Posts by David Huffstutler

I was asked recently to give a list of 10 ways folks could pray for their pastor, which meant to me, “How can I pray for you?” So, I tried to give this request some careful thought, resulting in the list below. I’m sure a million requests could be added, but here is a brief…

As today is “Reformation Day,” the anniversary of Luther posting his 95 Theses to the doors of Wittenburg, I’ll echo a truth that he captured from Romans by looking at Galatians 2:16–21: we are justified by faith alone. Setting the Context In leading up to this passage, Paul has given an introduction (Gal 1:1–5) and…

The rapture is the event in which “the dead in Christ will rise first” and “then we who are alive, who are left” are “caught up together… in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17). We can never know when exactly the rapture will take place, but Scripture at least…

Probably with some sarcasm, King Agrippa once told Paul, “In a short time you persuade me to become a Christian” (Acts 26:28). Perhaps a question mark should be at the end of that verse, and maybe he had a wry smile of disbelief. Agrippa politely declined Christianity before Paul and the rest of the court.…

How does one sing about the incarnation, crucifixion, and Trinitarian truths in just nine lines? This question stems from Philippians 2:6–8, a passage many see as part of an ancient hymn. Some continue the hymn through Philippians 2:9–11. Seeing Paul’s usual grammar and logic in Philippians 2:9–11 (“For this reason… so that”), some stop short…

What is complementarianism? Complementarianism understands man and woman as complementary to one another, meaning that they are equally made in the image of God and yet distinct in their roles, completing one another as defined in Scripture. In past decades, sound theologians have thoroughly explored this issue. I don’t really have anything new to say.…

Suppose a man gives his life to speaking to large crowds. He talks to people one by one. Whether before one or one thousand, his message is incredibly effective. He rises to fame.  Everyone sees his success everywhere he goes. He might be a young man, but he is a rising star. But not everyone…

Romans 8:16 asserts, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” What does this verse mean? The verb “bears witness with” is all one word in the Greek (summartureō), a combination of the preposition “with” (sun) and the verb “to bear witness” (martureō). Paul uses this verb only two…

A friendly letter with a bunch of commands—this could be one way to caricature the apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Looking more closely, we can better appreciate the rich context and content of this letter. As to context, Paul had just called himself an old man at this point in his life (Philemon 9).…

As a pastor, I have presided over and preached for several funerals. These are bittersweet times. If it is a Christian who has died, we know that he or she is absent from the body but now present with the Lord (2 Cor 5:8). Jesus Christ was always there for this person in life, there…