NIV2011) I […]
May 17, 2017
Jesus’ yoke or rule keeping?
Ortberg suggests that we have replaced Jesus’ yoke with rule-keeping: A recent study by the Barna Group found that the number one challenge to helping people grow spiritually is that most people equate spiritual maturity with trying hard to follow the rules in the Bible. No wonder people also said they find themselves unmotivated to […]
May 5, 2017
May 3, 2017
How to Live the Christian Life
Jesus promised His yoke would be easy and His burden would be light. Many Christians, however, do not find it that way. They have found Christian living to be very, very hard. I am convinced they don’t really know how to live the Christian life. They have never been taught. Christian living is not about […]
May 2, 2017
Can we believe the gospels?
I have just released a Bible Study that goes along with the popular book, The Case for Christ. (Now a popular movie on at theatres now.) Here is an excerpt: “Tell me this,” I said with an edge of challenge in my voice, “is it really possible to be an intelligent, critically thinking person and […]
April 30, 2017
A faith we can believe in
I have just released a Bible Study that goes along with the popular book, The Case for Christ. (Now a popular movie on at theatres now.) Here is an excerpt: Maybe you too have been basing your spiritual outlook on the evidence you’ve observed around you or gleaned long ago from books, college professors, family […]
