Ask Pastor John

The Bible uses types to teach us about the single stream of redemptive history that culminates in Christ. But are types really any different than analogies?

Our sin can overwhelm us, leaving us depressed and feeling stripped of value. How do we face our sin honestly without falling into hopelessness?

A pastor can’t be an expert on every news trend, but he can help shape a biblical worldview in his people so they can wrestle with the issues on their own.

The Bible prescribes different roles for men and women, but are those roles just for the home and the church?

If telling someone to be happy doesn’t make them happy, then why does the Bible constantly command us to feel a certain way?

The five points tease out the differences between Calvinists and Arminians, but how can parents teach them to their kids simply and clearly?

The Bible presents a pattern for six-day labor. Whether we follow that same pattern today depends on what we mean by sabbath and how we define our work.

Every person experiences disordered desires. The only hope we have to align ourselves with God’s desires is to pursue God in his word through prayer, all in the context of a community of saints.

The identity Christ gives to us guards us from devastation when painful breakups happen. We are secure in Jesus no matter what.

We can all benefit from practical examples of applying Scripture, but what really drives us toward change is a fresh sight of God’s glory and our place in his world.

The New Testament clearly teaches that Christ should be preeminent in all things. So then why does Desiring God’s slogan not even name him?

Why does a naked man show up at Jesus’s arrest, and then flee the scene completely naked? Pastor John offers some hermeneutical principles for interpreting seemingly strange texts like this one.

The call to “pay it forward” may promote kindness and goodwill, but is it Christian?

Doubt can hijack our time in the word, turning our Bible reading into a battle, not a delight. Where can we turn when this discouragement bombards us?

God doesn’t just call his people to avoid sin. He wants us to run our race for righteousness by throwing off anything that holds us back from reaching him.

The most beautiful love is God’s love, which paid the highest price — the life of the Son — to give undeserving enemies the greatest happiness.

When it comes to yoga or anything else, don’t simply ask, “What’s wrong with this?” Ask the much fuller question, “Will this make me more Christlike?”

When we enter into the covenant of marriage, we inevitably bring baggage with us. But God gives grace for us to learn and grow and flourish together.

In a pluralistic, postmodern culture, the concept of sin can prove difficult to understand. Where should we begin in helping others understand this essential tenet of the faith?

“Temple” is a theme that runs throughout the entirety of the Scriptures. How do we trace it, and how does this thread help us understand the whole Bible?