The Last Commission

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:19-20  NASB Of all nations – Perhaps we need to rethink the…

A Confused Soul

To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law;  to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of…

Cultural Grammar – Rewind

At that time people began to call on the name of the LORD.  Genesis 4:26  ESV Name – Explain the grammatical connections and implications of calling someone’s name.  Let’s see.  In English (and also in Greek and most Indo-European languages), a name is a phonetic marker that represents some entity.  More importantly, it is an…

Human Mathematics

Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” Genesis 18:25  NASB Deal justly – What does it mean to execute justice?  Paul gives us…

Messianic?

“I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a…

Paul’s Business Card

Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,  Romans 1:1 NASB Apostle – One time at a gathering of believers I was presented with a business card that gave the man’s name followed by “prophet.”  I am sure he had that card printed in good faith, but I shuddered when…

The New Covenant – Once More

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.  2 Corinthians 5:17  NASB New creature – It’s easy to be confused about the covenants.  For centuries the Church has taught that the coming of the Christ meant a replacement of Israel, and as…

Cultural Sexuality

“Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, ‘When any man has a discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean.” Leviticus 15:2  NASB Discharge – You probably will never hear a sermon preached on Leviticus 15.  If you read the chapter, you will understand why.  It deals with the impurity caused by a “flow”…

Disgusting Ezekiel

You also played the harlot with the Egyptians, your [a]lustful neighbors, and multiplied your harlotry to make Me angry.  Ezekiel 16:26  NASB Lustful – The prophets do not mince words.  Their messages arrive with explicit, often offensive language.  The reason is simple:  if you want to rivet the audience’s attention, you need provocative language.  And the prophets…

The Force

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.  Matthew 5:8 NIV In heart – Eve Levavi Feinstein’s remark about purity in the Bible raises some important questions: “. . . the Hebrew word for purity is used almost exclusively to refer to that which is associated with God and his service: ….