Romans 12:3-21 – A Call to Christian Unity

Now that Paul has established that God’s promises are true to Jew and Gentile alike in the first 11 chapters of Romans, he moves toward the result that should follow in chapter 12. In case you missed it, Romans 12:1-2 was already discussed at length in this post and in this post.
Unity as a Body [...]

How To Write In Your Bible Effectively

Do you write in your Bible? For some people writing in their Bible is like defacing something holy. The Jews, for instance, have so much respect for the scriptures that they have some set rules for handling them. Here is how one Rabbi describes how to handle the Torah:
The following are some basic guidelines for [...]

A Couple of Blog Series to Enjoy

Michael Spenser (imonk) has been doing a series on the Gospel of Mark that is worth following. After 7 posts he is only through verse 15.

Why Study Mark?
The Beginning
The Forerunner
The Baptism
The Temptation
The Message (Part 1)
The Message (Part 2)

Also Jay Guin has been reviewing Scot McKnight’s new book Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible [...]

Was the Law Nailed to the Cross?

Colossians 2:14 says, “having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.” The traditional interpretation of this verse is that the Law of Moses was what was nailed to the cross. Here is how David Lipscomb explained [...]

Understanding the Law Under the New Covenant

I am wrestling with Romans 2 & 3 right now. When you work through these texts you cannot help but wonder what is going on in Paul’s head when it comes to the Law (Torah) and its applicability to first century Jewish Christians. Growing up I always heard that the law was done away [...]

What Happened to the Law for Jewish Christians in the First Century?

I am teaching Romans 3 tomorrow in the men’s class and I have some questions that you might be able to help me with. I don’t want to spend much time on this in the class but I do want to make sure that I am not just making assumptions on some things about what [...]

Studying Romans – 2:1-29

Who is Paul addressing here?
As I read this chapter I cannot help but think Paul is writing to Gentile Christians within the Roman church who have been in sin and yet condemn their fellow Christians for the very acts they themselves are doing unashamedly. I just don’t see how Paul would be writing to people [...]

Does Bible Class and Preaching Format Affect the Message?

I am wondering if I am alone on this one and would love some feedback. I am discovering more and more what I think is a product of our teaching and preaching formats. The average Christian is hearing from the Bible on Sunday anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half. The Bible [...]

Change in Churches – What is Healthy?

There is a fine line we walk when we talk about change. The line is between relevance to a lost and dying world and being pleasing to the God who has made us our own. When people try to swing too hard in either direction the results are often disastrous. Those who seek to please [...]

Bible Study – Seeing the Big Picture

I have always been one for details. When I study a passage I tend to break things down as small as possible. When you do that there is only so much information you can handle at a time. What is the background? Who is speaking? Where are they located and how might that affect the [...]