2 Corinthians 2 “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” “We are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” Wow! This has to rank as one of the most olfactory passages of the entire Scriptures! If you’re like me, you need as many ways as possible to understand God and His... Read more
2 Corinthians 1 “As you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.” In verse 7 of 2 Corinthians 1, St. Paul gives us the pattern for the Christian life which was also the pattern of the life of Christ: if we partake of suffering, we will also partake of glory and consolation. Now taken out of context I suppose this could be something a good Buddhist could say. For Buddha, the fundamental truth was... Read more
Can Lead Christians to Experience God But Can Also Lead Them Astray “Experiencing God” by Henry Blackaby and Claude King (and now also Richard Blackaby) seems to be a book for which reviewers find no middle ground. Almost all of the reviewers on Amazon give the book 5 stars (with one 4 star book) and one 1 star review. I find that the book has the potential to lead many to a deeper, more meaningful experience with God but also... Read more
Clear Diagnosis of What Liberal Christianity Is Even though J. Gresham Machen’s “Christianity and Liberalism” was first written in 1923, it’s still a relevant and important analysis of liberal Christianity. Machen writes with great clarity and as one who engaged with liberal Christianity (or “Liberalism”) in his own denomination (Presbyterian). In fact, he was one of the leading defenders of orthodox Christianity in the early 20th century. “Christianity and Liberalism” remains an excellent introduction to the crucial differences between orthodox... Read more
Displays the Christian Mind at Work for a Wide Audience I eagerly awaited this book, A Place for Truth, edited by Dallas Willard, and I immediately set to devouring it. On the whole, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and its presentation of Christian Truth but thought that it displayed weaknesses in certain places. The title, A Place for Truth, comes from Harvard University’s motto, “Veritas,” which is Latin for “Truth.” This volume is a collection of 15 presentations made before... Read more
Luke 24:36-53 The last verses of the Gospel of St. Luke are the final measures of the greatest symphony ever written. We have been in the final movement of St. Luke’s Symphony for several chapters now, and here in verses 36-53 we have the final resolution and bringing together of all the themes and actions Luke has introduced earlier in his masterpiece. In these several verses, St. Luke actually reaches all the way back to the Old Testament, to Moses,... Read more
Luke 24:13-35 The disciples on the road to Emmaus are a picture of how Jesus normally comes to us and makes us His disciples. It all happens quickly for these privileged disciples, who have already begun a life with Jesus, but the same basic path to discipleship is ours as well. In the first place, before this story begins, these two have already been introduced to Jesus. When people become disciples of Jesus, it is usually because someone else has... Read more
Luke 23:50-24:12 I love Joseph of Arimathea! It would be easy in this passage, with the empty tomb just around the corner, to completely forget about Joseph of Arimathea and what he has to say to us this morning. I love the roads less traveled in Scripture because they contain so many scattered jewels that I have not stopped to appreciate before. One of the most important things we first realize about Joseph of Arimathea (from St. Matthew’s account) is... Read more
Luke 23:39-49 The presence of God is so thick in these 11 verses that if we all had the endurance we should really meditate together on each single verse! Thank God we will have other occasions in the course of meditating on the whole Bible to come back to this sacred place. It will seem odd that I am choosing to meditate not on the death of our Lord, but there is something God is leading me to see in... Read more
Luke 23:26-38 “They laid hold of a certain man, Simon, a Cyrenian . . . and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.” If you thought that what God, through the mouth of St. Luke, was showing you so far was heavy, just wait! Who, as a Christian, cannot be moved by the scene of Simon of Cyrene carrying the Cross of Jesus Christ, not just in a figurative way, but literally carrying the... Read more
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