Somewhere in most churches in Italy (and maybe in all of Europe) you will find something like this. Since this depiction has been part of the church for centuries, you can well imagine why Heschel characterized Christianity as a religion of death rather than life.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 NASB In – Yes, God’s gift of life is free, but it comes packaged in a particular way. We are often so intent on getting the gift that we ignore the wrapping. …
The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. Psalm 121:5 NASB Shade – When you live in a desert climate, your greatest enemy is the sun. It withers the plants, kidnaps the dew, and scalds your skin. Perhaps that’s why Arabs wore heavy cloaks despite the heat. Better to be hot than fried. For this…
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job 1:21 NASB Naked – Job was right. We come into this world with nothing. We leave with nothing. What happens in between birth and death is the interaction of the…
nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. …
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. Genesis 1:3 NASB Let there be– Unfortunately, translating this text usually ignores the Egyptian background of the intended audience. What I mean is this: the Genesis stories aren’t written in some kind of pre-modern proto-scientific vernacular, as if God were describing how He kicked the universe…
“but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”Genesis 2:17 NASB You shall surely die– Adam and the woman eat from the Tree. They break the commandment. So, of course, they die, right? They die in the…
You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Psalm 139:5 NASB Behind and before– What does it feel like to have God’s hand heavy upon you? Does it feel comfortable? Gracious? Or do you feel as if you can’t move? Pressed? Coerced? Curbed? In this verse, the emphasis comes first, and in this…
Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Romans 6:3 NASB Baptized– For a moment, put away your familiar associations with the joy of baptism. Set aside the usual celebration when someone expresses faith through immersion ritual. Ask yourself, “Isn’t it odd…
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Genesis 1:1-2 NASB Deep– Before anything else, let’s translate these verses without the theological influence of Western science. When we do, something incredibly important emerges….
