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 …
All About the New Testament #1
It is not surprising that, when a person picks up the Bible and starts to read, they find themselves a little bit lost. After all, the Bible was written a long time ago—the last book …
The Gospel of Matthew #1
Today, I have a curious job. I want to take a book that is probably very familiar to you and make it unfamiliar. The book is the Gospel According to Matthew. It’s the first book …
Too Late for Christmas
If you’re planning on celebrating the birth of Christ in the near future…well, I hate to be the one to tell you this but you’re about three months late. Yeah, really. What’s funny about it …
A Legal Christmas
I am beginning to think that Americans, along with losing their Christmas spirit—whatever that is—are also losing their sense of humor. A law school in Indiana removed a Christmas tree from its atrium because of …
The Sin Unforgiven
Is there such a thing as the unpardonable sin? It’s a disturbing idea—that there might be something I could do that could never be forgiven. And, since I have had the question in last day …
God Loves a Mystery
Sometimes, when I am studying the Bible, I find myself faced with a mystery. What on earth was God saying or doing on this occasion and what does it mean? Someone once complained about this …
The Birth of Christ
View PostAbout Christmas
What did the First Christians believe and practice about Christmas? I know in a way that is a loaded question, because the word Christmas is found nowhere in the New Testament, nor is any noticeable …
Thy Kingdom Come
In doing research for a book I was writing, I came across something that was new to me, and likely new to you as well—unless perhaps you are an observant Jew. I was browsing the …
Introduction to the New Testament #1
Imagine that you are in a room, all by yourself. No one else is there. No one else is supposed to be there. You are in the process of carrying out a rather simple task, …
A God Forgotten
What do you do when you cut loose from God? How do you live, what guides your decisions? How can you tell right from wrong? And when you think about it, who consciously cuts loose …
Thanks from the Heart
View PostThe Ten Commandments #14
Of all the Ten Commandments, there’s one that can be called the “Peace of Mind Commandment”, or if you prefer, the “Mental Health Commandment”. It is the Tenth Commandment, “Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s …
The Ten Commandments #13
The very foundation of our legal system is truth. If people can come into court, swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth and then lie through their teeth, justice …
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 …
The Ten Commandments #12
The last six of the Ten Commandments are said to be summarized by the statement You shall love your neighbor as yourself. And that’s well enough, but I want to take another look at them …
The Ten Commandments #11
Did God create sexually-transmitted diseases as a trap for man? Is it a kind of punishment to man for having too much fun? Is that the whole idea—that God created man, and then in a …
The Ten Commandments #10
The defendant is 20 years old, but he looks more like 16. He is wearing blue jeans and a sweater and his hair is neatly cut. He looks for all the world like he should …
The Ten Commandments #9
You may have heard of the Ten Commandments. The first four Commandments have to do with man’s relationship with God. The last six Commandments have to do with man’s relationship with man, and the first …