Tag Archives: Bible Study
Are we “Born of God”, or “Adopted”? It can’t be both.
Does the Bible say we are adopted by God? I am quite certain that the Bible does not say we are adopted by God. It does say that we are born of God. Many commentators seem awfully confused about this, but that’s because they are reading an English translation of a Greek document, written in a […]
Read MoreThe Veil Torn, the Earthquake, and the Resurrection of the Dead – Matthew 27:51-54
A dramatic account, but does it make sense? In Matthew 27, an orderly account of the process of Jesus’ arrest, interrogation, and crucifixion is proceeding along nicely, when all of a sudden there is a dramatic change. It is a change in style, and in content. No sooner does it begin, it is finished! But […]
Read MoreThe Fundamentals of Christianity, as encoded in the Writings of Moses
The core of the Christian/Jewish polemic: What was Moses trying to say? At the very core of the ministry of Jesus, and the teachings of his apostles, is a fundamental claim about what Moses was saying in the first five books of the Bible. Either he was saying that the Covenant struck at Mt Sinai […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 21
Chapter 21 This is the final part in a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In Chapter 21
Read MoreBiblical Election: It’s not a Democracy
Is God a Voter, and each of us a Politician? Since at least the Middle Ages, the Biblical concept called “Election” has been thought of in terms roughly equivalent to the democratic process. The democratic process uses the same word. But that’s not what it means in the Bible. In the Bible the word has […]
3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 20
Chapter 20 This is part 20 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In Chapter 20 we start to draw the major themes together in some very dramatic ways. This chapter has a lot of “seeing” in it, which finally points […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 19
Chapter 19 This is part 19 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In Chapter 19, Jesus is beaten, crucified, and buried. In a chapter which begins, “Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged”, has in the middle, “So they […]
Read MoreBecome like a little child; Understand the Kingdom of Heaven
The Story of Cain and Abel This basic little story is not complex. It is structured like a children’s story. But for reasons I list below, theologians almost universally fail to understand it. It means what it says: “If you do well, will you not be accepted?” ()
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 18
Chapter 18 This is part 18 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In Chapter 18, Jesus is brought before religious leaders, before being handed over to Pilate, the Roman Governor. At every stage in the process, guess who is […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 17
Chapter 16 This is part 17 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. This whole chapter is Jesus’ prayer for the disciples. It continues to underscore and reinforce our theme of hearing and believing. It becomes the central understanding around […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 16
Chapter 16 This is part 16 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. Chapter 16 opens with the profound words, “I have said these things to you to keep you from stumbling”, as if to underscore this theme of hearing and […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 15
Chapter 15 This is part 15 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In chapter 15, Jesus continues teaching his disciples in preparation for the Crucifixion. He talks about two things: The “True Vine”, and the fact that the world […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 14
Chapter 14 This is part 14 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In chapter 14, Jesus speaks with his disciples and prepares them for what is about to happen. The story is now converging on the moment at which […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 12
Chapter 12: This is part 12 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In this chapter, we see the effect that the resurrection of Lazarus had on the Jewish observers, and we find foreigners coming to enquire into the teachings […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 11
Chapter 11: The Resurrection and the Life This is part 11 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In this chapter, Jesus raises his friend Lazarus from the dead. This is a pivotal moment in the story of the Gospel of John, as […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 10
Chapter 10: The Voice of the Shepherd This is part 10 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In this chapter, Jesus uses the metaphor of a shepherd talking to his sheep to illustrate his point. Much as been said over the […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 9
Chapter 9: To see This is part 9 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. Chapter 9 opens with Jesus restoring sight to a blind man, and the rest of the chapter is essentially expounding on the meaning of Jesus giving […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 8
Chapter 8: The Adulteress, Light of the World, and Abraham’s Sons This is part 8 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. This chapter is a series of encounters and conversations with Jesus. We are, among other things, to grasp that the words of […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 7
Chapter 7: The Festival, The Living Water This is part 7 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. This chapter is Jesus’ appearance at the festival of Booths. At this festival, the Jewish tradition had developed so that a water libation was […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 6
Chapter 6: Feeding the 5000, Bread from Heaven, Words of Life This is part 6 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. Chapter 6 begins with Jesus using bread to feed 5000 people, and then the question of “bread” becomes a spiritual […]
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