According to the psalmist, one critical factor when it comes to forgiveness is confession. Confession is incredibly difficult because it means acknowledging accountability. Confession gives witness to responsibility. Confession means fessing...

In a study Bible I have on my desk, the title for this psalm is “The Joy of Forgiveness.” This title equates happiness and joy as the outcome of forgiveness, as...

God’s warning to Adam reminds me of all the times I would give my two sons a similar admonition. And as soon as I uttered, “Don’t do (fill in the blank),”...

In Mark, Jesus’ first act is an exorcism. In Luke, it’s a sermon back in his hometown of Nazareth. In John, it’s the miraculous and abundant sign of turning water into...

Paul’s understanding of sin equates it with death. He makes a direct comparison between the sin of Adam that separates and the obedience of Christ which reunites. Just as Adam’s sin...

When reading of the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, whether in Matthew or in the Gospel of Luke, it’s easy to conclude that since even Jesus was tempted, temptation must...

“This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” These are the words God says to confirm Jesus’ identity at his baptism in Matthew 3:17. After Jesus is...

One of the Hebrew words for sin is sometimes translated as “to miss the mark.” The word in Exodus 24:12 translated in the NRSVUE as instruction can also be a verb...

The phrase “cleverly devised myths” in verse 16 is provocative. It suggests that Peter is arguing that he didn’t just make up a story about the Transfiguration. But the phrase sophizo...

Many psalms are attributed to David, and even more reflect the experience of a king anointed by God. Psalm 1 sets up the “wheat and chaff” metaphor. Psalm 2 continues the...