It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. These are some of the most powerful and important words of the New Testament. The Grace of God through Jesus Christ sets us free to live in fellowship with God and with others. If only it were that simple. The book of...
Fickle and Faithless Last week, we saw that in spite of Israel’s sin and stubbornness, God desires for them to know Him and return to Him. This week, we will begin the fourth cycle of sin, judgment, and restoration. Both Israel and Judah continue to break their...
Believing in Jesus for your salvation means you’re adopted by God and headed to heaven. But becoming a Christian won’t help you change and grow unless you’re cooperating with God’s Spirit in your life. You’re either moving forward or sliding backwards. Spiritual...
Acknowledge and Return Last week, we watched Gomer leave her husband, just as Israel has done to God. This week will be the third cycle of sin, judgment, and restoration. We will be like witnesses in a courtroom, as God has specific accusations to make against His...
Through faith alone in Christ alone we’re transformed from slaves to heirs—heirs of God! God places the believer into the body of Christ. And in that moment, we put on Christ. That’s a profound, new reality. The only alternative to a life without Christ is bondage to...
The Lovers and the Lover Last week, we were introduced to Hosea’s family and the beginning of first cycle of sin, judgement, and restoration. This week, we will complete the first cycle that began at the introduction to the study, and go through the second cycle of...
God has a covenant relationship with His people, and He always keeps His promises, no matter what our shortcomings may be. In fact, even our best efforts don't get us into right relationship with God. We only have right relationship with Him because of Jesus. The Law...
The Marriage The book of Hosea opens with a narrative, the very personal story of Hosea and his family. God gives Hosea an unsettling command. God asks Hosea to marry Gomer, a woman who will be unfaithful to him. This marriage will be a symbol of Israel’s...
Apocalyptic Literature focuses on the coming final judgment and salvation of the world at the end of history as we know it. It is both some of the most fascinating and the most confusing literature of the Bible. Extra care is needed when studying the Apocalyptic books...
The Epistles make up over two-thirds of the entire New Testament (21 of the 27 books) and were written by Paul, James, Peter, John, and Jude, with the majority being Paul’s. The value of the Epistles to the church cannot be overestimated. These books unpack and...
Four Books. That is all the information we have about the life of Jesus. Four books, 89 chapters, just under 65,000 words in the original language - that’s it. Yet these four books have done more to change the world than all other books combined. These four books tell...
A Prophet is someone who speaks the words of God for the people. In this sense, the words and activities of prophets are a far broader presence in the Bible than what is recorded in Prophetic literature. The words of prophets such as Melchizedek, Moses, Samuel,...
The term “Wisdom Literature” acts as a large umbrella covering a wide scope of writings found in the Bible. It includes prayers, songs, proverbs, stories, romance, philosophy and lament. Some of these works deal with great universal questions of meaning and purpose...
Over 40% of the Old Testament is made up of narrative – Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Job, Ezra, Nehemiah, Jeremiah, A Crooked Line Straight to Jesus Week-2 Old Testament...
The Bible is not one book, it is a collection of 66 books (63 if you consider that Samuel, Kings and Chronicles are not split in the Hebrew Bible). Sixty-six books written over the course of about 1500 years that tell one story – the story of God’s rescue of His...
Sometimes clarifying the gospel requires stern language. Confusion about the nature of salvation and walking with God is a serious matter. That’s why Paul addresses the Galatian Christians as “bewitched” and “foolish.” It’s like a spell was cast over them. Their...
As we continue our look at Galatians we find Paul and Peter in the midst of an awkward situation at the Antioch church supper. The way in which Paul addressed the situation will highlight not only the need for Jesus in our lives, but also the futility of rule keeping...
It’s not always easy to get Christians to agree on things. This is true even when it comes to how you get salvation. Many insist on adding works to faith. The early church faced this controversy head-on. The gospel that Paul preached was given to him directly from...
Grace leaves itself open to misunderstanding, even abuse. But God wants us to experience the life-changing power of His grace. Paul did. He experienced God’s grace when he embraced the gospel given to him by direct revelation from Jesus. Now this persecutor of...
The grace of God through Jesus and nothing else. That is the good news of our salvation. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are made right with God and set free from the slavery of sin and death. But good news is often hard to believe – it can sound too good...