Mature Faith Understands God’s Justice

Dr. Mark Jobe began as Moody’s 10th president in January. We are rejoicing at the Lord’s provision of a visionary Christian leader to shepherd Moody Bible Institute in the years ahead. The son of missionaries, he grew up in a rural village in Spain. At age 17, he left to attend MBI. After experiencing culture shock, he considered leaving Chicago after graduation but was challenged by a pastor’s words: “If we reach the city, we are reaching the nations.”

• If humanity has fallen and the image of God is marred, how do we know what God is doing in the lives of His people today?

• Since fallen people still bear the image of God, does this have some practical implications for us as Christians?

• After the Fall of humanity in Genesis 3, do people still bear the image of God?

• Why did God create humanity as male and female (Gen. 1:26)?

• Since God is spirit (John 4:24), and in His essential being does not have a physical body, in what sense do people bear the image of God?

• Is the Hebrew word for man in Genesis 1:26–27 a personal name or a generic term for humanity?

The most famous verse in the book of James may be the assertion that faith without works “is dead” (2:17). What is the relationship between faith and works in the Christian life? Does James contradict Paul’s teaching that we are saved by faith apart from works (Rom. 4:6; Eph. 2:9; Titus 3:5)? In fact, James and Paul agree. James assumes the priority of faith, and Paul acknowledges that those who are saved by faith have been “created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Eph. 2:10).

February is a good month to celebrate the love we have in Christ—and the love we have for one another. Dr. Gary Chapman, author of The New York Times bestselling book The 5 Love Languages, says we each experience love in different ways. How do you feel loved? How do you express love to others including your spouse, your children, and your friends? Dr. Chapman breaks down our preferred love language into five categories. Do you recognize yours?