Category: Bible
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How to Read the Bible: Bride Figures
Egalitarianism ruins everything. And that includes how we read the Bible. When we read the Bible through the lens of an ideology (like feminism or egalitarianism) that is contrary to the Scripture, it is like wearing blinders. We end up missing very basic things about the biblical text. This TGC article is a good example of this kind of…
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Headcoverings in 1 Corinthians 11: A Short Note on a Renewed Controversy
Since some folks have been discussing headcoverings in 1 Corinthians 11 recently, here is what you need to know: My sermon on this text: HERE (I think this sermon demonstrates pretty conclusively that first century Christian women did NOT wear headcoverings in worship.) Sermon follow up: HERE My essay “Women, Ministry, and Liturgy” which takes up headcoverings…
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The Body Is a Battlefield
This is a follow up to my sermon from last Sunday. Christians are not Gnostics. Some Christians have had gnostic tendencies over the course of church history, but Gosticism is an enemy of the faith. Gnostics tend to confuse the physical and the ethical, and thus they find the source of sin in the creation itself.…
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The Justification of the Good Samaritan (2003)
This essay was originally published at Theologia. The story of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10:25-37) is one of the best known and most loved of Jesus’ parables. I am not going to attempt to exegete the passage, as that has been done admirably and ably by others. Rather, I want to briefly examine what bearing the…
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Psalm 110 Sermon Follow Up: A Holy Priest Waging Holy War
After preaching on Psalm 110 last week, I want to offer a brief follow up. As I said in the sermon, by the time we reach the end of the psalm, the dead bodies are piling up. In verse 1, Christ’s enemies are made into a footstool for his feet. In verse 2, he rules in…
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“He Descended Into Hell”: Understanding a Key Phrase in the Apostles Creed
The phrase “descended into hell” from the Apostles Creed has been controversial at times in church history. Not even the Reformers agreed amongst themselves what it meant. Should we keep this phrase in the Creed — especially since not every early version of the Creed included it? What did the framers of the Creed mean by it? What should we mean by it when…
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Today’s Jews and “This Generation”
Over the last couple weeks, as I’ve preached on Acts 2 and James 5, I’ve had opportunity to talk about the judgment Jesus brought on unbelieving Judaism in 70 AD when the city of Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed by Roman armies. This event is of great redemptive-historical significance, and while the entire New…
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The Star of Joy — 1/10/21 Sermon Notes
This post serves as a follow up to my sermon, “The Epiphany Star” on Matthew 2:1-12, preached on January 10, 2021. These notes summarize and supplement the sermon.
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Sorrow and Joy in James
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. – James 1:2-3 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. – James…
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