When the Holy Spirit comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin because men do not believe in Jesus Christ; concerning righteousness because Christ is with the Holy Father in Heaven; concerning judgment because Satan and his demons and the powers of this world have been judged. Holy Spirit,... Continue Reading →
Creation’s Agent
Hebrews 1 refers to Christ as both the heir of all things and the originator of them. Paul, of course, makes the same point by saying all things were created by him and for him. Creation has its source in God. We must be careful in how we make that statement. There has been a... Continue Reading →
What’s the Problem?
Today's blog from Dr. Mohler has sparked my interest once again in suicide. No, I am not interested in attempting suicide; I am, rather, interested in how we view such behavior. Until the 20th Century, states had laws forbidding suicide and classifying suicide as a felony. In the 20th Century, we began including such "ludicrous" laws into... Continue Reading →
Faith
The writer of Hebrews draws a conclusion about Enoch. Enoch, you remember, was the obscure figure of Genesis 5. About him, we know very little, except that he was the father of Methuseleh. Yet, the writer of Hebrews draws the conclusion that Enoch was a genuine man of faith. The evidence which supports this conclusion... Continue Reading →
Stir Up to Love
It seems at first a little odd that the writer of Hebrews tells his readers to "stir one another to love and good deeds." All of chapter 10 prior to that is spent talking about sprinkled blood and clean consciences. It speaks of the confidence we can have in Christ our high priest to represent... Continue Reading →
Simple Morning Prayer
I just thought I would share with you the prayer which came into my heart to pray this morning; you may benefit from praying it as well. O, Father, I thank you for the life you are giving me and the work you are doing in our church. I pray this day that you will... Continue Reading →
Dobson’s Nod
There is a most remarkable article circulating this evening concerning James Dobson's pending endorsement of Mike Huckabee for president. Now, it isn't all that remarkable that Dobson--an evangelical--would endorse Huckabee--an evangelical. What is remarkable is the way this particular reporter reported the endorsement. I have posted an exact quote from the Yahoo on-line article in... Continue Reading →
Culture Shift
I just got a copy of Dr. Mohler's first book. He has written in other books and edited books, but this is his first published work. The way I understand it, the book is a plea for Christians to engage the culture. Dr. Mohler argues for Christians to engage the culture instead of (1) retreating... Continue Reading →
Falling Away
How do we explain the church roll phenomenon in America, where there are usually twice as many members as there are attendees at services week after week? The writer of Hebrews explains it quite simply: Many will fail to press on in the faith. Chapter 6 of Hebrews starts by imploring the Christians to press... Continue Reading →
Beset with Weakness
In chapter 5 of Hebrews we learn that the high priests serving in the temple are just like we are; they are beset with weakness, ignorant, and misguided. You might ask, then, how can such a person help us reach up to God. The answer is given that this person can help only if (a)... Continue Reading →
Hearing Comes by Faith
We know Paul says in Romans 10 that faith comes by hearing, specifically by hearing the gospel preached. The writer of Hebrews makes a related point by inverting this truth: Hearing comes by faith. In Chapter 3 of Hebrews, the writer says that there was a generation of our forefathers in the Old Testament who... Continue Reading →
Encouragement
Hebrews 3:13 says we must encourage one another day after day after day. The reason we encourage is to prevent hardness of heart. The deceitfulness of sin works like concrete; it won't get hard as long as it is being stirred, but when it sits still it hardens fast. The remedy is for each one... Continue Reading →
Have You Seen This?
What level will the murderous Islamic cowards of al Quada stoop in their lust for killing? According to this article, they have begun strapping bombs to mentally handicapped young women and detonating the bombs with a remote control device! Do we honestly understand the blood lust of these killers? We cannot say things like, "the... Continue Reading →
All Things Subjected
The writer of Hebrews is a radical to modern ears. He seems to think that every power on earth is subjected to the authority of Jesus Christ. He is quite clear on this point: He left nothing that is not subject to him. There is no evil and no good which are not equally subjected... Continue Reading →
Do You Want to Please God
Christians understand the hope of hearing, "Well done, my good and faithful servant. Come, enter into the joy of the kingdom." Christians want to please the Lord, and the writer of Hebrews tells us exactly how that is done. It is done ultimately through the blood of Christ, through his work as the great high... Continue Reading →
Gregory C. Cochran 