but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. I Peter 2:9 Priesthood – Protestants love Luther’s proclamation of the priesthood of all believers. Each one of…
“On the tenth of this month, they shall each take for themselves an animal of the flock.” Exodus 12:3 On The Tenth – Passover is the fourteenth day of the month of Nissan. According to God’s instruction, this is to be the first month of the year. It is to have the priority over all…
In that day, YHWH made a covenant with Abram Genesis 15:18 Made – Today you need an attorney, but in ancient Semitic cultures, contracts between two parties were signed, sealed and delivered with sacrifice. God tells Abram (later Abraham) that He wants a contract between them. This valid contract obligates two parties to certain actions. …
Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men, from every nation under heaven. Acts 2:5 Devout – Peter addressed the crowd and 3000 were added to the messianic community that day. Who were these people? The popular version suggests that these were non-believers, but that isn’t what Luke tells us, nor is it what…
It is written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer,” but you have made it a den of thieves. Matthew 21:13 Den – Jesus quotes Jeremiah. No doubt about it. “Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers?” (Jeremiah 7:11) The metaphor underlines the fact that the…
It is written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer,” but you have made it a den of thieves. Matthew 21:13 Prayer – David danced naked before the ark. Although Scripture doesn’t comment on it, I am quite sure that David also prayed naked. I don’t mean that he fell to his face…
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,…
