by admin | May 10, 2017 | Section Three, Sowing to the Flesh
We religious folk of a Christian persuasion are fixated on life and death, heaven and hell. Jesus was fixated on fulfilling the Scriptures. How then would the scriptures that say it must happen this way be fulfilled?[1] (πληρωθῶσιν, a form of πληρόω) He asked...
by admin | May 1, 2017 | Section Three, Sowing to the Flesh
The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from their trials,[1] Peter wrote to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, have been granted (λαχοῦσιν, a form of λαγχάνω) a faith just as precious as ours.[2] Another thing the Lord knows,...
by admin | Apr 16, 2017 | Deuteronomy, Section Three, The Fear of the Lord
In this essay I’ll consider three occurrences of yârêʼ (תירא), the first two very briefly. They simply mean fear, the fear of those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more they can do.[1] Numbers 21:33-35 (NET) Deuteronomy 3:1-4 (NET) Then they turned and...
by admin | Apr 9, 2017 | Chapter 15, Romans, Section Three
But I myself am fully convinced about you, my brothers and sisters, Paul continued, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another.[1] Though it may sound as if Paul commended Roman believers for their peculiar...
by admin | Mar 31, 2017 | Section Three, What Kind of Carpenter is Jesus?, Who am I?
During my Christmas holiday Grandmother described her simple faith to me: Jesus died to save us from the god of the Old Testament. She didn’t want me or any preacher or any church or the Bible to confuse her simple faith in her simple gospel. It was an eerie...
by admin | Mar 6, 2017 | Paul's Religious Mind, Section Three
My gift is showing mercy. Also, I’m an outsider in many ways. I was persona non grata when I returned to my childhood church, ostensibly because my wife divorced me, but the impossibility of repentance after apostasy (Hebrews 6:4-6) is an ever-present...