Living By Faith, Not By Exception

“So this guy is walking up to the baptistry…he has repented and made his confession before the congregation and just as he steps in the water he slips hits his head on the floor. He dies right before he is baptized. Is he saved?”
The point normally being made with this type of question is whether [...]

What is Your Most Encouraging Verse in the Bible?

What has been the most encouraging verse in the Bible to you? Here are some of my favorites:

1 Peter 1:3-4 – “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these he has given us his [...]

Misconceptions About Our Contribution to our own Salvation

There are a lot of misconceptions floating around out there about our salvation and what is expected of us in the process. Two misconceptions fall on the extremes of the pendulum of what is required of us to be saved. On one side, you have the misconception that because salvation is a “free gift” that [...]

Romans 8 Greek Wordle

I left out the articles, conjunctions, etc to help the main themes of Romans 8 stand out better.

Here are some of the Greek wordles posted on the blog in the past:
John 3
John 1:1-18

Baptism – Related to Salvation but Not a Work

Two insights from Kittel’s Theological Dictionary of the New Testament that help us get a better understanding of baptism:
1) Baptism is seen in the New Testament as part of God’s reconciling process. Here are some words from Oepke in Kittel,
“Christian baptism certainly has as its final goal new and eternal life…the new life stands in [...]

What Are the Results of Sin?

We usually are quick to point out death (Romans 3:23) and that is a correct answer but what is interesting about sin is that this death can be a very slow, gradual process. This is very much in line with the song “Slow fade” by Casting Crowns. Death yes, but in the meantime sin takes [...]

Big Buts in the Bible

But is a very important word. In Greek it is the word “alla” (αλλα). There are times in scripture where you are glad for that small three letter word. Here are some examples that without the “but” we would be in bad shape. Imagine where we would be if Paul, Mark, Peter, or others didn’t [...]

Incarnation – Adding Nonverbals to the Conversation

As was mentioned in a previous post, much of communication is done non-verbally. One of the difficulties of the Law in the Old Testament was that transformation is much more easily done through face-to-face interaction than through a series of written rules, regulations, and requirements. When the Law was first given it was done face-to-face. [...]

Romans 8:37-39 in the New Living Translation (NLT) vs. New International Version (NIV)

A very interesting translation of this text in the New Living Translation:
“37No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. 38Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our [...]

How We View Jesus Impacts the Way We Live

In your own thinking, where does Jesus come from? I am not talking about a physical place in Palestine so Bethlehem is out. I am talking about the influences that have shaped your view of Jesus to this point in your life. There are a lot of sources that shape our views of Christ over [...]