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Understanding the Ultimate Ransom

...ut in the grace and power of God. The Psalmist’s message serves as a reminder to keep our eyes on Jesus, “the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Our lives are marked by gratitude and humility, recognising that what we could never achieve by our means, Christ accomplished on our behalf. In conclusion, Psalm 49 calls us to acknowledge the futility of trusting in wealth (or anything, really) for redemption. This truth finds its fulfilment in the New Testament revelation of Jesus Christ as our ransom from sin and death. Through His sacrifice, we are offered eternal life, free from corruption, a gift we receive through faith. Let us continually...

Before The Pumpkins: The Day Two Women Defied Rome

...ctory and grace in martyrdom, a few of the soldiers came to faith because of their example. The way they all faced death had a big impact on everyone watching. Perpetua and Felicity stood not in isolation, but among that great cloud of witnesses of which Hebrews speaks, those who “ran with perseverance the race set before them”. They remind us that courage is not the absence of fear, but the presence of faith. Their story crosses the centuries to speak to us still today with all relevance that no worldly power, no pain, no chain, can silence the voice that says, I am a Christian. Reflection You can’t read their story and not feel moved by it. Their sens...

God from God: The Eternal Son in the Crib

...s life by grace 2 Peter 1:4 puts it plainly: [we] may become participants in the divine nature. We do not become God by essence, but we share in God’s life through union with Christ. Athanasius argues this repeatedly: If Christ were a creature, He could not divinise us. A created being cannot bestow divine life. Only God can raise us into fellowship with God. Thus the Incarnation is not merely an example to imitate, but it is a mystery that transforms our very nature. Christ takes what is ours so He may give us what is His. Humanity is healed, raised, restored, and filled with divine life. Advent: When Eternal Wisdom Took Flesh...

What was so good about Good Friday?

...es of his grace that he lavished on us. Happy Easter everyone :)...

The Coming of Jesus: Coming on the clouds

...Coming on the clouds of heaven Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see ‘the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven’ with power and great glory. When people read Jesus saying that he will be "coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" in Matthew 24:30, it often taken to mean that he will be doing that literally as opposed to figuratively. Kinda like this, but on clouds.   Careful now, before you put on your heretic hunting hats and grab your pitchforks — let me explain why I say that Jesus wasn't telling his fol...

Raised in the Heavenlies!

...rist—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus   Romans 6:4Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. While these verses (and many others) make it clear that through baptism we die to our old selves and are raised anew in Christ, we must also understand that this prefigures our future resurrection when we finally “put on immortality”. Though we will eventually die physically in the body, we won't die at all because death is defeated and it...