John 3:16 is known as “the gospel in a nutshell.” Another quick reference is the Romans Road to Salvation:
A selection of Bible verses from the book of Romans that present the plan of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
[See Evangelism resources at FaithGateway.comp]
The Problem
Romans 3:23 (CEB)
All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory.
Romans 3:10 (CEV)
The Scriptures tell us, “No one is acceptable to God!”
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This is the two-hundred-eleventh lesson in author and pastor Mel Lawrenz’ How to Live the Bible series. If you know someone or a group who would like to follow along on this journey through Scripture, they can get more info and sign up to receive these essays via email here.
“A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”
Jeremiah 31:15; Matthew 2:18
On a dark day King Herod the Great ordered the killing of all male children two years and younger in Bethlehem in what has been called “The Massacre of the Innocents.”
In recent days we have mourned the violent death of 19 young children at an elementary school in Texas, and two teachers. It is a new massacre of innocents in a long string of school shootings.
By Max Lucado
Somewhere in your mind is a novel—your novel. Your novel about your future.
You envision a spouse or dear friend, kids, maybe grandkids. Your story includes good health, ample income, honest love, early retirement. We’ve all got a story we’re working on.
But just when we’re ready for the manuscript to be bound and published, God exercises editorial authority. He adds a character with a surprise pregnancy. He removes a character through a sudden tragedy.
How do you react when God edits your story? Fear or faith? Anger or trust? Do you turn away from God or turn toward him?
To help us choose the latter, God tells us stories. He packed the Bible full of personalities and profiles, all written so that you and I would know how to respond when our own stories take unexpected turns.
Are you struggling with guilt? Then meet Peter, the apostle who bailed on Jesus.
Facing an impossible challenge? So was a boy named David.
Have you exhausted your box of second chances? Then consider the plight of the woman found in the act of adultery.
For every person, Scripture has a story.
The beloved, century-old Bible study system Thompson® Chain-Reference® Bible (Zondervan, 2022) is now freshly updated and available—in print and digitally on Bible Gateway Plus—in the New International Version (NIV) modern English Bible translation. This is the first revised edition of the Thompson Chain-Reference Bible since Zondervan acquired the line from Kirkbride Bible Company in 2020.
[Read the New International Version (NIV) Bible translation on Bible Gateway]
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Bible maps provide dimensions to your Bible study that deepen your contextual understanding of how the geography in Scripture impact the people and their stories.
Viewing historical, high-resolution Olive Tree Bible Maps with your Bible Gateway Plus membership provide you with accurate biblical landscapes.
[Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, Latest Biblical Archaeology Research]
This is the two-hundred-tenth lesson in author and pastor Mel Lawrenz’ How to Live the Bible series. If you know someone or a group who would like to follow along on this journey through Scripture, they can get more info and sign up to receive these essays via email here.
“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following in their example of disobedience.” Hebrews 4:9-11
By Stephen Miller
You aren’t your bankruptcy or your divorce. You aren’t your broken friendships, your addictions, or your good ideas that didn’t quite pan out. You aren’t the five pounds you gained over the weekend or the gym membership you bought in January as a New Year’s resolution but still haven’t used. In fact, maybe it’s time to look yourself in the mirror right now, and say:
I’m not _____________________ [fill in the blank with your mistake].
I’m ________________ [insert your name here]!
Because that’s what’s true. To truly master the art of the epic fail, you have to practice reminding yourself that you aren’t your mistakes. You have to remind yourself who you truly are. Someone who is created fearfully and wonderfully in the image of a ridiculously awesome God who loves you. Completely unique. Completely wonderful.
And that’s great news. Because you’re going to fail! You’re going to mess up! And while that doesn’t mean you won’t have to deal with some consequences from those failures (sometimes even devastating ones), it does mean you can learn from them, grow, and come out on the other end better than where you were when you started. You can let them refine you!
“A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”
Jeremiah 31:15; Matthew 2:18
In a chilling part of the nativity story we read about Herod having all the male children under two years old killed in Bethlehem. Over the centuries the incident has been called “The Massacre of the Innocents.”
Today we mourn the violent death of 19 young children at an elementary school in Texas, and two teachers. It is a new massacre of innocents.
What does the Bible say about violence? Christians should have a deeper understanding of the roots of violence. Many people have acquiesced to the inevitability of violence, and just hope they never have to face it. They hope law enforcement can do a better job, they keep their fingers crossed that the next crazed shooter won’t be in their school or movie theater, they hope someone will figure out how to keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of criminals. But all that deals with violence at its tipping point, not at its source.
So what does the Bible say?
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