I often see well-meaning Christians mention the Hebrew word Elohim (אלהים) in relation to the doctrine of the Trinity. Because the word Elohim is plural, our Trinitarian friends suggest that this Hebrew term proves that God is more than one person. The problem with this claim is that it overlooks the way that plural nouns…
It’s the Christmas season; during this time of year we typically hear about the Nativity story more than usual. All Christians know the story of Jesus’ birth, at least in broad strokes. The angel Gabriel comes to the virgin Mary to tell her that she will have a baby. Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem…
I just wanted to drop a quick note about a cool connection between the creation of humanity and the salvation of humanity. In Genesis 2—when God created Adam—scripture says, "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living…
I love it when I am reading the Bible and a detail jumps off the page at me; this happened to me the other day as I was reading 1 Samuel from my Septuagint (LXX). I was reading from 1 Samuel 13 where Israel was about to go to battle against their perennial enemy the…
Recently, some people on the internet have started to claim that medicine, vaccines, and pharmaceutical drugs are a satanic attack on Christianity. The logic goes something like this: such people direct our attention to verses like Revelation 18:23, "for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived." These people then tell us, correctly, that the word…
There are many Christians who do not believe that baptism is necessary for remitting or cancelling the debt of our sin. These Christians believe that repentance alone is necessary for dealing with our sin. Such people will often refer to Mark 1:4 to make their case. Mark 1:4—John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach…
Recently there has been a lot of discussion about Romans 13. Most people agree that this passage is talking about obeying civil government; but recently, I’ve heard some say that this passage of scripture is actually about church government. Keep reading to find out why Romans 13 is NOT about church government. #Church #Government #Bible #Christian #ChristianAuthor #Blog
I am not the sort of person who likes asking for help. Usually, I try to be the person giving help instead of needing it. That said, a friend of mine pointed out to me recently that refusing to ask for help is a form of pride---and pride is sin. And so I am going…
As we read the gospel of Matthew, we notice that the atoning work of Jesus is bookended by providential dreams: five at the beginning of his life, and one at the end. The phrase κατ᾽ ὄναρ [in a dream] occurs in Matthew 1:20, 2:12, 2:13, 2:19, 2:22, and 27:19. In the first dream, the miracle…
Recently, someone on a Facebook group I am in tried to use a particular rule of Greek grammar (known as Sharp’s sixth rule) to prove that 2 Corinthians 13:14 and Matthew 28:19 teach the Trinity doctrine. His explanation sounds convincing if you don’t know Greek; but when you know Greek, you realize that things are…
Lectionary 