But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin. Romans 14:23 Sin – Kenneth Bailey makes an interesting observation about this verse. “We expect [Paul] to say ‘whatsoever is not of faith is unbelief.’ But for Paul the opposite of…
And because he put his trust in YHWH, He reckoned it to his merit. Genesis 15:6 (JPS translation) To – Yesterday we looked at the passage in Deuteronomy that suggests our meritorious deeds matter. We discovered that tsedaqah (righteousness) is a very old expression of God’s accounting. But one further point must be made. In…
It will be therefore to our merit before YHWH Eloheinu to observe faithfully this whole instruction, as He has commanded us. Deuteronomy 6:24 (JPS translation with name corrections) Merit – After the Reformation, verses like this one are difficult to integrate. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons that Christianity created the chasm between the “old”…
It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it to heart. Ecclesiastes 7:2 Takes It To Heart – “Blessed are those who mourn.” At least that’s the way we usually read Matthew 5:4. …
They are dreaded and feared; their justice and authority originate with themselves. Habakkuk 1:7 With Themselves – The Chaldeans are coming! Habakkuk’s warning is a call to immediate repentance in advance of certain destruction. God’s people are about to be chastised in a most severe way. As if that isn’t bad enough, Habakkuk provides an…
He has declared to you, man, what is good; and what does YHWH require of you, but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 What Is Good – Pilate asked, “What is truth?” He didn’t realize that he was asking the wrong question. The question he…
And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her way secretly. Matthew 1:19 To Disgrace – We don’t have much trouble identifying the Hebraic pattern in the gospel of John. “In the beginning was the Word” is deliberately arranged to parallel “In the beginning God” from…
Roderick Logan wrote a blog about the Israel DVDs. He said that John Thorman encouraged everyone on his Facebook page to purchase a set since John was in Israel when we shot the video. Roderick said he would do the same. That makes me think that there are a lot of Facebook people in the…
I got this by email and decided that it deserved a wider audience. One of my hopes for the community is that we will support each other with our businesses. Now we need to match up what each of us does and how it might benefit others. This is not charity. I mean that I…
“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of other people so that they will notice you. Otherwise you cannot expect any reward from your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 6:1 (translation R. T. France) Practice Your Righteousness – If you grew up anywhere near Baptists, you probably remember the children’s Sunday school…
