Reasons for Hope

Perhaps the most important question a person can ever ask is this: how can I know that I am right with God? The answer which the Apostle Paul gave surprises many people, particularly religious people. Writing to the Christians at Rome Paul introduced his answer with these words: ‘For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness which is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith”’(Romans 1:17).

In developing his argument Paul shows that both Jew and Gentile alike are “under sin” (Romans 3:9). For this reason all need the forgiveness which comes through Christ’s sacrifice for sins and which can be received simply by faith (3:22-24). Continue reading →

Regular readers of this column will recognise that we take seriously the emphasis found in scripture on God’s grace. We see in scripture that God offers people his forgiveness and salvation as a free gift. Those who trust in Christ “are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).

Someone may well ask: does it matter then what we do or how we live? If God is so generous and offers forgiveness so freely can we not do whatever we like? Surely he will forgive us all in the end anyway as this appears to be his nature. The French sceptic Voltaire put it this way: “God will forgive; that is his business”. The poet W.H. Auden wrote similarly: “I like committing crimes. God likes forgiving them. The world is admirably arranged.” Continue reading →

The two forlorn disciples of Jesus of Nazareth who walked from Jerusalem to Emmaus were shocked and dismayed that he had been crucified just days earlier.

As they walked along discussing these events, “Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognising him” (Luke 24:15,16). When the fellow traveller enquired as to their conversation they spoke of “Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed before God and all the people and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel” (vv 19-21). Reports had begun to emerge that somehow he was alive again, but they did not understand what this could mean. Continue reading →

“From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” – which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me”” (Matt 27: 45,46). These are among the very last words which Jesus uttered before his death. Recorded in the original Aramaic, this cry of dereliction takes us into the very heart of what took place unseen upon the cross.

All through his life Jesus had lived in perfect obedience to God and enjoyed an unbroken and unsullied relationship with his Father. At his baptism a voice came from heaven which said, “This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17). Jesus was “tempted in every way, just as we are, yet was without sin”. As “one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners” he “offered himself unblemished to God” (Hebrews 4:15; 7:26; 9:14). Continue reading →

Darwin Bell /Stock Photos

Many years ago I was walking near the Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park in London when I saw a man approaching from the distance. He was wearing a sandwich board, a large sign which bore these words: “I am a fool for Christ”. When the man passed I noticed that the back had an altogether different message. It posed the question: “Whose fool are you?”

Using such means to attempt to convey something of the Christian message may seem a bit strange or radical to some of us but this striking message was both biblical and thought provoking. We like to flatter ourselves that we are free agents, the masters of our fate, the captains of our souls, in complete control of our own lives. Continue reading →

Love stories have always been popular. Whether it is Jane Austin’s novels or the modern rom-com the timeless tale of two people meeting, falling in love and living happily ever after continues to entertain successive generations. The typical plot line of this particular genre may be slender and somewhat predictable, but that is beside the point. Usually the initial contact between the young man and woman is less than promising and the early stages of the relationship is often fraught with problems proving the truth of the age old adage that ‘the course of true love never did run smooth’. Eventually all difficulties are overcome and true love prevails. Reality is sometimes different! Continue reading →