The Lord Jesus Christ left a wonderful legacy to his own disciples when He said to them 'Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you'; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.' John 14:27. This is the peace of knowing that
There is perhaps no word in the English language that is so misused and abused as the word love. It is used as a cloak for lust and every kind of wickedness, and yet it is the most wonderful characteristic that a human being can possess because it is a reflection of the God who is love 1 John
When Peter asked the Lord Jesus Christ how many times he should forgive his brother he was told that forgiveness was to be without limit, 'seventy times seven'. Matthew 18:21,22. This should not be surprising for forgiveness is at the very heart of the Christian faith. It is precisely because God forgives his people in the Lord Jesus
It is very easy for a person to claim to be what he really is not! Paul here tells the believers that they are to be in practice what they have professed to be. A person who says that he is a Christian is one who professes to have been chosen by God in eternity, and Paul says
Although the Christian has 'put on the new self' when he was converted, the 'old self' is still with him Rom.7:14 - 25, and so this new life within him needs to be constantly renewed. This is the ongoing work of sanctification in the life of the Christian. There are many aspects of the work
The apostle Paul had given general instructions to the believers about how they were to deal with their own sinful nature, and he follows that up by being specific about the vices that are to be rejected. There are two lists that are given in these verses, both containing five things. The first list in
The believer in Jesus is said to have died with Christ and yet in this passage he is urged to 'put to death whatever belongs to your earthly nature'. This seeming contradiction is more apparent than real, for although the Christian has died to sin with regard to his state and standing before God, his actual condition does not
For the one who knows the present reality of having died with Christ and being raised to newness of life and has the glorious future hope of eternal life in the presence of God, there are certain responsibilities that follow. The two phrases that the apostle Paul uses are 'to seek' and 'set his mind on'. These phrases suggest
The one who has died with Christ and has been raised to a new life in Christ, has a glorious future to look forward to. The New Testament makes it very clear indeed that Jesus will come again in great power and glory, Acts 1:9 - 11, Matt.24:30. Those who are 'in Christ will share in that
There was a real danger that some in the Colossian church could be tempted to fall back into pagan practices ch.2:23, 3:5-9. Paul had been dealing with the wrong solution to this problem in the first two chapters. He showed them that there is no material or physical cure for what is essentially a spiritual problem. Abuse