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In John 8:1-11, we read the story of a woman caught in the act of adultery, and she was brought before Jesus teaching in the temple. The Pharisees said, "Teacher, Moses commanded us to stone such women. What do you say?" They were trying to trap him. If He said, "Let her go," he'd be ignoring the law of Moses. But if He said, "Stone her," he'd be going against Rome and that would get him in trouble with the Romans. Jesus responded by writing on the ground with his finger. When they continued to press Him, He stood up and said, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." Upon hearing this, the Pharisees left, and Jesus said, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And He said, "Neither do I condemn you. Now go and sin no more." This story is commonly used to say no one is without sin, therefore no one has any right to judge. But Je...

In Revelation 3, Jesus rebuked the church at Laodicea for becoming complacent in their faith. "I know your works," he said. "You are neither hot nor cold. So because you are lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth." Now, it's often interpreted that being hot is having passion for God and cold is against God. If you have no passion, then you're lukewarm. Therefore Jesus is saying, "Either be all in or all out. It's the ones in the middle that really make me sick" But how does that make sense? Jesus was not telling a church, "I'd have more respect for you if you were against me." Laodicea was abundant in riches, and the church benefited from the wealth of the city. It got to the point where they thought they didn't need anything from God. But Jesus said, "You are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked' (Revelation 3:17)." You have nothing apart from Christ. For all of Laodicea's luxuries, there...

Another mass murder in the news. Another disaster claiming many lives. The number of people killed grows every day. What would Jesus have said about such tragedies? Actually, He did address this in Luke 13:1-5. Some Galileans were murdered while they were sacrificing in the temple and their blood was mixed in with their sacrifices. Were they guilty of some terrible sin because this happened to them while they were worshiping? Jesus said, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them. Do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others in Jerusalem? No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." We live in a fallen world where people die: sometimes at the hands of lunatic psychopaths, sometimes in tragic accidents. Why do these...

In 1999, the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation, in an effort to resolve 500 years of conflict since the protestant reformation, signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification . The statement claimed that the two bodies "are now able to articulate a common understanding of our justification by God's grace through faith in Christ." A Methodist council later adopted the declaration in '06 , and a communion of reformed churches adopted it in 2017 . Many have pointed to this and other ecumenical partnerships and said, "See? The protestant reformation is over!" But is it really? Do those churches now submit to the primacy of the Pope? No, we're still supposed to be protesting! The Catholic church has not changed its position on justification. They have said that if a person believes in justification by faith alone, they are cursed to hell. If a person rejects the Pope's teaching, they're cursed. If they...