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Jeremiah 31:34, God, and Time
Perhaps the most common view—widely considered the orthodox view—of God in modern Christianity is God is outside time. Divine timelessness is generally taken to mean: God does not experience nor recognize any sequence of moments in time God experiences every event in what humans call “history” as eternally present More formally, God is atemporal. One…
Read More19: First Healings in the Galilee
And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Ha!…
Read MoreWhat is Dignity?
Dignity is seemingly a little thing. We rarely discuss dignity in theology other than as a minor anthropological category. We rarely discuss dignity in Christian living other than as something we should somehow “respect in others.” Almost every religious worldview throws “dignity” around, from atheists to Muslims, and we all just kind of assume we…
Read More18: First Rejection at Nazareth
We often think of rejection as a “one-time thing”—a public personality does or says “one thing,” resulting in their “cancelation.” This “cancellation” phenomenon is a very late modern idea, primarily after the advent of social media and high-speed communications. In the ancient world, “the street” could be fickle for years, sometimes supporting a public figure…
Read More17: The Official’s Son
So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. John 4:46 John points out that Jesus is returning to Cana, where he started his journey to wilderness temptation, his time with John the Baptist, and finally, through Samaria. The first trip of his new ministry has been completed; he…
Read MoreLove and Freedom
If God is all good, and God is all power, then why does evil exist? This problem, called the logical problem of evil, is widely recognized as countered by the free will defense, which states: If any creature God creates will necessarily go wrong (or sin) at some point, and the result of such sin…
Read MoreProgress and Premillennialism
Progressivism everywhere—even and especially Christian progressivism—agrees with the Fabian Socialist Window, saying: Hammer stoutly, pray devoutly … [to] remake [the world] to thy desire. The grounding principle of progressivism is humans can “remake the world” by “hammering stoutly” to make the world a better place. Societies can be mended so people can flourish by “hammering…
Read More16: The Woman at the Well
We can imagine the Samaritan woman looking at Jesus—a strange man sitting just by the well from which she needed to draw water—and thinking about her options. Perhaps she considered whether to continue her errand or return sometime later. He looked tired and dusty, probably from walking up the mountain to the ridge road that…
Read MoreThe Scriptures, Natural Law, and Philosophy
A typical discussion about philosophy in theological circles often sounds something like this: “Philosophy precedes theology!” “No … manmade philosophies should be discarded, and we should follow the Scriptures only!” “No! Natural law is our foundation. What we can learn from nature inevitably leads us to God!” The relationship between philosophy, theology, and natural law…
Read More15: Galilee
. . . he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. And he had to pass through Samaria. John 4:3-4 Why is Jesus compelled to go through Samaria? Consider Matthew 15:24–27: He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help…
Read More14: For God so Loved the World …
John 3:16 is one of the most quoted and most beloved passages in the Scriptures. Even those who reject Christ know this singular passage. Fully understanding these 24 words, however, requires understanding their context. We must go through John 3:1–15 to get to John 3:16. Along the way, we’ve already seen Jesus using familiar concepts…
Read More13: Nicodemus
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” John 3:1–2 Nicodemus’…
Read More12: The First Cleansing
With the turning of water to wine, Jesus’ transition from an average member of a lower-middle-class family in Nazareth to a rising teacher in Israel begins. Jesus has been theocratically anointed through John’s baptism, overcome the temptations of Satan, and gathered a small band of followers. Passover falls immediately on the heels of these events.…
Read More11: Jesus’ Miracles
Jesus changed the water to wine. What’s the point? Why does Jesus perform these miracles? Miracles are either: Signs communicating or authenticating who Christ is Acts of mercy designed to overcome the immediate effects of sin While it is possible to say, “both are true,” we still need to know which is the primary purpose…
Read MoreWhat is Spiritual Maturity?
What does spiritual maturity mean? A common view in modern Christianity says to be spiritually mature is to be childlike. But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive…
Read MoreWhat is Death?
What is Death? What do you think of when you hear the word “death?” According to the Merriam-Webster’s eleventh edition, death includes: death \ˈdeth\ noun a: a permanent cessation of all vital functions: the end of life—compare BRAIN DEATH . . . . a: the passing or destruction of something inanimate 〈the death of vaudeville〉[1]…
Read MoreAmerica’s Theologian Beyond America
There is some idea among Christians that groups of theologians from the past, such as the Church Fathers or Reformers, all shared a common theological framework and view. Anyone reading beyond just a few Church Fathers knows this is not true. Theologians and pastors through the third and fourth centuries had very few theological positions…
Read MorePossible Worlds
Imagine you have a child around 6 or 7 years old (you might already have one or have older children, making this exercise much easier). Your child receives twenty dollars from a relative as a gift, and you promise to take them to the store to spend the money on something they would like. You…
Read MoreFree Will
What should we do with narratives like these? In Genesis 4:6–7, God confronts Cain with his desire to sin. God tells Cain he has a choice between being ruled by sin or ruling sin. In Isaiah 38, Isaiah tells Hezekiah to put his house in order because he is about to die. Hezekiah prays for…
Read MoreWhat About Evil?
You’re a Christian, right? Yes…didn’t You read the Bible, go to church, and you’re pretty intelligent … so let me ask you a question. I’m glad you think so … sure, fire away. I was reading the newspaper the other day, and I ran across this story where a man was delivering a load of…
Read More07: Temptation
And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. Luke 4:1–2 The temptation of Jesus is one of many “strange” episodes in the life of Christ. Why should Jesus be tempted? Could Jesus sin? What would…
Read More06: Theocratic Anointing
If you were just east of Jericho around 27 A.D., you might have found a wild-looking man wearing sackcloth, preaching, and immersing people in the Jordan River. Perhaps there, you would have overheard this snippet of conversation: “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let…
Read More05: Genealogies
Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers … Matthew 1:2 Most people probably roll their eyes when they encounter the genealogies. Given the price of writing materials in the first century—and through all the ages before the invention of the printing…
Read More04: The Magi
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king…
Read More03: What did Mary Know?
Mary, did you know That your baby boy will one day walk on water? Mary, did you know That your baby boy will save our sons and daughters? Did you know That your baby boy has come to make you new? This child that you’ve delivered Will soon deliver you – Mary Did You Know?…
Read More02: Birth
And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke 2:6–7 And so, the Lord became a child. A typical crying…
Read More01: Bethlehem
If you happen to be traveling towards Jerusalem around 1 B.C. [1], you might have encountered Joseph and Mary on their way to Bethlehem. She is around 16, sitting on a donkey. He is not much older but somehow somber and wise for his age, already burdened with cares perhaps only an older man should…
Read MoreThe Lilith Theory
A long while back, I was challenged to consider the impact of “Lilith” on the Scriptures. This is a rather long’ish response, but I wanted to be as complete as possible. Two women are created in the beginning, one in Genesis 1, the second in Genesis 2 This is shown because these two women were…
Read MoreAllah’s Attributes
A necessary attribute is a characteristic of a person that is inseparable from that person. Ontologically, these are the unchanging or necessary parts of the person. Changing a necessary attribute changes the person themselves, so they are no longer the same person. Throughout this dispatch, “attribute” will be taken to mean a “necessary attribute.” There…
Read MoreBible Study 5: The Spiral
Before closing this series out and leaving you to study the Scriptures, there are two more topics we need to talk about. The first is using the original languages. The second is repeating the process through a spiral. What about original languages? Don’t I need to be an expert in Greek and Hebrew to really…
Read MoreBible Study 4: Examine the Context
Taking the text out of the context leaves you with a con. One of the most important pieces of context in studying the Scriptures is a passages or pericope’s background. What should be included in a background study? Contextual Elements The Audience The audience is often directly named in a pericope. When the audience is…
Read MoreBible Study 3: Examine the Structure
Once you have set out a section of the text to study, you need to find the text’s structure. Every author uses a flow or tells a story when writing. What is this flow or story? How do you find this flow or story? Outline the argument Begin by formulating a statement describing the main…
Read MoreBible Study 2: Choose a Text
How, then, should we read and study the Scriptures? Start with this: it takes time and effort to really study the Scriptures. I am not an expert in hermeneutics. I am an average person who has spent years studying philosophy and theology, including taking several courses and reading a range of books on the topic…
Read MoreBible Study 1: Slaying Myths
How should we read and study the Scriptures? This might seem like an odd question. You just pick up the Bible and read it, right? Even if you just pick the Bible up and read it, you are going to use a process and a set of presuppositions about the Bible that will impact the…
Read MoreObservations on Calvin’s Argument Against Millennialism
In the midst of some other reading, I ran into an argument about Calvin’s view of millennialism. I was a little startled by the arguments Calvin used, so I went back and looked at the author’s quotes of Calvin to understand them in context. What follows is a few thoughts on Calvin’s argument against a…
Read More09: Nathaniel’s Call
Imagine Philip’s surprise as Jesus said: “Follow me.” Rabbis in those days often had a following, a group that would be unstructured at this point in Jesus’ ministry. Did Philip think Jesus needed leaders for a new army to oust Rome, or did Philip think following Jesus would be like following any other Rabbi? Was…
Read More08: John’s Knowing
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose…
Read More10: The Wedding at Cana
On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this…
Read MoreIs There a Gap Between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2?
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Genesis 1:1-2 [1] These two verses of the Tanakh are at the center of the intersection…
Read MoreDoes the Greek Really Say?
Be careful when a pastor says: “It says in the Greek …” In this video clip: from here Around 39 minutes in, the pastor says (according to the transcript): John didn’t tell us but I tell you what John did do John gave us the Greek word … and I will give credit to David…
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