“In Hebrews 9:13, in reference to Numbers 19, we are taught that when the ashes of the heifer were sprinkled on the unclean, it resulted in a purification of the flesh. It was an external cleansing. These ashes produced a physical purity. It included what Christian baptism does not — a removal of dirt from …
The Word Earthed
“This earthing of the Word in the world is not something optional; it is an indispensable characteristic of true Christian preaching” (Stott, Between Two Worlds, p. 145).
Some Form of Egalitarian Cloudification
As Bertie Wooster would say to Byron York, were he here, and were he reading this, rem acu tetigisti. You have touched the thing with a needle. Now that Pawlenty has dropped out on the basis of his third place finish in the Iowa straw poll, and Bachmann has won it, it is time to …
A Father and Brother
INTRODUCTION:In this great passage, we are introduced to David right after we are told that the Spirit had come upon him. We see the work of the Spirit first, and then we learn David’s name. THE TEXT:“And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from …
Feed and Restore
In John 21, Jesus shares breakfast with His disciples on the beach. This is one of His resurrection appearances, and it is quite a striking circumstance. For our purposes here, note two things. The first is that the Lord shares a meal with His disciples, as He is doing here, and secondly, that it is …
A Welcome to Students
We are very pleased to welcome our students back. We rejoice at what God has done for you over the summer, and we are delighted to think about all that you will bless our community with in the coming year. We also welcome our freshmen, and we look forward to getting to know you, and …
The White House TV Remote
I don’t want to do a lot of typing for nothing, and so much of this question should probably be deferred for later — if Michele Bachmann is still in the race. At the Republican debate last night, Bachmann was asked if she was a submissive wife. She deflected the question, and answered in terms …
Identified With Moses
“Those familiar with the story of the Red Sea crossing will remember that the whole point of this remarkable deliverance was that the Israelites did not get wet at all. It was the Egyptians who were immersed. Nevertheless, although the Israelites remained dry, they were still baptized into Moses. The contextual meaning does not seem …
Do It Right, Not Wrong
“Beware of stuffing the text. And yet it is the true excellence of an exposition to see remote connections. The text should not be evacuated” (John Brentnall, “Just a Talker”: Sayings of John (“Rabbi”) Duncan, p. 141).
Landing the Application
“On the one hand, conservatives are biblical but not contemporary, while on the other liberals and radicals are contemporary but not biblical . . . Is it not possible for liberals to learn from conservatives the necessity of conserving the fundamentals of historic, biblical Christianity, and for conservatives to learn from liberals the necessity of …