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Dec 03
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The Best Christmas Article Ever

By Christmas, Grace, Salvation No Comments

If I were to ask you to name the best Christmas movies of all time, I am confident several titles would make the list: It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street,  A Christmas Carol,  A Christmas Story, How the Grinch Stole Christmas,  Home Alone, and Elf (no, Die Hard is NOT a Christmas movie).

No matter how many times you’ve watched these holiday films, chances are you will do it again this year, and every year, when Christmas rolls around. Box office hits like these become as much a part of our seasonal tradition as the music we listen to, the decorations we hang, or the food we enjoy.

Rarely, however, does a new movie come along that you instantly expect to enjoy from now on. Last Christmas, however, with the theatrical release of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, I knew immediately we would share it as a family every December. Based on the children’s book written by Barbara Robinson in 1972, the play tells the story of the Herdman children, the meanest kids in town, who took over the local Christmas pageant even though they had never heard the Nativity story.

Seeing the events surrounding Jesus’ birth through their inquisitive eyes offers a powerful reminder of what our favorite holiday is all about. Frankly, their fresh perspective is a needed experience for all Christians. Surprisingly, “the worst kids in the history of the world” have much to teach us as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. Their mere presence in the storyline reinforces the biblical truth that Christmas is a season for outcasts.

Don’t believe me? Even a cursory reading of Jesus’ genealogy reveals our categorical bias often identified as THOSE PEOPLE. I may fall short, we reason, but not like THOSE PEOPLE. I need salvation, but not as badly as THOSE PEOPLE. Church is for everybody, but THOSE PEOPLE would not be comfortable here. Yet, despite our internal prejudices, the family tree of our Lord is full of every kind of reject imaginable.

Consider the five women listed in our Savior’s lineage. For a society dominated by men, where the testimony of females was inadmissible in court, including these names was taboo. Amidst 39 recorded fathers, these five women stick out like thorns in a rose. Just as strange, though, are the female names omitted. Matriarchs like Sarah, Rebekah, and Leah are absent in exchange for Tamar (Matt. 1:3), Rahab (Matt. 1:5), Ruth (Matt. 1:5), Bathsheba (Matt. 1:6), and Mary (Matt. 1:16).

Four of these five women were Gentiles of the worst kind. Tamar and Rahab belonged to the forbidden Canaanites, a people known for their wickedness (Deut. 9:4-5). Ruth was a Moabite, a people descended from incestuous Lot (Gen. 19:30-38). Bathsheba was a Hittite by marriage to Uriah (2 Sam. 11:3). Jews viewed each of these groups as unclean by birth.

Even more remarkable is that three of these women were moral outcasts as well. Each experienced sexual liaisons that would have made Hollywood blush. Matthew hints at one such sordid affair by saying, “Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar (Matt. 1:3).” The statement hearkens back to the book of Genesis, where Tamar dressed as a prostitute in order to deceive Judah into fathering her child (Gen. 38).

Next, the record reveals that “Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab (Matt. 1:5).” We tend to be more familiar with Rahab because the New Testament heralds her as a hero of the faith (Heb. 11:31; James 2:25). In light of her later praise, it is easy to forget that what Tamar pretended to be, Rahab actually was—a prostitute.

Finally, the Bible’s curious way of referring to Bathsheba should not be lost on us. Matthew says bluntly, “David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah (Matt. 1:6).” With no effort to hide the uncomfortable truth, Scripture reminds us that Bathsheba was an adulterer.

But what is the point of all this dirty laundry? Simply, the invite list for the biblical Christmas party had a lot of unexpected guests. These were not people who felt comfortable in church. They were not family members you would be eager to tell others about. They were outcasts.

By the way, the more recognizable, respectable names on Matthew’s list were not all that impressive either. They, too, were outcasts. Two times he mentions King David (Matt. 1:1, 6). Yet, in addition to being an adulterer with Bathsheba, Israel’s most famous king was also a murderer who plotted to have the husband of his mistress killed (2 Sam. 11:1-27).

When Abraham’s name appears (Matt. 1:1-2) it conjures up images of Israel’s greatest patriarch. Nonetheless, a closer examination of Old Testament history exposes his devastating flaws. Twice Abraham denied his wife, Sarah, allowing Pharaoh to violate her (Gen. 12:10-20, 20:1-18). Worse still, he repeatedly doubted God’s promises throughout his life (Gen. 12-21).

Each name surveyed bears similar outcomes. Judah, the father of the messianic tribe, sold his brother Joseph into slavery (Matt. 1:3). Solomon, the wisest king who ever lived, surrounded himself with hundreds of wives (Matt. 1:7). Despite his reforms, Hezekiah felt morally superior (Matt. 1:9). Wicked kings like Abijah, Joram, Ahaz, Manasseh, Amon, and Jeconiah presided over the decline and demise of the nation.

Some lived as social outcasts because their sins were open and bare, while others functioned as secret outcasts because their transgressions were hidden beneath the surface. And the same is true for us.

We are all outcasts by nature. Christmas is a reminder that none are so bad that they cannot be saved, but none are so good that they need not be saved either. Jesus was born through sinners, for sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). Jesus’ family tree proves that God will accept those whom the world rejects if you abandon your sin and come to the Father through the Son. The Lord is willing to meet us in our failures, because that is where we need Him most.

Adam B. Dooley
December 3, 2025

Oct 22
Love0

Love in the First Degree

By Accountability, Christian Living, Faithfulness, Holiness, Love, Obedience, Priorities, Righteousness, Salvation No Comments

“Loving God and loving people is all that matters.”

Those were the words in an angry email I received the day after preaching a sermon about personal holiness. Intended as a less than subtle rebuke, the writer was eager to correct what he labeled as my “overemphasis on obedience.” Any directives about resisting temptation or regulating behavior were, he insisted, hateful and legalistic. Or, to put it differently, conforming to the standards of Scripture was an unnecessary distraction to the simple hermeneutic of loving God and loving others sincerely.

On the surface, the argument is convincing. After all, Jesus Himself identified the two greatest commandments as loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30) while also loving your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31). The problem, though, is a false dichotomy that fails to consider how we best exhibit genuine love for God.

The moment we substitute loving God for obeying God, we step outside the boundaries of our Savior’s intention for His people. Nowhere does the Bible teach that we simply love God rather than obey Him. Quite the contrary, the consistent witness of Scripture reveals that the greatest expression of our love is obedience. In fact, Jesus not only insisted that we love Him, but He also clarified how we can best do so. “If you love me,” He said, “you will keep my commandments (John 14:15).”

Concluding that since salvation is a gift of grace, we are free to live however we choose is both reckless and misleading. The Apostle John warns us that, because “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all, if we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth (1 John 1:5-6).” The analogy of darkness presents the deceptive waywardness of sin as antithetical to the light of a relationship with Jesus.

True believers refuse to misconstrue the grace of God as an excuse for remaining in their transgressions. No one was clearer on this point than the Apostle Paul, who asked rhetorically, “Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be (Rom. 6:1-2)!” Though we are born again by grace through faith apart from good works (Eph. 2:8-9), the goal of salvation is transformed lives characterized by radical change (Eph. 2:10). The seed of redemption is, without question, the grace of God revealed in the gospel of Jesus, but the fruit of salvation is obedience to and joy in the ways of God.

Perhaps an illustration will shed light on the marriage between our love for God and the actions He commands. Admittedly, no human relationship can completely mirror our connection to Christ, but let me share a story that comes close. Years ago, while dying of a crippling neurological disease, David Ireland came to grips with the reality that he would never hold, kiss, or play catch with the unborn child in his wife’s womb. In his book, Letters to an Unborn Child, Ireland desperately communicated his love for his future son or daughter.

In one of his letters to the child, David included the following description of his remarkable wife: “Your mother is very special. Few men know what it’s like to receive appreciation for taking their wives out to dinner when it entails what it does for us.”

“It means that she has to dress me, shave me, brush my teeth, comb my hair, wheel me out of the house and down the steps, open the garage and put me in the car, take the pedals off the chair, stand me up, sit me in the seat of the car, twist me around so that I’m comfortable, fold the wheelchair, put it in the car, go around to the other side of the car, start it up, back it out, get out of the car, pull the garage door down, get back into the car, and drive off to the restaurant.”

“And then, it starts all over again; she gets out of the car, unfolds the wheelchair, opens the door, spins me around, stands me up, seats me in the wheelchair, pushes the pedals out, closes and locks the car, wheels me into the restaurant, then takes the pedals off the wheelchair so I won’t be uncomfortable. We sit down to have dinner, and she feeds me throughout the entire meal. And when it’s over she pays the bill, pushes the wheelchair out to the car again, and reverses the same routine. And when it’s over—finished—with real warmth she’ll say, “Honey, thank you for taking me out to dinner.”  I never quite know how to answer.”

The point is that you will do anything for someone that you love. For Christians, that means obeying God is never a burden. Gratitude, rather than guilt, drives every believer to honor Christ in word and deed.

Good works may not be the cause of our relationship with the Almighty, but they are the consequence of it. Scripture describes faith in God that fails to produce life change as dead and worthless (James 2:14-26), even as it encourages us to look for deeds appropriate to repentance (Acts 26:20). Jesus Himself explained, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free (John 8:31-32).”

Openly celebrating or continually practicing sinful behavior is entirely contrary to saving faith, no matter how passionately we insist otherwise. Frankly, doing so is the opposite of loving our Savior.

Adam B. Dooley
October 22, 2025

Oct 07
Love0

Unexpected Birthday Blessings

By Aging, Birthdays, Christian Living, Eternity, Salvation No Comments

The older I get, the faster birthdays seem to come around. Admittedly, celebrations look much different as an adult than they did during my childhood, yet every trip around the sun is a gift worth commemorating. My life is full of people that I love, colleagues that I appreciate, a calling that invigorates me, and blessings borne out of walking with the Lord from an early age. Truly, God’s lines for me have fallen in pleasant places and His mercies overwhelm me (Ps. 16:6).

Though aging can bring with it some less appealing changes (Ecc. 12:1-8), the fruit of longevity also ushers numerous treasures that are typically foreign to youth. While I do not consider myself to be an old man, serving as a middle-aged pastor certainly feels different than when I began in my early twenties. With each passing birthday, God seems to drop new joys into my life.

For instance, the longer we live, the more wisdom we tend to acquire. Obviously, there are exceptions to this principle, but generally, the more mileage we have in the rearview mirror, the more equipped we are to judge our surroundings with insight and discernment (Job 20:29.) While young men tend to glory in their strength, and rightly so, gray hair is just as honorable later in life because of the wisdom that so frequently accompanies it (Prov. 20:29).

Biblical exhortations reinforce these expectations. God commands older men and women to model godly behavior for those who are younger precisely because aging helps Christ followers to mature (Titus 2:1-8). Good deeds, sound doctrine, reverence, dignity, and sensibility are the outcomes of Christian maturity. No wonder Scripture insists that we respect those who are older even when they stumble in the faith (1 Tim. 5:1-2). Granted, adding years does not guarantee spiritual growth (1 Cor. 3:1-3), but it should at least compel us to evaluate our progress in the Lord.

In addition, advancing in age should increase our awareness of and our need for God’s daily provisions and care (Ps. 71:9), furthering our opportunities to praise Him (Ps. 71:18). The promises surrounding eternity also become more precious as our conversation and thoughts turn toward our forever home (Phil. 3:20-21).

These contemplations are not morbid, though, because they bring with them a renewed awareness of each day’s value. By numbering our days, we learn wisdom and godliness with greater urgency (Ps. 90:12). Tucked away in the book of James we discover what I believe is the key to maximizing every day that God gives us. “You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow,” insists James. “You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away (James 4:14).” In other words, the only certainties in life are its unpredictability and its brevity.

The blindness of life gives us needed perspective. Living into old age helps us to realize how little we can control. Much of our daily reality is the opposite of what we anticipated in previous years. Our lives are full of many good days, for which we are thankful, but also many difficult days. We anticipate having children, but not miscarriages. We expect golden anniversaries, but not divorces. We look forward to milestones and accomplishments, but we never daydream about funerals. We hope for laughter, but we don’t foresee all the tears. But the blindness of life is valuable because it compels us to live each day to the fullest. Our ignorance about the future helps us to be more intentional about the present.

The brevity of life gives us clear priorities. Scripture compares our time on earth to a vapor that appears for just brief time. We are like the morning dew that is gone by noon. Like steam from a stove that disappears in an instant. One day you’re young; the next day you’re old. One day you start your first job; the next day you’re retiring. No matter how much we try, we cannot slow time down. If we aren’t careful, our best plans will slip away from us and never materialize.

Most of us fall victim to the lie that we have all the time in the world to turn our good intentions into reality. Thus, James 4:16 adds, “As it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.” Regarding our relationship with God, these deceptions can be devastating. We often comfort ourselves with time that we may not have.

So, what is the greatest birthday lesson of them all?

The time to know God, love God, and serve God is NOW. Any priorities we are putting off until later need to move up on our to-do list. Every single birthday is a gift that cannot be covered by wrapping paper or topped with candles. We should learn from the past without living in the past (Ecc. 7:10). We should devote each day to the Lord (James 4:15). And we should trust our unknown future to our eternal Savior (Job 23:13-14).

I am thankful for another year of life and all the lessons that arrived with it.

Adam B. Dooley
October 7, 2025l

Apr 18
Love0

The Easter Substitute

By Cross, Salvation No Comments

Did you know that the Valley of the Fallen, just outside Madrid, Spain, is home to the tallest cross in the world? The impressive structure stands a remarkable 492 feet tall and can exceed winds in excess of 100 miles per hour. The cross of Jesus, though, stands even higher, rising above the vain ambitions, petty concerns, and despicable sins of our material world. Rising above the politically correct winds of naturalism, humanism, and secularism, our Savior’s cross has yet to break under the misguided whims and carnal agendas of modernity.

One of the blessings surrounding this time of year is the opportunity to revisit the familiar stories of our faith in order to celebrate their significance anew. I find in my own life, no matter how many times I read the Easter narrative, some detail always resonates with me in a fresh, meaningful way. Focusing on the unique perspective of each biblical author unveils the divine agenda behind each of the New Testament’s four gospels.

This year, Mark’s recollection of Jesus’ final week has been particularly inspiring. In his effort to portray Jesus as the unexpected king, Mark repeatedly emphasizes the substitutionary nature of our Savior’s sacrificial work. By highlighting how alone Jesus was on the cross, we get a glimpse of the magnitude and meaning of His redemptive work.

For instance, substitute followers surrounded our Lord because His disciples all fled for their lives when Jesus needed them most (Mark 14:50). Despite His previous command to take up their crosses and follow Him (Mark 8:34), the presence of Simon of Cyrene carrying the cross of our Savior is dreadful reminder that our Savior was forsaken (Mark 15:21). Likewise, after their desperation for places of honor on Jesus’ right and left hand (Mark 10:35-40), two thieves on crosses of their own replace James and John as partakers of Christ’s bitter cup (Mark 15:27) .

The greater act of substitution, though, is found in the reality that Jesus took our place on the cross by becoming sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). Often referred to as substitutionary atonement, Mark recalls two incidents which reinforce the concept that Jesus became our scapegoat.

First, we see the glory of substitution in Pilate’s offer to set one prisoner free, resulting in the choice between Jesus and Barabbas (Mark 15:7-15). The name Barabbas means “son of a rabbi” or “son of the father.” Hidden in the oldest manuscripts of Matthew 27:16 is the revelation that this man’s first name was Jesus. In other words, his full name was Jesus Barabbas.

Thus, when standing before the crowd, Pilate was essentially asking them, “Which Jesus will you choose?” One was a known terrorist; the other was the King of a heavenly kingdom. One was a man without God; the other was God in human flesh. One was a taker of human life; the other was a giver of human life. When the crowd chooses Barabbas, a dramatic portrayal of substitution emerges.

The imprisoned one who was guilty is set free in order that he might live, while the free One who was innocent is imprisoned in order to die. Or, if you prefer, the One who was guilty of no sin took the place of the one who was guilty of great sin.

Sound familiar?

Simply put, Barabbas is a profound picture of you and me. By shedding His blood on the cross, Jesus absorbed the punishment we deserved. The theme of redemptive substitution runs throughout Scripture. “All of us like sheep have gone astray,” wrote the prophet Isaiah, “Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him (Isa. 53:6).” Similarly, the Apostle Peter later wrote, “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God . . . (1 Pet. 3:18).”

Second, Mark’s emphasis on the miracle of darkness from high noon until 3 p.m. also points to Jesus as our substitute (Mark 15:33). Just as the plague of darkness covered the land of Egypt when the first Passover lamb was sacrificed, now darkness again hovered over the earth as God’s final Passover Lamb bled and died. First century Jews rightly understood darkness as a sign of God’s judgment.

The prophet Amos predicted the moment as sign of Yahweh’s anger with His people (Amos 8:9). As the cursed One hung upon a tree, God the Father poured out His full wrath on His Son, consuming Him as a burnt offering for sin (Isa. 53:4-10). Wave upon wave of our sin fell upon the sacrificial Lamb who faced the judgment of God so that we would not need to. Though the brightness of angels lit up a dark sky at His birth, the darkness of God’s holy indignation dimmed the noon sun at Jesus’ death.

The whole scene reveals not only the ugliness of sin, but also the beauty of God’s mercy and grace. While conversations of sin sometimes grate on contemporary ears as old-fashioned and out of touch, we cannot understand the cross of our Savior without grasping why it was necessary in the first place. I am so grateful that God sent His only begotten Son to be our substitute.

Adam B. Dooley
April 18, 2025

Feb 18
Love0

What Is Winter Trying To Tell Us?

By Salvation, Sovereignty, Trials No Comments

“I am so ready for spring.”
“Do you think school will be canceled this week?”
“Maybe we will have one more chance to go sledding.”

Reactions like these are not uncommon during the winter months. In the span of 24 hours, I have heard all three comments, along with the accompanying lament and enthusiasm depending on the perspective. As I write this column, our area is bracing for what may be the second big snowstorm of the season. Most adults are anxious for warmer weather while our children are looking to score at least a few more days home from school due to snow.

But what if I told you that winter holds much greater significance than stoking daydreams of summer vacation or the playfulness of childhood? Surprisingly, the Bible teaches that every winter has a predictable message that we would be wise to heed. So, what can we learn from a wintery mix of snow and ice? What spiritual truths do cold feet and runny noses point to?

First, the predictability of winter reminds us that God is in control. The constancy of creation points back to the faithfulness and power of our Creator. An often overlooked promise in Scripture is the monotony of our seasons. After the worldwide flood in the days of Noah subsided, God promised to never destroy the earth the same way again (Gen. 9:11). Even before the covenant sign of a rainbow (Gen. 9:12-17), God insisted, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease (Gen. 8:22).”

In this sense, every season, including winter, points back to the faithfulness of God to keep His promise. Prerequisite to this understanding is the fact that the Lord not only controls the seasons, but that He also utilizes each to do His bidding.

A recent study leading our congregation through the narrative of Job reminded me again that the God of the Bible is not only bigger, but also more intentional than we often realize. The book’s poetic expressions communicate the literal strength of the Lord. During the winter months, He instructs the snow and rain to fall, creates ice with His breath, forces beasts into hibernation, and directs both northern and southern storms (Job 37:6-10). He stores the snow and hail for times of distress, war, and battle (Job 38:22-23). He gives birth to both ice and frost in order to imprison what is below (Job 28:29-30).

No wonder the psalmist marveled, “He sends forth His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly. He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes. He casts forth His ice as fragments; Who can stand before His cold? He sends forth His word and melts them; He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow (Psalm 147:15-28).” The severity of winter points back to the magnitude of our God.

Second, the beauty of winter reminds us of the purity God provides. Two times in Scripture the Bible compares the cleansing of God’s forgiveness to the flawless scenes of winter. Despite having sins that are like scarlet, God promises to make them as white as snow (Isa. 1:18). Likewise, King David’s longing for purity left him begging God to wash him so that He could be clean like snow (Psa. 51:7). Every falling snowflake and every white blanket that wraps the earth is a picture of grace, reminding us God’s forgiving embrace through His Son, Jesus Christ. Ours is a God who makes all things new as the old passes away (2 Cor. 5:17).

Finally, the burdens of winter remind us that our greatest trials are temporary. Despite the beauties of the cold season, the hardships it often brings make it an appropriate metaphor for the trials of life. Blistering temperatures, icy roads, and power outages leave us looking forward to the arrival of spring each year. The Song of Solomon celebrates the end of winter as an opportunity for a new beginning (Song Sol. 2:11-13). The subsiding of harsh weather reassures us that our difficulties will soon pass, hopefully bearing the fruit of endurance (James 1:2-4).

Though it seldom feels like it at the time, most of the adversities we face are only temporary inconveniences. The majority of our problems are not permanent experiences. Chances are, you WILL come out on the other side of whatever you are facing. Even the heaviest burdens that can sometimes last a lifetime are temporary against the backdrop of eternity (Rom. 8:18). Winter doesn’t last forever, and neither do our troubles.

Adam B. Dooley
February 18, 2025

Jan 06
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The Future is Sooner than You Think

By Christian Living, Faithfulness, Future, Salvation, Sanctification No Comments

“The older you get, the faster the time goes.”

Those were the words of my grandmother at the beginning of a new year when I was just a boy. While the speed of time doesn’t actually change as we age, I understand much better now what she meant. As we age, days and weeks blur together. Months and seasons seamlessly intertwine. The longer you live the more difficult it becomes to distinguish between years and decades.

As 2025 begins to unfold, two biblical lessons regarding time emerge that will help us navigate whatever is ahead. Tucked away in the book of James is a powerful verse that has guided me well over the years. The Bible simply says, “You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away (James 4:14).” In other words, the only certainties in life are its unpredictability and its brevity.

There is a Blindness to Life

None of us know what the future holds. In 1958 a new house was just $12,000; a new car was $2155; a movie ticket was $1; a stamp was 4 cents; and a gallon of gas was just 24 cents. For those of you who lived back then, did you ever imagine life would be like it is today? Frankly, sometimes it feels like there is no rhyme or reason to what unfolds on a daily basis. Life is full of many good days, for which we are thankful, but the years bring many hard days, too.

We anticipate having children, but not miscarriages. We expect golden anniversaries, but not divorces. We look forward to milestones and accomplishments, but we never daydream about funerals. We hope for laughter, but we don’t foresee all the tears. Intrinsic to James’ instruction is the need to live every day to the fullest. Simply put, if you’re always waiting for tomorrow, you might be terribly disappointed when it arrives.

There is a Brevity to Life

Even worse, though, than the uncertainty of life is its brevity. The Scripture compares our time on earth to a vapor that appears for just brief time. We are like the morning dew that is gone by noon. Like steam from a stove that disappears in an instant. One day you’re young, the next day you’re old. One day you start your first job, the next day you’re retiring. No matter how much we try, we cannot slow time down.

If we aren’t careful, our best plans will slip away from us and never materialize. Most of us fall victim to the lie that we have all the time in the world to turn our good intentions into reality. Thus, James 4:16 adds, “As it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.” Regarding our relationship with God, these deceptions can be devastating. We often comfort ourselves with time we may not have.

I’ll get serious about my walk with God—tomorrow.

I’ll read my Bible and pray more—tomorrow.

I’ll share my faith with my friend—tomorrow.

I’ll take my church membership more seriously—tomorrow.

I’ll serve my community more—tomorrow.

Unfortunately, as the old song says, far too often tomorrow never comes. Every second, 3 people die. Every minute, 180 people die. Every hour, 11,000 people die. Every day, 260,000 people die. Every year, 95 million people die. Most of these people had one thing in common—they never thought it would happen to them. Even as you read these words, you might be thinking, “You tell THEM, pastor!”

What is the lesson here for all of us?

The time to know God, love God, and serve God is NOW. Any priorities we are putting off until later need to move up on our to-do list. And if I may, can I tell you what God wants most from you? Scripture admonishes us that today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). And what does this mean? Today is the day to call on the name of the Lord and be saved (Rom. 10:13).

Saved from what, you ask? In a word—sin. Romans 3:23 declares, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and Romans 6:23 explains, “the wages of sin is death.” So, today is the day to look upon Christ who died on the cross and was raised from the dead in order to take our sins away. In fact, Romans 10:9 celebrates, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Why not give your life to Jesus, today?

Adam B. Dooley
January 6, 2025

Dec 18
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The Price Tag of Christmas

By Christmas, Cross, Grace, Incarnation, Salvation, Sin No Comments

Each year, the National Retail Federation predicts the spending patterns of Americans during the holidays. As 2024 winds down, Christmas expenditures are ahead of last year, with an anticipated total of $989 billion nationwide. The typical shopper will spend $641 on family or friends and an additional $261 on seasonal items like wrapping paper and decorations. Interestingly, 57% of consumers plan to buy something for themselves this Christmas.

Since most don’t budget for these additional financial strains, many of us will not know exactly how much we spent on Christmas until that first credit card statement arrives in January. Through finance charges and late fees, the Ghost of Christmas Past often keeps our celebrations alive well past the New Year. One in five Americans will live with the ghoulish reminder of overindulged shopping and impulse purchases until Independence Day of next year!

These observations notwithstanding, I want to suggest that no matter how much our festive indulgences cost us, the real price tag for Christmas is astronomically higher. No amount of spending can begin to compare to the great sacrifice the Lord Jesus made because of His first coming. From beginning to end, His mission to seek and to save the lost was costly in every conceivable way.

Though we herald the birth of the newborn King, Jesus’ incarnational arrival was an incredible step down from His eternal home. Taking on human flesh veiled the glory that Jesus had with the Father before the world was (John 17.5). As Mary held the Lord in her arms, the omnipotent One was too weak to raise His head; the omniscient One could not form a single sentence; and the omnipresent One resided as a tiny baby boy within time and space.

Added to all of this was the sobering reality that Jesus’ birth was one unto death. The miracle of Christmas was not merely that Jesus was born to live among us, but that He was born to die for us. As inspiring as the manger is, the real wonder this season is in the mission the manger represents. Jesus left His home in heaven in order to long for home on a cross as He died for sinners like you and me. The salvation which is free to all who will believe was the most costly gift in human history.

And what was the price Jesus had to pay? The Scripture simply says the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). Biblically, death is both a physical and spiritual reality. Because all people are sinners, all of us will physically die one day. Those who are outside of Jesus Christ, however, will face a second death that is spiritual in nature. Though the reality of hell has become uncouth to some, the saving purpose of Christmas is tied directly to God’s effort to rescue the lost from perishing (Luke 19:10).

Thus, the same Jesus covered in swaddling clothes under a Bethlehem sky would later be wrapped in similar burial rags after dying on a cross. Recording his final hours before death, the gospel of Matthew offers clues about the tremendous expense of providing salvation. For three hours, from high noon to 3 p.m., darkness fell upon the land while Jesus hung in agony (Matt. 27:45) as a picture of mourning (Amos 8:9-10). During those painful moments, Jesus received the punishment we deserved as He became sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). No wonder Jesus described hell as a place of outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 8:12).

Even worse, however, was the relational separation from His Father that Jesus faced. In anguish, He lamented, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me (Matt. 27:46)?” The God who is light, and in whom there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5) cannot tolerate sin of any kind. As Jesus became the curse for us (Gal. 3:13) and the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:10), God the Father was pleased to crush Him on our behalf (Isa. 53:10). Remarkably, the One in whom the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form (Col. 2:9) drank deeply from the wrath of God for those He came to save.

Admittedly, these reminders are not pleasant. In fact, the efforts of many to minimize the true meaning of Christmas may be nothing more than a refusal to own the universal wickedness of humanity. Yet, the sobering price tag of our favorite holiday reveals the glory of our Savior. Despite the tremendous cost, Jesus paid it all. Because of Him, salvation is possible for any person who will call upon His name in repentance and faith. So, as we remember who He is this Christmas, let’s celebrate why He came.

Adam B. Dooley
December 18, 2024

Dec 12
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History’s Greatest Gift

By Christmas, Incarnation, Salvation, Virgin Birth No Comments

A century ago, the famed Christian apologist G.K. Chesterton lamented, “The world will never starve for want of wonders, but only for want of wonder.” Indeed. Astonishing realities, even miracles, are all around us, but our recognition of and appreciation for the admirable is often lacking. Such is the case with the familiar details of Christmas.

Approaching the nativity of the Christ Child often evokes little more than a yawn as we apathetically admit that this is the reason for the season. Limited by the pressures that we sometimes feel this time of year, the extent of our celebratory wonder is usually tied to contemplating how much food it will take to feed the family or how many gifts we really need to buy. Children are busy wondering how Santa can visit every house in a single night; how he can eat so many cookies without getting sick; and how he enters homes without chimneys. Many young people find Arthur Christmas, Elf, or Tim Allen’s version of St. Nick more captivating than the Son of God who made a manger His home.

Yet, the biblical record of the first Christmas lauds history’s greatest gift, which came in the most miraculous way possible. God not only gave His only begotten Son, but He did so through the remarkable means of a virgin’s womb. Some will gloss over the particulars of Jesus’ birth as if they are unimportant. Others will dismiss the notion of virgin birth outright due to its supernatural element. Faithful Christians, however, understand that the virgin birth of Jesus is essential for salvation.

Interestingly, the Bible offers little defense of the virgin birth, simply stating it as a fact instead. The Old Testament prophets repeatedly predicted the coming Messiah’s miraculous birth (Isa. 7:14; Jer. 31:22) while the New Testament authors consistently proclaimed its reality. Matthew simply reports that Mary was with child by the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:18) before also recording Joseph’s dream where an angel of God affirmed the same (Matt. 1:20). Luke shares the birth announcement Mary received (Luke 1:31-33) as well as her confusion due to her virginity and the angel’s resulting explanation (Luke 1:34-35).

At this point some are quick to dismiss the narrative as superstitious myth. Even those who celebrate Christmas sometimes doubt the historicity of these highlights. Though our modern skepticism is disturbing, it is not all that surprising. The first critics of this account were the most religious people during Jesus’ day. The Pharisees chided the Lord, “Where is your Father? (John 8:19).” The inquiry was less about geographical curiosity and more about accusatory antagonism. Lest we doubt their cynicism, they later boasted, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God (John 8:41).”

Admittedly, different words (Hebrew and Greek alike) appear and translate as virgin in the Bible. While writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, though, Matthew chose the Greek, parthenos, which in every circumstance refers to a virgin girl (Matt. 1:23). Even those who disagree with the conclusion should not dismiss the clarity with which Scripture establishes the supernatural nature of Jesus’ birth.
But why does all this matter? Simply put, Christianity crumbles if Jesus Christ was not born of a virgin in Bethlehem. But why? Let me suggest three clear reasons.

Apart from the virgin birth, the Scriptures would be inaccurate. If you cannot take at face value what the Bible so plainly states about Jesus’ birth, why would you have confidence in what it says about His death and resurrection? Rejecting this central doctrine undermines everything else the Bible says. The moment you begin picking and choosing which parts of the Word are reliable, the entire witness of Scripture unravels.

Apart from the virgin birth, our Savior is imperfect. Think about the alternative to the biblical narrative. If Jesus was not virgin born, He was an illegitimate son born to an immoral, promiscuous woman. Furthermore, if Jesus had an earthly father, He was born under the curse of sin like every descendant of Adam (Rom. 5:12). Practically, He would have needed a Savior like the rest of us. If He was not born of God at the cradle He would have been defeated by Satan at the cross. If Jesus was unworthy as a sacrifice for our sins, we remain dead in our trespasses (Eph. 2:1).

Apart from the virgin birth, our salvation is impossible. As far back as the book of Genesis, the Bible prophesied a Messiah who would overcome the Fall, rescue us from our sins, and crush the head of the serpent by way of a virgin’s womb (Gen. 3:15). There, the emphasis on the “seed of the woman” should not be lost on us. In a book that emphasized the fatherhood of every family (Gen. 5), God declared that the offspring of a woman would rise, though no woman possesses the seed necessary to birth a child. Instead, Holy Spirit would overcome a virgin in order to bring forth the promised child who would save His people from their sins (Matt. 1:21) because nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37).

Merry Christmas!

Adam B. Dooley
December 12, 2024

Dec 04
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Home for the Holidays

By Attributes of God, Christmas, Evangelism, Salvation No Comments

Of all the things on our wish lists for Christmas each year, being home for the holidays with the people we love ranks at the top for most. So profound is the desire that we sing about it: I’ll be home for Christmas, you can count on me, Please have snow and mistletoe, And presents under the tree. . . . I’ll be home for Christmas, If only in my dreams. 

Perry Como had the most popular recording of the song that said, Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays, ’cause no matter how far away you roam, When you pine for the sunshine of a friendly gaze, For the holidays, you can’t beat home, sweet home. Our desire to be at home is universal, almost synonymous with our Christmas observances.

But each year as I think about finding my way home during the holiday season, I am quickly reminded of the great, often hidden irony behind the very first Christmas. Namely, Jesus left His home to make the first Christmas possible. Though Heaven was His throne and Earth was His footstool, Jesus left His glory behind in order to make a home in a manger. He left His home in Heaven so that we could one day call Heaven our home.

With festive doxology, the Apostle Paul instructs us to emulate the attitude of Jesus, “who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped (Phil. 2:6).” The Jesus who inhabited a Bethlehem crib existed in the form of God because He was, and is, God in human flesh.

Repeatedly, Jesus asserted His divinity with statements like “I and the Father are one (John 10:30)” and “He who has seen Me has seen the Father (John 14:9).” His enemies hated Him precisely because Jesus unapologetically maintained His equality with the Father (John 5:18). Yet, incredibly, our Savior did not seek to hold on to the privileges associated with His identity.

Why does all this matter? Because we cannot truly experience Christmas until we bow before Jesus as God in human flesh. Fully appreciating His cradle requires our first acknowledging His crown. Before revering His manger, we must recognize Him as our Master. The absence of room to house Him at the inn is only remarkable because He made the inn, along with everything else in Heaven and Earth. If Jesus is anything short of the God who came to save us from our sins, the celebration of Christmas is the greatest hoax in human history.

All of this means that the sacrifice of Jesus commenced, not on Calvary’s cross, but under a Bethlehem sky. The first Christmas was far from a step up; it was a dramatic step down for the King of kings. Scripture explains, “[He] emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Phil. 2:7-8).”

A bond-servant is a common slave. God the Father sent His Son to die on a cross, requiring Jesus’ humble submission and obedience throughout His earthly life. Accompanying His appearance as a man were also the numerous weaknesses common to humanity. Jesus experienced hunger, fatigue, and temptation. With the salvation of sinners as His aim, our Savior emptied Himself completely by sacrificing daily.

These realities serve as a somber reminder and a sober warning each Christmas. Unless we receive the forgiveness Jesus provided, our celebrations of His birth are in vain. Jesus was born so that He could die as the one and only way to Heaven; therefore, if we don’t embrace Him as such, we are denying the very reason for which He was born! The baby in the manger and the Savior on the cross are inseparable.

Tragically, hell is full of people who sang Christmas carols, read the nativity story, and shared gifts in the name of Christ. His coming to save means nothing apart from our cleansing from sin. Thus, He was obedient to the point of death on a cross. We can never really be home for the holidays if we don’t have a home reserved for us in Heaven. Thankfully, Jesus left His home to make it all possible.

Think I’m overstating the Bible’s message? The Apostle Paul goes on to laud these truths as the single reason that Christ has been given a name above every other name, which will one day result in every knee bowing before Him and every tongue confessing that He is Lord (Phil. 2:9-11). We can worship by choice or by force, but all will bow before Jesus. Satan will bow. The demons in hell will bow. Unbelievers will bow. The angels in Heaven will bow. Faithful saints will bow. The question is not WILL we bow, but WHEN will we do so? Christmas is a great time to start!

Adam Dooley
December 4, 2024

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