Personal testimony is not what I usually write about; it’s uncomfortable and a little embarrassing. Nevertheless, this time, I almost feel compelled, since, in another testimony to an individual who I was trying to help, I did not give God the due credit. It was the summer and I was enjoying a walk in a new area and needed directions to a place I wanted … Continue reading How God Answered My Prayer to Quit Tobacco
The focal point of generation is sameness, “after its kind.” The idea reveals sameness of essence. Some folks have gotten hung up on thinking that every moment by moment God is generating Jesus. This is not the focus at all, since this is an eternal relationship which can never change. It’s almost the same as saying that Jesus, moment by moment, is holding the universe … Continue reading Eternal Generation of the Son Defended
While the bible is scarce in the description of heaven, it reveals the character of heaven’s inhabitants which gives us the disposition of that place. It goes without saying that heaven, compared to earth, will be a place of fulfillment, blessedness, and peace. Further, without question, God and His angels are superabundantly capable. Both these points need no argumentation. God is all wise and knowing, … Continue reading The Nature of Heaven
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, … Continue reading The Firstborn Of All Creation Col. 1.15-18
(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) NIV The NIV bible has … Continue reading Rom. 2.14-15 Refers to Christians
For too long the evangelical church has gone soft on sound exposition of Scripture and the faithful teaching of systematic theology and replaced it with the felt needs of people and joining various social causes. Stephen Wellum https://www.crossway.org/articles/an-open-letter-to-the-evangelical-church-on-christology/ Continue reading Failure Evidence of the Willow Creek Model
Talbot School of Theology’s Master of Arts in Classical Theology is mostly composed of three kinds of courses: Commonplaces (major doctrines); Master Practitioners (significant theologians); and Sacred Page (books of Scripture). Since the entire MA is designed to treat Scripture as “that toward which all studies in divinity move,” these Sacred Page courses are especially… Ephesians (Classical Theology Course) — The Scriptorium Daily Continue reading Ephesians (Classical Theology Course) — The Scriptorium Daily
At the time of Jesus’ birth, the land of Israel (now called Palestine by the Romans) was ruled by the Romans, who had granted Herod the Great the title of “king” over the region. His domain included most of the land that once belonged to Israel. After his death, the Romans granted Herod’s wishes that… Palestine under Roman Rule — Bible Mapper Blog Continue reading Palestine under Roman Rule — Bible Mapper Blog
Sailing ship, 1st cen. AD (Pompeian tomb of Naevoleia Tyche Museo Della Civiltà Romana)I recently learned of a fascinating account of Christians responding in various ways to Roman Imperial persecution in an excellent chapter by Jakob Engberg in a recent work.”Caring for African Confessors in Exile: the Ministry of Numeria and Candida during the Decian… Christian Networks and the Circulation of Christian Books — The Textual … Continue reading Christian Networks and the Circulation of Christian Books — The Textual Mechanic
What does it profit to gain the whole world yet forfeit one’s soul? This present earth is filled with devils the hymn writer tells us (A Mighty Fortress is Our God). In the book of Job, Satan describes himself as traversing the earth back and forth and roaming on it (Job 1.7). Also, in Ephesians (6.12) it speaks of rulers and authorities over this dark … Continue reading Pie in the Sky
Eph. 6.10-18 records Paul’s admonition to deploy weapons, both defensive and offensive, in the struggle against evil. The idea of both types of weapons comes from the list itself where these descriptions denote either offensive or defensive purposes. Also, in 2Cor. 6.7, Paul instructs to use “weapons of righteousness on the right and left.” It doesn’t take much insight to see the typical soldier of … Continue reading The Seven-fold Armor of God
Some folks wonder whether this teaching of Jesus refers to the end of days or whether it was fulfilled in 70 C.E. when Jerusalem and its Temple was destroyed. Jesus speaks to both times in His discourse but Matthew’s account only deals with the end times and he constructs the account for this purpose. Luke, on the other hand, records both events in 21. 5-36. … Continue reading Understanding the Olivet Discourse Mt. 24-25, Lk. 21
If the goal is to read through the bible in a year (a good and commendable goal), then one only needs to read three chapters, more or less, each day starting with Genesis. Here is a schedule to roughly track one’s progress: Click to access straightthrough.pdf As a young Christian I read through the New Testament in a month and recall the adoption of favorite … Continue reading The Easiest Bible Reading Plan
“Tell Archippus: ‘See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord’” (Col. 4.17) Colossians was written to the church whom Paul previously ministered to and no pastors are mentioned. If the Colossians did have a pastor, it was probably Archippus who was located in Laodicea, it seems. The churches of Colossae, Hierapolis, and Laodicea were located relatively close to each … Continue reading The Church Telling the Pastor What to Do
Is it important what we do and how we do it when thinking about church services? I think its vitally important or we will slip into either mysticism or hypocrisy. The Jerusalem Temple had music to accompany its mysterious symbolism and redemptive themes expressed in shadows but not the synagogue. Both the synagogue and early church service were devoid of congregational singing and musical instrumentation. … Continue reading No Music in Either Synagogue or Early Church
The whole chapter of Numbers 12 deals with the incident where Aaron and Miriam speak against Moses because of his Cushite wife. She was a black woman who had presumably attached herself (or her family attached themselves) to the Israelites after witnessing the contest between the Lord and the Egyptians. Here is a study of the biblical Cushites: http://www.asor.org/anetoday/2020/12/cushites-hebrew-bible Miriam was struck with a condition … Continue reading Moses Marries a Cushite
One of the things I love about Discussions with the Diggers, is learning from experts about different biblical sites. My next guest is the world’s leading authority on the Temple Mount. Dr. Leen Ritmeyer is an archaeological architect who has been involved in all of Jerusalem’s major excavations. He was chief architect of the Temple […] Discussions with the Diggers: Dr. Leen Ritmeyer — Bible Archaeology … Continue reading Discussions with the Diggers: Dr. Leen Ritmeyer — Bible Archaeology Report
From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. (2Cor. 5.16) https://www.goodnewsarticles.com/Sep06-3.htm Excerpt: So, “to know someone according to the flesh,” really means to know them from the perspective of my natural thinking – which would be to view them from the perspective of myself as the … Continue reading Not Knowing Anyone According to the Flesh
In the ongoing debates about the reliability of early Christian manuscripts, and whether they have been transmitted with fidelity, it is often claimed that early Christian scribes were amateurs, unprofessional, and some probably couldn’t even read. In Michael Satlow’s book, How the Bible Became Holy (Yale, 2014), this same sort of argument appears (for my… Were Early Christian Scribes Untrained Amateurs? — Canon Fodder Continue reading Were Early Christian Scribes Untrained Amateurs? — Canon Fodder
The 70th anniversary of the day that the dogma of the bodily assumption of Mary was promulgated passed almost unnoticed. It was November 1, 1950 that Pius XII, with the apostolic constitution Munificentissum Deus, solemnly pronounced the latest Marian dogma, which is also the last dogma of the Roman Catholic Church. In it, Roman Catholicism… 182. The Dogma of the Bodily Assumption of Mary, 70 Years … Continue reading 182. The Dogma of the Bodily Assumption of Mary, 70 Years After — Vatican Files
There has been a lot of talk in recent years on the length of time an ancient book, or even “autograph” may have been in use. I briefly addressed this topic in “Myths and Mistakes in New Testament Textual Criticism,” Chapter two “Myths About Autographs.” In that chapter I cite a comment from the second… Seneca: The Fate of an Unused Bookroll — The Textual Mechanic Continue reading Seneca: The Fate of an Unused Bookroll — The Textual Mechanic
Just a quick note here on the blog, to hold a link to a helpful sermon from Richard Chenevix Trench, “On the Duty of Hating Vain Thoughts.” It’s from an 1886 collection of sermons freely available at various places online, but I excerpted the sermon itself and am sharing it (along with my own highlighting)… Hating Vain Thoughts — The Scriptorium Daily Continue reading Hating Vain Thoughts — The Scriptorium Daily
This is a longer read but sets the foundation from O.T. texts as well as N.T. ones to define human existence and show that sex is covenantal in humans by creation. Continue reading Understanding Human Sexuality
This article argues effectively that Christ presented Himself in heaven for the forgiveness of humanity’s sins. The only quibble I have is that no ancient Jewish or early Christian source labels the high priest’s inner-sanctum blood manipulation an “offering.” https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/our-welcome-to-heaven Lev. 6.30 explains: But any sin offering whose blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place must not … Continue reading Atonement in Heaven
