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In Ephesians, Paul says we are “by nature, children of wrath”. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. (Ephesians 2:3) Whatever could he mean? Here’s a […] Tattoos are all the rage these days. I keep saying that when I get old and retire, I’ll open a tattoo-removal parlor. I’ll make a killing! Somewhere along the line, we have to ask this: what does the Bible say about tattoos? There is an answer, of course: [+] You shall not eat […] 
Every now and then I’ll run into people (usually Dispensationalists) who insist that the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5) is a different occasion than Luke 6 (a passage they refer to as “The Sermon on the Plain”). The Sermon on the Mount – Carl Bloch, 1890 When they compare the two, they […] I’ve always been a bit leery of the use of the word “friend” in the 22nd chapter of Matthew. That’s the parable about the king who throws a wedding banquet for his son. The invited people refuse the invitation and kill the messenger, so the king kills them and burns their cities. But because he […] Arminians (and many like-minded believers) insist that God only does to us what we do first. I find that problematic for many reasons, not the least of which is that the Bible tells us explicitly that we love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19), and Jesus said that His disciples (and surely […] 
Question: Is God more concerned about His Name or His humans? This question is followed immediately by three other questions: Can we think of any place in the Bible where God prioritized His Name above His humans? Can we think of any place in the Bible where God prioritized His humans above His Name? Based […] Every now and then I see someone read about the fruits of the Spirit in Gal 5:23-25 and pause at the singular use of the word “fruit”. Invariably, someone will say that the fruit of the Spirit is love, and that love expresses itself in all the other traits listed in Galatians. I think that’s […] Is it ever right to do wrong to do right? Generally, the answer is no. But is it ever right to lie? Interestingly enough, the Bible shows us that the answer can be ‘yes’. Here’s a brief list of people in the Bible that lied or deceived other people and (apparently) received blessings from God […] Pro-gay people will frequently claim that Jesus never said anything about homosexuality. His silence, they insist, is supposed to mean that a) He has no problem with it, and b) everyone else should be silent about it. If you’re a self-interested speed-reader, you’ll find precious little in the Gospels about homosexuality. But so what? Jesus […] 
Lots of people teach the idea that Jesus did away with the Old Testament and taught the New Testament audience a new code of conduct in Matthew 5:21-48. When I point out that the immediately preceding verses negate that thought (“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets… until […] |
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