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A Ransom for Israel with Dr. Nicholas Schaser (Podcast)
Read more: A Ransom for Israel with Dr. Nicholas Schaser (Podcast)In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Nicholas Schaser, who is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and the author of A Ransom for Israel: Jesus and Jewish Salvation in Matthew (published by SBL Press). In our conversation, we talk about christology and soteriology in Matthew, and how Dr.…
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Joyful Judgment—Transferring into the Kingdom of God (A Play On a Few Greek Words)
Read more: Joyful Judgment—Transferring into the Kingdom of God (A Play On a Few Greek Words)Photo credit: “Tullow Church of the Most Holy Rosary South Transept Window Mysteries of Light and Pope John Paul II Detail Proclamation of the Kingdom of God 2013 09 06” by Andreas F. Borchert is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. We read in Col. 1:13 (ESV) that the entrance of believers into the Kingdom of God begins in…
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How Do We Reconcile the Requirement of Good Works and the Need for Perseverance in Our Faith With the Doctrine of Salvation by Faith Alone? The Answer is Christ.
Read more: How Do We Reconcile the Requirement of Good Works and the Need for Perseverance in Our Faith With the Doctrine of Salvation by Faith Alone? The Answer is Christ.Photo credit: “003/366 – Erste Schritt / First steps” by Boris Thaser is licensed under CC BY 2.0. I recently heard it preached on the topic of perseverance. The preacher started by noting that we are saved by faith alone, citing among other passages Eph. 2:8-9 (NIV): “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and…
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A Better View of Judgment
Read more: A Better View of JudgmentPhoto credit: “(JUDGMENT)” by Xurble is licensed under CC BY 2.0. This note argues that the subordinate clause in 2 Corinthians 5:10 should be translated “so that each of us may receive in our bodies what is due us for what we have done, whether good or bad.” Compare this with the conventional translation, for example the NIV:…
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Grace & Works
Read more: Grace & WorksNow that school is out for summer (cue Alice Cooper) I’m back home working for my church as a youth ministry intern. As we began to plan for the summer and what we should teach on I recommended books like Colossians and Philippians. You know, something short and sweet that would be really encouraging. So…
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Review of The Role of Works at the Final Judgment edited by Alan P. Stanley.
Read more: Review of The Role of Works at the Final Judgment edited by Alan P. Stanley.Wilkin, Robert N., Thomas R. Schreiner, James D. G. Dunn, Michael P. Barber, and Alan P. Stanley.Four Views On the Role of Works at the Final Judgment. Edited by Alan P. Stanley. Counterpoints. Bible and Theology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013. 234 pages. Softcover. Retail: $17.99. ISBN: 9780310490333 “The Role of Works at the Final Judgement,”…
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The Failure of Evangelicalism
Read more: The Failure of EvangelicalismThis is a post I wrote on my personal blog a few years ago. I think it still holds true but would like to hear your thoughts I think evangelicalism has failed on two major fronts. One is the preaching and teaching of the Sanctification process through the power of the Holy Spirit. So much…
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Moving Redemption ahead of the Equation
Read more: Moving Redemption ahead of the Equation= Equality = If your facebook newsfeed was anything like mine, pink and red was the dominant color scheme of the beginning of the week. As if Valentine’s Day was having a month late resurgence, signs for equality have flooded the social media and blogospheres in the supreme courts pending ruling on the constitutionality of…
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The Paradoxical Gospel
Read more: The Paradoxical GospelI don’t remember ever saying this, but here goes. I’ve never been more confident of my salvation. I’ve never felt so secure. I’ve never been so satisfied in Christ. And yet, at the same time, I’m more aware of my sin, ready to acknowledge it, even willing to tell people about it. Sound like a…
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Are We God’s Pawns?
Read more: Are We God’s Pawns?A pastor once told me that God’s people are simply pawns in his ultimate plan to glorify himself. Seriously. He said “pawns.” That would be a great metaphor if chess players actually loved their pawns, but they don’t. The world’s greatest chess player never loved his pawns, much less died for them. So when I…