Failing the New Covenant

Those so-called Christians who try to enforce righteousness on unbelievers is the main reason I wrote my recent post about the Two Kingdoms. The Law (Mosaic Old Covenant) wasn’t effective in itself to produce godliness. God’s Law was a spotlight to expose unrighteousness so that the conscious-stricken petitioner would make use of the remedy of sacrifice. The book of Hebrews makes the same case: The … Continue reading Failing the New Covenant

“I Am Not Praying for the World”-Jn. 17.9b

I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours (Jn.17.9 NIV). Ever since the promise of redemption contained in the sentence, or curse, upon the devil (Gen. 3.15), two kingdoms have existed: The seed of woman and the seed of the serpent. It is not the case, however, that God only rules … Continue reading “I Am Not Praying for the World”-Jn. 17.9b

Ancient Secular References to Jesus and His Followers

In the book of Acts, Luke records the words of the mob at Thessalonica claiming that the new Christian Movement was upsetting the world order: These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus (17.6b-7 NIV). Therefore, it … Continue reading Ancient Secular References to Jesus and His Followers

James Hamilton: Christ as Rock

ABSTRACT: “And the Rock was Christ.” Some have interpreted Paul’s claim in 1 Corinthians 10:4 as a departure from grammatical-historical exegesis, or even as evidence that Paul gave credence to unhistorical Jewish myths. A close reading of his words against the backdrop of the canon, however, shows that Paul was reading Moses the way Moses… The Rock Was Christ: How Paul Read the Pentateuch — Desiring … Continue reading James Hamilton: Christ as Rock

Overly Speculative Reconstructions Lack Credibility

Recently, various press outlets have run stories about a stone artifact with a very fragmentary Old Hebrew Inscription on it (e.g., https://www.israeltoday.co.il/read/bibles-reliability-further-affirmed-as-king-hezekiah-inscription-deciphered/ , citing the proposed restorations and interpretations of Gershon Galil and Eli Shukron), discovered ca. 15+ years ago on an excavation. I would like to make some brief comments on this inscription and… Restorations are *not* a Good Foundation for Dramatic Proposals: Reflections on … Continue reading Overly Speculative Reconstructions Lack Credibility

Evidence that God Wants Us to be Scientific

On Tuesday, Nov. 8 a Lunar Eclipse occurs. More impressive and important is a total Solar Eclipse. A Solar Eclipse, at least to me, indicates design. The difference in mass between the Sun and Moon is enormous, yet, in their relative placement to each other from the vantage of a person on Earth, total Solar Eclipses sometimes occur. This phenomenon impels curiosity to find out … Continue reading Evidence that God Wants Us to be Scientific

A Remarkable New Dating Tool for Israeli Archeology

Summary: New dating technology uses the Earth’s magnetic field to verify the biblical accounts of Egyptian, Aramean, Assyrian and Babylonian military campaigns against the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And he [Nebuchadnezzar] burned the house of the Lord and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. –… Earth’s Magnetic Field Used to Verify Biblical Battles — Patterns of … Continue reading A Remarkable New Dating Tool for Israeli Archeology

Did the Godhead Suffer at the Cross of Christ?

God demonstrated His love in Christ’s crucifixion (Rom. 5.8). However, the members of the Trinity did not suffer since Christ, only in His humanity, paid sin’s penalty for us. The incarnation and earthly ministry of Jesus was the start of an advance into a new realm: materiality. God is Spirit, and they that worship Him must do so in spirit and truth (Jn. 4.24). Modern, … Continue reading Did the Godhead Suffer at the Cross of Christ?

The Five Not-Points of Calvinism

The doctrines of Calvinism have a way of both wounding and healing the human heart. They are sword and balm, stumbling block and safety net, thundercloud and rainbow. The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834) once described Calvinism as a lamb in wolf’s skin: “cruel in the phrases,” but “full of consolation for the suffering individual.”… The Five Not-Points of Calvinism — Desiring God Continue reading The Five Not-Points of Calvinism

Mike Aubrey’s Concerns

This reblogged post has some English grammar problems. I was going to correct it, but, I believe readers of English can figure out what he is saying. Aubrey identifies some not-so-obvious translation issues that plague the modern church. The bible is both very simple and complex (in parts) simultaneously. To understand biblical concepts takes effort. I believe God grants understanding to those who ask, seek, … Continue reading Mike Aubrey’s Concerns

Whom we Remember and Proclaim

Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes (1Cor. 11.25b-26 ESV). Christians can become overly introspective during the Lord’s Supper because of Paul’s warning in the next verses about observing the rite: Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of … Continue reading Whom we Remember and Proclaim

The Reality of Asymmetrical Textual Transmission

Peter Gurry exposes a truth by careful reading what sources actually said. It is a fallacy to believe that the resultant major N.T. readings preserved today accurately reflect ancient majority readings. There are too many variables to accept the stated theorem: “A theoretical presumption indeed remains that a majority of extant documents is more likely to represent a majority of ancestral documents at each stage … Continue reading The Reality of Asymmetrical Textual Transmission

Hazael: An Archaeological Biography

And the LORD said to him [Elijah], “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. (1Ki 19:15)  Hazael was a ruled Aram-Damascus (Syria), a kingdom located to the northeast of Judah and Israel from ca. 842—800 BC1. He appears in […] Hazael: An Archaeological Biography — Bible Archaeology Report Continue reading Hazael: An Archaeological Biography

FOMO: The “Fear of Missing Out”

Be sure not to miss the comments of the post. Also, this post links to a previous discussion of 1Jn 2.23 (at that verse). The link, with its comments, discusses the longer reading of 1Jn.2.23 and 1Jn. 3.1. My position, on these two verses, is acceptance of the longer readings in both texts rather than the clauses being explanatory additions. The KJV misses these two … Continue reading FOMO: The “Fear of Missing Out”

The Better Plea: “Give Me Jesus and the Apostles”

The Jews who rejected the Messiah set up their new religion apart from and in rejection to the signs God gave as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. The words of Amos probably refer to this time: The Lord has sworn by himself, the Pride of Jacob: “I will never forget anything they have done…The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a … Continue reading The Better Plea: “Give Me Jesus and the Apostles”