You Cannot Be a True Disciple and Be Unloving
Some who claim so stridently to be true disciples based on their obedience to every jot and tittle and even tittes that aren’t there have missed this…I don’t even have any other commentary on this point, just these words from Jesus, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, […]
Jesus in Context – One of the Most Helpful Biblical Background Books Around
I recently came across the most helpful resources on the historical backgrounds to the Gospels that I have ever seen. It is called Jesus in Context: Background Readings for Gospel Study by Darrell Bock. This book works through the synoptics and John and pulls just about any relevant extra-biblical text in full quotation to help you see […]
Jesus Understood People, What Do We Learn From That?
One of the things that stands out about Jesus was just how well he understood people. First there is the obvious…the Bible says everything in creation was made through Christ (John 1:3) so it makes sense that the creator would understand his creation. What is more, Jesus became a part of the creation by taking […]
If We Follow Jesus’ Model We Will Do More Than We Say
Talk is a multi-gazillion dollar industry. Facebook, twitter, email, texts, phones, television, movies all have one thing in common…people talking. But catch the very last verse of the Gospel of John, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have […]
Have You Ever Been Investigated?
I was just reading John 9 where Jesus heals a man born blind. What Jesus did was so amazing and unbelievable that the Pharisees began an investigation. It got me wondering if I have ever done anything that got people really asking questions. Now one time I posted some links to the Nooma materials online that […]
Did Jesus Break the Sabbath? John 5:18
“So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. 17Jesus said to them, ‘My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.’ 18For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he […]
Transcendence and Immanence – Holding the Two in Tension
There are some things we learn best about God when we hold two seemingly opposing characteristics of God in our minds at the same time. One of these pairs is God’s transcendence and His immanence. God’s transcendence means God is very much unlike us. He is so much greater and so high above us that […]
Summaries of the New Testament Books
To follow up on this post summarizing the books of the Old Testament, here is the list for the New Testament. Here is this list in pdf. These are just quick helps to help people get a feel for these books and see how they connect with each other. Bible Study Helps – New Testament […]
The Sacred and the Secular
In the Old Testament there was a view that things fell into one of two categories. Either it was sacred or it was secular, holy or profane. Those categories did not mean things were either good or evil but that they were either set apart for special purposes or that they were ordinary or common. […]
John 10:10-11 Abundant Living and Laying it Down
Is there any coincidence that these two verses are side by side? “10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” – John 10:10-11 Jesus […]