Ironing Out Our Conflicting Message on the Usefulness of the Old Testament
I cannot tell you how many times I have heard in my life that the Old Testament is irrelevant to us because it was nailed to the cross and is therefore no longer useful to Christians today. People have based this view on a number of things. First there is Colossians 2:14 that says something […]
Embracing God’s Gift Rather Than Twisting Our Blessings
These words from Hosea have resonated with me for nearly 20 years (Hosea 11:1-11), “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. 2 But the more they were called, the more they went away from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images. 3 It […]
Psalm 51:5 Does God Create “In Utero Sinners”?
“Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.” – NRSV “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” – NIV “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” – NASB, ESV, RSV What is going on here? The first […]
Pharaoh’s First Words
“Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’” Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the […]
God’s Plan Often Involves Using Us to Participate in the Solution: Our Excuses and God’s Reply
I have been studying through Exodus over the last week or so and I have been struck by how God interacts with the world to bring about His sovereign will. The first thing you notice in Exodus is that God is very interested in the happenings on this world. God hears the cry of the […]
Moses: A Man of Three Worlds & What that Teaches us about How God Equips Leaders
Moses is one of the most intriguing people in the Bible. Your footnote in Exodus 2:10 most likely associates his name with “drawing out” just as Moses was drawn out of the Nile river. That isn’t the whole story of his name. His name isn’t Hebrew. It is Egyptian and it means “to beget” and […]
Building a Theological & Ministry Library Part 4 – Bible Background
Learning the background of the world around Bible times is critical to good Bible study. There are a number of excellent books to choose from to get you closer to their world. The better you understand their world the better you hear the words from scripture. So here are a few books to consider in […]
Supernatural by Michael Heiser
Michael Heiser begins his book “Supernatural” with the question, “Do you really believe what the Bible says?” This is a very important question for us to answer. Most of us would answer quickly in the affirmative. However, in all humility we also understand the Bible says many things that we are not really very aware […]
The Resurrection of Abraham, Sarah and Isaac
God telling Abraham to sacrifice Isaac is a tough story. It brings up a lot of questions about God and a lot of questions about Abraham. We don’t get all of the answers but one of the answers we do get is found in Hebrews 11:17-19 in regard to what was going through Abraham’s mind […]
Noah: The First Second Adam?
In Romans 5:12-21 Paul talks about Jesus being the second Adam calling Adam “the pattern of the one to come.” Adam brought death and condemnation. Jesus brought grace and justification. In Adam, death reigned. In Christ, life reigns. Jesus truly is the second Adam…the one who came and this time “got it right” through his […]