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“We shall be like him.” — 1 John 3:2 Throughout this project, I have argued that Christians should take these words seriously. God truly intends to conform His children to the image of His Son. We will become like Christ. But what does that mean for where humanity is ultimately going? Before going further, I want to clarify what I mean by the title of this article. I am not suggesting that Christlikeness and Godlikeness are two separate destinations—as though we first become

In the previous article, I argued that becoming like Christ is not the end of humanity’s story. Christ is our model. He shows us what faithful humanity can look like. Scripture promises that we will be conformed to his image and that, when he appears, “we shall be like him” (1 John 3:2). But Christlikeness ultimately leads beyond itself. Paul prays that believers will be “filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19). Peter speaks of becoming “partakers of the divine

This section is not an attempt to tell the complete history of Christianity Two thousand years of Christian history across countless countries, cultures, churches, movements, and individuals could never be adequately summarized here. Instead, I am examining several specific questions that matter for this website. First, I want to acknowledge the extraordinary beauty in Christian history: Christians who cared for the sick and poor, fought injustice, translated Scripture,

How can we discern what is of the Holy Spirit and what comes from human sin, the flesh, or even spiritual evil—particularly when considering the complexity of Christian history? God’s Word is very helpful in answering this important question. Christian history contains extraordinary beauty. Christians have cared for the poor, served the sick, forgiven enemies, fought injustice, sacrificed their lives for others, and demonstrated remarkable courage and love. Christian hi

My Dad unrolls more tin foil, scrunching it up into a “flower” and artfully tying it on the black trash bag that was adorning me. He steps back and looks at his handiwork with pride. “You’re a princess!” he declares. My four-year-old sister grins at me. We are certain we look incredible in our trash bag dresses decked out with tin foil for decoration. We pose for pictures by the fireplace, eager to start "trick or treating" and get candy. ​ An hour later, tummy full of candy

Before examining some of the darkest parts of Christian history, I want to begin somewhere else. There is much beauty in Christian History. Across nearly two thousand years, Christians have fed hungry people, cared for abandoned children, tended the sick when others were afraid to approach them, established hospitals and shelters, educated children, visited prisoners, opposed slavery and racism, defended people being exploited, translated the Bible into the language of th

Dear reader, I have been studying Scripture from a young age. Beginning in 2022, however, I began reexamining the biblical text in a focused way around four questions: Who is God? What is God’s plan for the world? Who is Jesus? Who are Christians? The goal of this New Testament Study Bible is to examine what the New Testament says in answer to these questions. Because the Old Testament is also necessary to fully answer each question, I reference other parts of my blog throu

Black spots cloud my vision as I strive to make sense of my surroundings. An acute pain in my back keeps me from being able to think rationally. The last memory I have is laughing with my team members in the van as it slowed around a hairpin turn on our way down the mountain. Our summer mission team had been in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for the past three weeks doing volunteer work in orphanages, soup kitchens, slums, and churches. Now suddenly the van carrying half our team had

This article summarizes the cumulative answer to the question “Who is Jesus?” from my study of every book of the New Testament. Few questions are more important to Christianity than this one. Who is Jesus? The New Testament gives Jesus an extraordinary number of titles and roles. He is the Christ, Son of God, Son of Man, Lord, Savior, King, prophet, servant, mediator, High Priest, Lamb of God, image of God, head of the Church, judge, and much more. But after studying

Matthew Study Bible: click here Summary: Insights from Matthew Below is a brief summary of what I found in Matthew concerning each of my four questions. The full evidence and commentary are available in the Matthew Study Bible linked above. 1. Who is God? God is the one Yahweh, the God of Israel—the invisible Spirit and heavenly Father whom Jesus worships, prays to, obeys, and calls his God. God is the source of Jesus’ power, wisdom, and authority. Specifically, who is the Ho

“And this is going to be a glorious unfolding…” —from “Glorious Unfolding” by Steven Curtis Chapman What is God’s plan for the world? After studying this question throughout Scripture, I have come to believe the answer is far greater than I once imagined: God intends ultimately to save and fully restore every person. I did not grow up believing this. For most of my life, I believed that only some portion of humanity would finally be saved, while others would remain

The Black Church and the Civil Rights Movement Christian courage was also central to much of the American Civil Rights Movement. Again, this history contains painful contradictions. Many white churches defended segregation. Others tolerated it. Others remained silent. Martin Luther King Jr. knew this painfully well. But Christianity was also one of the primary spiritual languages through which Black Americans organized resistance to segregation. Black churches

After studying all 27 books of the New Testament, focusing on this specific question, one of the clearest conclusions I reached is that the destiny Scripture gives Christians is far greater than I had previously understood. Christians are not merely people who believe in Jesus and receive forgiveness. They are God’s children, Jesus’ brothers and sisters, members of his body, and people whom God is actively transforming into the image of Christ. Not every New Testament book

Before examining the biblical case for universal salvation, I want to begin with Christian history. Many Christians have been taught—explicitly or implicitly—that the belief that God will ultimately save and restore all people is a recent liberal departure from historic Christianity. It is not. Universal restoration was taught and defended by significant Christians in the early Church and was part of serious Christian theological discussion centuries before the modern period

Before presenting my biblical case concerning Jesus, I think it is important to begin with history. For many Christians, the belief that Jesus is God is not experienced merely as one interpretation of Scripture; it is closely connected with Christian orthodoxy itself and with nearly seventeen centuries of creedal tradition. That history deserves to be taken seriously. At the same time, the historical record is more complicated than the impression that Christians simply posses

Mark Study Bible: click here Below is a brief summary of what I found in Mark concerning each of my four questions. The full evidence and commentary are available in the Mark Study Bible linked above. Summary: Insights from Mark 1. Who is God? Mark gives an exceptionally clear answer: God is the one God whom Jesus loves, worships, obeys, prays to, represents, and calls his Father and his God. The clearest passage may be Mark 12:29–34. Jesus identifies the greatest commandment

This post summarizes the entire "Who Is God?" section of this website. The individual articles in this section examine the evidence in much greater depth. Here I want to give the larger picture for readers who would rather begin with one article. My conclusion is simple, even though the biblical argument behind it is extensive: There is one God: Yahweh. God is Father and Holy Spirit—Father and Mother—personally distinct, fully divine, eternally inseparable, and perfec

I was born into a Christian family with amazing parents. I became a Christian at five years old after my dad shared the gospel with me. Before addressing the question “Is Jesus God?”, I want to begin with something far more important: the gospel itself. Whatever conclusions I reach in this study, Jesus Christ is our Savior, Lord, Messiah, and King. The gospel—the “good news”—is the message through which God saves humanity from sin and death and reconciles us to Himself. T

“Never lose your joy,” my professor said, looking at me intently from the front of the classroom. It was the end of the second class I had taken related to applying for my college’s study abroad program, a program that focused on global development in the world’s poorest nations. I was so excited to be a part of the program and had been working through the needed requirements. And now, my professor, the head of this program, was encouraging me: in the midst of working with gl

Luke Study Bible: click here Below is a brief summary of what I found in Luke concerning each of my four questions. The full evidence and commentary are available in the Luke Study Bible linked above. Summary: Insight from Luke 1. Who is God? Luke most directly identifies God as the Lord God of Israel, the Most High, the Father, the Lord of heaven and earth, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the One whom Jesus himself worships, prays to, obeys, and depends upon. Mary