[Taken from the monthly Notes, May 2012]

I am sure that many who read this editorial have heard at least one person say something like this: “I don’t believe all that religious stuff about Jesus, I just live by his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount.” Really? If people realised the solemn danger of such a statement they would not be so quick to claim the Sermon on the Mount as their basis for life. To live perfectly according to the pattern given in the Sermon on the Mount is commendable; failure to live up to its demands, even in only one area, is condemnable. And, to date, no-one but Jesus has managed to reach such a high standard, and we can confidently say that before He comes again, no-one else ever will. So why does Jesus set forth such a high, impossible standard?

If we are honest…continue reading

[Taken from the Monthly Notes, April 2012]

For the most part, even the most vehement critics of Christianity are willing to accept that there was such a man as Jesus who lived in Judea and Galilee in the first century. Most will also accept that he was crucified by the Romans under Pontius Pilate. For them, this is quite safe to admit. After all, a dead person, even someone heralded as a saviour while alive, can be safely dismissed once dead. If the dead stay dead, then given enough time, resources and perseverance, history can always be re-written or conveniently re-interpreted as a myth. Or so they hope.

A Saviour who dies but lives again, is quite another story, particularly one who will never ever die again. Such a one is problematic, and not simply because it involves accepting the non-materialistic premise that death is not the end of all…continue reading

[Taken from the monthly “Notes” for March, 2012.]

1st Samuel spans the years from the end of the period of the Judges and ends with King David as an old man contemplating how his young son Solomon will take over the kingdom. That is about 100 years covered in just 30-40 pages. We read of Samuel who gives the book his name, though clearly someone else finishes the book, because he dies at Chapter 25! We learn a lot about King David, of course, and the other key person is Saul, the first king of the united kingdom. But why?

Well, for one thing it is interesting history. We deal with military coups, palace & political intrigues, immorality, and why we should not be too quick to assume that leaders are really godly just because they look godly. Just like today! But why did God cause this collection of stories to…continue reading