David P. BarshingerIn 1521 Martin Luther stood before Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms and made his famous statement refusing to renounce his writings. Shortly thereafter, he was stolen away to the Wartburg Castle, and while in hiding as a marked man, he...
Gregg AllisonCan we, or can we not, pray to the Holy Spirit? Augustine (354–430) composed this prayer to the Holy Spirit: Breathe in me O Holy Spirit that my thoughts may all be holy; Act in me O Holy Spirit that my works, too, may be holy; Draw my heart O Holy...
Andy NaselliIs it wrong to call the Holy Spirit an “it”? Contemporary English speakers use the words “it” and “he” in distinctly different ways. As a general rule, a person is a “who,” and a thing is an “it.” A spoon is an “it.” Your mom is a “she.” A spoon is...
Harold L. SenkbeilMost everyone knows the Great Commission by heart: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt 28:19). But why make disciples, and why baptize using that...
Katherine DrummWhat does the Bible say about friendship? A great deal. Below are some Bible verses that discuss the topic or are relevant to it. They’re organized according to some themes you may find helpful. Living in community We were created to live in...
Joel ArnoldEven on a first reading of the Lord’s Prayer, it’s striking that Jesus views himself as distinct from the Father who is hearing his prayer. How is it possible for the Son to communicate and interact with the Father unless the Son is distinct from...
Sometimes readers of Scripture are encouraged to “read the Bible like any other book.” This suggestion can arise from a desire to read the Bible as literature—that is, to read books of the Bible according to the rules of their respective genres. For...
Mark WardA friend of mine recently polled his church—both members and pastors—to see which Bible study resources they used. Independently, every single one of them named Strong’s Concordance. Many mentioned nothing else. Strong’s was their only Bible study...
Keith N. Smith Jr.Throughout the Bible there is a theme that you might call “choosing between two ways.” It starts with the two trees in the Garden of Eden narrative: the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil produced death, while the Tree of Life was a source of...
We are familiar with God’s calls in Scripture to be marked by a tender heart. Paul commands Christians, “Be … tenderhearted” (Eph 4:32), and Peter tells believers to “have … a tender heart” (1 Pet 3:8). These teachings clearly show what God expects...
Mark StraussSince the mid-1980s, the New International Version (NIV) has been the best-selling English-language Bible, both in the United States and worldwide. The NIV was a trans-denominational effort by over a hundred scholars, sponsored by the nonprofit New...
John KleinigGive me life, O Lord, according to your word! (Ps 119:107) Recently, I had a lively conversation with a well-educated young man whom I know quite well. We were both eager to catch up. In the course of our discussion, I asked him whether he still...
Brian CollinsA recent review of Mac OS Ventura began with an all-too-common admission: the features the reviewer had been excited about in previous versions of Mac OS turned out to receive little use. I don’t think that will be the case with Logos 10’s killer...
Ryland BrownThe Bible is a big book. More accurately, the Bible is a collection of books written at different times to different people by different authors. Readers will find that the Bible contains literary genres including history, narrative, law, poetry...
Peter MontoroScribes & Scripture: The Amazing Story of How We Got the Bible, is a love letter from the academy to the church, a truly excellent book that will surely become a staple in churches and seminaries all over the English-speaking world. Authors...
Kirk E. MillerVirtually all Christians practice some form of baptism. In fact, Paul mentions our universally experienced baptism among those things that demonstrate our unity as believers: “one body and one Spirit … one hope … one Lord, one faith, one baptism...
Commentaries are tools in the toolbox of Bible teachers and preachers. But just as a woodworker will use a table saw, miter saw, and band saw for different purposes, Bible teachers will turn to different types of commentaries for different purposes...
Mary Jahnke“Is this worship?” That’s not a thought I expected to have nearing the end of my first 15K race, but there it was. As I watched seagulls soaring overhead and one foot fell in front of the other, my reasoning went like this:...
Matthew L. HalstedLet me get straight to the point: I think biblical scholars and theologians should talk more about UFOs. Sounds crazy, right? But I’m not kidding. Admittedly, this topic is a strange one. A person can hardly think of UFOs without hearing the eerie X...
Timothy BergA common YouTube pastime is the Wired “Autocorrect Interviews.” A public figure holds a board hiding a series of commonly googled questions behind paper strips. They peel the strips one by one and answer the sometimes absurd, always...
S.M. BaughProfessional athletes were as popular in the ancient world as they are today, even if the sports back then were somewhat different. Wrestling competitions, for example, were held throughout mainland Greece and Asia Minor in various festivals. And...
Donald C. McIntyreOn February 8, 2023, students from Asbury University gathered at chapel as they would any other Wednesday at 10:00 a.m., but it was not an ordinary Wednesday. Those in attendance lingered in the chapel—for 15 more days. Craig Keener of Asbury...
Timothy LaniakThe discipline of biblical theology represents an effort to describe the major themes and concerns of biblical authors at a level beyond a single text. In a sense, it is exegetical theology. We are giving the ancient authors “voice” about the topics...
How many times have you heard this in a sermon? How many times have you preached this in a sermon? Faith in Greek is pistis, which means fidelity or trust. In Hebrew, the word usually translated as faith is emunah, which means steadfastness or...
Christopher KouFor I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.—Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) Who is God’s promise for? Casual readers of the Bible may read this popular verse and think, “Wow...
Dustin BattlesAlmost two years ago, I switched to the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) as my primary preaching and teaching translation for my church, Mercy Baptist Church in West Chester, Ohio. Last year I led our church to purchase CSB pew Bibles (though we use...
Though an unlikely recipient of God’s grace, Naaman the Syrian experienced the mercy and power of God in his healing from leprosy. Naaman’s response to Elisha’s healing is both remarkable and puzzling. It is remarkable that this worshiper of the god...
Timothy MillerFar from receding after the Gospels, the theme of repentance continues throughout the book of Acts. When a guilty crowd asked how they should respond to their complicity in the death of Jesus, their Messiah, Peter commanded them, "Repent and be...
It is natural at the turn of the seasons to reflect on the previous year. A question many of us may be asking during this time is: What’s next? What surprises await us in the coming year? The truth is that we don’t know what the coming year has in...
Andrea BurkeAs I write this, we are just waking from the sugarcoated dream of the Christmas season. We have tried and tasted every delectable culinary bite we could. Salt-and-pepper-crusted medium-rare steak. Racks full of drying homemade pasta. Mugs of rich...