by admin | Jun 26, 2014 | Section Three
Twice in the New Testament Jesus told us what to say when we pray: So pray this way[1] (οὕτως οὖν προσεύχεσθε ὑμεῖς; literally, “in this manner then pray you”) and When you pray, say[2] (ὅταν προσεύχησθε λέγετε). I compared them this morning thinking about the...
by admin | Jun 17, 2014 | My Reasons and My Reason, Section Three
My first dates were all about driving—driving and not killing us, and talking to a girl when I wasn’t driving (and while I was for that matter). Then I met A. I’ll call her A. Girlfriend has a meaning I don’t want to imply, more like wife, or concubine I suppose. (In...
by admin | Jun 10, 2014 | Condemnation or Judgment?, Section Three
The third assumption I found in Richard Wayne Garganta’s attempt to eliminate “hell talk” from the Bible was: 3) Punishment is not merely consequential but effectual in purging or purifying sin. I’ve selected a quote from “Bible Threatenings Explained”[1] that led me...
by admin | Jun 5, 2014 | Section Three
In another essay[1] I wrote, “This form of religious worship [idolatrous worship (including its drunken sexual practices)] was still practiced openly in Corinth.” But I failed to footnote it. Though the idea was new to my conservative upbringing,[2] I thought I was...
by admin | May 3, 2014 | Section Three, Torture
I don’t want to leave the impression that I am so perfected in love that I never fear punishment.[1] I’m a creature of habit. The possibility that God is punishing me for something is the first thing that comes to mind whenever it seems that things aren’t going my...
by admin | Apr 21, 2014 | Numbers, Section Three, The Fear of the Lord
Now Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, who were Reubenites, took men and rebelled against Moses, along with some of the Israelites, 250 leaders of the community, chosen from the...
by admin | Apr 18, 2014 | Chapter 12, Love, Romans, Section Three
So how can I view, Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good,[1] and what follows as a definition of love rather than as rules? I’ve constructed the following table to help. The Fruit of the Spirit Galatians 5:22, 23 (NET) Goodness (ἀγαθωσύνη) …for you were at one...
by admin | Apr 14, 2014 | Condemnation or Judgment?, Section Three
I failed to come to a definitive conclusion whether the ones who have done what is evil (φαῦλα, a form of φαῦλος)[1] come out of their tombs to the resurrection resulting in[2] condemnation or judgment[3] (κρίσεως, a form of κρίσις). My faith and my knowledge of God...
by admin | Mar 19, 2014 | My Reasons and My Reason, Section Three
“I was really hoping that I could, um, move back in here for a while,” Linda probed her mother. “Here?” her mother asked. “Yeah.” “No, you know that’s not possible.” “Why not?” Linda asked. “How would it look for a married woman to move in with her parents apart...
by admin | Mar 16, 2014 | Numbers, Section Three, The Fear of the Lord
The Lord spoke to Moses: “Send out men to investigate the land of Canaan…”[1] To quote Dickens, “This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate.”[2] The Lord wasn’t surprised by what happened. He knew it from the...