If a young preacher stepped into your office asking for your best books on preaching, what would you suggest? Here are a few ideas.
Most New Testament readers are likely familiar with the concept of resurrection: Jesus, of course, resurrected from the dead, but he also raised to life Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:21–24), the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:1–17), and Lazarus (John...
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you...
Today is a day set aside to remember one of the most somber events in history. International Holocaust Day commemorates the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and honors the 6 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and millions of...
If you’re like me, you probably set out each new year with lofty Bible study goals. And then, well—life happens. A few random distractions can quickly turn much-intended goals into a nice idea shelved for next year.
A while back I was working on a project, and I needed help. I was looking for insights Bible readers have gained into Scripture by comparing English Bible translations. The lone rule was that you couldn’t know Greek or Hebrew. I mentioned this...
This excerpt on the return of Jesus is adapted from Dr. Heiser’s book I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible (see all Dr. Heiser’s books). *** Few things in the Bible attract more attention than prophecies about the end times. Even people...
Pastors have a monumental calling. Acts 20:28 instructs, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” Whether you’re...
I knew the NICOT and NICNT commentary series was featured prominently on bestcommentaries.com, but I was curious to see just how they stacked up, so I did some digging. Out of 53 volumes, 39 make the top 3. 15 are ranked #1. In fact, only 7 volumes...
Is there a best method for how to use Bible commentaries? As songwriter Sara Groves says, “There’s no way to know it without discovery.” Groves isn’t talking about Bible commentaries (or how to use them) when she sings that line, but...
Explore what Bible translation is and the value of using different kinds of Bible translations (including helpful charts).
Anyone who is being crucified suffers from dehydration, with the mouth and throat unbearably dry and the tongue grossly swollen (see Ps 22:15). At first Jesus had refused the relief of the offered sour wine (Matt 27:34) so that all of his senses...
The Lexham Bible Dictionary defines Logos (λόγος, logos) as “a concept word in the Bible symbolic of the nature and function of Jesus Christ. It is also used to refer to the revelation of God in the world.” But it’s also arguably...
Salmon are anadromous. That’s a $25 word that feels how terms found in encyclopedias are supposed to feel: formal, scientific. It’s in a higher register of English. But if you know a little Greek, you’ll see immediately that all it means is “running...
Remember always to go on to theology. — Mark Ward In preaching and other Bible teaching, your big strength can become a weakness. If you are good at careful analysis of biblical texts, don’t stop there. Remember always to go on to theology. Analysis...
Have you heard people say, “I didn’t learn that in seminary”? Sure, there can be gaps between what you learn in seminary and how you plan to use your studies. (As wide as the gap between translating James from Greek and teaching it to seventh...
Systematic theology might sound like a topic better left for the pros—those pastors and teachers called by God to do the heavy lifting for us. We trust them to sift through the words, topics, and themes in the Bible, tie everything together, and...
Today’s post continues Logos Talk’s Christmas Bible study. Check back throughout December for more ways to study the birth of Jesus! The angel Gabriel is one of the prominent characters in the Nativity narrative. He’s remembered as the angel who...
C. S. Lewis books are beloved by many—he is undoubtedly one of the most-read Christian writers of the twentieth century. Some of the more familiar are Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, and The Screwtape Letters. Keep...
Image: codex-sinaiticus.net By Randy Leedy, PhD Many Christians are troubled by textual variants, or the differences in biblical manuscripts. The Bible has scribal errors in it? Then how can I be sure what I’m reading is God’s word? I have...
Who are the Elohim? Is it God? Multiple gods? Read Dr. Michael Heiser’s explanation of the origin of the Elohim from The Unseen Realm.
Explore the disagreement that exists among evangelicals concerning the inerrancy of Scripture.
C. S. Lewis quotes from the author’s popular fantasy and apologetics books, like the beloved Chronicles of Narnia series, The Screwtape Letters, and Mere Christianity might just be some of the most oft-referenced quotes for Christians. Born...
Should Christians study fringe topics like UFOs and the Bible and whether aliens exist? The existence of UFOs has topped news headlines over the past few weeks, generating quite the buzz, primarily in response to the Pentagon’s soon-to-be-released...
The bivocational pastor is one of the most unique, gifted, and selfless individuals in the Church. That’s because they serve churches that can’t compensate them with full-time pay (or they choose to stay in another job to save the church money)...
What is the Pentateuch? Though the name sounds theological, it’s really not. The Pentateuch is just the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. In the Hebrew Bible it’s known as the Torah and is...
In the late 1970s, British nationalism and racial discrimination were in full swing, and British Christians began to voice their increasing concern about racial diversity. One way that evangelical leader, John Stott, did this was through his monthly...
Sometimes Wisdom Literature can be confusing or wrongly understood through the lens of modern-day culture and context. Yet there is much we can glean from the wisdom of generations of God’s people when those books of the Bible are rightly studied. ...
William A. Ross, assistant professor at Reformed Theological Seminary, explores a recent Dead Sea Scrolls discovery of a few dozen Bible manuscript fragments in Israel and how it may shed new light on Septuagint studies.
In his book Family Discipleship, Matt Chandler says we should be leading our homes by doing everything we can “to help [our] family become friends and followers of Jesus Christ.” He says that it’s the most crucial, weighty, and enjoyable job we will...