When Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber,” He was using a familiar picture. Explaining both the context and the content of Jesus’ statement, Alistair Begg reminds us that this metaphor is depicts God, who, in Christ, is the ultimate Shepherd, seeking and providing for His people. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus offers the only way of salvation. If we’re in Christ, we will know His...

How are Christians to walk the fine line between affirming and reviling those whose actions declare them to be God’s enemies? That is the question Alistair Begg seeks to answer as he addresses the controversy surrounding the counsel he gave to a grandmother in the summer of 2023. Turning to Luke 15, Alistair reminds us that the inclination toward pharisaism is alive and well within all our hearts. It is something we always must guard against—especially as we press on toward purity and...

As conversations with Jesus in the temple grew more heated, His listeners wrestled with what to believe about Him and demanded to know who He was claiming to be. Jesus replied to them, “Before Abraham was, I am,” revealing that He is God the Son from all eternity. Alistair Begg examines Jesus’ words, underscoring their foundational and theological significance. Jesus is the eternal Christ, master of time, and ruler of the ages. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever—and because of who...

What does it mean to “never see death”? Alistair Begg teaches that while death is sin’s penalty and each of us will confront the reality of physical death, if we’re in Christ, death no longer has the power to condemn us and separate us from God. As the sinless Savior, Jesus was the only one qualified to pay the penalty for sin, and in Him death is destroyed. Those who trust in Jesus have hope for eternity with Him.

As Jesus preached in the temple, He made a bold and extravagant promise, telling His listeners, “If anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” Incredulous at His claim, the people opposed Him. Alistair Begg explains that the words of Jesus always demand a response, for they are the very words of God. Jesus offers a freedom that only He can provide—one that ultimately frees us from the unnatural intrusion of pain, decay, and death itself. By trusting in Him, the one who has conquered sin...

When Jesus gave instruction to aspiring disciples, He delivered the true but difficult news that “everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.” Not understanding how they could be enslaved, His listeners questioned Him. Alistair Begg addresses this provocative statement from Jesus, explaining that apart from Christ, we are all bound to sin. Counter to contemporary thinking, the problem is within us: we sin because we are sinners. Only Jesus, who gave up His own freedom to secure our own,...

As Jesus taught in the temple, many believed and were curious about Him but still rested in their religious pedigree, blind to their spiritual need. Alistair Begg reminds us that although Jesus’ words about enslavement recalled the Jews’ history as slaves in Egypt, we, too, are in bondage to sin, unable to set ourselves free. True disciples of Christ will have more than a passing curiosity about Jesus, acknowledging that their greatest need is for Him and abiding faithfully in His word.

Are you in awe of God? With the old year drawing to a close and the new year set to commence, Alistair Begg reflects on the past twelve months of Bible study at Parkside Church, underscoring the importance of thinking Christianly in an ever-changing world. The apostle Paul proclaimed the wonders of God to be unfathomable. With this truth in mind, rather than accommodating the surrounding culture’s focus on self, we’re encouraged to give all glory to God alone.

In the opening verse of the Gospel of John, we encounter the beginning of the Christmas story. Even before time itself began, God had a plan and purpose to provide a Savior to a rebellious world. In this Christmas Eve message, Alistair Begg reminds us that Jesus, as the eternal Son of God, stepped into time not ultimately to live but to die. Because of Christ, we can know a love like no other—a love that seeks in order to save, allowing us to know and share the greatest story the world has...

While Luke wasn’t an apostle, he determined to provide an orderly account of Jesus’ life based on true, historical facts, not poetical speculation. His Gospel includes unique details, like Zechariah’s experience as priest and father to John the Baptist—the one who would prepare the way for the long-awaited Messiah. Alistair Begg walks us through Zechariah’s prophecy in Luke 1, focusing on the source, reality, and purpose of God’s promised salvation. Because of His mercy, light shines into...

Who sits on the throne of your life? Is it yourself or your Savior? In this short Christmas concert message, Alistair Begg reminds us that when Jesus stepped down into time, He came to seek and save us from our natural state of sinful rebellion. Through His supernatural birth, death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus offers to sit on the throne of our lives—a true Christmas miracle. Our prayer today can be as the song says: “Oh, come to my heart, Lord Jesus. There is room in my heart for You.”

A multitude often gathered to hear Jesus preach. Some enjoyed the miracles and being part of the crowd. They were attracted to what Jesus could give them—but soon they opposed what His teaching demanded and deserted Him. Turning to the end of John 6, Alistair Begg explores the crowd’s reaction, Christ’s explanation for it, and the apostle Peter’s subsequent declaration. At some point, everyone who hears Jesus’ teaching comes to such a crossroad: we either decide to continue in life without...

Jesus proclaimed that we must eat and drink of Him to have eternal life. But how could that possibly be? Addressing this often misunderstood and misapplied passage of Scripture, Alistair Begg explains that Jesus used physical descriptions to explain spiritual truths. Spiritual hunger—that deep-seated desire to make sense of existence—is universal. Only when we’re united with Christ do we find the true food and drink that satisfies our deepest longings. All Jesus requires is that we know our...

What does it mean to be “in Christ”? Paul addressed this question in his letter to the church in Colossae, reminding them of Jesus’ transformative work while urging them to cultivate a heart of thankfulness. In this Thanksgiving message, Alistair Begg underscores the direct correlation between a transformed heart and a life that is lived out under the Lord Jesus. For the believer, such a life is characterized by an identity grounded in Christ, a unity marked by His love, and activity done in...

Jesus’ declaration that He was “the bread of life” stirred both anger and opposition in the Jewish people. Confident in what they already knew about Him, they grumbled, with some not hearing, some hearing and doubting, and others hearing and disputing. Alistair Begg reminds us that we often have the same responses to Jesus today. Left to our sinful selves, we do not choose to believe in Him. Instead, our resistant hearts must be drawn by the Father, allowing us to see Jesus for who He is—the...

In seasons of doubt or discouragement, how do we know our faith is secure? In John 6, Jesus spoke of the vast wonder of saving faith, declaring Himself to be “the bread of life.” Whoever comes to Him and believes in Him, He said, will not hunger or thirst, nor will they ever be cast out. Examining these remarkable and reassuring words, Alistair Begg reminds us that our salvation is grounded in the will of God, given by the Father, and redeemed and kept for all eternity by the Son.

After Jesus miraculously fed thousands, the crowds revealed their hearts by the questions they asked. They focused on their physical needs rather than Christ’s spiritual provision, sought to earn salvation rather than receive it, and hoped for more miracles in order to be convinced of Jesus’ deity. In this study from John 6, Alistair Begg examines the needful warning, remarkable declaration, and gracious invitation Jesus offered in response. Only when we’re properly focused on eternity will...

During His earthly ministry, Jesus performed numerous signs, including feeding thousands of people by miraculously multiplying five loaves and two fish. Many who witnessed this miracle were fascinated, followed Christ, and yet remained unchanged, because they were more focused on the miracle than on what it signified. Others took offense at His words and walked away. As Alistair Begg explains, however, signs like this help us understand who Jesus is—the very Bread of Life Himself, God...

When Jesus walked on water, His disciples reacted in fear and disbelief, even despite having just witnessed Jesus’ miraculous feeding of the five thousand. Echoing words from the Old Testament, Jesus displays to His followers proof of His deity. Alistair Begg emphasizes how true security only comes from Christ and warns us that proximity to Christ is not the same as being in a personal relationship with Him. When we repent of our sins and trust Jesus for forgiveness, we will know a Savior who...

Jesus stands at the crossroads between the broad way that leads to destruction and the narrow path that leads to eternal life. In this study of John 5:25, Alistair Begg examines Jesus’ announcement of two critical, life-transforming hours: one in the present, when the spiritually dead are made alive in Christ, and another in the future, when Christ returns and the physically dead will be resurrected to either eternal life or eternal judgment. All who hear and believe Jesus’ words are invited...

With words alone, Jesus healed a helpless man who’d been paralyzed for thirty-eight years. Instead of rejoicing over the miracle, though, the Jews focused on broken Sabbath rules and traditions and sought to persecute, and ultimately kill, Christ. Alistair Begg explains how Jesus’ words can either radically transform a person’s life or inflame hard-hearted opposition, because they so clearly declare His deity. Yet Jesus still invites all who hear Him to believe and enjoy eternal life. Will...

In the early part of John’s Gospel, Jesus has a conversation with Nicodemus, a Jewish leader who questions Jesus’ authority. Jesus answers him, making it clear that being “born again” is necessary in order to see the kingdom of God. Alistair Begg reminds us that the new birth of which Jesus spoke is essential and supernatural—a miraculous and mysterious work of Almighty God that brings about a complete change of heart and gives the believer a new family, a new identity, and a new mentality.

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus makes pronouncements that begin with the word “Truly”—but only in the Gospel of John does He use the word in repetition. Alistair Begg reminds us that Jesus’ “Truly, truly” declarations must be understood in view of the overarching purpose of John’s Gospel and in the context of the preceding verses. John’s account of Jesus, which begins with eternity past, gives heaven-sent evidence so that we may believe He truly is the Son of Man, the one who invites us to...

In this interview about his book The Christian Manifesto, Alistair Begg considers the challenge presented to us in Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain and its relevance two thousand years later. The Lord’s teachings on forgiveness, possessions, obedience, and more speak to and make demands on believers from every background. But as we remember the compassionate character of our Lord and put our trust in Him, we can learn to live the life He’s called us to with perseverance and humility.

Jude closed his letter to Christ’s followers with a doxology praising the splendor and sovereignty of the one true and timeless God. Wrapping up a study in Jude, Alistair Begg explains why our knowledge of God shapes the way we worship Him and directs how and why we share the Gospel with others. Like Jude, those who have experienced God’s mercy and salvation should be driven to humbly declare His glory to a predominantly lost and self-focused world.