Tag Archives: mercy

Two criminals and the Redeemer

Grace and Judgment Posted on by

What’s the worst day of your life? I’ll bet it doesn’t compare with hanging on a Roman cross. Countless criminals and political opponents ended their lives that way.

One innocent man died there and rose again. But he didn’t die alone. The Romans crucified two more convicts on that day.

Centuries of tradition identify them as two thieves. The Bible doesn’t record their crime. It does record their interactions with Jesus, the man in the middle.

They each responded to him in one of the only two possible ways. One was offended by him and turned away. The other turned to him in prayer.… Read the rest

Did God Command Genocide in Canaan?

Grace and Judgment Posted on by

A lot of atheists are deeply offended by the God they don’t believe exists.

He commanded Joshua and Israel to obliterate Canaanite civilization by killing every man woman and child within their promised boundaries. At least one has asked, “How is it possible to believe in a good God after reading the book of Joshua?”

Read the rest of the Bible!

God did not command Israel to commit genocide. He commanded Israel to execute capital punishment. Canaanite society finally disappeared from history at the hand of the expanding Babylonian empire centuries later.

More people died during those centuries because of Canaanite practices than Israel should have killed in a single generation.… Read the rest

Tough people in tough times: Paul’s thoughts in prison

Grace and Judgment Posted on by

Have you ever heard the slogan, “Tough times don’t last, but tough people do”? There’s a lot of truth in that. Unfortunately, if tough times last more than a day or two, it begins to feel like they’ll last forever.

Tough times can mean all kinds of things. The death of a loved one, the loss of a job, a relationship gone sour, and other bad events can trigger them. So can more ordinary stresses like loneliness or trouble paying bills, or being unable to make the kinds of changes in our lives we want to make. Eventually, all of us will go through a variety of different bad times.… Read the rest