Jesus makes some startling claims in John 6. What does it mean that no one can come to him unless they’re drawn by the Father? Here are two ways Christians have interpreted his statements.
New Testament
Exploring Scripture: 1 Peter
This fall, I’ll be leading the young adults in our church through a study of the book of 1 Peter. I chose this book to teach through for several reasons. The first is just that it’s one of my personal… Read More ›
Was Jesus a Bigot? A Response to Sarah Bessey on Affirming Homosexuality
Out of the blue, my sister recently sent me an email asking for my thoughts on an article she had read. It was a popular post by author Sarah Bessey called “Penny in the Air: My Story of Becoming Affirming.”… Read More ›
First Timothy 2:11-15 and the Question of Women in Ministry
In my last post I shared two reasons why I began reexamining my initial complementarian position on women in ministry — first, the ways female Bible teachers helped me grow spiritually, and second, the challenging points raised by my seminary… Read More ›
Three Crucial Questions About the Trinity: Part Three (The Trinity in the New Testament)
(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the CSB). We’re taking a look at one of the core doctrines of the Christian faith: belief in God as Trinity. We believe in one God who eternally exists as Father, Son,… Read More ›
Does the New Testament Teach Us Not to Fear God?
In my last post we discussed the fear of the Lord as it is used in the Old Testament and especially in the book of Proverbs. But what about the New Testament? Are Christian believers still supposed to “fear” God?… Read More ›
Does Jesus Want Some People Not to be Saved?? A Look at Mark 4:1-12
Here recently my wife and I have been reading through Mark’s Gospel together. As new parents, we wanted to take some time this summer to refocus our hearts on Jesus and reassess how we’re doing as his disciples. Since most… Read More ›
What is “Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit”?
(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the CSB). This coming Sunday is Pentecost, the day on which Christians celebrate the pouring-out of the Holy Spirit into Christ’s followers and the birth of the church (you can read about… Read More ›
If I Doubt, I’m Out?! A Look at James 1:5-8
In my previous two posts, I mentioned how important it is that anytime we read a difficult or perplexing Bible verse, we need to view it in its original context. We have to study what it meant “back then” before… Read More ›
Theology Pathfinder 