Luther Seminary's Bible Q & A

Podcast discussion with Kathryn Schifferdecker, Cameron Howard and Alan Padgett. Article written by Alan G. Padgett.

When I converted to Christianity as a young man, I was new to the Bible and to the social conventions of the evangelical Baptist Church I soon joined. My long, flowing locks were troubling to many of my new church community (not to say my attire and attitudes) and I was approached by some who made the case that I should cut my hair. They did so on the basis of a single verse (1 Corinthians …

The New Testament consistently teaches that Jesus, God’s Son, dies so that we may be saved from sin. The ultimate motive for this is the love of God. Underneath the surface of events, behind and beyond the folly and wickedness of human leaders, God's plan for salvation was being worked out (Acts 2:23; 1 Peter 1:20).

The short answer to our question is: "through Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their sins against them." (2 Cor 5:19).

The death of Jesus is not an …