Category Archives: How to Study the Bible

It’s amazing how our reading of the Scriptures is colored by our own prejudices and background. Richard Beck, at “Experimental Theology,” offers a reading of James’ famous passage on faith and works that I’d never heard before. But he just … Continue reading →

2 Cor 5:17 (2Co 5:17 NET)  17 So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away – look, what is new has come!  For many, this is considered the central text … Continue reading →

Gal 2:20 (Gal 2:20 NET)  20 I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness … Continue reading →

Since the time of the early church fathers, the Christian church has spoken of the final destination of the saved in terms of theosis. Among the Eastern Orthodox, theosis is considered a central element Christianity. In the West, until recently, … Continue reading →

The patience of God An major theme of the NT is the patience (or forbearance) of God — his decision to wait on us to repent rather than being done with us. It doesn’t seem that important of a doctrine … Continue reading →

The Second Coming of Jesus is not ever described as a new or changed covenant. Rather, the clearest and most common image is that it will be a return to Eden, except better. For example, I highlight the more obvious … Continue reading →

So the goal of it all is the knowledge of God. When Jesus returns, Isaiah says that “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isa 11:9b). The new covenant will … Continue reading →

In Covenant: God’s Purpose, God’s Plan, John Walton suggests that the entirety of scripture and the entirety of God’s relationship with humanity are held together by the theme of God’s self-revelation. God made the covenants and inspired the scriptures to tell us … Continue reading →

[Fair warning: In the next several posts, I’ll be well off the beaten path, trying to fit some elements of the last several years of Bible study together. Several answers will be unconventional and are offered for your consideration and … Continue reading →

We’re still talking about how to study the Bible. Really. One of the great appeals of Scofield’s dispensation theories was that they were easy to teach — especially when teaching children. In fact, I well remember going through the Jule … Continue reading →