Reflections on the loving kindness of the Triune God
I came to a living faith reading the Sermon on the Mount. The transforming moment came when my reading unexpectedly turned into a conversation. Jesus was present in his words. As I moved through the sermon each segment stirred a response and some questions. What Jesus said about sin startled me. So much so that …
Read More TransformationWith the rhythm of a drummer the prophet Ezekiel called on readers to know and respond to God—Yahweh—as the only true God. His repeated refrain was a promise: “Then they shall know that I am the LORD.” What brings about this “knowing”? Mainly it comes by experiencing promised disasters when they arrive. Tragedies are God’s …
Read More They Shall KnowSound hermeneutics—the principles of interpretation—are crucial to effective Bible study. Good interpretation offers a reliable grasp of the meaning of a given text and a proper sense of how to apply it. This interpretive work comes as part of a Bible college education. Graduates ideally go on to coach church members in sound Bible study. …
Read More Reading RightlyPaul’s epistle to the Romans is well known for presenting the nature of faith. One commentator claimed, more broadly, that knowing Romans well will keep readers from heresy. Amen! Yet there are some interpretive shoals to navigate. Let’s consider one, in chapter 2:14-15. Competing views of this text have produced very different and competing versions …
Read More Reading RomansBible reading can make a reader uncomfortable. This morning, for instance, I came to Zephaniah 1:12. “At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are complacent, those who say in their hearts, ‘The LORD will not do good, nor will he do ill.’” [ESV] The marginal reading …
Read More Bible DiscomfortThis post repeats an entry on the Cor Deo website. Please post any responses on that site by clicking here Richard Sibbes, my favorite 17th century mentor, shared, “Whatsoever we do [in our responding to the Scriptures] if it be not stirred by the Spirit, apprehending the love of God in Christ, it is but …
Read More Collecting, Cooking, or Communing?This post repeats an entry offered on the Cor Deo site. Please offer any responses by clicking on that site, not here. Thanks! A benefit of moving from time to time comes in seeing things in a new light. Life in Spokane, Washington, for instance, was dramatically different for me as a teenager than life …
Read More A New PerspectiveThis entry is also published on the Cor Deo site. Please post any comments on that site. Thanks! What if every Christian loved God above all else; and, with that, loved his neighbor as himself? Would friendships be stronger? Marriages sweeter? Families healthier? Churches more winsome and dynamic? Businesses staffed with Christian employees more productive? …
Read More What if?This post was first offered on the Cor Deo website. Please offer any comments on that site (click here). Is God good at expressing himself? The question matters, especially if we profess to have the ultimate God of the Bible as our own deity. Faith produces avid listeners and we can reasonably assume that our …
Read More A Wise FollyThis post has already been published on the Cor Deo website. To see it please click here This weekend I flew up to Glasgow for a reunion with Brian and Scott. I first met Brian almost a decade ago when he was a student at the theological college where I was teaching. He is now …
Read More A Scottish Gift