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Follow the Way: From Troubled Hearts to Steady Faith

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by Bart Denny Central text: John 14:1–7 (NIV) There are moments when life feels steady, and there are moments when it doesn’t. In John 14, we’re listening in on Jesus’ words to His disciples in the Upper Room on the night before the cross. Judas has walked out to betray Him. Peter has just been told he will deny Him before morning. The mood has shifted. Fear is rising. Uncertainty is thick in the air. And right into that moment Jesus says: “Do not let your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1, NIV). That’s not a sentimental quote for calm days. That’s Jesus forming disciples for what’s coming. When You Can’t See What’s Next If I’m honest, I like knowing what’s next. Don’t you? I like plans and timelines. Clarity. I like to look at a situation and say, “Here’s the problem—and here’s how we get from point A to point B.” That probably comes from the many years I spent in the Navy. In the armed forces, you don’t just wing it. You brief the plan. You run the checklist. You tal...
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Original Sin: Inherited Corruption or Inherited Guilt? (and Why It Matters)

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by Bart L. Denny, Ph.D., Th.M. Maybe you’ve heard the term “original sin.” You might be surprised to learn that there is considerable debate about precisely what the phrase “original sin” entails. Christians hear the term original sin and have differing conceptions of it. Reading the Bible, I have always understood original sin to mean what I more often heard described as a “sin nature,” an invariable propensity to sin inherited from our first father, Adam. Except for Jesus Christ, the God-man, all have sinned, and none can help but sin. All flavors of orthodox Christianity have accepted that humankind inherits a sinful nature and that no human can attain sinless perfection in this life. This sinful nature, because it has come down through Adam, might be considered “inherited corruption.” One of the consequences of this inherited corruption is the eventual physical death of all human beings. But I never recognized that this understanding of original sin, common among Baptists, Arminian...
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