The Hermeneutic Roots of Our Soteriological Crisis
What is the root cause of soteriological controversy? Hermeneutics and theological method are major factors.
Amos Overview
A downloadable synthetic overview of the Book of Amos.
9 Steps for Bible Exegesis and Exposition, Step #6: Identify Biblical Context
After completing the detailed grammatical, syntactical and lexical analysis, we need to step back and refocus to the bird’s eye perspective and so some synthesizing. First, we need to identify the overall theme of the book, but by completing the first steps in the...
“The most effective leadership, management, and efficiency models share traits common with each other, and traits that are ultimately traceable to the pages of the Bible. While these models are often not intentionally rooted in Biblical concepts by those that promote the models, the models illustrate how applying Biblical principles can set a trajectory of success in enterprise and in life. Led By a Lion is designed to introduce some of these leadership, management, and efficiency models, but goes a step further in identifying the Biblical genesis of many of the core traits that fuel the success of these models.”
7 Core Values for Effective Life and Ministry
#1 The Supremacy of His Glory It’s simple: It is all about Him, end of story. Ephesians 1 illustrates how Father (1:6), Son (1:12), and Holy Spirit (1:14) each work together for the glory of God. His activities serve His own purpose of expressing His character,...
Modeling Thanksgiving
What can we learn from Paul’s prayers of thanksgiving?
Obadiah Overview
A downloadable synthetic overview of the Book of Obadiah.
“This approach has the advantage of seeking to view all knowledge through the lens of Scripture, and to subject all knowledge to the authority of Scripture. It encourages science and research within the field of psychology. It offers a Biblical balance of description and prescription. Of course, if the Bible is unreliable, then the refractive power of Scripture is distortive rather than corrective, but the epistemological premise of this approach is that God’s word is authoritative and sufficient for our understanding, for our equipping, and for our practice. There are many extra-biblical resources that we can employ, but in seeking out how and when to do that, we mustn’t lose sight of the one reliable constant that God has provided for us – the Bible.” –Chapter 9
Did Jesus Teach Cannibalism or Transubstantiation?
In John 6:53-56 we find a strange statement by Jesus that troubled even His disciples (6:60): 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. 54 “He who...
What is Wisdom?
If we define it by lexical etymology, then philosophy is simply the affection for or love of wisdom. Consequently, how we define wisdom will go a long way in helping us get to the heart of what philosophy really is. In Proverbs Solomon uses the term nearly fifty...
9 Steps for Bible Exegesis and Exposition, Step #5: Identify Lexical Keys
After we have recognized and understood the relationships of words to each other, we need to examine the words themselves. The context of the word is the greatest definer, but lexical meaning is important. At this point a lexicon is a necessity. The standard authority...
“The Green Tree is an exceptional work…provides a vital tool for every Bible interpreter…Just as the root system is the foundation of a tree and directly impacts the health of a tree, hermeneutic method is at the root of one’s worldview. This illustration demonstrates that the hermeneutic method that an interpreter of the Bible employs will significantly affect the outcome. The tree will either be healthy, or it will not be healthy…The authors provide a unique examination of Revelation, Genesis, and Job that demonstrates that the LGH hermeneutic is derived from within Scripture, something that other hermeneutical methods fail to demonstrate. This is perhaps the most crucial principle demonstrated in The Green Tree, and it effectively demonstrates that the LGH hermeneutic is also the Biblical hermeneutic.” – Andrew Friend (Amazon Review)
If It’s Worth Doing, It’s Worth Doing…Poorly
A wise man once told me “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing poorly.” Though I cannot recall the context of the conversation, I have never forgotten those words. They serve as a lasting reminder to me not to trade good for excellent. Sometimes we can get so caught...
The Hermeneutics of Continuationism, Part 3
More recently, John MacArthur has been a leading advocate for cessationism. MacArthur’s Charismatic Chaos attempts a Biblical response to the charismatic movement, and succeeds more than most. Like Chafer, MacArthur begins his defense of a closed canon by appealing to...
The Hermeneutics of Continuationism, Part 2
Premise 4: An explanation for the soteriological similarities is found centrally in the shared methodology of appealing to TR authorities (as illustrated by MacArthur and Piper). Self-identified leaky dispensationalist, John MacArthur pursued clarification in the...
The Hermeneutics of Continuationism, Part 1
Presented to the 2013 Council on Dispensational Hermeneutics as "Dispensationalism’s Feet of Iron Mixed With Clay: How We Arrived at an “Open-But-Cautious” View on Non-Cessationism." ABSTRACT We owe a tremendous debt to many traditional dispensationalists who labored...
9 Steps for Bible Exegesis and Exposition, Step #4: Identify Grammatical and Syntactical Keys
After (1) identifying the best reading and translation, (2) recognizing background and context, and (3) identifying the structural keys of the book, we need to (4) identify the grammatical and syntactical keys in the passage. First, we need to be able to distinguish...
Contending for the Faith Without Being Contentious
Paul’s words echo as if exclaimed from a canyon, yet we often fail to hear them. “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men” (Rom 12:18). At the same time if we listen closely, we can hear the resolve in Jude’s voice as he urges believers to...
Miley Cyrus Was Right
I must first confess, I didn’t imagine before now that I would ever have occasion to write an article about Miley Cyrus, but as it turns out, she has brought attention to a monumental issue (human origins and their implications) and has served as a catalyst for much...
A Biblical Perspective on Spanking, Part 4 of 5: Proverbs 29:15
The previous installment discussed three questions and their answers in Proverbs 22:15. (1) What is a rod (shebet)? (2) What is the purpose for using the rod? (3) Does this verse indicate when one should stop using the rod. Proverbs 29:15 provides important additional...
A Biblical Perspective on Spanking, Part 3 of 5
Having previously considered some important hermeneutic principles, we return to our discussion of Proverbs 22:15: Folly or foolishness (Heb., iuelet, feminine singular noun) is being bound (Heb., qasurah, verb passive participle) in the heart (Heb., beleb,...
Considering Metaphysical Presuppositions in Environmental Thought
Presented to the Dallas Philosophers Forum, January 24, 2012, Dallas, Texas Noted environmental philosopher J. Baird Callicott has recognized that “to affect change in both individual behavior and social, political, and economic institutions we have to do more...