Most of life is interacting with other people. Whether we realize it or not, we spend most of our days talking with, working with, or simply being around others. Then when you consider that most people treat browsing social media as a hobby, we see that interacting with and thinking about other people has become an even larger part of our lives. When we are around other people, we deal with their bad moods, personality flaws, and sins. When we... Read more
Genesis 5 is the first of many biblical genealogies. While these “lists of names” trip up a large number of Bible readers, these inspired records are of strategic importance. Some of them make a theological point and some serve as introductions to new sections. Others are celebrations of God’s promise to multiply His people. These chapters should not be skipped and deserve our attention and thought.Typically there are two types of genealogies in the Bible. One is a branch genealogy.... Read more
Adam and Eve’s sin came with dramatic repercussions. Genesis 4 introduced readers to their sons Cain and Abel. The sons, a shepherd and a keeper of the ground, come before the Lord to offer sacrifices. It is important to note that the writer of Genesis does not tell us why they came to sacrifice, nor does he mentioned its being commanded by the Lord. The Lord accepted Abel’s sacrifice of the first born of his flock and rejected Cain’s offering.... Read more
The idilic picture of Genesis 2 is threatened from the outset of Genesis 3. The writer introduces us to the serpent who is more crafty than any other of the creatures God has made. He approaches Eve with a question about the prohibition that God gave the couple in chapter 2. The questions he asks the woman and her answer reveals a great deal about the way that human beings encounter temptation. Satan asks whether God has said that they... Read more
Ask 100 people what their favorite book of the Bible is and there is a good chance that the most common answer will be the book of Romans. Why shouldn’t it? Paul’s letter to this church which he hoped to visit contains both the fullest explanation of the Gospel message in the Bible and some of the greatest encouragement to struggling Christians. Whose heart does not jump at the “but now” in Romans 3:21? What Christian has not turned to... Read more
This past week I wrote a summary of Genesis 2. The writer of Genesis introduces readers to the first marriage in this passage. God looks on Adam alone in the Garden and says that it is not good for him to be alone. After bringing every animal to Adam and having him name them, God sets out to create a helper suitable for Adam. He causes Adam to fall into a deep sleep and removes one of his ribs. God... Read more
Genesis 2 demonstrates why the chapter divisions in our English Bibles are not always in the best place. These divisions were not part of the original text, but were added later for the sake of convenience. The first three verses fit most naturally with chapter 1 as they provide the climax of the creation account. God rests, not because He is tired, but because His work is done. It is not that He takes a nap, but that He ceases... Read more
(This is the first post of a long project called “Blogging the Bible.” I’ve recently started writing short summaries of each chapter in the Bible. As you can imagine, it will take a while to do this. After the first several posts, I’ll put together a page where all of the summaries can be accessed.) When reading the Bible’s opening words, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” it is tempting to launch into a discussion about... Read more
“RT: @________ I love @______’s new book. You must read it.// Thanks. Humbled by your kind words.” I see this type of tweet several times a day. Someone takes to Twitter and compliments someone on their good book/blogpost/sermon etc. The person receiving the accolade is not satisfied to do a simple reply to the person and tell them thanks. Instead, he hits the retweet button, adds the word “thanks” at the end and broadcasts to the world the compliment that... Read more
Every person has to face the reality of death. It is not a pleasant subject, but it is part of life in a fallen world. Unfortunately, there seems to be a lot of confusion about what happens when a person who believes in Jesus dies. This post is not exhaustive. (Books could be written on each point.) I do want to briefly address the question, “what happens when a Christian dies?” What Doesn’t Happen to a Christian Who Dies I... Read more
One Degree to Another
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In