It is difficult for Americans to conceptualize or strongly to imagine a king and a kingdom, which then includes the King, Jesus Christ. The whole idea of a king smacks the American idea of freedom. The king would take control in a kingdom, which means an American person subjects himself to that king, something apparently in contradiction to freedom. To most Americans, freedom means you do what you want to do or choose to do. At this point, it would do well to consider that Americanism is...

The New Testament defines the church, not an abstract global entity, but a specific assembly that grounds a believer’s spiritual life. A biblical mandate for assembly warning against “the forsaking of the assembling of ourselves together” (Heb 10:25) establishes the physical gathering as the non-negotiable rhythm of the Christian life. Because the church is “the house of God, . . . the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim 3:15), it is the believer’s primary...

Misguided compassion that enables sin or ignores divine justice finds stern rebuke in scripture. The Bible urges believers to prioritize righteousness over unchecked feelings for others, lest mercy become a veil for complicity in wrongdoing. Consider the folly of repeatedly rescuing the unrepentant: “A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment: for if thou deliver him, yet thou must do it again” (Prov 19:19). Solomon here warns that sparing consequences only perpetuates harm, fostering...