Orchard Hill Church Blog
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Gift of Grace #12 - The Two Ways
In Romans 5:12–21, Kurt explores the two ways every person is born into — the way of Adam, marked by sin and death, and the way of Christ, offering grace and eternal life. If you've ever wondered why the world feels so broken, or what it looks like to truly receive God's gift of righteousness, this message is for you.
Gift of Grace #11 - The Love of God
In this message from Romans 5:6–11, Kurt Bjorklund unpacks what makes God's love truly remarkable—it's unconditional, undeserved, and unending, given not to the worthy but to the powerless, sinful, and hostile. If the love of God has started to feel like background noise, this message will help you experience it in a way that genuinely changes how you live.
Gift of Grace #10 - The Perks of Grace
In "Gift of Grace," Kurt Bjorklund unpacks Romans 5:1–5 to reveal that grace isn't just a ticket to heaven — it's a present-tense reality offering peace, access to God, and overflowing love right now. If you've ever felt the need to prove your worth, discover how justification by faith gives you a standing that nothing in this world can shake.
Joy That Endures: Why Christian Joy Outlasts Secular Happiness
Jake Williams explores why the world's prescription for happiness often leaves us fragile when life gets hard. Discover a deeper, more resilient joy rooted in gospel truth that holds steady through every season.
Why Should I Follow Jesus?: A Meditation on Romans 5:1-2
Through meditating on Romans 5:1-2, Jonathan Thiede answers the question, “Why Should I Follow Jesus?” by arguing for two concrete benefits. Peace with God and Access to a Father are both central to the longings of the human heart and are two things we have after being justified through faith.
Why Does God Test Us?
Why does God test us? We cannot give an answer to this particular question without each of us personally answering a few other questions first. So, let's explore this commonly asked question together by looking at some Biblical examples.
Why is My Soul Downcast? (Psalm 42 Devotional)
All of us go through times of sadness, sorrow, or even depression. Scripture makes it clear that we live in a fallen world, and that because of sin, we will experience pain in this life. But the purpose of suffering is not to make us let go of life; rather its purpose is to mature us.
Hamartiology: The Doctrine of Sin Explained
Talking about sin these days seems old fashioned and out of touch. Who really wants to think about sin or being sinful? Hamartiology is the study of sin and deals with how sin originated, how it affects humanity, and how it was and will ultimately be defeated.
Restored Relationships Through Jesus (Psalm 30 Devotional)
When an important relationship is strained, it is as if we are carrying around a heavyweight. Darkness looms and nothing in our life seems quite right. Our relationship with God is just like that. And He pursues us. He stands at the door and knocks. He seeks us even in our fallenness.
What is Original Sin?
We have all felt it. A pull towards disobedience, a desire to live our lives "on our own terms." Though we may know God's plans for our lives, or at least the commands that He gives us, we find it impossible to follow through. Why can’t we escape these sinful impulses? To find the answer, we must start at the very beginning.
What Does Atonement Mean?
Each month we will look at a word or phrase related to Christian theology, define it, give background about the theology behind the word, and what it means for us today. This month’s word is Atonement and the idea of Justification before God.
Joy in the Journey
In a world that has been turned upside down by a global pandemic, racial unrest, and a perpetual political slugfest, I wonder... where is the joy in this journey? As a counselor I have seen an increasing number of people who are struggling.
The Pathway to Truly Loving Others
Every time I read the book Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller, one quote sticks out to me as particularly profound: He writes, “The surest way for any couple to succeed in marriage is for both partners to say ‘The greatest threat to our marriage is my own self-centeredness.’”