Why does God allow suffering? Here is one possible reason. In one of his letters the early Christian leader Paul gives a list of what he calls "fruit of the spirit": But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) What is a "fruit of …
Are you a child of God?
As any Christian will know, what God wants from human beings is that we become his children. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:18) So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. (Galatians 3:26) What does …
The resurrection of Jesus – Christianity’s foundation
The Christian faith stands or falls on the resurrection of Jesus. What do I mean by that? The Bible does not present the resurrection of Jesus as a fable intended to convey some profound moral truth, nor as a piece of folklore or mythology intended to explain the founding of Christianity. It presents it as …
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Life is a gift from God
As I write this, around 210,000 people have died worldwide as a result of the coronavirus. Many people find it difficult or impossible to believe that a loving God can exist when something like this happens. Why wouldn't he do something about it? As a Christian I see life as a gift from God. Today …
When life is darkest
When life is at its darkest it can be difficult to see any light ahead. At a time of personal crisis it can seem as if there is no way for things to get any better. Sometimes we find ourselves thinking we would give anything to get our lives back to where we were before. …
Coping with financial stress
We live at a time when many people are worried about their financial situation. Here in the UK the lockdown has been going on for almost a month and for most of us that has meant being unable to work. For some people it has meant no income at all. Currently there is no certainty …
Jesus – telling the truth
One thing that sets Jesus apart from other great historical figures is that he always told the truth. There were occasions when he refused to answer a question that was asked with malicious intent, but he was never deceitful. Think of some of the famous people in the world today: politicians, celebrities, sports stars, actors, …
Jesus – responsibility and priority
During the last three and a half years of his time on Earth, Jesus was given access to God's power to a greater extent than any other human being before him. He could heal sicknesses and injuries, disabilities and mental illnesses. He could produce enormous quantities of food from nothing. He could even raise dead …
Hope at Easter time
At a time when it may be difficult for many of us to find things to be positive or hopeful about, let us reflect on the events of the first Easter almost 2000 years ago. In chapter 1 of the letter Paul wrote to the Christians in and around the city of Ephesus, he expressed …
Why truth matters
At a time of uncertainty and danger such as this we look for information and guidance to come from those who are in a position to give it. We should listen to advice and restrictions from the medical experts in the NHS or the government for one simple reason: it could save lives. To ignore …
Nihilist to Christian 