“Come now, and let us reason together,” says YHWH. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isaiah 1:18 Come Now – “Finite meaning is a thought we comprehend; infinite meaning is a thought that comprehends us; finite meaning…
Jesus said to him, “See that you do not tell anyone, but off you go and show yourself to the priest, and make the offering which Moses laid down, as a witness to them.” Matthew 8:4 Do Not Tell Anyone – In the 19th Century, German higher criticism invented the idea of the Messianic…
“He who has My commandments, and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him.” John 14:21 Will Love – We could spend some time looking at this verse from the perspective of obedience. …
My times are in Your hand; save me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me. Psalm 31:16 Times – Let’s think about time. What seems so obvious turns out to be much harder to conceptualize than we thought. What is this thing called “time”? As soon as we begin to…
For not the hearers of the law are justified with God but the doers of the law shall be justified. Romans 2:13 Doers – This is a nearly impossible verse for Augustine and Luther (and those who follow their lead). It’s impossible because Paul unequivocally says that those who do the commandments of God are…
For in six days YHWH made the heavens and the earth, . . . Exodus 20:11 In Six Days – How long did it take God to make the earth? Careful. We usually think that God created the earth on one of the days of creation. One day He made light. One day He made…
Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God. 1 Corinthians 7:19 What Matters Is – Those who claim that the writing of Paul set aside the Law and proclaim the age of grace tend to read only the first half of this verse. Since circumcision…
And it shall come to pass, if you carefully listen to my commandments which I command you today, . . . Deuteronomy 11:13 Carefully Listen To – We have discovered that even Jewish rabbis recognized the priority of grace. The false dichotomy between law and grace was an invention of Augustine. His influence spread through…
And it shall come to pass, if you carefully listen to my commandments which I command you today, . . . Deuteronomy 11:13 Carefully Listen To – Rabbi Joshua ben Karha said, “Why does the section, Hear, O Israel (Deut 6:4-9) precede the [section] and it shall come to pass if ye shall harken [diligently…
I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; . . Psalm 139:14 Wonderfully – Believers love this verse. It’s so majestic. It lifts the human being to such elevated heights. We are almost like angels. We are special. God made us. But there’s a little problem. The words ki nora’ot…
