John Mark Hicks

God covers our sin when we don’t cover it up. God takes away our sin even when we are burdened with its guilt. God does not count our sin against us when we confess it. Psalm 32 is the testimony of one who left the path of God and was overwhelmed by the torrents of […]

If one sees the God of Israel as fundamentally vindictive, angry, or malicious, then one might want to meditate and pray Psalm 103 regularly. The psalmist recognizes God has not treated as we deserve, forgives our sins, liberates us from our oppression, and heals our wounds because God is steadfast love, gracious, and merciful. God […]

Mi libro sobre la Cabaña ya está disponible en Kindle en Ingles. These articles are available in English here:  Forgiveness (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). Llego ahora al tercer tema de la cabaña que encuentro tanto emocional como teológicamente convincente. El primer tema es el total deleite y cariño de Dios por sus hijos sin importar cómo sean sus […]

Reading the scroll of Jeremiah during the first year of the new Persian regime in Babylon, Daniel anticipates that the 70 years of Israel’s Babylonian exile are over. He prays that God will release Israel from exile and send them back home. He offers a corporate confession of sin–Daniel himself confesses the sins of Israel […]

Perhaps Psalm 25 is the “Lord’s Prayer” of the Psalms–it teaches us to pray, pursue the way (derek) of the Lord, and rest in God’s overwhelming mercy, love, and grace. Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks discuss Psalm 25 as a kind of model prayer for the covenant people of God. Petitions are grounded in […]

Forgiveness is a choice, according to Desmond and Mpho Tutu, and there is no wholeness in humanity’s future without forgiveness. Since we are all broken, “forgiveness is the journey we take toward healing the broken parts. It is how we become whole again” (p. 3). Forgiveness is how we heal the world, according to The […]

I accepted the challenge to read 12 books suggested by my friends on Facebook. I have read the first of 12 books recommended by Facebook friends. The first was recommended by Bruce Bates: Tim Keller, *Forgive: Why Should I and How Can I*. This is my brief summary. At bottom, we ought to forgive because […]

The one who grieved Paul (and the Corinthian congregation as a whole) should not be burdened with excessive grief but forgiven and consoled. Paul does not seek revenge for the wrong but reconciliation. That is a bold claim. Apparently, the severe letter Paul wrote after his second (painful) visit addressed the problem this particular individual […]

[Listen to the sermon here, from April 17, 2016] Shame. Guilt. Grief. I know those feelings. I’ve been overwhelmed by them at times. They have felt like a ton of bricks on my chest, and I couldn’t breathe. I’m feeling them now. Sitting with Jesus on the beach, eating the fish he grilled and the […]