Most certainly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. (Jn. 12.24 WEB) But now Christ has been raised from the dead. He became the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since death came by man, the resurrection of the dead also came by man. For … Continue reading Jesus Barleycorn Must Die
The Christian’s authentic service to God flow from their new nature. They are children of God and resemble Him in their attitudes and actions. “We love, because He first loved us.” Here is an article which expresses the roles of faith and disciple well. The Dark Side of Self-Discipline Continue reading The Relationship Between Faith and Works
Here is a study of some forms of slavery and their rationale in ancient times. This study does not examine ancient Greek or Roman slavery, for which we also have abundant literature, nor the slavery occurring among the Israelites. Israelite slavery was probably adopted, in part, from the surrounding cultural milieu in which they interacted. This topic of Israelite slavery could be studied more thoroughly, … Continue reading Ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern Slavery
“Facts don’t care about your feelings.” So says the pinned tweet on bestselling author and popular conservative podcast host Ben Shapiro’s Twitter account. Is it a fact that facts don’t care about our feelings? What are our other options? Friedrich Schleiermacher had an answer that Shapiro (and orthodox Christians) wouldn’t appreciate. The father of liberal… Do Facts Care about Your Feelings? — Southern Equip Continue reading Do Facts Care about Your Feelings? — Southern Equip
“To the Ephesians” (Eph. 1.1), in preserved biblical texts, is most likely a later addition inserted into Paul’s letter. It can be said with certainty that copies of this letter found its way to Ephesus since Paul meant it as a circular letter (see Col. 4.16). Simon Peter, in his last correspondence to the churches, was aware of Paul’s letters and endorsed them as scripture … Continue reading The Letter to the Church of Laodicea is Probably Our “Ephesians”
The Gospel Sent Abroad The Holy Spirit, presumably speaking through the Christian prophets ministering in Antioch, indicated the intent to further the message of Christ in Cyprus and Asia Minor. God commissioned Paul and Barnabas to preach the Gospel, first, to the Jews in the synagogues, and then to everyone else. They were sent by the church, which meant that the church financially supplied them … Continue reading The Ignored Witness of Benevolence
The Kingdom in Heaven The Kingdom of God is now both in heaven and on earth. However, they are in different guises. Christians are citizens of the New Jerusalem (Gal. 4.26, Phil. 3.20) and are now ambassadors on earth (2Cor. 5.20). Clearly, an ambassador is an alien in the country where they serve; they represent a foreign entity. This is what Abraham was as he … Continue reading Where is the Kingdom of God Presently?
The account of God raising up Moses to lead the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt is one of the most important biblical events. In fact it is the most frequently mentioned event in the entire Old Testament, referred to over 120 times in subsequent stories, laws, poems, Psalms, historical writings and prophecies.1 […] Top Ten Discoveries Related to Moses and the Exodus — … Continue reading Top Ten Discoveries Related to Moses and the Exodus — Bible Archaeology Report
Its not good enough to only want to be a Christian or claim to be a Christian and not believe the truth. Nearly 70% of U.S. adults claim Christianity but are ignorant of the basics of faith. A Christian is one who knows God intimately by the Spirit of God, a personal being, whom the Son and Father co-indwell as stated in John 17.20-23: My … Continue reading Delusional Christians
LORD, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps. (Jeremiah 10.23 NIV) God’s Scrutiny of His Creatures Here is a brief bible study to trace the revelation of heart’s transparency to God. Perhaps, prior to Samuel, it was not readily recognized from what perspective God tested humans. The book of Hebrews repeats what is revealed … Continue reading The Potter’s Eye
Peter Gurry has an important article titled “The Text of Eph 5.22 and the Start of the Ephesian Household Code” in the most recent issue of New … An Important Challenge to Egalitarian Claims about Ephesians 5:22 Continue reading An Important Challenge to Egalitarian Claims about Ephesians 5:22
This post is an expansion and replacement of an earlier one. Most of my summer has been sort of hectic and intense in moving house, though some down times, such as plane travel and several times waiting for car fixes, have enabled me to catch up in reading downloaded books. I have read several of Larry Hurtado’s books which cover similar, if not identical ground. … Continue reading Book(s) Review and Personal Update
Legalism. Pretty much everyone agrees that it’s bad. And in a world where Christians seem to disagree over basically everything, that’s saying … How Do You Know If Your Church Is Legalistic? Continue reading How Do You Know If Your Church Is Legalistic?
At first glance, the region often referred to in Scripture as the Negev could easily be written off as merely a land of sparcity–both in rainfall and… Negev Continue reading Negev
gath.files.wordpress.com/2021/08/maeir_philistines_in-samuel-koren-tanakh-volume_2021.pdf Continue reading Aren Maeir’s Research on the Philistines
The four centuries between the Old Testament (Tanakh) and the Gospels are sometimes called the “Silent Years”. This time period is also known as the … Jerusalem and the Temple Mount in the Hellenistic period Continue reading Jerusalem and the Temple Mount in the Hellenistic period
When this pestilence is abated, bible believing churches should reinstitute weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper, if they haven’t done so already. I know many pastors and congregations, recently (in the past 10 years or so), have started to reincorporate this remembrance on a weekly basis. This observance seemed to be established, historically, in observance very early in the Apostolic Era. Acts 20.7: On the … Continue reading How Christians Can “Say Something About Jesus”
Jehoash was the second of four kings who descended from Jehu to reign as king of Israel (Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jeroboam II, and Zechariah); he ruled from ca. 798-782 BC.1 The Bible summarizes his reign this way: In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz began to reign over Israel […] King Jehoash: An Archaeological Biography — Bible Archaeology Report Continue reading King Jehoash: An Archaeological Biography — Bible Archaeology Report
Above I have posted a seal impression from the British Museum which seems to be no longer accessible. The pixel count of the above image is much less than the original displayed content. If I am correct on my take of the scene, it refers to the judicial promise/curse of Gen.3.15. Notice the woman picking the fruit while the kingly Messiah tramples the serpent leading … Continue reading Ancient Mesopotamian Cylinder Seals
Need encouragement to pray? John Calvin once said that “Nothing is better adapted to excite us to prayer than a full conviction that we shall be heard.” That’s why Jesus said things like: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For… What Should We Make of Unanswered Prayers? — Southern Equip Continue reading What Should We Make of Unanswered Prayers? — Southern Equip
Abraham was the first and greatest of the Hebrew patriarchs; his story unfolds over 15 chapters in the book of Genesis (from Gen. 11:26-Gen. 25:8). The Lord called him out of his own country to a new land and promised to bless the earth through him (Gen. 12:1-3). In our next top ten list, we’ll […] Top Ten Discoveries Related to Abraham — Bible Archaeology Report Continue reading Top Ten Discoveries Related to Abraham — Bible Archaeology Report
If you read nothing else, read J. I. Packer’s introduction to John Owen’s work: The Death of Death in the Death of Christ. If a person is struggling in their walk with Christ, the contents of Packer’s essay will save this person much time to find the glorious truth of Christ’s power. As a testimonial, I spent too many years wandering in the wilderness not … Continue reading J. I. Packer on John Owen
Admittedly, I copied this paragraph from another site’s post who added nothing else except its attribution. The paragraph notes the complexities in ancient 2nd Temple Israel. Our own world is likewise complex. Let us not think earlier times and lives were somehow simply cut and dried and that the bible is elementary; it is not. Yet, accuracy can be achieved despite the complexity and is … Continue reading Accuracy in a Complex World
Labeling people with generalist classifications often leads to pigeonholing them wrongly. For instance, Jesus was thought to be closely aligned with the Pharisees early in His ministry. He held Pharisaical positions such as the resurrection from the dead and acceptance of the Prophets and Writings along with the Pentateuch. The other major 2nd Temple Jewish Sect, the Sadducees, believed only in earthly life and its … Continue reading Separating the Wheat From the Chaff
Peter J. Gentry has an article dealing with how and why the present shape of the Old Testament exists. The article is fairly comprehensive and technical but very readable for any layperson familiar with the bible. One does not need to analyze all his technical charts he presents, from himself or others, to fully grasp the points he is making. He writes in a very … Continue reading The Mechanisms of Establishing the Old Testament Text
Timothy N. Mitchell explains some of the issues of how the authorial text was preserved. This is a great read. I have been following his own blog for the last several years and am very sympathetic to his thesis in this article. Enjoy! https://equip.sbts.edu/publications/where-inspiration-is-found-putting-the-new-testament-autographs-in-context/ Continue reading The Accurate Transmission of the New Testament
These studies are at the college-level and are short. Often, they take ten minutes to read if one is generally familiar with the bible and its concepts. Some articles may take fifteen, or, twenty minutes with adjacent searches of terms. https://www.etzion.org.il/en/tanakh/studies-tanakh/literary-readings-tanakh/introduction-i-subtextual-reading-biblical Continue reading A Valuable Resource in Finding the Subtextual Reading of the Bible
While I may not agree with all of the following description in this Jewish site, it does help to explain the idea of the “covenant” which is rooted in ancient biblical thought and continues with the establishment of The New Covenant. A particular disagreement involves labeling the 66 books of the bible into old and new testaments, which I agree with, since they refer to … Continue reading A Refined View of the Concept of “Covenant”
A number of lectures related to the archaeology of Jerusalem have now been posted from the Cambridge Symposium held in March 2019. The official title of the gathering was “The Ancient City of David: Recent Archaeological Exploration of Jerusalem. An Academic Symposium co-organized by Megalim: The City of David Institute and Von Hugel Institute of… Cambridge Symposium Lectures Online — BiblePlaces.com Continue reading Cambridge Symposium Lectures Online — BiblePlaces.com
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