BCL Online Picks — October 1, 2026

October 1, 2026/BCL/BCL Online Picks

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Explore the beauty hidden in an ordinary Sunday at church, why kindness should begin at home, what it means to be forgiven by God as both Judge and Father, and more in this week’s online picks!

1. The Staggering Beauty and Burden of Church Life

What might we see if we could glimpse the stories behind the people sitting around us at church each Sunday? Over at The Gospel Coalition Canada, Phil Cotnoir reflects on the joys, sorrows, struggles, and evidences of God’s grace gathered together in an ordinary worship service. Read it here →

2. The Importance of Kindness in the Home

It can be surprisingly easy to show patience and kindness to people outside our homes while responding to those closest to us with irritation or indifference. Over at Ligonier Ministries, Brian Croft considers why kindness is evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in us and why our homes should be one of the first places where that fruit is visible. Read it here →

3. 4 Reasons Why the Bible Does Not Support Transgenderism

What does the Bible teach about our bodies and what it means that God created human beings male and female? Over at Clearly Reformed, theologian Kevin DeYoung explains why our bodies matter, why they are gifts from God rather than things we create for ourselves, and why our biological sex is part of God’s good design for his creatures. Read it here →

4. Pretending God Is Not Real Until He Isn’t

How does someone who once professed faith in Christ slowly drift away? Reflecting on one influencer’s unusual experiment with Christianity, pastor and author Stephen McAlpine considers what can happen when prayer, Scripture reading, obedience, gratitude, and church gradually disappear from a Christian’s life. He also explains why believers should take seriously the biblical warning not to drift away. (Many thanks to Campbell Markham for bringing this article to our attention!) Read it here →

5. Forgiven by the Judge, by Our Father: Understanding Two Kinds of Divine Forgiveness

If Christ has already paid for all our sins, why do Christians still need to ask God for forgiveness? Over at Abounding Grace Radio, pastor Wes Bredenhof distinguishes between the once-for-all forgiveness believers receive from God as Judge and the ongoing forgiveness we seek from God as our loving Father. Read it here →

6. What Is the Covenant of Redemption?

How could a holy God save people who had broken his covenant and deserved death? Continuing his series on biblical covenants, pastor and author Campbell Markham explains the covenant of redemption—the Father’s eternal plan to save his people through the Son, the “last Adam” (1 Cor. 15:45) who would bear the penalty for our sin and earn eternal life for us. Read it here →

7. The Cradle of Christian Truth: The Apostles’ Creed (Part 4)—God . . . Almighty

What do Christians mean when we confess that God is “Almighty”? Continuing his series on the Apostles’ Creed at The Heidelblog, theologian Harrison Perkins explains why God’s sovereignty should lead believers not merely to wrestle with difficult questions but to praise, trust, and find comfort in the God who is powerful enough to save and keep his people. Read it here →