Posts Tagged ‘Bible Study’
What Are We Missing in Our Bibles?
In a Biblical Archaeology Review (BAR) article,1 Ben Witherington III says, “First, we know that Pharisees — including Paul, as a former Pharisee — did indeed believe in a bodily resurrection as the form of future afterlife. This was based in part on a certain understanding of Daniel 12.1-3 and the development of thought that…
Read MoreThe End of All Things Is at Hand
Peter makes a shocking statement in the middle of chapter 4, “But the end of all things is at hand…” How do we understand a statement like this, given that 2000 years have transpired, and we are still going strong? In fact, we have quite a few statements like this in the NT, statements…
Read MoreThe Annunciation in Matthew (1)
Matthew famously begins his Gospel with a stylized genealogy. Placing a genealogy upfront like that bespoke a narrative rooted in the Jewish heritage. Starting your book off with a genealogy hardly seems to us to be a great attention-grabber, but Matthew’s Gospel certainly didn’t suffer because of it (by all accounts Matthew was the most…
Read MoreA Right View of the Law
After a lengthy discussion of the need for and basis of justification by grace through faith in Christ (i.e., salvation or conversion), Paul now explains how this same truth should transform our mindset and lifestyle as Christians (i.e., sanctification or Christian growth). The believer’s close identification with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection places him or…
Read MoreHow to Get the Most Out of Your Bible
Every evangelical church I’m aware of places its belief regarding the Bible first in its Statement of Faith. Article I of our church’s confession says: We believe the Holy Scriptures to be the very Word of God: the product of the breath of God and thus verbally inspired in all parts, and therefore wholly without…
Read MoreThe Problem of Psalm 91
Psalm 91 is arguably one of the most beautiful chapters in all of the Bible. I remember being drawn to it as a kid when I heard it read publicly at our church. More recently, I was drawn to Psalm 91 after the Coronavirus outbreak. I even preached a sermon on it a couple of…
Read MoreGood Theology and a Bad Heart: A Lesson from Jonah
In preparing for a series on Jonah, one thing stood out to me: Jonah had an incredible grasp of theology. He was a faithful prophet of the LORD (2 Kings 14:25). Implied in that is a grasp of God’s Word as well as the belief that God is a communicating God. We learn a lot…
Read MoreOur Plans and What Really Happens
We all stormed (or rolled) into the year 2020 with big plans, serious resolutions, and high expectations. The American economy was booming, colleges were marching towards commencement ceremonies, our jobs were chugging along as usual, and the NBA and NHL were making a mad dash for the playoffs. Some of us even smiled as we…
Read MoreWhat Is the Preservation of Scripture?
Has God preserved a fixed master copy of the Scriptures? God has preserved His written Word. We have the Bible. But He has done so providentially, not miraculously. Once upon a time, there were two brothers who printed a Greek New Testament in 1633. They wrote in the preface a bit of good advertising. Their…
Read MoreWhat Is the Necessity of Scripture?
Sure, Scripture is nice to have. But is it necessary? Yes. Scripture is necessary. We need it. One dictionary of theological terms I checked gave me this definition. The necessity of Scripture means that the Bible is necessary for salvation because it alone reveals the gospel.”1 But that doesn’t go far enough. We don’t just…
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