There are two very different ways Christians have told the story of how everything ends.In the first version, the one that’s especially popular in many modern Western churches, the tale begins with Jesus returning in glory. At last, everyone sees the truth and admits He is Lord. The next scene …

When Paul wrote to believers in Rome, he began chapter 8 with one of the most profound declarations in Scripture: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1) Paul begins Romans 8:1 with the word “Therefore,” signaling that his declaration is the logical …

Psalm 51:5 In the January 2006 article titled “What Is the Biblical Evidence for Original Sin?” on John Piper’s website, “desiringgod,” the article opens with the claim that “Psalm 51:5 states that we all come into the world as sinners.“ Psalm 51 is a penitential psalm expressing deep remorse and …

The rich variety of sacrifices described in the Torah reveals a far more beautiful and relational pattern — a way for humanity to draw near to God in gratitude, worship, restoration, and communion. Each category of sacrifice served a different purpose, and remarkably, each finds its ultimate fulfillment in the …

We live in a world where the sight of blood rarely brings comfort. In fact, it’s usually the opposite. News broadcasts spill it across our screens in stories of war and terrorism. Video games glorify it. Movies drench it across battlefields, back alleys, and broken bodies. Blood, in modern consciousness, …

When many Westerners hear the word “wrath,” they picture a storming deity with clenched fists, ready to smite. For centuries, this image has haunted pulpits and darkened the gospel. But the Hebrew Scriptures offer a very different vision—one far more tragic, far more loving, far more relational, and far more …

If you are a fundamentalist Protestant or a conservative Catholic, you have likely been taught that salvation means being saved from the Augustinian-Calvinist version of hell – a sadistic eternal torment in hellfire. However, the Bible consistently teaches that salvation is tangible, and that we are saved not from eternal …

“For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” (Leviticus 17:11) Life is in the Blood Some things in life are inseparable. You can’t …

Hellfire, or Eternal Conscious Torment (ECT) in theological terms, is the doctrine held by most Catholics and Protestants (who adopted it from the Catholics) that teaches most people in the world will be tormented in hell forever. Ironically, this doctrine creates a severe moral contradiction because for most people, it’s …

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) John 3:16 is one of the most quoted verses in the Bible, often used to support the doctrine of Eternal Conscious Torment …