Month: July 2022

Reading through Romans 4 and 5 is all about “faith” versus “works.” I believe this has important ramifications for our mindset as Christians. Do we obey God because we love him? Or, do we love God by obeying him? Does faith come first, or action? The answer to that question is often “both.” Today, the beginning of Chapter 4 points out that: Romans 4:3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” This was before Jesus’ time and in the Old Testament. God sets the precedent for honoring belief before action. Romans 4:9-10…

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The Trinity remains a mystery. Even to long-time Christians, we don’t always have a good grasp or explanation of the mysterious relationship between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. What are your best metaphors for understanding the Trinity? I’ve heard of the one being: “God is water, water in three forms as ice (solid), water (liquid), gas (vapor).” Or something about “looking out at the ocean, you see the vast body of water, but it is distinct from the atmosphere or clouds that contains the same moisture, which is distinct in our minds as the…

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Along the lines of yesterday’s post: I don’t know where in Christian history (or pop culture) we developed such a strong inclination for what “heaven” means. Case in point: baby angels with flutes and horns, floating white clouds, maybe streets paved in gold, lots of Revelation metaphors, a “place in the sky,” or in the case of (mis?)reading John 14:2, lots of big mansions where everyone is one big happy family with God. I feel like our imaginations are already biased when we begin to pick up to read the Bible. It would be interesting to do a thorough study…

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John 14:1-4 14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” I spent a while trying to understand this passage. It’s kind of…

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The title pretty much says it all. When I’m reading the Bible, it’s helpful to remember that the original language for the Bible was NOT English: Old Testament = Hebrew New Testament = Greek It’s good to remember that all the chapter breaks and section titles are artificial, helpful guideposts. As I’ve paid more attention to close reading, I find the footnotes particularly helpful, especially when they point out the uncertainty of a specific phrase that we see in our English versions. 31 When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified…

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John 13:34-35 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. I think Jesus wants us to love one another.

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John 12:47 If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. Reading this made me pause. One of our dangers as Christians is oversimplifying Jesus and the gospel he brings to us. Does Jesus come to judge the world, or not? I thought I remembered one of the Psalms praising him for the way he would bring judgement and righteousness to the earth: Psalm 96:13 Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge…

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