I remember those days in high school when the “new math” was introduced. We carried around brown paper covered texts full of strange language, believing we were on the verge of enlightenment. Most of the time we were just confused. All of the familiar ways of handling problems with numbers were displaced, inappropriate. The old…
For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace. Romans 6:14 Master Over You – Think like a rabbi. Jesus was a rabbi. Paul was a rabbi. They taught like rabbis. Now it’s our job to think like one of them so that we can understand what…
And on the next day Moses said to the people “You yourselves have committed a great sin; and now I am going up to the LORD, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” Exodus 32:30 Sin – Not all sin is the same. Yes, I know that we often speak as though every sin…
he shall make atonement on it with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once a year Exodus 30:10 Sin – The Hebrew God is a God of community. Everything He does has corporate consequences. Do you truly understand just how important this is? Our civilization has moved from the Hebrew view of communal…
“My punishment is greater than I can bear” Genesis 4:13 Punishment – One of the greatest lessons of the Bible is reciprocity. It is so important that the principle is repeated over and over in the stories of the Scriptures. Once we recognize this principle, it helps us understand the potential dangers in our own…
“but the flesh of the bull and its hide and its refuse, you shall burn with fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering.” Exodus 29:14 Sin Offering – How can we understand what a sin offering is unless we first know what sin is? This question is just as relevant for us as…
and that we may be delivered from perverse and evil men, for faith is not in all. 2 Thessalonians 3:2 Perverse and Evil Men – Christians tend to think the best of people. They are often more forgiving, more tolerant and more embracing than non-believers. That’s usually because the character of God’s goodness modifies their…
And for this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false 2 Thessalonians 2:11 Deluding Influence – The refusal to believe has some very serious side effects. These side effects are immediate, not a delayed reaction of eternal punishment. But here’s the really scary part. Those…
but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. Genesis 4:5 Very Angry – Since Hebrew is a phenomenological language, it expresses most human emotions in picturesque descriptions of physical phenomena. Cain’s reaction is a perfect example. The Hebrew text is yi- khar me-od,…
Uphold me that I may be safe, that I may have regard for Your statutes continually. Psalm 119:117 Regard – How do you look upon God’s instructions? Oh, I know that you will probably say you treat them with respect and honor. Of course, if you don’t follow them then your honor is nothing more…
