Tag: Bible
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Romans and the Holy Spirit
There is a tendency in the modern Christian world, even among conservative voices, to speak of the Holy Spirit in ways the Bible never does. We must proceed with caution on this matter to avoid the same mistake. We all understand that the term “spirit” is defined by the context. It could be the Holy…
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The End Is Near?
Well, actually, the end is always near… The end is coming, are you prepared for it? In all five of Paul’s “T” epistles: 1 &2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, and Titus, Paul made note of the coming end. He wanted both churches and individuals to be prepared for it. Are you? He gave special attention…
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Situational Service?
Your situation cannot compromise your service to King Jesus. We are so tempted, especially because of the victim culture mentality of our age, just to toss excuses out. “I could be really faithful if…” “But you don’t know my struggles…” “I would, but my unique circumstances don’t allow me…” The list goes on and on,…
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Oh, Oxyrhynchus!
What a fun word to say! Oxy-REEN-cus. Say that at the next family dinner to impress all your loved ones. Oxyrhynchus was an ancient Egyptian City that resided along a canal that fed into the upper Nile River. During the time of Alexander the Great, this became a prosperous Hellenistic City—the third largest in Egypt.…
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First Century Culture
Three considerations of the first-century culture and its peculiarities… It is obvious the first-century world was riddled with paganism and the various influences that brought, but I’m not sure we always appreciate the way that would have impacted the preaching of the gospel. We catch a glimpse of this in Acts 17 while Paul was…
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Suffering and Modern Christianity
What would Paul think of these celebrity preachers on TV peddling some soft-soap “gospel”? But, maybe even more challenging is, what would Paul think of modern Christianity. As one reads the NT epistles the subject of suffering for the faith is always lingering on the edge of the discussion. Remember the word that I said…
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Revelation Replays
God rules from on high. I take the position that Revelation is rooted in the history of the original readers, but the points are repeated throughout history. Thus, the Apocalypse was written to the first-century Christians and the oppression, violence, and vitriol, that they were facing. The might, power, influence, and control of the Roman…
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What Is the Standard?
Albert Bell notes, “The results of scholarly investigation cannot be the foundation of faith because the results of scholarship in this field, as in any other, may endure only until the next book on the subject appears. Today’s ‘final’ word on a problem can become a footnote in the next book or article presenting the…
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