Can there be such a thing as true spirituality? If so, that implies a spirituality which is not true. So how is the Christian able to discern the signs of an authentic Christian spirituality? Many …
Should a Christian Submit to the State?
In Romans, Paul speaks of our inexorable duty toward God, as well as duty toward the church. But he also develops a concept of duty towards civil government. The 13th chapter of Romans is fairly …
Romans: The Heart of the Gospel
Romans is easily the most important of all the New Testament epistles. I am sometimes hesitant to say the most or the greatest or the best, as superlatives are sometimes a little hard to support. …
The Epistle to the Romans #7
As we work our way through these last chapters of Romans, it’s a good thing to remember what a different world those disciples lived in compared to ours. The recipients of this letter lived and …
The Epistle to the Romans #6
And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through …
The Epistle to the Romans #5
I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. Romans 9–11 shows us that Paul had not expected the lack of response (or even hostile response) he received in synagogues all over his mission …
The Epistle to the Romans #4
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know you not, that so many of …
The Epistle to the Romans #3
All of us go through stages of learning in our Bible study. Each time we read something like Paul’s letter to the Romans, we see it with new eyes. Unless, of course, we feel as …
The Epistle to the Romans #2
The second chapter of Romans begins with a Therefore. Any time you see that in Paul’s letters, you need to pay attention, because it means what follows depends on what has just been said. Paul …
The Epistle to the Romans #1
Back in the good, old days in the heyday of biblical scholarship (especially those German schools of scholarship) lots and lots of people were doing computer analyses on Paul’s epistles and said, Well, we don’t …
History & Prophecy #8
If we don’t have a good overview of what we’re reading in the Bible, prophecies will undoubtedly seem disjointed. In Isaiah 9:16 we’re told: Those who guide this people mislead them, and those who are …
History & Prophecy #7
All too often, Bible prophecy is misconstrued or misappropriated. The Apostle Paul told us in 1 Corinthians that prophecies can fail: Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are …
History & Prophecy #6
Many prophecies in the Bible are dual. There can be a type and an anti-type of prophetic events. The type is the first occurrence of any given prophecy and it foreshadows the anti-type, which is …
History & Prophecy #5
In the process of relating the events of history to prophecies, let’s ask if we can come to deeper understanding of prophecy and prophets. We need to understand more clearly the historical situation in which …
History & Prophecy #4
There have been many interpretations regarding the time of Christ’s return. How could there be so many different opinions? Could it be that all too often people make their assumptions by looking at the future …
History & Prophecy #3
As we progress in this study of History and Prophecy, we’re beginning to see a difference in the conduct of the kings in the Northern Ten Tribes of Israel compared with the kings of Judah. …
History & Prophecy #2
So many people jump right into the middle of a study of the prophets, without an adequate understanding of history and find themselves totally at sea in some cases, not understanding what at all the …
History & Prophecy #1
Some have said that prophecy is history written in advance. Well, that may not be altogether accurate, but it is accurate to say that your knowledge of history plays a very important role in your …
The Beginning of the Gospel
And He said unto them, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. …
The Gospel of Mark #13
And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? …