If you've ever been hiking in the woods, you're familiar with how various trails lead in different directions. Often, those trails will loop back to the same starting point or lead to the same lookout point. This is how some view one's spiritual journey toward God—different paths that all lead to the same destination. While there are some similarit

To begin, if someone asks, “Where does Jesus say he's God?” and they're looking for the explicit words “I am God” straight from Jesus’ mouth, they aren’t going to find them.That said, the New Testament is littered with claims made by Jesus that can only be understood as Him claiming to be divine. First, Jesus takes the names or attributes of God (e

If you feel you're too shy to share the gospel but you want to find a way to do it anyway, we want to thank you. THANK YOU for being willing to do something, even if you feel awkward, for the sake of obeying God. That's a rare thing nowadays. It speaks a lot about your character and humility that you want to try—even when you're uncomfortable—becau

Pacifists believe it is wrong to go to go to war, fight, own or carry weapons, or participate in any sort of violence. Most pacifists have a moral or religious reason for being against violence. Pacifists will not participate in war because they feel it goes against their personal values and convictions. Jesus is our "prince of peace" (Isaiah 9:6),

John Raz here. Man, I just hate having to write articles for 412teens. It's such a bother, and it's so boring! That editor, Cat, can really get on my nerves! Okay. Nevermind. It's actually pretty fun. I like it. Cat is really cool too. I'm sorry for complaining. But now that you've listened to me complain a bit, what does the Bible have to say abou

What was written on the sign nailed to the cross above Jesus' head? Have you ever seen a picture or a movie depiction of Jesus’ crucifixion and noticed the sign that was hung above Him with the letters “INRI”? What does it stand for and what does it mean? Well, it symbolizes this Latin phrase: "Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum." Totally clear n

Sex is something that is everywhere in society today. Unfortunately, our world tells us that to be socially relevant or to really prove we love someone, we need to be having sex. And it doesn't help that your body is going through a lot of physical and chemical changes as you mature during these years. Increased hormone levels are going to cause yo

Have you ever imagined yourself standing on a huge stage before a cheering audience? Or maybe as a YouTube celebrity with merch and fans and a gold YouTube Play Button award on your wall? Is it wrong to want to be famous? What does the Bible say about fame? What about all those Christian celebrities with their huge platforms? Is their fame biblical

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness..." —2 Timothy 3:16The Bible is our best written source for godly advice, guidance for life and relationships, and knowledge about God, His character, and His story. Even though it was written generations ago, the Bible is still relevant to

People have been capturing the image of real life since the early 1800s. Due to massive developments in technology, almost every person on the planet has access to a camera of some sort. We use our cameras to save memories, to catch beautiful sunsets, or admire a sleeping cat. Lives are lived out through pictures on Instagram.The purpose of a came

Human beings' drive to discover and explore the unknown is practically built into us. We all want more knowledge and to experience new things and keep learning. Sex is one of those things that sparks a lot of curiosity—especially for teens who have been told it's taboo or forbidden. Look, it's not that sex is evil or a bad thing. God created sex to

The phrase "fruit of the Spirit" comes from Galatians 5:22-23, which says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." One of reasons why Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit is to help us learn how to be more godly (John 16:12-15). The Holy Spirit will convict us of our sin (

Faithfulness is one of the fruits of the spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23. Our faithfulness is a result of the Holy Spirit's influence in our lives. Faithfulness is a blending of trust, love, and obedience in a God who has proven Himself trustworthy and deserving of our devotion. To have faith in the God of the Bible is to believe He is who He sa

The word "science" has a pretty narrow meaning: an orderly process of observing and experimenting. A common argument is that religion is "unscientific." Or that faith in God is incompatible with a scientific mindset. Those are cute sound bites, but they don't have any actual support. To make those attacks stick, you have to re-define the word "scie

A glass half full and a cloud with a silver lining—both are common symbols for optimism. Optimists, by nature, tend to dwell on the positive outcomes and hold out hope for better possibilities regardless of their faith. While optimism can feel a lot like godly faith, it is not necessarily the same. Worldly optimism is not based on faith in God. Ins

First things first: It is AWESOME that you have made the decision to remain sexually pure until marriage. You probably already know that choosing sex before marriage is a sin. Premarital sex is repeatedly condemned in Scripture, along with other forms of sexual immorality (Acts 15:20; Romans 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:13, 18; 7:2; 10:8; 2 Corinthia

Have you read our dating articles? Do you know that it's actually OK for Christians to date? Are you thinking now, "If it's OK for everyone else, why not me?" Well, here's the thing: dating is not necessarily OK for all people at all times. It is really an individual thing. Also, and perhaps more importantly at this point in your life, even if you'

Yep, it's true, we sin every day because we are a fallen race. There is no way to go a whole day without sinning. Psalm 51:5 says, "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." Sin is natural to us as humans, so going an entire day without sinning would be like a fish taking a break from swimming for a day. Swimming i

Humility is defined by Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary as "freedom from pride or arrogance: the quality or state of being humble." Some synonyms for humility are modesty, lowliness, and meekness. In our present culture, humility is often put on the back burner because everyone wants to be the BEST—or at least "better than the rest." But the Bible enco

The Bible tells us that God's ultimate purpose for every believer is to transform us into the image of Jesus Christ and that we should glorify God with our lives (2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 8:28-30; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Corinthians 10:31). Have you ever wondered, "If I was created just to be made into someone else, someone actually pleasing to Go