The Un-promised Land

by the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until your return to the ground. Genesis 3:19 Sweat – So, how’s it working out for you?  Is life a struggle?  Are you eating bread by the sweat of your face?  Adam did us no favor by disobeying God.  Today, humanity is part of the…

Rate of Return

and all these blessings shall come on you and overtake you, if you will listen to the voice of YHWH your God.   Deuteronomy 28:2 Overtake – There is no magic formula.  In a world dominated by self-reliance and self-control, realizing that there is no magic formula is critically important.  It’s so easy to be seduced…

Capital Gains

and all these blessings shall come on you and overtake you, if you will listen to the voice of YHWH your God.   Deuteronomy 28:2 Overtake – “God bless you.”  How often have you heard that?  Now, let me ask you, “What does it mean?”  Is it just an expression of wishful thinking?  Is it just…

The Beginning of the End (2)

“until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law until all is accomplished.” Matthew 5:18 All – What must come into existence before the torah ceases to be?  We have to know the answer if we are going to understand the relationship between the old and…

The Beginning of the End (1)

“until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law until all is accomplished.” Matthew 5:18 Accomplished – When is it all accomplished?  If you’re like most contemporary Christians, you think that it was all accomplished when Jesus died on the cross.  In fact, many English translations…

Training Days

and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  2 Timothy 3:15 Childhood – The next verse is the famous one.  “All Scripture is inspired by God.”  Of course, lifted from the context, the statement…

Change of Venue

“Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.” Jeremiah 31:31 New – You and I are part of the family of Israel and Judah.  We are part of the family by adoption (unless you are Jewish, of course).  We…

Outside In

remember that you were at one time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world, Ephesians 2:12 Strangers – Once you and I were a strangers to God.  Oh, God knew us, all right.  He wasn’t a stranger…

Back to Moses

Do we then nullify the Law through faith?  May it never be!  On the contrary, we establish the Law. Romans 3:31 Establish – Christians tend to think that the death and resurrection of the Messiah means that the Law is no longer valid.  Of course, this conclusion starts with the erroneous premise that the Law…

Simple Ergonomics

For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. Romans 3:28 Works – If I am reconciled to God by His credit-only gift, then what is the role of the Law?  If God chooses me before I am obedient, they why give the Law at all?  If justification…