God formed man from the dust (afar, עָפָר) of the earth (Gen 2:7). And humans hated him for it. We tried him, found him guilty and attacked Him. And so man returns to dust. From dust [ עָפָר ] we were taken, and to dust [ עָפָר ] we return (Gen 3:19). When God cursed …
Category Archives: Bible
Psalm 147 in the Light of Jesus: Sermon Notes and Handout
Question: Which of the 150 Psalms are Messianic (i.e., which of them point to, relate to, prepare us for, or are about Jesus)? Answer: All of them. Attached are the notes for a sermon (or Bible study) on Psalm 147, written to relate all the parts to Christ. The first page (a PDF file) has …
Annotated Bibliography for Genesis and the Eden Narrative
This bibliography is preparatory for a formal treatment of the theme, God on Trial (of which, see my earlier articles). I want to know, How does that theme play out in Genesis? Especially in the Garden of God? And, who has written on Genesis from this perspective? To that end, I must survey ancient and …
‘True’ and ‘Truth’ in the Gospel of John and John’s Writtings
This is a reprint of Geerhardus Vos‘ article, “‘True’ and ‘Truth’ in the Johannine Writings”, The Biblical Review 12 (1927):507-520. We are accustomed to say that there is but one truth, and that what is not true is ipso facto false. And yet the New Testament knows of two kinds of “truth.” It may be …
Pilate asked Jesus, “What is Truth?”
Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” and Jesus gave no reply… Pilate was looking at the answer and could not see; that’s why he asked. A word did not need to be spoken, for the Word was in flesh, standing in front of him. The answer was incarnated and positioned before his very eyes. Jesus …
God is News to Satan
In Genesis 3, the news of who God is and what God is like was experienced first-hand by Satan. The news also came to Adam and Eve. Indeed, all of Genesis is the revelation of God to His creatures. For us readers, and for those who directly experienced His activities — Satan included — the …
Part 2: Church Discipline vs. Responsibility in Relationships
In Part 1, Church Discipline vs. Responsibility in Relationships, I suggested that churches would do well to trade the language of church discipline for the more accurate and helpful responsibility in relationships. A good friend then responded with an interesting issue, basically saying, “Church Discipline is what it should be called. Remember 1 Corinthians 5 …
Translating Merneptah’s Egyptian Victory Hymn
You may not know about Merneptah, but he was king of Egypt during an important time of great upheaval in Canaan — a time when Israel was settling in and taking land. Merneptah’s reign overlaps the Biblical record of Israel in Canaan; best of all, he is the first one (outside of the Bible) to …
Pictorial Survey of the Bible
The link below takes you to a Microsoft Power Point presentation of the Bible. This pictorial survey of the Bible has gotten plenty of positive feedback — it is one of the best tools I have used in the ministry for training church members of all ages. Use it in your Sunday School or review …
Arrogance and Truth
In an earlier post, I argued that the Bible reveals doctrine, by which I mean, religious beliefs are a matter of revelation and not logical or emotional preference. Today, I want to follow through with one sample doctrine — divorce and remarriage — and use that as a springboard to the larger subject of truth …