John van Rij

We would all agree that something has gone wrong with the world. We don’t live in Genesis chapter 1 or 2. The Christian answer is found in Genesis 3: Humans rebelled against a good God, and the effects are still felt today.

How is it that the world is broken? Why is there conflict, pain and sadness? Genesis 3 answers that the first humans sinned against God. When we fail to understand that sin is bad and God is good, this can lead us to follow the same sinful path as Adam and Eve. John explains.

This week we started a new series in Genesis at chapter 1. This chapter sends the context for the rest of the bible, and history. John explains.

When we mess up, sinning against God, there is a temptation to hide our mistakes. Psalm 32 points us away from hiding in the dark towards forgiveness and blessing in acknowledging our failures and receiving grace from God.

In Romans, Paul has made it clear that being made right before God is an external thing that God does for us. The question may arise, does God do anything in us? Or do we remain unchanged. The answer is a resounding ‘yes’ the holy spirit enables gospel living. John explains.

When things in our lives don’t go according to plan, doubts can arise in our hearts. We can question many things, including whether Jesus can be trusted. At the start of this passage the disciples were fearful and confused and by the end they are blessing God. Their doubts were confronted by the resurrection. John […]

Even though we belong to Jesus, we often can feel a burden of condemnation. In Romans 8, Paul makes it clear that for those who are in Christ there is no condemnation. John explains.

It is common to assume that what we need to flourish is total freedom to do whatever we want. The reality is humans will always serve someone or something, and it is far better for us to serve God rather than sin. Peter looked at Romans 6:15-23 this morning.

While we rightly emphasize sin and our inability to save ourselves as Christians, sometimes we make the mistake of believing that sin is more powerful than God. We can live like we are alive to sin and dead to God. But in Romans 6, Paul makes it clear that the opposite is true for those […]

Who do you perceive God to be? How does he relate to us as sinful humans? Jesus tells this parable from Luke 15:1to challenge the conceptions that many have of who God is. John explains.