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-Andrew Sveda | Monday, May 1, 2023
For my final column, I would like to share my favorite Bible verse: “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost” (1 Timothy 1:15 ESV). The eternal Son of God, “through” and “for” whom “all things were made
Andrew Sveda | Monday, April 17, 2023
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV). A Christian is fundamentally unique and is not just like everyone else. Nor is he, more or less, just like all other religious people but is instead radically set apart.
Andrew Sveda | Monday, April 3, 2023
“Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart” (Psalm 73:1 ESV). These opening words summarize the conclusion of Asaph’s struggle with “the prosperity of the wicked” (v. 3) amidst the sufferings of believers in this psalm. This struggle has been, felt by every believer in various degrees, and our response
Andrew Sveda | Tuesday, March 7, 2023
“Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:4 ESV). The hope and anticipation of Jesus’ Second Coming, the judgment, and the resurrection are central to the Christian faith and life. Indeed, this eager expectation
Andrew Sveda | Monday, February 20, 2023
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). After describing his thankfulness to God and his joy in the Philippians’ continuance in the gospel, Paul in this verse rejoices in their future, confident that God
Andrew Sveda | Monday, February 6, 2023
“Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law” (Romans 3:27-28 ESV). These words boldly attack man’s achievements, unveil the scandal of the
Andrew Sveda | Monday, January 23, 2023
“[M]y soul is bereft of peace;” the author of Lamentations writes. “I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, ‘My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the LORD’” (Lamentations 3:17-18). In these verses, the author is so discouraged that he is driven to the brink of utter despair. In such moments, the Christian life
Andrew Sveda | Tuesday, November 29, 2022
“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20 ESV). These last words of Jesus’ Great Commission have long been cherished by Christians. Why is this? What does this verse mean? Let us first look at the words themselves. The original audience, the “you,” is “the eleven disciples” (28:16), but the promise here
Andrew Sveda | Monday, November 14, 2022
The Sermon on the Mount is full of startling claims, many of which, for various reasons, we fail to appreciate. One such statement is this: God “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45 ESV). Jesus uses these words to show
Andrew Sveda | Monday, October 31, 2022
Paul’s most scathing words are found in Galatians, where he vigorously defends the doctrine of justification by faith. Why was this teaching so important to him? Let us look at a passage in Galatians 3: “For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone