In the book of Deuteronomy, in the passage where Moses promises the people a prophet greater than he (Deut. 18:15ff), there is a very interesting aside that the Lord makes. The people had been afraid at Horeb, when the Lord spoke to them directly, when they heard the voice and saw the great fire. First, …
An Interesting Touch
Joseph’s garment was torn from him by his brothers (Gen. 37:23), and it was taken in order to tell a lie about him (Gen. 37:32). Joseph’s garment was torn from him by Potiphar’s wife (Gen. 39:12), and it was taken in order to tell a lie about him (Gen. 39:18). Joseph’s garment was placed on …
Another Difference Between the Two Adams
When the soldier rammed his spear into the side of Jesus, blood and water came out (John 19:34). Though this is affected by the Johannine Comma, John appeared to think this highly significant, the Spirit, water, and blood being three witnesses on the earth (1 John 5:8). In any case, just as the first Adam …
Our Father Is the Model
This section of the Sermon on the Mount is all about giving and receiving, and it concludes with an exhortation to remember the Golden Rule. I just noticed this morning that our reason for doing so is that the Father embodies the Golden Rule. The Father does as He would be done by. “Ask, and …
No Rattle At All
We sometimes make the mistake of letting God define what is a sin and what isn’t, and then spending a lot of fruitless energy trying to come up with our own stratagems for dealing with those sins. But there are many places in Scripture where we are told, not only what to avoid, but how …
Natural Law in a Gel Cap
Try to set aside (for the nonce, as we say) the various systematic formulations of natural law that you may have encountered. As I have stated before, for various reasons I prefer to talk about natural revelation, over against natural law. Those interested in more can listen to this exchange I had with Dr. J. …
Two Great Views
I was recently struck by a comparison and contrast of a couple of mountains. In Matt. 4:8, the Lord Jesus was taken up to an exceedingly high mountain, and was there shown all the cities of men, and the glory of them. In Rev. 21:10, the apostle John was taken up to a great high …
A Different Kind of Paralytic
In Matthew 9, we first read about a paralytic who was carried to Jesus. One strong theme in this account is that of arising. What is easier? To say your sins are forgiven or to say rise up (v. 5)? In the next verse, Jesus commands him to arise (v. 6). The next verse describes …
Bookends on the Shelf of Answered Prayer
I was recently considering that great “answered prayer text,” Mark 11:24, when I noticed something odd about the context. Here it is: “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; …
Just What Siddhartha Wanted
I am glad that Andrew Perriman thinks I am genial fellow, which is a trait that really ought to be cultivated more, as I believe, in most discussions of everlasting damnation. And I am happy for the opportunity to interact a bit with Andrew’s response to my Hell and Hellenism post. Just a few comments …