There are at least two senses in Scripture in which Jesus is the word of God. Though related, one has to do with the idea of revelation, and the other with the Greek word logos. Jesus as God’s revelation One way to understand Jesus as God’s word is...
Nijay K. Gupta, professor of New Testament at Northerm Seminary (PhD, University of Durham), contributed a series on biblical commentaries on the Pauline epistles. Dr. Gupta has written three commentaries (Colossians, 1–2 Thessalonians, Lord’s...
By Jeffrey Arthurs It was said of Winston Churchill that “he mobilized the English language, and sent it into battle.” I exhort you, send your best words into battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil. Send language forth like soldiers...
By Kevin Vanhoozer This excerpt from Kevin Vanhoozer highlights the importance of not just hearing God’s voice but truly listening with the intent to obey what he says. In perhaps the most famous Arabian Nights story, Aladdin discovers a magic...
By Kevin Vanhoozer The church is the body of Christ, and its core—the community of disciples, the faith corps—enables its characteristic bodily movements: witnessing to the gospel, worshiping the God of the gospel, maintaining the health of the...
By Craig Bartholomew It may seem laughable in our present media-dominated context to imagine that a long, three-volume exposition of doctrine, written by a thoroughly orthodox Reformed theologian in another place and time, might hold vital clues for...
By Kevin Vanhoozer One of the key prophetic tasks of theology is to free the church, a holy nation, from idols. This includes false ideologies and metaphors and stories that guide and govern a people’s way of life. That’s the negative task of...
This post is adapted from God of All Comfort: A Trinitarian Response to the Horrors of This World by Scott Harrower.
In order to know God and his perspective, people need to access his stream of consciousness or to have it opened up to them. Engagement with God requires more than being able to state things about him: it involves a person-to-person relationship in...
What is marriage? It’s a question the Bible holds the keys to because God created marriage and revealed it in Scripture. Given the confusion in our culture and in our churches, agreeing upon the basic meaning of marriage is no longer a “given.” The...
By Grant Osborne Most ancient books trace the “acts” of heroes like Odysseus, Alexander the Great, or Julius Caesar. Luke’s is unique because these are the “acts” of a movement. As the second part of a two-volume work, it is a historical narrative...
Thirty-three miles east of the Mediterranean Sea on a limestone plateau in the Judaean Hills rests one of the oldest cities in the world: Jerusalem. Jerusalem is mentioned 660 times in the Old Testament and 141 in the New—more if you count all its...
Dan Brown’s bestselling conspiratorial thriller The Da Vinci Code seems like ancient history now. At its peak of popularity, the novel set records both for sales and for irritating scholars with its view that Jesus and the 12 apostles held to...
By Lucas O’Neill, author of Preaching to Be Heard Many sermons are like meals from typical fast-food chains—flavor at the expense of nutrition. It’s easy, fast, cheap, and tastes addictively good. Your We begin with the text and we surrender the...
We have offered some preliminary comments on preaching, its purposes and the mindset of the preacher. Now I want to offer some guidance on Bible study and exegetical resources. Now, it would be easy for me to go on and on with book recommendations...
The word mission is used today in a plethora of contexts. Diplomats, fighter pilots, and some elementary school teachers refer to their work as a mission. Virtually every business, from auto-parts distributors to fast-food restaurants, possesses an...
By Mark J. Keown, ThD At the time of the New Testament, Israel had been an occupied country, at least in part, since the eighth century BC. Its location on the Fertile Crescent meant that anyone seeking to dominate the region had to take control of...
Is the book of Revelation a linear chronology of distant future events? Or does the book describe the Roman persecution of Christians and Rome’s destruction of the temple—events that occurred in John’s lifetime? The first view opts for a mid-AD 90s...
Mark Ward is the author of Authorized and recently wrote and appeared in a documentary of the same name. In this interview, we learn about the origins of the film, what went into writing the screenplay, and what audience reactions have been to his...
By Warren Wiersbe A university professor was meeting a famous Chinese lecturer in a crowded train station. After welcoming him, the professor said, “If we run to our gate, we can get the next train and save three minutes.” The guest quietly asked...
You will preach narrative far better if you know this literary archetype. The Bible is full of stories, and most of them revolve around a hero. From Abraham to Moses to Deborah to the True and Better Hero, much of Scripture is a hero’s journey...
“Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all who belong to you will die.” — Genesis 20:7 In the drama of the broader story of...
If there’s one part of the Bible virtually everyone has heard of, it’s 666—the “number of Beast.” And if there’s one thing no one can agree upon, it’s what that number stands for. We see 666 in Revelation 13:18: “let the one who has understanding...
“What is Naomi worth? Count her sons. According to that cultural scorecard, Naomi is a zero. So is her barren daughter-in-law Ruth. But is that how God sees them?” In celebration of International Women’s Day, we bring you this excerpt...
One quality above all others gives your sermon intro the hook it needs. Here’s how to work that quality into your intro. All ad writers agree that a headline is the most important part of any ad. Famous ad writer David Ogilvy once said, “On the...
If your hope is tied to political or cultural renewal as the evidence of Christ’s work in the world, then you will eventually find yourself in despair. —Dayton Hartman, Jesus Wins, p. 55 The world gives us many reasons to despair. Open a news feed...
It only takes a few words to produce dramatic theology. In the short letter we know as 3 John, the apostle is writing to a beloved friend, Gaius (v. 1). He commends Gaius for ministering to fellow believers who were strangers because “they have gone...
By John Frame When people philosophize about God, images of his distance often predominate. God is, we say, far from us, in a different realm from the earth in which we live. There is some truth in this. The Bible often says that God reigns “on...
In December, Christianity Today released its 2018 Book Award winners, and intriguing titles abound. From a book on selfies to one on hospitality from Rosaria Butterfield, this year’s best books address pertinent themes from a Christian perspective...
Despite popular belief, Saul did not become Paul on the road to Damascus. Those are simply two versions of the same name: Saul the Hebrew version, Paul the Roman. However, what did change when Christ appeared to Paul—and it’s perhaps the most...