From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17 NASB To preach – Shall we try a new version of “in the beginning”? No, not the one in John’s cryptic prologue. That new beginning is about cosmological ideas, probably aimed at first century Gnostics…
From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17 NASB Kingdom of heaven – Of course Matthew uses “kingdom of heaven.” As an orthodox Jew he would never say “kingdom of God.” If he were a contemporary, he might write “kingdom of G_d,”…
From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17 NASB Repent – April Fool’s Day. I wonder where that tradition began. Today I’m not playing a joke on you. Today I want to think seriously about something Harold Brown wrote. While Buddhism and Islam…
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth Genesis 1:1 NASB Created – Why do we love sunsets? Or being at the ocean? Or viewing majestic mountain ranges? Do you have the same feelings when you see city streets, tall buildings or sports stadiums? Why are we so thrilled with natural beauty? Even…
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God Romans 3:23 NASB Fall short – Maybe we’re just not prepared to deal with the implications. Maybe we just haven’t seen enough. But I’ve seen a lot. And I’m tired. The more I travel, the more I see men and women interpreting their…
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God Romans 3:23 NASB Fall short – Just how far do you think you’ll get with modern men and women by telling them that they are sinners? Can I suggest that unless you are speaking to people who have some sort of connection with…
In Davao, Philippines, I have a great friend, Macky Bongabong, who has a rather amazing story about God’s intervention, passion and purpose. I thought I would share it with you. Fisherman to Presidential portrait artist- By Macky Bongabong In the 90s I grew up familiarizing the types of fish I see in the ocean of…
For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. Romans 7:14 NASB Flesh – Yesterday we looked at some words from John that appear to be gnostic at first blush. We found that John’s Hebraic orientation must be considered in the exegesis of his statements. But…
For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. Romans 7:14 NASB Sold into bondage – pipráskō. To dispose of as merchandise, to sell into slavery. Preisker writes that Paul’s use of the verb in Romans 7 is “the desperate plight of the person.”[1] But we…
Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. I John 2:15 NASB The world – Every idea has a history. Ideas about biblical truths are not self-generated from the text. Biblical truths are products of interpretation, and…
