Salvation

By Al Felder Few truths in Scripture are more sobering and more hope-filled than the return of Jesus Christ. The same Lord who came in humility, lived among men, died for sin, rose in victory, and ascended into heaven will come again. That promise is not a side note in the Christian faith. It is one of the great anchors of the believer’s hope. For the world, the return of Christ will mean judgment, exposure, and the end of false security. But for believers, it means something

By Al Felder Grace is one of the most cherished words in Scripture, but it is also one of the most misunderstood. Many people think of grace only as pardon. They think of it as God overlooking guilt and giving salvation to those who do not deserve it. That is certainly part of grace, and a precious part of it. But grace does more than forgive. Grace teaches. Grace trains. Grace reshapes the daily life of the believer. If grace is understood only as comfort for the conscience,

By Al Felder Many people often think about the birth of Christ, the ministry of Christ, the cross of Christ, and the resurrection of Christ. All of those deserve deep attention. But another question matters greatly and is sometimes overlooked: What is Jesus doing now in heaven? The answer is not that He has simply finished His work and withdrawn into inactivity. The risen Christ is not absent in the sense of being uninvolved. He is alive, exalted, reigning, interceding, and s

By Al Felder The empty tomb is one of the simplest facts in the gospel record, yet it carries some of the deepest meaning in all of Scripture. The stone was rolled away. The grave clothes were left behind. The body of Jesus was not there. That is not a small detail in the Christian message. It is one of the great declarations of heaven. Many people speak of the empty tomb as a moving symbol of hope, and it certainly is that. But it is more than a symbol. It proves something.

By Al Felder If Jesus died and remained in the grave, then the cross would be only a tragic ending. It might stir emotion. It might inspire sympathy. It might even leave behind the memory of a righteous sufferer. But it would not save. It would not conquer death. It would not secure hope. The resurrection is what changes everything. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not an added detail to the gospel. It is at the very center of it. It is the Father’s public declaration that

By Al Felder When John the Baptist saw Jesus and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29), he was not using a random religious image. He was identifying Jesus with one of the deepest themes running through all of Scripture. From the earliest sacrifices to the Passover in Egypt to the offerings under the law of Moses, the lamb was associated with innocence, sacrifice, blood, and deliverance. So when John called Jesus “the Lamb of God,” h

By Al Felder Few scenes in Scripture are more solemn, more powerful, or more revealing than the cross of Jesus Christ. At Calvary, we do not simply see a good man suffering unjustly. We see the heart of the gospel. We see the holiness of God, the seriousness of sin, the love of Christ, and the only hope for guilty man all brought together in one place. Many people speak of the cross only in terms of love, and certainly it does reveal love beyond measure. But the cross does mo

By Al Felder Jesus’ parable of the sower is one of the clearest explanations in Scripture for why people respond so differently to the same message. Some hear the gospel and dismiss it instantly. Others respond with joy, but disappear when the cost shows up. Others begin well, but slowly drift away as the world chokes the Word. And then there are those who truly hear, understand, and bear fruit (Matthew 13:1–23). This parable is often called the “Parable of the Soils,” becaus

By Al Felder Jesus told two back-to-back parables in Matthew 25 that press the same urgent question from two different angles: Will you be ready when the Bridegroom comes, and will you be found faithful when the Master returns? (Matthew 25:1–30). These are not parables aimed at atheists who openly reject God. They are aimed at people who identify with the kingdom—people who expect the Lord’s return and who would say they belong to Him. That’s why they are so searching. They w

By Al Felder Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son…” (Matthew 22:2–14). That parable is more than a story about a banquet. It is a picture of God’s invitation, man’s response, the consequences of rejection, and the only way someone can be accepted at the King’s table. What Makes the Invitation So Shocking? In Jesus’ day, it would have been unthinkable for subjects to ignore a royal invitation. Yet the parable begins

By Al Felder “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28) Some questions reveal where people truly stand. One of those questions is this: Is church membership required? Scripture answers with clarity: yes. There is no biblical category for a saved person who is disconnected from Christ’s body. If a person is in Christ, they

When Genesis 6 opens, the world is almost unrecognizable compared to the “very good” creation of Genesis. 1. Humanity has multiplied, but so has wickedness. “And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth…But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”—Genesis 6:7–8 In a world overflowing with violence, corruption, and rebellion, one man stands out—not because he was sinless, but because he found grace. Through Noah’s story, God gives us a

When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, the consequences were devastating. Paradise was lost. Suffering entered the world. Death became a tragic reality. Yet even in that moment of judgment, God spoke a promise that would echo through all of Scripture—a promise that would lead humanity from Eden… to Calvary. In Genesis 3:14–19, God pronounced judgment on the serpent, the woman, and the man. But embedded in His words was the first prophecy of a Redeemer—the One who wou

“But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.” — Ezekiel 18:21–23 The Astonishing Grace of God Forgiveness is one of the most powerful—and perplexing—truths in Scripture. It’s hard to believe that no matter what a person has done, God is willing to forgive. Some people struggle with this, not because they doubt God’s power, but because they cannot

“But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity... in them shall he die.” — Ezekiel 18:24, 26 The Tragedy of Spiritual Decline Few things grieve the heart more than watching a faithful Christian lose their way. We read about such falls in Scripture, but the reality strikes hardest when it happens to someone close—a parent, sibling, friend, or fellow believer. Like the prophets who wept over Israel’s rebellion, we mourn when a once-devoted

“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”— 2 Corinthians 7:10 Many today misunderstand what repentance means. They equate it with feeling bad, shedding a few tears, or making temporary changes. But according to Scripture, true repentance is much deeper—it’s a deliberate, godly transformation of the heart and mind. What Repentance Is—and Isn’t Common Misconceptions: Repentance is not just sorrow. Sorro

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”— Psalm 51:17 Psalm 51 offers a rare and raw look at genuine sorrow before God in a world that downplays guilt and dismisses sin. This psalm, written by King David after his sin with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah, reminds us that forgiveness begins with Godly sorrow, not just regret, but a deep awareness of sinning against the holy and loving God. The Difference Betwee

“For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.”— Hebrews 2:5 This world, broken by sin and filled with sorrow, is not our final home. As Christians, we look forward to something far better: the world to come, a place of rest, righteousness, and eternal fellowship with God. Scripture calls us to lift our eyes beyond this life and set our hope on what God has prepared. A World Designed by God Unlike what some false teachers claim today,