The apostle Paul writes to the church in Galatia about being “crucified with Christ.” In his letter to the church in Corinth, he states, “You are in Christ.” That is a hard concept for me to grasp, yet, the phrase “in Christ” occurs some 90 times in the Bible. It appears in about half of the […]
Early church leader James wrote, “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.” It seems that to James, a faith without action is worthless. His statement, however, did not end this debate between faith and works. In fact, he seems to allow at least the possibility of […]
In studying the short letter to Philemon, we’ve looked at the central players of Paul (the author), Philemon (the recipient), and Onesimus (the subject). There are also brief mentions of eight others: Timothy, Apphia, Archippus, Epaphras, Aristarchus, Luke, John-Mark, and Demas. The foundational character, however, is Jesus. He is mentioned more often than any other […]
What Are You Going to do About It? How often have you heard someone exclaim, “It’s not fair!”? This lament seems especially prevalent among children and teens. When this complaint is voiced to their parents, the typical response—be it sage or sadistic—is “Life’s not fair.” It’s true; life’s not fair—and I, for one, am glad. […]
Do you aspire to be meek? Not likely. Who would? When I think of meek, I think of spineless, compliant, and easily imposed upon. While that is a correct understanding of what it is to be meek, it is also the secondary definition for the word. The first definition for meek is patient, humble, gentle, […]
After my prior post about the number one hit that used the Bible for lyrics, you may thing that it is the song of all songs. Not so. There is another. You may have heard the book in the Bible, Song of Songs. Song of Songs can be thought of as a “biblical erotica,” albeit […]
There’s a verse in the Bible that frustrates me—not for what it says, but for what it doesn’t say. Here’s the background: Jesus dies and rises from the dead, but his followers are slow to catch on. Two of them are on a road trip and Jesus begins walking with them, but they don’t recognize […]
In addition to enjoying a dalliance with God, Margery Kempe’s intimate prayer time with the almighty God sometimes resulted in imagining herself participating in Biblical events. I do not know if this was a Holy Spirit inspired meditation or more akin to a vision. As one blessed with a vivid imagination, I can certainly understand […]
I sat in a coffee shop with a new friend who had just begun to follow Jesus. As we talked about what that meant and how it intersected with life, he suddenly digressed, blurting out, “I don’t really get this whole deal about Jesus dying for my sins.” I knew the answer, but could I […]
In The Error of the Sadducees and Pharisees, it was noted that the Sadducees’s error was taking away from the Bible, dismissing or ignoring certain sections. Paul notes that the Sadducees did not believe in resurrection, angels, and spirits, even though all are addressed in the Old Testament. In order to challenge or trick Jesus, […]