Was Violence against the Canaanites a Matter of Racial Prejudice?
Gregory Goswell,
Andreas J. Köstenberger
It is impossible to ignore what is routinely viewed as the grave moral problem of the book of Joshua, namely, the action of the Israelites in exterminating the Canaanites.
The King Who Suffers for His People
Greg Gilbert
The king would represent. And the king would suffer. But what do those have to do with each other, and how do they lead to salvation?
Why Are the Books of the Bible in the Order They’re In?
Gregory Goswell
The positioning of each book relative to other books in the canonical collection has hermeneutical significance for the reader who seeks meaning in the text.
11 Passages to Read to Help Fight Anger
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
2 Common Mistakes in Interpreting Scripture
Jonathan T. Pennington
The point of interpreting Scripture is not to rob us of the joy of the journey but rather to protect us from wrong turns and unnecessary repairs that will slow us down.
10 Key Bible Verses on Baptism
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
What Jesus Saw When He Looked at Peter after the Rooster Crowed
Erik Raymond
When we peer into the word of God, we see who God is: his character is revealed to us. At the same time, we see who we are: we see ourselves in light of God’s character.
Nativity Scenes, T-Rexes, and the Gestalt Shift
Jonathan T. Pennington
One of the most powerful human experiences is when one construal is replaced with another, when a shift in the Gestalt happens and we come to see in a different way.
10 Key Bible Verses on the Devil
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
What Is Distinct about the Theology of 2 Peter?
Matthew S. Harmon
Second Peter has a robust doctrine of Scripture. Peter begins his letter with one of the strongest assertions of the sufficiency of God’s Word found in all of Scripture.
How to Pray in the Spirit
Lewis Allen,
Sarah Allen
When we are praying in the Spirit, we are being obedient to what the Spirit desires, and bringing those desires to God in prayer.
Why Did Jesus Curse a Fig Tree? (Matthew 21)
Dan Doriani
The cursing of the fig tree is symbolic. The prophets use the fig as a symbol of Israel in its fruitlessness.
The Temple(s) Filled with God’s Presence
Greg Gilbert
What a glorious end to the story! In the new Jerusalem, there is no temple, no need for one particular place where God will dwell, because he dwells right out in the open, among his people.
10 Key Bible Verses on Spiritual Gifts
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.
The Dangerous Ways We Add to Scripture
Michael Reeves
The pages of church history are littered with heretics who boasted of their devotion to Scripture yet failed to spot how their biblical language concealed unbiblical thinking.
Tossing Out Beliefs When They Don’t Spark Joy
Samuel D. James
What’s fascinating (and saddening) is that there seem to be many Christians, particularly in the affluent West, who think of theology, or doctrine, the way Marie Kondo thinks of clutter.
What Is New about the New Covenant? (Jeremiah 31)
Jerry Hwang
Since the old covenant could be broken by disobedience, the new covenant will impart a greater ability to obey. The result will be the kind of covenant relationship that Yahweh has always sought with his people.
Don’t Be Late to the Movies, and Don’t Skip the Pentateuch
Ian J. Vaillancourt
If we are Christians who want to understand the gospel better, the Pentateuch is a great place to start.
Podcast: The Greatest Act of Redemption in the Entire Old Testament (Ian Vaillancourt)
Ian Vaillancourt talks about why the story of the exodus is so central to the Old Testament as a whole and how the story of Israel's rescue from Egypt pointed forward to the coming of Christ in more ways than one.
What Does Exodus 3:14 Mean?
Matthew R. Newkirk
As one of the more mysterious utterances in the Old Testament, God’s self-revelation to Moses in Exodus 3:14 has received countless examinations by biblical interpreters.
10 Key Bible Verses on Humanity
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
An Antidote to Spiritual Amnesia
David Murray
We forget we were saved by God. We forget the suffering required to save us. We forget to worship God for saving us. What’s the antidote for such serious spiritual amnesia?
What Does the New Testament Mean That Jesus Will Come Soon?
John Piper
What would it mean for an infallible spokesman (an apostle!) of the Lord Jesus, who cannot predict the time, to say that Jesus is coming soon?
What Did Jesus Teach about Discipleship?
Peter Orr
Jesus’s instruction about discipleship applies to all (i.e., not simply the twelve) who want to follow him and includes three elements: denying oneself, taking up one’s cross, and following him.
10 Key Bible Verses on God’s Faithfulness
But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.
God’s Compassion for Doubters
David Murray
The weed of doubt never grows alone. When we plant the seed of doubt in God’s word or God’s power, the weeds of fear, disobedience, and pessimism also take root and grow.
What Is Distinct about the Theology of Mark?
Peter Orr
Certainly Mark is the Gospel that has most in common with the other Gospels. But even Mark has some distinctives that are worth noting and that help us to read Mark as Mark.
Is Christianity Misogynistic?
Rebecca McLaughlin
We may take it for granted that women are equally valuable as men. But that was not what people in Jesus’s day believed.
Learning to Hate for All the Right Reasons
Carolyn Mahaney,
Nicole Mahaney Whitacre
Like Solomon, we must hate life. We must hate its terms and dread its end. We cannot control or comprehend anything.
The Fruit of the First Sin Was Shame
Mark Talbot
We feel shame when some fault, imperfection, or vulnerability of ours conflicts with what we think we should be. Finding this shameful, we attempt to hide.