21. It seems that the history of the first century is very important in the study of this debate. That is certainly correct. 22. What are some of the more important historical details? Obviously, this is simply a brief answer. But the purpose of this is to enable us to see that there is at …
Marriage As Manifest Glory XIII
Introduction: In looking at the differences between masculine and feminine, and in considering the respective duties of husbands and wives, we have been assuming that differences between the sexes exist. But what are those differences, and how can they be understood together with what the Scriptures teach us about our equality in Christ? The Text: …
The Covetous Heart
We come now to the last of the Ten Commandments, the prohibition of covetousness. And with this requirement, we come to the fountainhead of all our love to our neighbor — a prohibition of any sinful refusal to be glad and grateful for the blessings of others. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you …
Primer on Eschatology 2
14. Okay. Can you go back to hermeneutics? Once again, the word hermeneutic refers to the art, science and methodology of interpretation when approaching the text of the Bible. There are different hermeneutical schools of thought; we shall only consider the three options here that affect our discussion of eschatology. The allegorical method: An allegorist …
Biblical Anger
At this portion of His great sermon, Jesus comes to teach on murder, along with the thoughts and attitudes that are prohibited under the scriptural prohibition of murder. When God prohibits something, we cannot hide our disobedience through clever appeals to the technicalities. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘”You …
Primer on Eschatology 1
1. What is eschatology? Eschatology is the study of the last days; a person’s eschatology is his view of the last days. The word is less frequently applied to the doctrine of heaven and hell. 2. The last days of what? The answer to that question divides Christians into various schools of thought. 3. What …
Foundations of Marriage XII
Introduction: So now we come to the particular duties of wives. We have to remember the same distinctions we covered when talking about the duties of husbands. That is, we have to remember the difference between being and doing. Wives must be careful not to rush off to work through a list of do’s and …
False Witness
This commandment strikes at the heart of falsehood and lies, which in their turn are the native language of the devil. Without truth and trust, biblical culture is an impossibility. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Ex. 20:16). First, what is the context of false witness? The commandment prohibits lying against one’s …
Foundations of Marriage XI
Introduction: So what are the duties of husbands? We have discussed what their orientation and demeanor toward their wives should be (masculinity), but this is all still theoretical unless we make a point of applying ourselves in close imitation of the Incarnation. What are the duties of husbands? We may divide them into two broad …
Jesus and the Law
In the course of working through the Sermon on the Mount, we inevitably must come to a subject that has been greatly debated among Christians. Unfortunately, the debate is not caused because the Scripture is all that ambiguous theologically on the point under discussion. It is caused because the teaching of Scripture is difficult for …