Understanding the “But Now” Passages in Paul’s Epistles
You ever read one of Paul’s epistles and hit that moment where everything flips? You’re cruising through his argument, then BAM—he drops a “but now.” It’s like the spiritual equivalent of changing gears mid-race. These “but now” passages aren’t just throwaway phrases; they’re pivotal, heavy with meaning, the heartbeat of grace theology if you know
Why We Follow Paul as He Followed Christ
There’s something about Paul that’s hard to ignore when you dig into his letters and life story. Here’s a man who was ridiculously zealous, not for himself but for Christ, and through him, we get a front-row seat to what it means to truly follow Jesus. But what does that mean for us today, especially
The Ministry of Reconciliation in the Age of Grace
There’s this beautiful tension in Paul’s letters that often slips by unnoticed if we don’t pay close attention: the ministry of reconciliation, especially as it’s lived out in this age of grace. When you dig into 2 Corinthians 5, it becomes clear—God isn’t just calling us to play mediator between squabbling neighbors or to patch
The Two Programs of God: Prophecy and Mystery
There’s something mesmerizing about how God unfolds His plans across Scripture. If you’ve ever wrestled with prophecy, wondered about mysteries, or scratched your head over Paul’s letters, you’re not alone. The Bible isn’t just one story told in one style—it’s two divine programs running side-by-side, sometimes overlapping, often distinct. One is prophecy, the other mystery.
The Hope of the Rapture for the Body of Christ
The idea of the rapture stirs up a lot of questions, debates, and, if I’m honest, a fair bit of excitement in the hearts of many believers. If you’re walking this grace journey and rightly dividing the Word—really digging into what Paul wrote to the Body of Christ apart from Israel—then the hope of the
The Role of Works in the Christian Life Under Grace
When we talk about grace, especially from a grace-centered perspective, there’s a temptation to either throw out works completely or to misunderstand their place altogether. I’ve seen folks swing wildly between two extremes: one camp acts as if works don’t matter at all, while another camps so hard on “faith and works” that grace ends
Distinguishing Between the New Covenant and the Mystery
Sometimes, diving into Scripture feels like decoding an ancient mystery wrapped in a puzzle. You hear phrases like “New Covenant” and “the Mystery” tossed around like interchangeable terms, but they’re not the same animal. And if you lean into grace with the sharpened knife of rightly dividing the Word of Truth, these distinctions aren’t just
Why We Are Not Under the Great Commission
When people toss around the phrase “Great Commission,” it often feels like gospel truth for every believer to be out there knocking on doors or preaching on street corners. But if you’ve spent time digging into Paul’s letters with an eye on “rightly dividing the Word of Truth” (2 Timothy 2:15), you quickly realize something’s
Law vs. Grace: Understanding Romans 6–8
Let’s face it: the whole Law vs. Grace debate isn’t just some dusty theological relic for Sunday school nerds to bandy over. It’s the heart of how we understand God’s relationship with us. And if you’ve ever flipped through Romans chapters 6 to 8, you know you’re stepping into some deep waters where Paul isn’t
The One Baptism of Ephesians 4:5 Explained
Ephesians 4:5 says there is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” Everyone throws around this verse like it’s a neat little bullet point on unity, but what does that one baptism really mean? For those of us who embrace grace and know how to rightly divide the Word (thank you, Paul), peeling back the layers