Faith is a characteristic that all Christians possess.  I know this because it is impossible to be a Christian without faith.  The Hebrews writer tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6), and there is no such thing as a Christian who does not please God. While we all have […]

A  large percentage of what makes us faithful children of God is mental or intellectual.  How we think determines how we act, and how we act, determines whether we are real Christians or impostors.  So, the question is, what kind of mind do you have?  Are you spiritually-minded or carnal-minded?  In Romans 8, Paul puts […]

The greatest characteristic a Christian can have is love.  It must be the proper kind of love.  Not a love that ignores error or refuses to stand for what is right, for that is not really love at all.  It is only a cheap imitation of it.  Proper love, however, is indispensable to our Christianity.  […]

If we want to have fellowship with God, we must be holy.  Remember, God is morally perfect and cannot tolerate any kind of sin.  John wrote about this in his first epistle. 1 John 1:5-6 (ESV) 5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and […]

One essential characteristic that all Christians must possess is steadfastness.  Once a person becomes a child of God and enters the race of Christianity, he must add steadfastness to his faith. 2 Peter 1:5–6 (ESV) 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and […]

Matthew 24:44 (ESV) 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. The appeal from Jesus to be ready is as important as any given in the Bible.  It is an exhortation to prepare our souls for His coming, something that has eternal […]

John 6:68 (ESV) 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, These words of Peter followed a mass exodus of disciples of Christ who became offended by what He was teaching.  Instead of apologizing for the truth that He taught, Jesus turned to the apostles […]

Romans 8:1 (ESV) 1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The word “now” in Romans 8:1 covers the whole of the dispensation of Christ.  In this final dispensation, sin can be overcome and salvation can be secured because Jesus has condemned sin in the flesh (8:4).  Now, for […]

Ephesians 4:26 (ESV) 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, Everyone gets angry sometimes.  The key is to get angry without sinning.  This great verse reminds us that anger in itself is not sinful.  When Jesus saw money changers in the temple area, it made […]

Romans 12:1 (ESV) 1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. This powerful verse is based on God’s overall plan for man.  Paul appeals to Christians to give their bodies to God.  Why? […]