Author: Alasdair Paine

Paul, called to be an apostle by the will of God…  (1 Corinthians 1:1, NIV)The name Paul appears as author at the top of thirteen letters of the New Testament.  We are reading…

For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.’  (2 Thessalonians 3:10, NIV)What are we to make of…

Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews…

Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David!  Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the…

“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.  It will produce thorns and thistles for you,…

Then the LORD spoke to you out of the fire.  You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice.  He declared to you his…

Now, Israel, hear the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. (Deuteronomy 4:1, NIV)On first appearance, the book of Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the Bible, is a complex…

“Whoever causes one of these little ones – those who believe in me – to stumble, it would be better for them if a great millstone were hung around their neck and they were…

“Honour your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the…

“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day…