Author: Skip Moen, Ph.D.

  • A Firm Foundation

    “They will not take from you even a stone for the corner nor a stone for foundations, but you will be desolate forever,” declares the LORD.  Jeremiah 51:26  NASB A stone for the corner – God does not build on the foundation of Babylon.  Through Jeremiah, God tells us that no stone (lemosedot – actually…

  • Tackling a Tough One (part 2)

    Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,  Hebrew 6:1  ESV Dead works – Are you ready to move on toward maturity?  If you are, then you will have to come to terms with…

  • Tackling a Tough One (part 1)

    Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,  Hebrews 6:1  ESV Elementary – What are we to make of this statement?  Is the author of Hebrews telling us that we need to move on…

  • The Expert

    The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom  Proverbs 9:10  NASB Fear – Do you fear God?  That might seem like a strange question in an age where God is portrayed as the kindly grandfather ready to overlook all mistakes.  But it would never have seemed so innocuous when this verse was written. …

  • Copy Me

    and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him,   Colossians 3:10  NASB Image – Paul is the only New Testament author who uses the phrase “image of God” in the technical sense found in Genesis.  There are only four…

  • Naming the Beast

    The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go to destruction.  And those who dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast,…

  • Empty Hand Faith

    So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.  Romans 10:17  NASB Hearing – When we first examined this verse (August 17, 2011), we noted that this is Paul’s shema.  Although written in Greek, Paul clearly has the Hebrew verb shama in mind.  And as we know, shama means both “to hear”…

  • Rooftop Faith

    And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”  Matthew 9:2 ESV Take heart – (Rodney Baker provides this insight)  The very first time the word “believe” occurs in the Bible is…

  • Rewriting the Story

    By faith Sarah herself received the power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.  Hebrews 11:11  ESV Power to conceive – The inclusion of Sarah in the heroes of the faith hall of fame has always seemed a bit strange.  When we read the story…