Party Poopers
In Matthew 22, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a monarch who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. In our last blog, we examined the nature of this…
Blessing and Obedience
Throughout the story of Abram/Abraham, God's promises are closely tied to Abraham's obedience & faithfulness. The account begins with Abram's obedience to the divine command: "Go from your country, your…
Faithful Abraham
Romans 3 & Galatians 2 are two main passages where the Apostle Paul discusses "justification by faith." Martin Luther famously made this doctrine central to his theology. But as this…
Gaining Righteousness
Evangelical pastors routinely use Galatians to teach their congregations that salvation hinges purely upon "faith" (passive belief or trust) in Jesus. Through faith, we receive Jesus' righteousness & are justified…
Tearing Down the Barrier
This blog series has begun to explore how the book of Galatians has been misunderstood by most evangelical Christians. Written around 48 AD, Galatians is probably the Apostle Paul's very…
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…
The Lion of Judah
The book of Genesis lays the foundations for the story of the Bible. It begins with the creation account whereby God brings the universe into being by the power of…
Cleansing Or Curse?
Most scholars believe that the book of Mark was the first gospel written, probably around 65 AD. There is strong evidence that Mark relied heavily on the eyewitness testimony of…
Bearing the Right Fruit
The theme of fruitfulness can be traced throughout the scriptures. In the last blog, we examined Isaiah 5, which contains the song of the vineyard. God the landowner lovingly cultivated…
The Nature of Grace
Amazing Grace is almost certainly the most widely known Christian song of all time. This beloved hymn was written by John Newton, an English slaver trader who later became an…