What Is the Will of the Father Regarding Kingdom Entrance? — Matthew 7:21
I recently received this email question: How do you interpret Matthew 7:21? This has always been a stumbling block for me. If I had a nickel for every time I’d been asked about Matt 7:21-23, I’d have a lot of nickels. The will of the Father is to believe in His Son. That should be […]
Introduction: Ruth and Redemptive History
At first glance, Ruth seems to be a very personal story about a struggling widow and her daughter-in-law trying to survive in the world. It’s a relatable story, about real people, facing real trials, who go through a tragedy. We all know a story like that. You read about them in the papers. See them […]
Beware of Interpreting Backwards
A friend who is near ninety called me the other day to talk about Simon the magician in Acts 8. My friend said, “He was really born again, wasn’t he? After all, Luke says that ‘Simon himself also believed…and was baptized.’ (Acts 8:13). But, some of the people at my church are saying that Simon […]
Who Is in Charge? — Ruth 1:1-2; Ruth 4:16-17
Who’s in charge? When the world is falling apart, who’s in charge? When the government is hopelessly corrupt, the religious leaders are little more than hypocrites, and the kids are running wild, who’s in charge? Who’s in charge when tragedy strikes? When a child dies? When you lose everything you own to the loan sharks? […]
Does James 2:24 Break the Broken Record Approach?
I recently responded to a question about whether the broken record approach can be turned against us. The questioner asked if a person we were witnessing to might just keep quoting James 2:24, or a similar verse. Then you’d have dueling broken records! As I said in that blog, the people who you talk with […]
Hunting for Souls — Ezekiel 13:18-23
I hadn’t given this passage much thought in the past. Then I got an email asking who hunts souls and what that is talking about. Ezekiel 13:18-23 talks about false prophetesses who “hunt for souls.” These false prophetesses were involved in occult practices. The word occult means hidden or secret. They used magic charms (vv […]
Bible Study Fellowship, Romans, and Calvinism
Bible Study Fellowship has been going through the book of Romans. They are currently in Romans 9-11, and they are taking a very Calvinistic position. I’m told they have taken the view that in these chapters, Paul is teaching about individual election to eternal life, where God chooses some individuals for eternal life, but not […]
Unwelcomed Good News
Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God… (Mark 1:14). Recently, I was looking at the first chapter of Mark. It starts with the ministry of John the Baptist. John brought the nation of Israel good news. God was offering them the kingdom […]
The Gospel in the Gospels
Recently our church completed reading through the four Gospels. I noticed as I read that the word gospel is used in the four Gospels in a way that is different than how it is used in Christian-speak today. For example, did you know that the word gospel does not appear in the text of the […]
Kalen Fristad on Belief
I am reading a book on universal salvation by Kalen Fristad, a United Methodist minister. It hasn’t started well. Here is a bad quote on the definition of belief: Salvation is what this book is all about. I believe salvation is best defined in the words of Jesus where he says, “For God so loved […]