The Choice
Bible scholars have long recognized that Genesis 1 & 2 offer two complementary creation narratives. Genesis 1:1-2:3 contains a comprehensive account of how God formed the entire cosmos by bringing…
The Fall
I recently heard a Christmas sermon which purported to offer a broad overview of the Biblical story leading up to Jesus. Unfortunately, this sermon was flawed in ways which are…
Context Is Crucial
Every Bible reader acknowledges (at least in theory) that context is crucial for understanding the scriptures. If you want to make sure you've properly understood a verse, you need to…
Elucidating Ephesians
In the evangelical world, perhaps no passage of scripture is cited more often than Ephesians 2:8-9: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this…
Purchase and Promise
The death of Abraham's wife Sarah is recounted in Genesis 23. For many Bible readers, this is a very strange chapter of the Bible. Although the Lord had blessed him…
God Loves Religion
Some time ago, we began to examine the aphorism frequently heard in evangelical circles, "Christianity is not about religion, but about relationship." Religion and Relationship – Why Seek the Living…
Religion and Relationship
There is a very bizarre contemporary trend in some church circles to downplay the fact that Christianity is a religion. Specifically, it's become quite common to hear folks claim that…
Moral Tectonics
For thousands of years, humanity has suffered the deadly effects of earthquakes and volcanic activity. Famously, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. obliterated the Roman town of Pompeii.…
People From the Earth, For the Earth
Last week we turned page on 2022 and ushered in the new year. The new year can certainly be a time of hope. But it won't be long before folks…
No Condemnation in the Messiah
We've been doing some road repair recently. Specifically, the Roman Road to Salvation has some deep potholes that need fixing. Our understanding of Romans 6:23 was one of the areas…