James… Studies in James: The Purpose of the Epistle (Part 3) 18 Oct 2022 We have been exploring the dominant themes of the Epistle of James. It is often argued that James is a collection of wisdom sayings and not a cogent letter. If…
James… Studies in James: The Purpose of the Epistle (Part 1) 24 Feb 202212 Aug 2022 Identifying the specific purpose of a sacred writing is sometimes relatively easy. Some authors, for example, state it outright (like John 20:31). At other times it is obvious from the…
James… Studies in James: James vs Paul 9 Feb 20229 Feb 2022 James has often been read in light of the Apostle Paul. There's obvious reasons for this tendency: (1) Paul is so influential to our understanding of the New Testament. It's…
James… Studies in James: Influences (Part 2) 31 Jan 2022 In a previous post I mentioned that understanding James' writing well requires that we see the influences that the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus had on him. Previously…
Jesus… For Our Sake He Was Terrified 27 Jan 202227 Jan 2022 As Bible-believing Christians we speak plainly about and believe thoroughly in, the humanity of Christ. Jesus, the divine Son of God, took on flesh and became like us in every…
James… Studies in James: Influences (Part 1) 26 Jan 202226 Jan 2022 The Epistle of James does not arise out of a vacuum. Its author was raised in a religious world, and under the influence of Judaism and its sacred writings. This…
James… Studies in James: Who Was James? 24 Jan 2022 While the Epistle of James is short and relatively easy to read there is a deep complexity to this letter. The main theme and structure of the letter are hotly…
Church… Love Believes All Things (Part 2) 17 Aug 2020 The outworking of Biblical commands is sometimes clouded by cultural differences and existential struggle. We may know in abstract what the commands of Scripture say, but how to apply them…
Church… Love Believes All Things (Part 1) 12 Aug 202012 Aug 2020 How can Paul say that love "believes all things" (1 Cor. 13:7)? Surely, such a notion is just naïve thinking. And in the age of the Internet, when watchdog groups…
Discipleship… Trust and Obey 9 Jun 2020 "There's no other way to be happy in Jesus," we are told, "than to trust and obey." These two responses are deeply intertwined but the way we understand their relationship…