Ask Pastor John

Jesus commands us to do our good deeds in secret, but he also commands us to let our good deeds shine before others. How can we do both?

God would be just to condemn us even if we only sinned for five seconds. The time it takes us to sin does not measure the gravity of the offense.

Seminary professors need to be more than competent exegetes, linguists, or theologians. They need to embody the pastoral office.

When one sinner repents, God and his angels rejoice in heaven. Does that mean that God’s happiness depends on ours?

All Scripture is profitable — not just the pages of the New Testament. But how should Christians read the Old Testament in light of Christ’s coming?

God has a special love for his adopted children, but that does not mean he has no love for those who reject him.

Can a non-Christian ever please God? If not, how should we understand the account of Cornelius in Acts 10?

When billboards, TV commercials, and even dolls tell women that beauty comes from tight, trim-cut clothing, how can we cultivate beauty in the heart?

What should a pastor do if he feels discouraged, defeated, and almost ready to quit? Pastor John gives a series of diagnostic questions.

Staying married is not first about staying in love. It’s about keeping a covenant that reflects Jesus’s own commitment to his bride — the church.

Deep study of Scripture yields deep payoffs, but many of us can’t engage in rigorous study every day. So how do we strike a proper balance?

We need to read large sections of Scripture and stop to meditate on short passages. Pastor John recommends a reading plan that allows you to do both.

Retirees, what a glorious exchange it would be to give up our golf game and bridge club for the mission field. But where should we start?

We can say with confidence God does not dwell in a geographic place we could go to in a spaceship. So what can we say about the location of heaven?

Why does Hebrews tell us that Jesus needed to “learn obedience” and “be made perfect” if the Bible also says he never sinned?

Christmas may fall short now, but one day our delight will be full — and it will go on increasing for all eternity. This is what Christmas is all about.

Every good gift we receive comes through the death of Christ. So every gift from God is an opportunity to enjoy God himself.

Jesus is one hundred percent God, one hundred percent man. This union of divinity and humanity may be mysterious, but it’s the only hope for sinners.

Let’s stay close to the heart of Christmas: God took on flesh that he might die to destroy our enemies, deliver us from sin, and give us eternal life.

The key to magnifying Christ in life and in death is to find him more precious and more satisfying than everything we lose in death.