Reading Time: 6 minutesQuestion 4196. The love among believers that Jesus made the badge of His disciples is not something we work up by trying harder to be nice; it is fruit the Holy Spirit grows. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, He said, if you have love for one another (John 13:35)….
Reading Time: 9 minutesQuestion 20. How is studying doctrine an act of love? Many people assume the opposite, that studying doctrine is a cold and bookish thing, the hobby of people who would rather be right than be kind. I want to overturn that assumption completely, because I am persuaded that studying doctrine is one of the most…
Reading Time: 3 minutesQuestion 09069 The spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit for the building up of the body of Christ, but the history of the church, from the New Testament onwards, is littered with examples of gifts being exercised in ways that damage rather than edify. The potential for misuse does not invalidate the gifts…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 09047 Not every organisation that calls itself a church is one. The New Testament presents a picture of the church that has specific characteristics, specific commitments, and specific functions, and throughout history Christians have recognised that certain features mark the difference between a genuine church and something that has adopted the name without the…
Reading Time: 5 minutesQuestion 12048 Few issues stir as much emotion in churches and communities as immigration and border control. On one hand, Scripture clearly commands love for the stranger and care for the vulnerable. On the other, the Bible also teaches the legitimacy of national boundaries, the responsibility of governing authorities, and the need for order in…
Reading Time: 6 minutesQuestion 11071 This question cuts right to the heart of Christian living and witness. We live in an age where people often pit truth against love, as though you must choose one or the other. “Speaking the truth is unloving,” some say. Others counter, “Love without truth is meaningless.” But Scripture never presents us with…