Thoughts on the Bible and Life
C. H. Dodd (1884-1973) was an influential New Testament scholar. In his book The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel, he makes a simple observation: The Gospel of John introduces its characters whereas Mark expects his readers to know who he is talking about. For example, “And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness” (Mark … Read more
It’s shocking that at the start of Acts 1, after Jesus’ death and resurrection, his mission is still misunderstood. Luke writes, On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized … Read more
The previous chapter offered an historical overview of Christian universalism. This chapter will focus on the biblical data. Separation If you’re ready to refute Christian universalism with a litany of verses, let me quickly concede that two outcomes, involving a separation between the righteous and the wicked, appear to be clearly expressed in certain passages. … Read more
The kingdom of God is one of the primary themes of the Bible. Jesus talked about it at the start, middle, and end of his earthly ministry. Since I have already given an overview of the kingdom in a previous post, in this post I will highlight three passages that show the heavenly nature of … Read more