Biblical Insight Today

What Bill Bright Taught Us About Suffering and God’s Favor. Years ago, H.B. London Jr. received a powerful letter from Vonette Bright, wife of the late Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ.  At the time, Dr. Bright’s health was rapidly declining. In the letter, Vonette shared a conversation she had with her husband.She asked him, “Why do you think you’re suffering? Why would God put you through this?”   Dr. Bright’s reply was immediate and profound: “I’m not suffering! It depends on the definition of suffering. Even grasping for breath for extended periods of time does not compare with what Christ went through during His trial and crucifixion.  He suffered six hours suffocating on the cross.  Think about Peter being crucified upside down,  Paul’s persecution and beheading, and the other disciples who were martyred—except John, who was exiled.  What I am going through is very minor. ”That perspective changes everything. Trouble Comes to Eve...

God’s Radical Forgiveness: What the Bible Really Says About Mercy Forgiveness sits at the very heart of the Christian faith. It is the beating core of the gospel. Yet it remains one of the most misunderstood truths in Scripture.Many people picture divine forgiveness as little more than a divine version of “I’m sorry” — a quick apology and everything’s fine.  Nothing could be further from the truth. God’s forgiveness is far more costly, more profound, and more transformative than any human pardon. It demanded the full satisfaction of His perfect holiness, the shedding of innocent blood, and the greatest rescue mission in history.The Bible unfolds this drama across 66 books and more than 4,000 years.  From the first pages of Genesis — where we see the birth of the universe, the birth of humanity, the entrance of sin, and the first promise of redemption — God has been writing a story of reconciliation. The Law That Reveals Our Need In the Torah (the first five books of the Bible)...

In John 3:16 (ESV) Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” It is only one sentence. And that sentence contains only twenty-four words. Yet that one sentence is packed with so much truth that we literally will not have time to fully unpack its contents, but I will try. From this one verse we can find at least seven truths (probably more) about the love of God. Let’s look at them now. 1. THE LOVE OF GOD IS UNCONDITIONAL.   For God so loved the world The Greek word for world (kosmos) is defined as “the ungodly multitude; the whole mass of men alienated from God, and therefore hostile to the cause of Christ.” This is the world that God loved. It doesn’t say that God loved all the good guys. Or that God loved all the Jews. Or that God love all the saints. It says, “For God so loved the world.” That God should love the world only heightens the mystery of this love. Were we t...