Category: Gospel

An Inheritance Swap

September 8, 2016

In the beginning, the perfect God created a perfect planet, containing a perfect garden, filled with perfect animals, stewarded by perfect people. All was grand as Adam and Eve enjoyed perfect spiritual communion, intellectual veracity, emotional stability, relational intimacy, vocational satisfaction, physical health, and environmental stability. This is what God intended for his friends. Then it happened. Sometimes this tragic episode … More An Inheritance Swap

He Holds Out His Hands

August 12, 2016

Paul’s heart is broken for his countrymen. From his own personal experience, he understands how immersed someone can be in zealous religion and yet remain so far from divine reconciliation and intimacy. It grieves Paul that his Jewish brothers and fathers are so religiously active and remained relationally alienated. It gives him no pleasure to quote Isaiah: But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held … More He Holds Out His Hands

The Pagan, the Pious, and those Perishing

August 2, 2016

Paul was loving and humiliating his readers. It mattered not whether they were Jewish or Gentile. He cared not whether they were rank Romans or holy Hebrews. Whether irreligious or religious, whether immoral or moral, whether church abstainers or church attenders, Paul sought to help all his friends by forcing them to bow their knees before the Holy Judge. He began by humbling the pagan: … More The Pagan, the Pious, and those Perishing