Friendly Reminder (2)

Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. James 4:4  (almost NASB) Friend of the world – Who is a philos tou kosmou (friend of the world)?  This is a vitally important question, perhaps equal to the scribe’s inquiry, “Who is my neighbor?”  If we have the…

Babylon Revisited

“Since the culture of ancient times tended to value a person in light of the role performance, personal values also follow that path.  Van der Toorn finds a ‘priority of shame over guilt, of honour over self-esteem, and of success over integrity.  Since misfortune of any sort was inferred to derive from having offended deity,…

Friendly Reminder (1)

Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. James 4:4 (almost NASB) Wishes to be – What do you long to be?  What desire do you hold in your heart?  James’ comment is not about active expression and outward progression.  James uses the Greek verb boulomai, a…

Role Play

The woman said to the serpent, “Of the fruit of any tree of the garden we may eat.” Genesis 3:2  Stone Tanakh Woman said – When we read this verse, most of us concentrate on the fact that Havvah does not reiterate the command given to Adam exactly as it was given.  She adds a…

Matthew, Session 77

I am pleased to offer a correction to session 75 based on the valuable input of Rodney Baker from Adelaide. As you can see, the worldwide audience for this study of Matthew keeps me on my toes. Thank, Rodney. [audio:https://skipmoen.com/audio/matthew-77.mp3] (To listen, hit the Play button above, or right-click here, select “Save as…” and download…

Twenty Centuries Later

You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? Galatians 3:1  NASB   Bewitched – Have we been fooled?  Would Paul say the same thing to us if he showed up at our doorsteps?  “You undisciplined Christians, who has cast an evil eye upon you?”  Perhaps that…