24
Jun
2012
The Holy Spirit’s Indwelling Ministry in the Old Testament
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Were Old Testament believers, as a necessary part of their sanctification, permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit? In this post I will respond to this question by initially providing a few resources that treat this subject and then provide a brief theological argument for OT indwelling (this blog post is based upon my journal article... Read More
24
Jun
2012
Does the Nation of Israel Have a Distinct Role in the Future Plan of God?
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Many people do not believe so. Bruce K. Waltke says, “no clear passage [of Scripture] teaches the restoration of national Israel” because “the Jewish nation no longer has a place as the special people of God.” Matt Waymeyer believes that Waltke is wrong and explains why in a post titled “Acts 1:6–7 and the Restoration of Israel.”... Read More
22
Jun
2012
Some Observations on the Most Famous Verse in the Bible
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We discussed the Nicodemus narrative in my Greek refresher course last Friday. While I was preparing for the class, I was struck by John 3:16. It’s such a clear statement about Jesus’ mission and God’s character. Sometimes it just takes reading a passage in a different translation or language to see familiar terrain in a... Read More
20
Jun
2012
The Amazing Righteousness of God: Romans 1:17
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According to common lore, Henry David Thoreau, the American philosopher, poet, and naturalist, was asked on his deathbed if he had made his peace with God. Thoreau supposedly replied, “I did not know we ever quarreled.” Most people, however, are probably not so confident or flippant as Thoreau. They naturally sense something of their own accountability before... Read More
18
Jun
2012
Summer Reading: History that Reads Like a Novel
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Each year I look forward to Al Mohler’s summer reading suggestions. His lists contain just the kind of books I enjoy reading for recreation. Unfortunately, although Mohler has introduced me to a number of new authors, I’ve never made it through one of his summer reading lists in its entirety. With that struggle in mind, I’d... Read More
17
Jun
2012
Grade Expectations
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Allan Bevere has some interesting observations about grade expectations by students: When I was in college and graduate school many years ago, most students, I think, had no assumptions about what grade they deserved on an assignment for a class. There were exceptions to this, of course, but when I received a B on a... Read More
15
Jun
2012
Did Paul Serve because He Was a Debtor?
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Most of us are familiar with the KJV’s reporting of Paul’s declaration in Rom 1:14, “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.” We are commonly told that the motivation for Paul’s willingness to give himself to the proclamation of the gospel was the... Read More
13
Jun
2012
Spelling and the Ministry
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Recently much of the country was captivated by a six-year-old girl who became the youngest speller to aspire to the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Of course, not everyone was impressed. Some predictably rolled their eyes. Most of these did so because they can’t spell and were embarrassed that a six-year-old could show them up in... Read More
12
Jun
2012
A Stalwart Voice Leaves the Blogosphere
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Sad news has come that Phil Johnson of Pyromaniacs is giving up blogging after 7 years. Phil’s decision seems to be related to health issues and a desire to focus on his most important ministry concerns as he enters his 60th year. We wish him well and will miss his insightful commentary. You can read about... Read More
10
Jun
2012
Did Saul Change His Name to Paul?
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As you may remember, up until chapter 13 Paul is known in Acts by his other name, Saul. Acts 13 records the start of Paul’s first missionary journey. Barnabas and Saul have traveled to the island of Cyprus, where they are attempting to preach the gospel to the Roman proconsul Sergius Paulus. However, they were being hindered... Read More