God Has Spoken
The first words in the actual commentary portion of F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, 44: ‘God has spoken.’ This initial affirmation is basic to the whole argument of this epistle, as indeed it is basic to Christian faith. Had God remained silent, enshrouded in thick darkness, the plight of mankind would have been desperate indeed; but now he has spoken his revealing, redeeming, and life-giving word, and in his light we see light. Praise... Read More
“…Earnestly Seek from Him that Preparation of Heart…”
The first words in A. W. Pink’s An Exposition of Hebrews: “Before taking up the study of this important Epistle let writer and reader humbly bow before its Divine Inspirer, and earnestly seek from Him that preparation of heart which is needed to bring us into fellowship with that One whose person, offices, and glories are here so sublimely displayed. Let us personally and definitely seek the help of that blessed Spirit who has been given... Read More
Does Good Come from God? The Craig/Harris Debate
Biola/Talbot’s resident Philosophy Professor William Lane Craig debates renown atheist philosopher Sam Harris on the question, “Does Good Come from God?“. If you’re not familiar with their arguments, Harris’ recent book, The Moral Landscape, contends that morality is no longer simply the realm of faith and religion to determine, edicted by so-called gods unto religious leaders, that there can be an objective, scientifically-determinable... Read More
If Only Barth Read Tozer
From Fred Sanders, The Deep Things of God, 209, Time would fail us to trace the way evangelicals have been driven to a high view of Scripture by their conviction that the Trinity is at work in these texts. Glen Scorgie once described A. W. Tozer’s approach to Scripture as one that ‘eloquently describes the evangelical soul’s desire to hear God speak int he present tense and personally.’ For Tozer, ‘it is this present... Read More
In the Name of the Father, a Holy Creature, and an Impersonal Force
J. P. Meier, commenting on the Trinitarian nature of Mt. 28:19-20: “Certainly, one could hardly imagine a more forceful proclamation of Christ’s divinity – and incidentally, of the Spirit’s distinct personality – that this listing together, on a level of equality, of Father, Son, and Spirit. One does not baptize in the name of a divine person, a holy creature, and an impersonal force.” (HT: Michael Bird) Read More
Some Good Old-Fashioned Foreskin Humor
F. F. Bruce, redeeming himself some from this lame attempt at cleverness, had this to say in his comment on Gal. 6:13: The more Gentiles [the false teachers in Galatia] could notch up as having been circumcised at their [insistence], the weightier the evidence which they could adduce of their zeal for the law. This was mere scalp-hunting–or (salva reverentia) an apter description would be suggested by the bride-price which David paid for Michal... Read More
When a Great Scholar Tries too Hard
F. F. Bruce, commenting on Galatians 2:19: “…it is the law that provides sin with a vantage-point from which to invade Mansoul (cf. Rom 7:7-11).” Really, Dr. Bruce? Sin invading “Mansoul”? If you weren’t dead, I’d tell you to just stick with thoughtful exegesis and leave the cleverness to D. A. Carson and N. T. Wright. File Under: But otherwise I’m finding Bruce’s Galatians commentary rather... Read More
More Evolutionary Brouhaha
Those invested in the evolution debate (and frankly, I’m not really one of them) might be interested in the back-and-forth between Dr. Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, an outspoken young earth creationist and modern champion of conservative evangelicalism, and Dr. Karl Gilberson, VP of BioLogos and author of Saving Darwin: How to Be a Christian and Believe in Evolution. It apparently started in Mohler’s address... Read More
Like Talking Quantum Physics with a Cave Man
Mike Bird has a nice little post on a few main resources he points KJV-onlyists toward so that they’ll wake up and smell the NIV (et. al.). Helpful resources, yes, but the best part of the post is the classic Mike Bird witticisms, including his opening line, which as my favorite: “If you’ve ever met a KJV-only person and tried discussing Bible versions with them you’ll know that it’s like talking to a cave man about... Read More
An Interview with Fred Sanders on The Deep Things of God
The evangelical blog world is all atwitter (pun intended) with excitement about Fred Sanders‘ new book, The Deep Things of God: How the Trinity Changes Everything. My copy is on the way and I for one can’t wait to read (and review) it. In the mean time, I’ve satiated my trinitarian thirst with an interview with Dr. Sanders. Fred Sanders is an associate professor of theology at Biola University in the Torrey Honors Institute. ... Read More
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