DIY

Israel has been saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation; You will not be put to shame or humiliated to all eternity.  Isaiah 45:17  NASB Eternity – Isaiah just got it wrong.  He wrote long before the continuous anti-Semitism of Europe and certainly before WWII.  Israel was humiliated over and over and over again.  I guess this…

Luther’s Law (2)

For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under [a]the Law but under grace.  Romans 6:14  NASB But – Yesterday we discovered that there is an alternative way of reading this text that preserves Paul’s Jewish orthodoxy.  This fact is critically important because it shows us that the Christian assumption that Paul left Judaism and invented…

Luther’s Law (1)

For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under [a]the Law but under grace.  Romans 6:14  NASB But – There’s probably no more important verse for the Church than this line from Paul’s letter to the Romans.  In fact, as it is read in most English Bibles, it’s the ultimate justification for separating Christianity from Judaism. …

The God of Genocide

They utterly destroyed everything in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, sheep, and donkey, with the edge of the sword.  Joshua 6:21  NASB Utterly destroyed – This is one of those verses that offends our moral sensitivity.  We just can’t imagine how our loving and forgiving God could order Israel to…

Instagram Generation

Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!  Psalm 1:1  NASB Blessed – A few days ago I taught English classes to two groups of 16-year-olds in a local Italian high school.  I didn’t spend much time on…

The First Pandemic

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all mankind, because all sinned—  Romans 5:12 NASB Because –This next section (v. 12-18) is one of the most difficult and most debated sections of this letter.  The argument is complicated and the implications are far reaching.  See…

A Remedy Comes Before The Sickness

And not only this, but we also celebrate in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.  Romans 5:11  NASB Reconciliation – Reconciliation: noun: 1 the restoration of friendly relations: his reconciliation with your uncle | the colonel was seeking a reconciliation with his wife. 2 the action of making one view or belief compatible with another: he aims to bring about a reconciliation…

The Devil Made Me Do It

having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.  When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.  Colossians 2:14-15 NASB The rulers and authorities – The Midwestern Baptist…

Capital Crimes

for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation.  Romans 4:15  NASB Law – Paul is often credited with separating Law and grace.  At least that’s the view of the Reformation Church.  According to Church doctrine, Paul explained that once Jesus died for our sins, the penalty was paid…