1. The All-Purpose Chapter Love never fails. In other words, love always works. This is a biblical truth. “Love never fails” is a quote from 1 Corinthians 13:8. It is always the right time to love. Love is always appropriate. In fact, one of its characteristics is that it does not behave inappropriately. According to … Continue reading Power in the Pursuit of Love – 1 Corinthians 13 in Context
Category: Biblical Studies
Watchman Nee’s “The Normal Christian Life” Summed Up in Six Key Quotes
Take a book and boil it down to a handful of short, memorable quotes that best express the ideas of that book. This is a not an easy task, especially for a great and greatly quotable book like Watchman Nee’s The Normal Christian Life. Nevertheless, this is what I have tried to do in this … Continue reading Watchman Nee’s “The Normal Christian Life” Summed Up in Six Key Quotes
A Three-Fold Perspective on the Word of God
The Bible can be described as God's work in history, recorded by men, for your sake. That description can then be divided into three ways of approaching the Bible, which should be held together: God's work in history Recorded by men For your sake I came up with this description by comparing three Gospels as … Continue reading A Three-Fold Perspective on the Word of God
Paul vs. the Debaters of the Age: Some Background to the Corinthian Letters
In the beginning of 1 Corinthians, Paul issued this challenge: "Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" (1 Corinthians 1:20 ESV) When we understand what was happening in Corinth in the first century, both … Continue reading Paul vs. the Debaters of the Age: Some Background to the Corinthian Letters
Pontius Pilate, Caiaphas, and the Backroom Deal That Fell Through
Frank Morison didn't believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He thought it was a myth. He studied the Gospels because he wanted to write a skeptic's account of the passion narrative. As he studied, he became convinced that he was dealing with eyewitness accounts of a true event. The book he ended up writing … Continue reading Pontius Pilate, Caiaphas, and the Backroom Deal That Fell Through
Diotrophes’ Disease: The Love of Preeminence
"Every talks about Jezebel, but nobody talks about Diotrophes." I once heard a preacher say something like that. This was at a time when it was very common to hear or read a message about the Jezebel spirit. The point the preacher was making was that Jezebel is not the only bad example in the … Continue reading Diotrophes’ Disease: The Love of Preeminence
The Sermon on the Mount through the Centuries
The Sermon on the Mount through the Centuries is a collection of essays in which scholars look at how different commentators have approached the Sermon, from John Chrysostom to John Stott. Here are some lessons, drawn from that book, that may help as as we seek to understand and apply this greatest of sermons. Chrysostom: … Continue reading The Sermon on the Mount through the Centuries
How to Entrust Your Soul to a Faithful Creator While Doing Good
1 Peter 4:19 I've been thinking about why Peter used the term "faithful creator" in this verse: "Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good." (ESV) So why "faithful creator"? I think it might have to do with this earlier statement from 1 Peter … Continue reading How to Entrust Your Soul to a Faithful Creator While Doing Good
A Biography Written in Prayer
Scottish minister Alexander Maclaren (1826-1910) put the Psalms of David in order in his book, "The Life of David as Reflected in His Psalms"
Psalms 3, 4, and 63 – How David Got His Kingdom Back
Alexander Maclaren's "The Life of David as Reflected in His Psalms" Part 5 of 5