Bible Study Lessons
Properly interpreting the Bible requires balance. For example, are Christians world affirming or world denying? Since God declared everything he had made to be “very good” (Gen 1:31), believers should affirm the world as the work of a good Creator. Moreover, through the incarnation, the Son of God embraced this world by taking on a … Read more
As I was reading a commentary today, the author’s (C. H. Dodd) translation of a verse caught my attention: “Courage! I have conquered the world” (Jn 16:33). These are the last words of Jesus to his disciples in his farewell discourse (Jn 14-16). I like the translation because it’s concise, direct, and commanding. I can imagine … Read more
Why did the Son of God die? Let’s back up and begin with this question: Why did the Son of God become human? If God wants to communicate with us, what are the non-human options? Off the top of my head: (1) God could make a public announcement, (2) God could appear in a vision, … Read more
Here’s an insightful observation from Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758): The devil once seemed to be religious from fear of torment. Luke 8:28, “When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech … Read more
Valentine’s Day is full of hearts and so is the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah, however, does not have good things to say about the human heart. In fact, his words are disturbing. Jeremiah was called by God to be a prophet when he was a youth in 627 BC. During his four decades of prophesying, … Read more