Truth For Life Blog

Wallpaper: Invisible

TFL — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 04:59:59 GMT

“[God’s] invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.”
Romans 1:20

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Sermons on the Protestant Reformation

TFL — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 04:45:00 GMT

More than five hundred years ago, the Protestant Reformation called the church back to the authority of Scripture and the good news that sinners are justified by grace alone, through faith alone, and in Christ alone. Over the course of his pastoral ministry, Alistair Begg routinely took a Sunday adjacent to October 31—traditionally, the day when Martin Luther published his Ninety-Five Theses—to reflect on the Reformation’s legacy and relevance for today’s believers.

As we prepare again to observe this important day in church history, we invite you to revisit a selection of these Reformation Day sermons, which together remind us of the biblical truths the Reformers labored to recover and preserve—and of our responsibility to hold fast to those same truths and pass them faithfully to the generations that follow.

The Hinge of Salvation

The Reformation marked the rediscovery of the apostolic Gospel by a troubled monk, Martin Luther, who was seeking peace with God. In this message, Alistair Begg unpacks the biblical truth of justification by faith, which the Reformation retrieved, explaining why it is important, what it means, and how we receive it. This doctrine is the beating heart of the biblical message—God’s free offer of salvation in Jesus Christ to those who believe.

After Darkness, Light

Justification means to be declared right in the eyes of the law. But how can God justify those who are truly guilty? We must look to the cross of Jesus Christ, where God executed perfect judgment by punishing sin. The faultless Son bore the punishment that we deserve. Alistair Begg reminds us of the truth that spurred the Reformation: Justification is based on God’s work of counting our sins against Christ and crediting the righteousness of Christ to our account.

“Here I Stand”

The Reformation was both a revival and a theological revolution, and its core conviction remains vital for the church today. Commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, Alistair Begg explains that Martin Luther faced a crucial question that is common to all: How can undeserving sinners be pardoned by a holy God? The distinguishing feature of the Christian church is the proclamation of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. The doctrine of justification remains the doctrine upon which the church stands or falls.

Grace, Faith, Jesus

Burdened by his works-based religion, Martin Luther knew no peace until God’s Spirit revealed the Gospel’s message of grace. At his conversion, Luther acknowledged that salvation is not based on merit; rather, it comes by grace alone, through faith alone, and in Christ alone. In this sermon, Alistair Begg highlights the grace and love of God, who works to call sinners to Himself. Whether we are weighed down by failure or enslaved to pride, we can find forgiveness at the cross of Jesus.

Faith in Jesus

The Reformation marked a pivotal event in church history—namely, a return to the apostolic Gospel. In this message, Alistair Begg examines the good news of salvation as proclaimed in Romans 3: that a right standing with God is not something that we are called to produce but something which God has chosen to provide to us as a gift by faith in Jesus. Only the cross of Calvary can bring undeserving sinners into a living relationship with a holy God.

Reformation Day Reminders

How does a sinner get right with God? Some people may not acknowledge the gravity of the human condition and the inability of man to fix it. Others may strive to earn God’s favor as a result of following man-made rules and regulations. Alistair Begg helps us to understand that a right standing with God is not something we can produce ourselves but something that God in His grace has provided for us through His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Gospel Is the Power of God

In a culture increasingly interested in therapy over theology, the Bible alone is able to make us wise for salvation. In this message, Alistair Begg highlights the Gospel’s power to reveal God’s righteous character and activity. If believers are to boldly proclaim the good news of Jesus to a world that would shame us into silence, we must be convinced of this truth: the Gospel alone is the power of God to save men and women from eternal condemnation.

Historical Theology

Over five hundred years ago, Christianity was buried under layers of superstition, immorality, and biblical illiteracy—yet questions about life and death, knowledge and authority, and how sinful men and women could be made right with God remained. In this message, Alistair Begg recounts how the church of medieval Europe came to rediscover the Gospel message found in Jesus’ life and death. Through Martin Luther and others, the true significance and sufficiency of Christ’s death was recovered, bringing reform to the church and the promise of salvation to all who trust in Him.

Wallpaper: Along the Journey

TFL — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 05:00:00 GMT

“Let me tell you how you experience God: Read your Bible, and do what it says, and He’ll meet with you along the journey.”
—Alistair Begg

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Not Old, Not Young, Not Done: Following Jesus in Your 50s and 60s

TFL — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 04:45:02 GMT

People in their fifties and sixties make a lot of plans for the future—retirement, vacations, family time, and the needs of aging parents. But how often do we give the same attention to preparing spiritually for the years ahead?

In Not Old, Not Young, Not Done: Following Jesus in Your 50s and 60s, Christopher Ash writes that these years are a pivotal season in the Christian life. He explains that “this point in our lives is often a fork in the road of discipleship; it may lead to decades of exceptional fruitfulness or develop into sadly wasted years.”

Written with warmth and compassion, Not Old, Not Young, Not Done explores the challenges of getting older, offering practical biblical guidance on empty-nesting, retirement, managing finances, and caring for elderly parents.

More importantly, the book explains how these transitions create new and exciting opportunities to minister to friends and family, grow in faith, and steward this season well. It also addresses the painful emotions that may accompany this time of life, including regret and bitterness, and offers pastoral counsel for navigating these hardships.

Whether you’re in your fifties or sixties yourself or walking alongside someone who is, Not Old, Not Young, Not Done provides a timely reminder that some of your most fruitful years of following Christ may still be ahead of you. You’ll be inspired to pursue faithful service, deeper discipleship, and a more joyful anticipation of Christ’s return.

Request your copy of Not Old, Not Young, Not Done when you donate to Truth For Life today.

“What About My Sexual Feelings?”

TFL — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 04:29:59 GMT

When young people explore the question of relationships with the opposite sex, biblical wisdom sets a constraint on very strong desires. Amid a culture that says self-fulfillment is a moral duty, even when it comes to sexual urges, the question arises in the church: “What about my sexual feelings?”—with the implication that if the feelings are there, it is necessary to act on them.

Once, when she was a guest on a BBC talk show, the historical romance novelist Barbara Cartland commented on the racy content that filled the romance novels of a younger writer: “Listen, that isn’t love. Love is something quite different from what we’ve had. We’ve had sex, sex, sex. … There is nothing about love in this at all.” She was striking on a common-sense truth about attraction between men and women: Of course there is a physical, sexual dimension—but that is only one dimension. It cannot replace or displace the emotional, the intellectual, the volitional.

The whole issue of our sexuality has to be framed within the context that God, the Designer, has established.

Love, in other words, is much more than a drive, much more than a set of involuntary urges to act upon or instincts to heed. Love is not an irresistible force that acts upon us. The whole issue of our sexuality has to be framed within the context that God, the Designer, has established for it—that is marriage. Before carrying physical attraction to its end, we are to employ emotional connection, conscious decision, moral judgment, and, importantly, a volitional promise. The expression of sexual feelings within the right context brings men and women into all the benefits and blessings God intended for it. But to separate sex that from those other factors is to create a monstrosity.

Unfortunately, our culture has grown increasingly consumed with sex for its own sake—and when people think about relationships, they often think first of all in sexual terms. They do not treat the question of unifying heart and mind, body, and soul in an act of physical love as a goal toward which to build but as the place to start. They seek to consummate a relationship without ever asking, “Is this wise? Is this right?”

When someone asks, “What about my sexual feelings?” then, the answer, we might say, is “What about them?” Of course they’re important. No doubt they are quite strong. But they are far from the whole picture. And if we were to give as much attention to the context in which we’re supposed to give expression to those feelings, then the feelings would be all the greater and all the better.

This article was adapted from the “‘Lasting Love’ Radio Interview” by Alistair Begg.

Wallpaper: Pure Way

TFL — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 05:00:00 GMT

“How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not wander from your commandments!”
Psalm 119:9–10

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What Makes Our Work Worthwhile?

TFL — Wed, 07 Oct 2026 05:00:00 GMT

At the dawn of creation, in humanity’s earliest days, God gave us work to do: “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it” (Gen. 2:15). Although we now know the curse of toil (3:17–19), work itself is part of God’s good creative handiwork. He didn’t make us to sit around and do nothing.

Fundamentally, we recognize in the human psyche a desire to produce. It’s why workers work—why painters paint, scientists think, gardeners prune, and builders build. While those who reject the biblical narrative may think they can explain how human beings came to be, they can’t really explain why we are driven to work and create. The Bible tells us: God labored in creating, and He made us in His image, as His creative handiwork, to be creative like Him.

The New Testament is also clear about the good and godly nature of work. In Titus 3:14, Paul instructs the pastor of the church in Crete, “Let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.” This is a statement about not only good deeds but also productive work. It reveals what God intends for us in our labors.

Learning and Devoted Work

It’s easy to overlook that little verb “learn”: “Let our people learn to devote themselves…” If it is learned behavior, then we can say with confidence that, just as devotion to good and godly work isn’t entirely natural, neither is it a result of an emotional surge or an attempt to assuage feelings of guilt.

Some professing Christians appear to do everything on the basis of their glands. If they feel like praying, they pray. If they feel like reading, they read. If they don’t feel like going to work in the morning, they call in sick. They say to themselves, “I just didn’t feel like coming”—as if present emotions were the great touchstone for regulating our existence.

Perhaps even worse is when someone feels guilty about what they have done or failed to do, and then they think they can compensate with a little hard work. This is just as much a response to feelings, and it leads us astray from God’s intention.

By contrast, the Bible encourages us to “devote” ourselves “to good works.” This is devotion not in the sense of Olivia Newton-John in Grease—“hopelessly devoted to you,” such that “my head is saying, ‘Fool, forget him,’ my heart is saying, ‘Don't let go.’”¹ The verb to learn helps us clean that up. We must learn to be devoted just as we learned to brush our teeth, comb our hair, tie our shoes, and so on—not just when we feel like it but, in the words of the children’s song, even on “a cold and frosty morning.”² It is learned behavior that produces a dutiful response marked by devotion—in this case, to doing “good works.”

Purposeful Work

Godly work, however, is not only learned behavior; it is also purposeful behavior. The words “so as to” are a purpose clause, connecting the action to the reason for the action: “to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.”

Christians are, in other words, to earn through learned, disciplined action. This is at least part of the “good” Paul has in mind. As a result of their being able to earn, they will then be able to provide, not only for themselves but also for those who are in particular need. This is the absolute opposite attitude from entitlement. Rather than supposing that resources should come to us automatically, by right, it says that we work for them in order to give them to others.

We must learn to be devoted just as we learned to brush our teeth, comb our hair, tie our shoes, and so on.

Paul makes an even more striking statement of this reality in 1 Timothy 5:8: “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” Similarly, in 1 Thessalonians 4:11, he instructs his readers, “Aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.” Of course, provision can come in many forms, not just in the form of wages. Clearly, though, Paul understood and taught that one of the signs of a genuine work of grace in a person’s life is devotion to the kind of goodness that provides for oneself and one’s dependents—and beyond!

God is interested not only in our spiritual labors but also in our literal labors—in our honest work to earn a living and provide for our loved ones. In fact, He’s written it down in the Bible; that’s how concerned He is about it! So we ought not to despise honest work as “secular work.” It is what God has called us to do, for the purpose of serving our neighbor.

For God’s Glory

The routine labors of life are divine providences to us. They bring glory to God and set forward His purposes. Earlier generations sang with conviction about how “the trivial round, the common task will furnish all we ought to ask.”³ While God puts extraordinary callings on some lives, most believers don’t need to go anywhere else or do anything else if they will only do the honest work entrusted to them—and if they will do it to the glory of God and for the good of their neighbors. God is not keeping score based on some notion of worldly status. He is looking for servants who honor Him in the places where He has set them down.

This article was adapted from the sermon “Everyone Matters” by Alistair Begg.

John Farrar, “Hopelessly Devoted to You” (1978). ↩︎
“Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush.” ↩︎
John Keble, “New Every Morning Is the Love” (1827). ↩︎

Wallpaper: Temptation

TFL — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 05:00:00 GMT

“There is no period in the Christian life when we are exempt from temptation.”
—Alistair Begg

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What Book of the Bible Has Had the Most Influence on Alistair Begg?

TFL — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 05:00:04 GMT

Teaching in the UK in August

Dear Friend,

Warmest Christian greetings from the land of my birth. It is always heartening to hear from those of you who, having found your way to Scotland, return with happy recollections of time spent here. It was in Scotland that I heard the Gospel from Sunday school teachers and Bible class leaders under whose influence I trusted in Christ. When my family moved to England, those teachers presented me with a Bible. The verse inscribed in it was 2 Timothy 2:15 in the King James Version:

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

At that time as a fifteen-year-old boy, I understood what Paul’s word to Timothy meant but had no inkling of how important it would prove to be in my own life. When I am asked if I have a favorite book of the Bible, my usual answer is 2 Timothy. It has charted my course in pastoral ministry, and it was no surprise to me to learn that I make frequent reference to Paul’s letters to his protégé. I learned just recently the extent to which this is true: Since December of 1991, I’ve preached forty-two times from 1 Timothy and ninety-six times from 2 Timothy—a total of 138 sermons!

As he neared the end of his earthly pilgrimage, the apostle Paul urged Timothy to “be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” He had fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith, and he knew that it was imperative that Timothy guard the good deposit of the Gospel and entrust it to others who would pass it on. I suppose this forms the basis for the Basics Conference, which by the time you read this letter will have taken place in Southern California. We gather on these occasions to exhort and encourage one another to run the race marked out for us.

It is in keeping with this emphasis that we offer this month a verse-by-verse Bible study on (no surprise!) 2 Timothy and, along with that, a really helpful, practical, and encouraging book from our friend Christopher Ash. The title says it all—Not Old, Not Young, Not Done: Following Jesus in Your 50s and 60s. Of course, there is no need to wait until we are of that vintage, as what we are becoming in our early years is laying a foundation for the future.

During the last couple of months, it has been wonderfully encouraging to meet so many for whom Truth For Life is an important supplement to the steady diet they are receiving in their local churches. Be quick to thank your pastors who are preaching the Word “in season and out of season,” and undergird them with your prayers.

As aye with my love in the Lord Jesus,

Alistair

2 Timothy: Guarding the Truth: A Verse-By-Verse Bible Study from Alistair Begg

TFL — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 04:15:00 GMT

The apostle Paul wrote 2 Timothy during a time when believers faced growing pressure to compromise their faith. Many of his ministry partners had deserted him, and people who previously had claimed Christ were being deceived by false teachers and falling away.

Facing execution, Paul encouraged Timothy, his son in the faith, with a message that remains just as urgent for us today: How do Christians stand firm when following Christ is costly?

2 Timothy: Guarding the Truth, a new ESV verse-by-verse study from Truth For Life and Alistair Begg, takes readers through Paul’s final letter to learn what it means to guard the Gospel, rely on God’s Word in every situation, and entrust it to faithful believers who can then teach others.

Throughout this twelve-week study, you’ll explore:

the Gospel’s role in suffering
the sufficiency of Scripture
why sound doctrine is key to living a holy life
the urgency of passing on the truth to the next generation
what it means to finish the race well

Each lesson also contains thought-provoking questions and readings from Psalms and hymns to inspire worship.

2 Timothy: Guarding the Truth is designed to inspire encouragement and discussion in small groups or to be used by individuals to gain a deeper understanding of Paul’s message. Readers will finish the study better equipped to stand firm in God’s truth, boldly proclaim the Gospel, and encourage fellow believers to persevere in Christ.

Request your copy of the 2 Timothy: Guarding the Truth verse-by-verse Bible study today.

Soldier, Athlete, Farmer: Pictures of the Patient Pastor

TFL — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 05:00:00 GMT

While Jesus was masterful at sermon illustrations (in His case, often through parables), the apostle Paul wasn’t half bad either. In 2 Timothy 2:3–7, he uses a series of three illustrations to show his protégé, Timothy, what it means to be a pastor and a Gospel minister:

Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

By pointing out the devotion of the soldier, the discipline of the athlete, and the diligence of the farmer, Paul highlights three key aspects of Gospel ministry. In doing so, he urges Timothy, and anyone who has followed in Timothy’s footsteps, to patient, disciplined service to the Lord.

The Devotion of the Soldier

A good soldier in any army has to be willing to take his share of suffering and remain focused on the objective. Military service is not about attending parties in dress uniform. It is a matter of life and death, and it involves training, preparation, and readiness in keeping with those stakes.

Thus, as Paul reminds us, the soldier is not to be “entangled in civilian pursuits.” And as it is with the soldier, so it is with the pastor. It’s not that ministers of the Gospel are to cease being in the world (John 17:15). Rather, as we remain in the world, all of our goals and concerns must be subservient to the overarching goal of serving Christ. In other words, we are to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.”¹

Wartime metaphors have been out of style in pulpits for some time. Many of us would be hard-pressed to recall the last time we sang “Onward, Christian Soldiers” with our congregation. But let’s not be put off by the cultural moment! In invoking this image, Paul is not encouraging us to the violence of war but to the devotion of a good soldier to his or her commanding officer. One old children’s chorus puts it well:

The Lord has need of me;

His soldier I will be.
He gave Himself my life to win,
And so I mean to follow Him
And serve Him faithfully.
So although the fight be fierce and long,
I’ll carry on—He makes me strong.
And then one day His face I’ll see,
And oh, the joy when He says to me,
“Well done, my brave crusader!”²

The Gospel minister loves the Lord Jesus, and so he suffers for Him—not only from the assaults of the enemy but also through the diligence of faithful service.

The Discipline of the Athlete

Paul’s emphasis on “the rules” for the athlete points to the regulations involved in running a race. Athletes compete according to the rules, or else they face disqualification. A bad drug test will quickly strip away all the glory of a victory.

Some today teach the dangerous notion that once a person has discovered the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, any mention of rules is an intrusion into the freedom that is enjoyed in Christian living. This is woefully inconsistent with the biblical witness. We know that the Christian is not under the law as a way of justification and that Christ has fulfilled the law for us. At the same time, we know that in Christ, we are given a new ability to obey the law, and our new freedom is expressed in glad obedience to His commands—that is, freedom from sin and freedom to do what is right. As the Westminster Confession says, “The Spirit of Christ subdu[es] and enabl[es] the will of man to do that freely, and cheerfully, which the will of God, revealed in the law, requireth to be done.”³

Pastor and hymn writer George Matheson captured the counterintuitive nature of this reality in one of his verses:

Make me a captive, Lord,
And then I shall be free;
Force me to render up my sword,
And I shall conqueror be.
I sink in life’s alarms
When by myself I stand;
Imprison me within Your arms,
And strong shall be my hand.⁴

Pastors are to model this kind of obedience to the church. Paul had urged Timothy in another place to “set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12). The pastors whom Timothy raises up, too, are to be “above reproach” (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:6–7), committed to and consistent in the kind of godly behavior to which Christ calls every Christian. They are not to “profess to know God, but … deny him by their works” (Titus 1:16). Running the race with scorn for the regulations will ultimately bring disgrace.

The Diligence of the Farmer

Compared with the other two illustrations, farming carries little sense of drama. The daily routine of the farmer on arable soil is just plain old practical hard work. It is a picture of patient and diligent perseverance. It is, as William Carey described it, “plodding”: “I can plod. I can persevere in any definite pursuit.”⁵

Christian ministry is not a leap from one spectacular victory to another; it is a matter of faithfully getting up in the morning to plow the land and sow the seed in the expectant hope that God will make it grow (1 Cor. 3:7). This is a hard word for our instantaneous world. You may sit with a young man or woman early in the morning over coffee and read the Scriptures together, half asleep, and think little has been gained by it. Yet years later you may find that God has sprouted those seeds into Christian maturity.

But if it is a hard word, it should also be an encouraging one for pastors who feel their ministry is seemingly unfruitful. The seed planted today will take time to grow, and some seeds may not grow in our place or in our lifetime. Many of the greatest joys of faithful, plodding pastors will be posthumous joys—seeing that seeds planted in their time and place bore fruit for eternity.

This takes hard work. The gifted pastor should never add laziness or pride to his giftedness. Yet simple gifts exercised with humble diligence will produce more than we had imagined, if we remain faithful to do the work.

“Think Over What I Say”

Paul’s illustrations present us with an opportunity for reflection, with the promise of the Lord’s help—as Paul tells Timothy explicitly: “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” As we come to the Scriptures and don’t merely read them but think about them, meditating on them “day and night” (Ps. 1:2), we will find that God blesses the effort and gives understanding. In these three illustrations from Paul, there is wisdom that will sustain the pastor through difficult seasons of ministry—if we are willing to think about them, pray over them, and allow the Spirit to guide our responses and actions.

This article was adapted from the sermon “Proclaiming Boldly, Suffering Bravely” by Alistair Begg.

Matthew 6:33 (ESV). ↩︎
Cecil John Allen, “The Lord Hath Need of Me (High Barnet Crusaders’ Chorus)” (1934). ↩︎
The Westminster Confession of Faith 19.7. ↩︎
George Matheson, “Make Me a Captive, Lord” (1890). ↩︎
Quoted in Eustace Carey, Memoir of William Carey […] (Boston: Gould, Kendall and Lincoln, 1836), 417. ↩︎

Wallpaper: Glowing

TFL — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 05:00:00 GMT

“God loves to see the hearts of His people glowing toward Himself. ... Let us use texts of Scripture as fuel for our heart’s fire.”
—C. H. Spurgeon

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The Case for Trusting the Gospels

TFL — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 05:00:00 GMT

John Stott has said, “Nothing hinders evangelism … more than the widespread loss of confidence in the truth, relevance, and power of the Gospel.”¹ Even within the present framework of contemporary Christianity, there has been and continues to be an erosion of conviction as it relates to the exclusive claims of Jesus and, thus, the power of the Gospel.

Unbelief is not strictly a matter of facts. There is a strong moral and spiritual component, by which a lack of courage may draw Christians into the vortex of contemporary opinion, and a spiritual blindness may prevent men and women from ever being ready to listen. Yet the facts are on the Bible-believing Christian’s side, and they should give us confidence. If we neglect them, we neglect a powerful resource that God has provided.

In his first epistle, the apostle Peter writes that we are to be “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (3:15). One very basic line of argument that all Christians should be ready with is the evidence for the veracity of the Gospel accounts. The story about Jesus forms the backbone of Christian faith. It is also a frequent target of skeptics and critics. But contrary to popular assumptions, the evidence on the side of the Gospels is strong.

Eyewitness Accounts

In Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, we do not have a group of potential literary experts aiming to contribute complicated texts to theological journals. The key thing about the Gospel writers, as Donald Guthrie writes, is that “they themselves had experienced a remarkable transformation as a result of the stupendous events they related.”² They were ordinary men who had encountered the extraordinary power of Jesus and who determined, under the direction of God’s Holy Spirit, to write down the events as they had experienced them (or as they had heard them recounted by those who had) so that others might in turn come to believe in Jesus.

Each of the Gospels is based on eyewitness accounts. The Gospel of Luke is illustrative, because Luke is explicit that his Gospel—as well as the work of other unnamed writers—comes from the accounts of “those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word.” And it is on this basis that he set out to “write an orderly account” (Luke 1:1–3). Luke’s attention to historical details, too, challenges the claim that the Gospels are mythical or legendary works. (See, for example, 3:1–2.)

The Gospel writers were ordinary men who had encountered the extraordinary power of Jesus.

The most basic facts about Jesus are also confirmed by contemporary non-Christian historians. The Jewish historian Josephus describes Jesus as a miracle worker who was killed by Pontius Pilate and whom some witnessed risen from the dead.³ (Although the authenticity of this passage in Josephus is disputed, it may be partly authentic. Josephus also later mentions James as the brother of Jesus, which is in accordance with the biblical witness.)⁴ The Roman historian Tacitus affirmed that “Christus” had been killed by Pontius Pilate.⁵ Pliny the Younger wrote to the emperor Trajan about Christians who gathered to worship Christ as one would worship a god.⁶ Those touchpoints won’t prove to an unbeliever that Jesus is the living Christ, but they refute the prevalent idea that the story of Jesus is pure fiction.

Furthermore, the Gospel records appear within the lifetimes of people who saw and heard Jesus. (That’s not to mention 1 Corinthians 15:3–8, which provides a list of living eyewitnesses a mere twenty years after the resurrection.) The stories found in the Gospels were clearly circulating even before that. Thus, these accounts were falsifiable. As C. E. B. Cranfield writes, “Eyewitnesses, hostile as well as believing, survived through the period of oral tradition and their survival must have set limits to the community’s freedom to invent and embellish.”⁷

Relevant to this is the fact that the writers of the Gospels and their sources make much of Jesus, but they themselves don’t come across in the best light. Their own ministry and miracles are only barely touched upon (e.g., Luke 10:17), while their failures and blunders—not least of all their abandonment and denial of Jesus in the critical hour—seem to leap off the page. The most reasonable explanation for this presentation of themselves is that it’s simply the truth of what happened, and they all knew it.

The Manuscripts

One objection that is often leveled against the New Testament evidence is that the documents themselves have been altered—that we have copies of copies of copies of the Gospels, fixed up by corrupt churchmen along the way to serve their own interests.

In fact, the manuscript evidence for the Gospels is superlative. With regard to the textual transmission of the New Testament, John A. T. Robinson writes, “The wealth of manuscripts, and above all the narrow interval of time between the writing and the earliest extant copies, make it by far the best attested text of any ancient writing in the world.”⁸ For example, the earliest manuscript we have from Tacitus was written down in 850 AD in Germany, more than seven centuries after the death of the author. By contrast, the first complete New Testament, contained in the Codex Sinaiticus, is from the 300s AD, only three centuries after the death of Jesus, and closer still to the authors. And manuscripts for many individual New Testament books come from far earlier, including a fragment of the Gospel of John likely to be from the 100s AD.

The manuscript evidence for the Gospels is superlative.

Another objection that critics will often raise is that there are flagrant discrepancies between the many manuscripts of the New Testament texts. Apart from the incredible fact that there even are so many manuscripts, allowing us to catalogue discrepancies in the first place, we may also answer confidently that none of the existing differences between manuscripts is able to call into question the central doctrines of the Christian faith. They may make us question which word is the right one here or whether a passage ought really to be included there—and evangelical scholars do carefully study such questions—but they don’t leave us doubting the central assertion of the New Testament: that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, the Son of God, the Suffering Servant, the risen Christ, the returning King.

The Relevance and the Power

The Bible is nevertheless scrutinized more closely than any other ancient text. That is because of the claim it makes and the power with which it makes it. The Bible makes a claim not just about what happened or what someone wrote down two thousand years ago; it makes a claim on our very selves, calling us to repentance and obedience. And apart from making this claim, it has won the reverence of billions of people.

In other words, the reason you tend to find copies of Newsweek and Time at the grocery store calling the New Testament into question—but not Tacitus—is because the New Testament is profoundly relevant.

The Bible makes a claim not just about what happened or what someone wrote down two thousand years ago; it makes a claim on our very selves.

In the thoroughfares of life, in everyday interchange, if it comes up that you went to church and studied the Gospel of Mark, someone may say, “Well, why would you even waste your time on that?”

Tell them, “In the Gospel I discover that Jesus loves me.”

“Well,” they say, “that’s a lovely thought, in a lovely story. I’m sure that brings you comfort.”

Tell them, “It’s more than a thought! It’s more than a story! This is what I’m basing my whole life on—and I’m counting on the fact that this Bible is a trustworthy, reliable document. And there is evidence to show it.”

We need not feel embarrassed about what we believe. There’s no need for us to trudge along in blind faith. When we look, we will see that the Scriptures can stand up to our questions and give us confidence in the faith we confess. That ought to give us all the more reason to go out and proclaim it to others too!

This article was adapted from the sermon “The Beginning of the Gospel” by Alistair Begg.

John R. W. Stott, “The Biblical Basis of Evangelism,” in Let the Earth Hear His Voice, ed. J. D. Douglas (Minneapolis: World Wide, 1975), 69. ↩︎
Donald Guthrie, New Testament Introduction, 3rd ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1973), 14. ↩︎
Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, 18.3.3 §63. ↩︎
Josephus, 20.9.2 §200. ↩︎
Tacitus, Annals 15.44. ↩︎
Pliny, Letters 10.96. ↩︎
C. E. B. Cranfield, The Gospel According to Saint Mark: An Introduction and Commentary, Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1959), 17. ↩︎
John A. T. Robinson, Can We Trust the New Testament? (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), 36. ↩︎

Wallpaper: True Freedom

TFL — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 05:00:00 GMT

“True freedom is found in all of our Christian lives by obedience to what God has made absolutely clear in the Bible.”
—Alistair Begg

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Stand in Awe: How Reverence Transforms Our Worship and Our Lives

TFL — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 05:00:00 GMT

We don’t use the word reverence much anymore. For many, it suggests hushed voices, stern looks, or a list of rules about how to behave. Yet throughout Scripture, we’re called to worship God with reverence and wonder at His power, grace, and majesty. What does reverence actually look like, and how can our worship give God the glory He deserves?

Worship leader and singer/songwriter Laura Story explores this question in Stand in Awe: How Reverence Transforms Our Worship and Our Lives. As she explains, reverence is more than just respect; it begins with seeing God as He truly is.

Laura writes, “Reverence toward God is more than mere respect. It involves fundamental humility and self-forgetfulness—a sense that God is more important and greater than we are.”

Stand in Awe teaches that worship isn’t just about the songs we sing on Sunday morning; it’s a response to God’s character that shapes every aspect of our lives. Whether we’re having time alone with God, gathering at church, or serving others, we are to live with an attitude of humility that recognizes God’s greatness and authority.

Along the way, Laura helps readers recognize common misunderstandings about reverence and offers practical guidance for worship that keeps God—not ourselves—at the center.

Whether you’re leading worship, serving in the church, or desiring to glorify God more fully, Stand in Awe will help you cultivate a life of greater devotion and reverence for God and His Word.

Request your copy of Stand in Awe when you donate to Truth For Life.

Introducing Habakkuk: From “O Lord, How Long?” to “I Will Rejoice”

TFL — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 04:59:59 GMT

Among the twelve Minor Prophets in the Old Testament is the book of the prophet Habakkuk. His book is not “Minor” because it is unimportant; it is “Minor” because, as many modern readers will appreciate, it has only three brief chapters, which take about ten minutes to read—that is, if it doesn’t make you stop to think!

When it comes to obscure Old Testament books with funny names, we may be tempted to say the circumstances are so distant in time and space that they will have very little relevance to us. The truth, though, is that we are far closer than we realize when it comes to thinking about the moral and the spiritual conditions of the people of God as Habakkuk describes them. Few who have paid any attention to our modern world will not resonate with the prophet’s opening words:

O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,
and you will not hear?
Or cry to you “Violence!”
and you will not save?
Why do you make me see iniquity,
and why do you idly look at wrong?
Destruction and violence are before me;
strife and contention arise.
So the law is paralyzed,
and justice never goes forth.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
so justice goes forth perverted. (Hab. 1:2–4)

Those of us who are troubled by violence and injustice in the world today will do well to read the book of Habakkuk and consider how God answers the prophet and addresses his problem.

The Prophet

You won’t find anything about Habakkuk anywhere else in the Old Testament. All we know of him personally—which is not much—we derive from these three chapters. Of course, as with all true preaching, the significance of the prophet is to be found not in who he is but in what he says. His biography is subservient to his “burden” (Hab. 1:1 KJV)—that is, his “oracle” (ESV).

Despite our preoccupations in twenty-first-century America with personalities, the message is always more significant than the man. We know more about some biblical prophets than others, but even when we do know, we don’t know much. What we know for certain is that when God spoke through them, their words were powerful and true.

Habakkuk had witnessed the kingdom of Judah, ruled from Jerusalem by King David’s heirs, degenerate from its godly origins and embrace myriad evils. Its northern neighbor, the kingdom of Israel, had already followed the same path, and it was ultimately overrun by the Assyrian Empire; its people were deported, and its future was blotted out. Now, as Habakkuk preached, Assyria’s day in the sun had passed, and another Near Eastern empire had arisen to take its place.

Habakkuk’s Problem

The problem that Habakkuk addressed was the discrepancy between revelation and experience. How could he reconcile what he knew of the character and purpose of a good and powerful God with all the evil he saw around him? He asked, in effect, “How can it possibly be that You, O God, are good and powerful, and yet violence, moral ineptitude, and chaos confront us at every point?” Where is God in the face of a collapsing economy, diminishing productivity, food shortage, violence, social injustice, and a wholesale disregard for God’s law? (“Wow!” someone says. “Maybe this isn’t as far removed from where we live as I thought.”)

This wasn’t an external problem but an internal one. Habakkuk saw that it was those who were within God’s family who were causing the trouble. When God had called them out of Egypt and established them, He’d intended to make them “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex. 19:6). They were far, far away from living up to this ideal!

Given the bad things happening and God’s apparent inaction, Habakkuk asked, “Why do You make me look at injustice?” and “Why do You tolerate wrong?” These are questions that will be on the lips of every thoughtful believer today. “How long will this go on?” we ask. “And why is it that this good, moral, all-powerful God that we serve tolerates declension and moral rot among those who profess to be the followers of His Son?”

God’s Answer

God’s answer to Habakkuk was not what the prophet expected. God was not idly watching Judah descend into chaos. He was already at work, raising up the powerful and ruthless Babylonians to bring judgment upon His rebellious people (Hab. 1:5–11). The events that seemed to Habakkuk to be spinning out of control were actually unfolding under God’s sovereign hand.

That answer only raised another question: How could a holy God use a nation even more wicked than Judah to accomplish His purposes? Again, God assured Habakkuk that He remained in control. Babylon’s violence, injustice, and idolatry would not go unanswered. In time, the proud would fall, “the righteous” would “live by his faith” (Hab. 2:4), and “the earth” would “be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (v. 14).

Habakkuk received no promise that his circumstances would immediately improve. Instead, he received something better: a clearer vision of the God who ruled over His people and His world. And that changed his posture entirely. The prophet who began by crying impatiently, “How long?” ended by declaring that even if the crops failed and the fields produced no food, “yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation” (Hab. 3:18).

God’s Eternal Purpose

The history of Habakkuk’s era was under God’s control—and that is true in every age. The events of our world are all tied to God’s eternal purpose in relationship to His kingdom. If we will keep our gaze there—focused on the Gospel, focused on King Jesus—then all of our cares and cancers, our disappointments and failures, our heartaches and heartbreaks and confusions may be brought under the all-embracing security of God’s sovereign purpose.

God understands when, like Habakkuk, we cry out, “How long, and why?” And the answer of His Word is finally given to us expressly in Jesus and in the triumph of revelation. On a Monday morning in our morbid world, we can sing with the hymn writer,

God is still on the throne,
And He will remember His own;
Though trials may press us and burdens distress us,
He never will leave us alone.
God is still on the throne,
He never forsaketh His own;
His promise is true; He will not forget you;
God is still on the throne.¹

This article was adapted from the sermon “How Long and Why?” and the series A Study in Habakkuk by Alistair Begg.

Kittie Louise Suffield, “God Is Still on the Throne” (1929). ↩︎

Wallpaper: Steadfast Love

TFL — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 04:45:00 GMT

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end.”
Lamentations 3:22

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25 Years Later: Remembering 9/11

TFL — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 04:45:00 GMT

On September 11, 2001, the world watched in disbelief as a day of unimaginable tragedy unfolded. The terrorist attacks on the United States claimed thousands of lives, reshaped global events, and left a lasting mark on a generation. Twenty-five years later, the memories remain vivid, and the questions raised by that day continue to confront us: Where is God when evil strikes? How should we respond when our sense of security is shaken? And what hope is there in a world marked by suffering and uncertainty?

In the aftermath of 9/11, Alistair Begg turned to Scripture to consider these questions. Rather than offering easy answers, these messages point us to the unchanging character of God, the reality of sin and suffering, and the sure hope found in Jesus Christ.

As we mark the anniversary of 9/11, we are reminded that the fears and uncertainties exposed that day have not disappeared. The world remains a place of tragedy, loss, and unanswered questions. Yet the same God who was present in the midst of our grief then is present with us now. We invite you to revisit The Day That Changed the Modern World and consider the comfort and wisdom found in the unchanging truth of Scripture.

Wallpaper: Blessings

TFL — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 05:00:00 GMT

“When we receive Him, God the Father pours out all of the blessings and benefits of His fatherhood upon His adopted sons and daughters.”
—Alistair Begg

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What Jesus Wants from the Overachiever

TFL — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 04:59:59 GMT

Among the pitfalls of which Christians should be wary, surely one of the most prevalent in our day is the trap of a performance-driven life. For certain high achievers, contentment is hard to come by. Nothing is ever finished, done, or good enough—and it never will be. And while that sort of approach may lead to apparent success in academics, business, and so on, when we try to adopt it in the Christian life, we quickly make our faith little more than a long list of activities to do, lacking in life or spiritual health.

If we wish to have a vital faith, we need to think less in terms of achievement for Christ and more in terms of commitment to Christ. The story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38–42 is helpful in this regard, challenging those of us who are overachievers to sit down and rethink our priorities.

Looking at Martha

Martha was an achiever, and for good reasons. She was a woman of hospitality. She loved the Lord Jesus and “welcomed him into her house” (v. 38). What a wonderful service to be involved in! This story reveals, though, that there is a point where the blessing of service becomes a liability without the proper attitude.

Martha was, on the one hand, distracted: “Martha was distracted with much serving” (v. 40). It wasn’t necessarily that the task of serving Jesus was too much for her; it was that she made more of it than was warranted. She wanted to do something special for Jesus—and her commitment kept her from acting like her sister Mary, who “sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching” (v. 39).

At the same time, Martha was disgruntled. Seeing Mary at Jesus’ feet, she gave voice to her frustration, asking Jesus, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me” (v. 40). Many of us know this attitude in our own homes, where we’re not content simply to be busy at a task; we also need to find fault in someone less busy.

In endeavoring to serve her Master, Martha meant well. But she had got her priorities wrong—and her misguided zeal disturbed the harmony that should have been enjoyed between her, Mary, and the Lord Jesus.

Learning with Mary

While Martha busied herself with serving, Mary, we read, sat at the Lord’s feet. This should surprise us! Women typically did not sit at rabbis’ feet. But Jesus, the great rabbi, disregarded that convention and was perfectly happy to teach Mary.

When Jesus indicated He had something to impart to her, Mary turned from everything else. A purple passage from an old commentator is illuminating: “By her attentive hearing Mary helped to make the seat of Jesus a pulpit, her own humble place at his feet a pew, and the whole room a chapel in which the mercy of Jehovah was proclaimed.”

The spirit of the servant of Christ must always be a spirit that longs to hear the voice of Christ.

Mary was determined to listen to the Lord’s words. Every teacher knows that children can hear your voice without actually listening to what you’re saying. Mary was not that kind of student. She was listening to Jesus. The spirit of the servant of Christ must always be a spirit that longs to hear the voice of Christ. As He said of Himself as Shepherd, “The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice” (John 10:3–4). By her willingness to still herself and listen to Jesus’ voice, Mary evidenced the fact that she was a member of His flock, one of the sheep of His pasture.

Listening to Jesus

In light of these two sisters’ differing postures, the sensitivity of Jesus’ reply to Martha’s complaint is striking. Where Martha is frank and rude, Jesus does not respond in kind.

We can almost hear the sympathy with which Jesus addresses Martha as He speaks her name: “Martha, Martha…” “I know what you’re trying to do,” we might imagine Him saying. “And I know why you’re trying to do it. And Martha, I love you for it. I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you want to serve Me.” And yet He tells her, “You are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41–42). In other words: “Martha, you need to get your priorities straight.”

Jesus would later tell His disciples to “provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys” (Luke 12:33). Martha had laid intense value on her labors. Mary, on the other hand, had given her attention to something of everlasting value.

Martha had laid intense value on her labors. Mary, on the other hand, had given her attention to something of everlasting value.

Commenting on Martha’s busy effort, Charles Spurgeon writes, “A fly on St. Paul’s Cathedral might as well imagine that all the traffic at his feet was regulated by his presence, and would cease should he remove.”² When we adopt the overbusy posture of Martha, we can create the impression that the world would cease if we didn’t finish our checklist. We communicate, perhaps unwittingly, that we earn our value and God’s favor through activity when in fact, what Christ seeks for and from us is so much more: the total abandonment of ourselves to Him.

The story of Mary and Martha reminds us that a strong work ethic can be a great virtue—but at the end of the day, it has its limits. Today, as God’s children, instead of looking to our labors to justify us, may we make a priority of sitting at Jesus’ feet, under His Word, in simple, attentive devotion.

This article was adapted from the sermon “First Things First” by Alistair Begg.

R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Luke’s Gospel (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1946), 612. ↩︎
C. H. Spurgeon, “Martha and Mary,” The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit 16, no. 927, 235. ↩︎