Tag: god
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Circumcision, Baptism, and Colossians 2:11-12
What is the circumcision made without hands in Colossians 2? How does it relate to circumcision as the sign of the Abrahamic covenant? How does it relate to baptism? “[11] In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,…
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1 Samuel 26 Sermon Follow-up: Sanctified Swagger
1 Samuel 26 is a story of sanctified swagger. Women often doubt such a thing exists, but most men know it does. What happens in 1 Samuel 26? David takes Abishai with him into the heart of Saul’s camp. They’re outnumbered 3000 to 2. David is a total underdog. But he knows God loves the…
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The Meaning of Old Covenant Circumcision
What was the meaning of circumcision in the Abrahamic covenant? Remember the context in which circumcision was instituted: right after Abraham tried to produce the promised seed in his own strength with Hagar. The sequence of Gen. 15-16-17 is critical. Abraham is given the promise of the seed (chapter 15). But then he tried to…
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Lessons from Judges 11
In Judges 11, Jephthah had been tasked with leading his people and defending them from the Ammonites. At first he seeks a diplomatic solution. But it quickly becomes apparent there will be no peaceful resolution to the conflict. The king of Ammon responds to Jepthah by making a false accusation about Israel’s history – he…
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Letters to Young Adults
A letter written to a young woman and a young man, as they enter into adulthood: — Letter to a young woman: Dear E, While we don’t live close by where we have the privilege of seeing you growing up, we know your family and we know what your parents’ hopes and expectations for you…
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Psalm 110 and Priestly Warfare
By time we reach the end of psalm Psalm 110, 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 the midst of his enemies — and has a scepter to smite them. In verse 5, he shatters kings in the…
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Nature, Natural Law, and Pushing Back Against the Sexual Revoluton: Some Notes and Bibliography
In the aftermath of Obergefell, I wrote a paper that deals at least in a cursory way with nature, natural law, and sexual perversion. I also explore why appeals to nature are sometimes effective and sometimes not. See pages 2-16 of this essay:http://trinity-pres.net/essays/obergefellandamericaswarongod.pdf About the same time, I developed one of the footnotes from that essay into a paper of its…
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Notes on 1 Samuel 25: Pissing Against the Wall
In 1 Samuel 25, David and his men have acted as a “wall” of protection (v. 16) for Nabal’s servants, guarding Nabal’s men and numerous animals from attack by roving marauders (probably raiding Philistines). Soon after, when Nabal is having his great sheep-shearing feast, David sends men to ask him for provisions. David was not…
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Postmillennialism and Missions
On June 23rd 1833, Princeton Seminary graduate James Eckard was about to set sail for Ceylon (Sri Lanka). He took with him a letter written by ten year old Archibald Alexander Hodge and his sister Mary Elizabeth. The letter was addressed to the “heathen.” It said: Dear heathen, The Lord Jesus Christ has promised that…
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Notes on the Necessity of Christian Education
An X post on education from 9/9/24: What is (shockingly?) missing from this article is any acknowledgement of what God has actually commanded parents to do. The most obvious thing is completely ignored. It’s not as if God’s Word is silent in this area, leaving us to our devices when it comes to deciding how…
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