This is an excerpt from Chapter 6 in Sinner Saint: A Surprising Primer to the Christian Life (1517 Publishing, 2025). Sinner Saint is available today from 1517 Publishing.
On its journey from Byzantium to Constantinople to Istanbul, this special place helps us understand the broader arc of Christian history, which goes on until Christ's return.
We needn’t fear statistics and studies as palm readings into a certain future. God is God, and his Spirit is alive through his Word.

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The rainbow is a sign of the covenant God is making with “all flesh which is on the earth” and to the coming generations.
When we read about Noah, we are reading backward to Adam and forward to Jesus.
The acquisition of salvation, the giving of salvation, and the keeping of salvation are entirely dependent upon the Savior himself.
The LORD promises He Himself will gather up the remnants and they will prosper under His shepherding.
This opening section of Ephesians is a virtual treasure trove of gospel promises, praising God for who He is and the abundant blessings He pours out upon His saints.
In spite of the many issues of unfaithfulness, the LORD still refers to them as, “My people Israel,” pointing to the Covenantal promise.
Mankind’s “thoughts and ways” on the matter of pardon and forgiveness do not even come close to exhausting, let alone fathoming, God’s “thoughts and ways.”
Our leaders, our pastors, our priests, our teachers, all have feet of clay, just as leaders in Israel did. We do not put our faith in them, even in the ones—perhaps *especially* the ones—in whom we are inclined to have great expectations. They preach the Messiah but are not the Messiah.
Ezekiel is not called/sent out to be “successful” in his prophetic ministry—he is sent out to be faithful!
As the sin-bearer, Jesus was also the sin-confessor in the psalms.
In the overall context of Lamentations this text stands out as a breath of fresh air, or perhaps more accurately, words of relief after so much dismal lamenting!
Christian hope means always hope in God and hope in Christ simultaneously without distinction.