The Pharisees grumble against Jesus for eating with sinners. Jesus responds with 3 parables which challenge their definition of repentance and their attitude towards repentant and unrepentant sinners.
Parable of the Prodigal Son
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Parable of the Good Samaritan
What do you do if you know that — left to yourself apart from the grace of God — you are unable to “go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37)?
Parable of the Wheat & Weeds
Since the Messiah was expected to establish his kingdom on earth and that would involve a moral cleansing, why isn’t Jesus judging Gentiles and evildoers? The Parable of the Wheat & the Tares explains why Jesus’ ministry is not meeting this expectation.
Parable of the Sower & the Seed
Since just what you would expect to happen in the Parable of the Sower & the Seed happens, this story must have sounded pointless to those who heard it without explanation. Why would Jesus tell it?
Understanding Parables
Parables are serious theology. But they are metaphorical theology. They teach through metaphor, simile, and dramatic action rather than through logic or reasoning, drawing us into the story.
Once a believer, always a believer?
Can I resist the working of God’s grace in my life to the point where I am no longer saved?
Do I choose God or does God choose me?
You may never have thought this question through. You may be inconsistent in how you live it out. But how you answer some basic theological questions makes a world of difference in daily life.
12 James 5:12-20 Physically ill or spiritually weak?
The main theme of James is that faith devoid of works is not real faith and won’t save anyone. The Reformers used the language: “we are justified by faith alone but not by a faith that is alone.” Faith that is alone is one devoid of works.
11 James 5:1-11 Worldliness and Riches
In 5:1-11, James begins the conclusion of the book which is a call to repentance. As he calls for repentance, he returns to his 2 main examples of the kind of change repentance should bring about in our lives. Our speech and they way we handle wealth.
10 James 4:7-17 Draw Near to God
Fights and quarrels among believers are symptoms of a deeper problem of leaning on earthly wisdom rather than seeking God’s wisdom.
09 James 3:13-4:6 The Cause of Strife
Operating with earthly wisdom comes easy and naturally to us. We have to seek God to gain godly wisdom. How, then, do we gain it?
08 James 3:1-12 Warnings to Teachers
Since Bible teachers presume to explain the word of God to others, James warns them to seriously consider the responsibility before seeking the job.
