The Bible in Context
John Calvin (1509-1564) was one of the most prolific and influential Bible interpreters in Christian history. He wrote a commentary on almost every book of the Bible and he systematized his understanding of the Bible in his magnum opus, Institutes of the Christian Religion. I was interested in what Calvin had to say about two … Read more
Genesis 18 contains an intriguing mystery. Before we examine it, let’s look at the chapter’s plot line. The chapter begins with three men visiting Abraham and predicting that Sarah will have a son in one year’s time. After sharing the news, the men head toward Sodom while Abraham walks with them to see them on … Read more
The first three chapters of Genesis are theological dynamite. They were explosive in the ancient world and they are still explosive today. Genesis 1 Summary: God creates everything. There’s only one God, Creator of everything. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (NIV). “The heavens and the earth” means … Read more
As I read through Colossians, I found myself fastened on the word mystery. Paul says God commissioned him to present “the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people” (Col. 1:25b-26, NIV). Prior to reading those words, I had … Read more
Updated November 2023 Divine violence in the Bible is a huge challenge. Here’s the problem in a nutshell. Christ—the perfect revelation of God—taught and practiced nonviolence, even to the point of allowing himself to be mocked, beaten, and killed. We don’t have a single example of Christ physically harming another human being. And yet the … Read more