One of the hardest things to do is obey Matthew 5:43–44. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say… The post Part 3: God’s Justice, Not Ours first appeared on Back to the Bible Canada ..read more

We can trip over a curb or broken pavement in the sidewalk. We may fall but then rise to continue our journey. In today's message, Dr. John echoes Jesus' words to the disciples. "You all will fall." They all protested, but every one of them fell. Of the 12, eleven repented and rose to continue their journey of faith. We are foolish to think we can predict our response to a crisis of faith. We lean closely upon the grace of our Lord. The post Will I Fall Away? first appeared on Back to the Bible Canada ..read more

At times, we speak of the deity of Jesus as a way to make a point. We bear witness to others that Jesus is God, so we point to the Scriptures. Dr. John reminds us today from Hebrews that the deity of Jesus is more than an apologetic. It is the hope and comfort for us all in the midst of trial and persecutions. The post Jesus, God and Saviour first appeared on Back to the Bible Canada ..read more

It's the secret to learning the piano, running a marathon or having a successful marriage. It's called "endurance." One scale at a time, keep your legs moving and offer love and grace each day. Endurance means to keep consistent over the long haul. That applies to our spiritual walk as well. Dr. John offers three keys to endurance of our faith, by which we persevere into glory. The post Endurance first appeared on Back to the Bible Canada ..read more

Our culture suggests that sin is a small matter with minimal consequence. God doesn't agree. Today, Dr. John speaks of a warning from Hebrews that jars us. It is a message of hope, not because it makes sin small, but because the truth guides us on a path of life. The post Deliberate Sinning first appeared on Back to the Bible Canada ..read more

A hypocrite wears a mask. It's a mask that hides defaults and conforms to surrounding expectations. In playing a role, hypocrites live fragmented lives. In Jesus, believers can abandon their masks. The grace of forgiveness and His new life in us allows us to drop pretence and live authentically. We are free to draw near to Him, press on with confidence and experience genuine love in community. We become real. The post Living Genuinely first appeared on Back to the Bible Canada ..read more

Our obedience offers nothing to God. Rather, the commands of God are God’s blessing to us. God is not our employer, whom we serve by our obedience. Instead, God is our physician, who has given us commands to heal us of our hellish natures. The post Part 2: True vs. False Obedience first appeared on Back to the Bible Canada ..read more

If we can't be good, we try to appear good. We do and say the right things to mask our internal failures. But appearing good can never replace obedience. Nothing replaces our need to do the will of God. It's an impossible task for us. But Jesus always does the will of the Father. Through Him, our requirement for obedience is fulfilled. The post Obedience, Not Sacrifice first appeared on Back to the Bible Canada ..read more

It's our default to manage our lives. We try to control the direction and outcomes of our thoughts, words, and deeds. We even try to manage our sin problem by fixing it, balancing the bad with the good or trying to outrun our sin with a fresh start. Dr. John teaches that we can't manage our sins away. Even the sacrifices of Old Covenant could not solve the problem of sin. Only a perfect Saviour has the power to put an end to sin. The post The Sin Management Problem first appeared on Back to the Bible Canada ..read more

Obedience Is Hard! If you think that obeying God is easy, you have never tried it. Hebrews 5:7-8 says that Jesus Himself learned obedience by what He suffered and that… The post Part 1: How to Obey God first appeared on Back to the Bible Canada ..read more