John’s Gospel Through Three Lenses
A downloadable PDF highlighting some important themes in John's Gospel, from three vantage points (synthesis, exegesis, analysis).
Matthew 18:15-20 The Purpose and Nature of Correction in the Church
Introduction Because of its detail and sequence, Matthew 18:15-20 has long been recognized as a central passage in dealing with sin, conflict resolution, and discipline in the church. In these verses Jesus provides His disciples a pattern for dealing with a sinning...
Hebrews Overview (Brief)
A brief overview of the Book of Hebrews.
“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.”
Freedom From What?
It’s a great day to think about freedom. In Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, the concept of freedom is emphasized (free and freedom are mentioned seven times). In 5:1, Paul explains, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not...
Do We Value God’s Communication?
God has communicated to us in three ways. First, in creation itself – in nature: David describes the function of the heavens, for example, as declaring His glory (Ps 19:1-6). Paul adds that, “since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power...
The Book of Revelation is Not Apocalyptic Literature
It may seem odd to suggest that the book entitled Apocalupsis does not belong to the genre of literature commonly referred to as apocalyptic, nonetheless that is my suggestion here. The term employed in the title of the book denotes a revelation or disclosure.[1]...
“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
A Biblical Perspective on the Use of Music: Knowing and Feeling in the Psalms
The Psalms are a helpful Biblical pattern for contemporary worship in song. Colossians 3:16 instructs us to instruct and admonish one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in our hearts to God. And there is no better example in...
Considering Some Biblical Goals for Teaching
"Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,...
Isaiah Overview
A downloadable synthetic overview of the Book of Isaiah.
“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)
Galatians Overview
A downloadable synthetic overview of Paul's Letter to the Galatians.
Biblical Organizational Principles Applied: Safeguarding the Organization
Can you safeguard the organization and guarantee it doesn’t depart from core values? The Biblical example of the church at Ephesus says “no.” The church at Ephesus apparently got its start during Paul’s third missionary journey (Acts 18:21ff) and was influenced early...
Why I Am Not A Calvinist…Or an Arminian, Part 3
The Calvinism/Arminianism debate considers three essential issues: (1) The degree of God’s activity in human salvation, (2) the degree of human culpability, and (3) the degree of human activity in salvation. Historically Calvin placed strongest emphasis on God’s...
Which Comes First, Metaphysics or Epistemology?
Epistemology is the study of knowledge and seeks to answer the question of how we can have knowledge and certainty. Metaphysics is the study of reality and responds to questions regarding whether there is anything beyond the physical or natural. While I have often...
Is the Messiah Given to the Gentiles as a Covenant?
Question: In Isaiah 42:6, doesn’t the phrase “I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations” (NASB) indicate that the Messiah was given to the Gentiles as a covenant, and thus the New Covenant is also extended to the Gentiles and the church...
Why I Am Not a Calvinist…Or an Arminian, Part 2
The Remonstrance of 1610, by followers of Jacobus Arminius, counters five points of doctrine that were understood to be Calvinistic teachings. The Remonstrance first denies the five Calvinistic tenets, and then positively asserts five articles of doctrine that present...
Issues of Conscience
The Bible describes with clarity many responsibilities of believers in the contexts of government and society. Still in some areas believers are not given specific instructions, and instead must rely on applying general Biblical principles to contemporary challenges....
Eschatology, Politics, and Society: Absence (of the Kingdom) Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
“If you believe that you’re going to leave and evacuate to somewhere else, then why do anything about this world?”[1] This question is not a new one. It is a very common indictment against interpreting the Bible in a literal way. After all, if we take the Bible...
Are Abortion and Biblical Christianity Compatible?
At a political forum in 2008, then-Presidential candidate Barack Obama famously sidestepped the important question of when life begins. He wittily quipped that such a question was above his pay grade. Still, not surprisingly, during his administration he has...
For Such A Worm As I…
Sharing His love with others, communicating the Gospel, and making disciples – it is easy to focus on how we should help others who need Jesus. We can get caught in the trap of only looking outward when we think of those needing His grace. We remember that “the wrath...