But you shall cut down their altars and break their images and you shall cut off their shrines. Exodus 34:13 Break – Let’s be very clear about this. What God tells us to smash into pieces is never to be put back together again. What God says we are to cut down is never to…
For the whole law is fulfilled in this one word, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:14 One Word – What’s the matter with Paul’s arithmetic? This isn’t one word. It’s a whole bunch of words, an entire commandment. Why does Paul say that the whole law is fulfilled in this one word?…
For, brothers, you were called to freedom. Only do not use the freedom for gain to the flesh, but through love serve one another as slaves. Galatians 5:13 Gain – How did you attain freedom? That’s the question behind Paul’s argument in Galatians. Did you earn your freedom by spiritual effort or noble works or…
“For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.”” Acts 17:23 Unknown – You may have heard this story too often. It has become familiar fodder for gospel grist. Until we really recognize the depth of Paul’s cultural analysis,…
And YHWH called to Moses and spoke to him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, Leviticus 1:1 Spoke – Why did God wait until His presence rested over the tabernacle before He spoke to Moses about the sacrifices? Some contemporary translations of this verse omit the word “tabernacle,” but we shouldn’t! The tabernacle…
And YHWH called to Moses and spoke to him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, Leviticus 1:1 Called – If you had to decide which book of the Bible you would use to train your children in the ways of God, would you choose Leviticus? Probably not. You would probably decide on some…
remember that you were at one time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world, Ephesians 2:12 Commonwealth – God has a government. He rules in a particular way. His authority is unquestionable, His legislation perfect. If we…
He waited for justice, but behold, bloodshed; and for righteousness, behold, an outcry! Isaiah 5:7 Justice, Righteousness – When Jesus quotes this passage in Isaiah (Matthew 21:33-46), He applies it in the same way that the prophet did. It is a metaphorical description of judgment found in the parable of the wicked tenants. God in…
“Brethren, though I had done nothing against our people, or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered prisoner from Jerusalem in to the hands of the Romans.” Acts 28:17 Customs – This verse is squeezed into a story about Paul’s imprisonment before being shipped to Rome. It is very bothersome. If you pay…
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10 Kingdom – Graeme Goldsworthy said that the idea of the Kingdom dominates the entire Bible. Nothing is more important than the reign and rule of the Lord. Life occurs only in God’s Kingdom. Those who are not citizens are…
