no.021 what-is-sin 2026-09-08
What Is Original Sin? Why the Bible Says the Problem Is Older Than You
Original sin does not mean the first sin Adam committed. It means the condition every person is born into because of it.
The notebook
Articles
Short writing on love, faith, and what it actually looks like to live what Scripture says.
The latest article
no.022 what-is-sin 2026-10-06
Why You Cannot Trust Your Own Heart
Jesus said murder begins as anger and adultery begins as lust. Sin lives in the heart.
Last time we looked at sin as a condition and not just actions, something every person is born into rather than something we each invent from scratch.
But a condition has to live somewhere.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus took commandments everybody in the crowd already knew, and extended them to conditions of the heart…
Continue reading →no.020 what-is-sin 2026-09-01
"Did God Actually Say?" The Shape of the First Sin
The first sin started as a conversation. A question about what God said, followed by a suspicion about why He said it. Genesis 3, and every sin since.
no.019 what-is-sin 2026-08-25
Less Bad Is Not Good: What Scripture Actually Measures Sin Against
Most of us measure sin by comparison, and come out ahead. Revelation 21:8 puts the cowardly beside murderers. Scripture measures against something else.
no.018 love-in-practice 2026-08-18
Love God. Love people. Everything else follows.
You have learned what love is. So what now? Love that stays theoretical is just information. You have been equipped for exactly this. Go and live it.
no.017 love-in-practice 2026-08-11
What Has Hurt Made You Into?
What does the Bible say about pain and suffering? Pain is not the enemy of love. Handled well, it is one of love's most powerful teachers.
no.016 love-in-practice 2026-08-04
How Do You Know If You Truly Love Others?
How do you know if you truly love others, not just feel warmly toward them? Real love is not something you manufacture. You are only the conduit, not the source.
no.015 love-in-practice 2026-07-28
Do You Love Jesus, or Just Admire Him?
What does it mean to love Jesus, not just believe in Him? Admiration keeps a respectful distance. Love asks everything, because He chose you first.
no.014 love-in-practice 2026-07-21
How Do You Love God? Why Belief Is Not the Same as Love
Do you love God, or just believe in Him? Even the demons believe. Loving God begins with knowing Him, and with knowing you are already fully known.
no.013 love-in-practice 2026-07-14
Love Rejoices With the Truth: What 1 Corinthians 13 Means by Rejoicing With the Truth
What does 1 Corinthians 13 mean by love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth? Why love refuses to enjoy another person's downfall.
no.012 love-in-practice 2026-07-07
Love Is Not Proud: What 1 Corinthians 13 Means by Love Is Not Proud
What does 1 Corinthians 13 mean when it says love is not proud? Pride, dishonor, and self-seeking are three expressions of one root: a heart not secure in God.
no.011 love-in-practice 2026-06-30
Love Does Not Envy: What 1 Corinthians 13 Means by Love Does Not Envy
What does 1 Corinthians 13 mean when it says love does not envy? Not jealousy. The Greek word is zēloō, a boiling resentment that comes from a wound.
no.010 love-in-practice 2026-06-23
Love Is Patient: What 1 Corinthians 13 Means by Patience
What does the Bible mean when it says love is patient? Not waiting. Not putting up with it. The Greek word is makrothumia, long-suffering love.
no.009 love-in-practice 2026-06-16
Is Love a Feeling or a Choice? What the Bible Actually Says
Is love something that happens to you, or something you decide to do? A look at what the Bible actually says, and why love is more choice than feeling.
no.008 love-in-practice 2026-06-09
What Does "Love Never Fails" Actually Mean?
What does Paul mean when he says "love never fails"? Not that it always succeeds. Not that it always produces the outcome you hoped for. Something better.
no.007 what-is-sin 2026-06-03
What Is Sin? A Short, Biblical Answer
What is sin? Not just the obvious wrongs. Scripture's answer runs deeper: sin is the absence of godly love, measured against the God who is love.
no.006 love-in-practice 2026-06-02
Perfect Love Drives Out Fear: What 1 John 4:18 Means
The fears that keep you up at night are really a trust problem. Scripture says perfect love drives them out, and that is not passive. Here is how it works.
no.005 love-in-practice 2026-05-26
Love Keeps No Record of Wrongs: The List We All Keep
Most of us are keeping a quiet ledger of who hurt us, how badly, and how many times. The record is a prison we built. The way out is forgiveness.
no.004 love-in-practice 2026-05-20
Love Is Not Easily Angered: What the Bible Says About Anger
What does it mean that love is not easily angered? Anger is a secondary emotion you sharpen over time, honed by what you feed it. Righteous vs sinful anger.
no.003 love-in-practice 2026-05-13
Love Does Not Boast: What 1 Corinthians 13 Means by Boasting
What does the Bible say about boasting? Jesus said those who parade their good deeds have already received their reward in full. Why love gives in secret.
no.002 love-in-practice 2026-05-05
Love Is Kind: What Biblical Kindness Really Means
Biblical kindness is not weakness or mere niceness. It is the active goodness of God toward those who deserve nothing, and sometimes it means honest rebuke.
no.001 love-in-practice 2026-04-28
Why Love Is the Center of Everything: A Note From the Author
A note from JQ Botes on how reading Scripture led to seeing love beneath sin, obedience, and the church, and to writing Meaningless Without Love.