Knowing God’s Will [Video]
How do we know God’s will? In this video I’ll talk about some of the ways God led the apostle Paul to fulfill his mission. It wasn’t always a straightforward process. Jesus the messiah first made himself known to Paul in a vision, but as time went on he revealed...
Blessed Be the Name of the Lord
God cannot lie. Scripture teaches that there is one thing God cannot do: he cannot lie. Paul explained this in 2 Timothy 2:11-13: It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny...
The Teaching Role of the Church [Video]
The church’s mission in the world involves a message, and it’s the church’s job to teach that message effectively. The gospel message can be summed up in a few simple phrases: Jesus, the son of God, was crucified for our sins, he died and was buried, and he arose...
Controlling Narratives in the Pauline Epistles
The writers of the New Testament believed the Old Testament stories were factual accounts of actual events. This belief controlled their understanding of what God had done throughout history. New Testament scholars sometimes try to connect the Old and New Testaments...
What Makes a Proud Man Beg? [Video]
Paul’s second canonical letter to the Corinthians is the New Testament’s equivalent to the book of Job. Some of Paul’s friends had turned against him, and he used this letter as an opportunity to defend himself from their accusations. Paul filled the book of 2...
Letters from Paul: Pay Careful Attention
When you read the book of Romans, keep in mind that you’re reading a letter, not a systematic theology. You can learn a lot about Paul and about his beliefs if you take the time to pay careful attention to his words. Romans 16:25-26 For example, look at Romans 16:25,...
Enduring Through Tragedy [Video]
Things do not always go according to plan. In fact, at times, your life will certainly not go according to your plans. You will experience tragedy—we all do, eventually. How will you respond? How will you endure through hard times? God is at work in the process even...
Letters From Paul: A Bond-Servant of Christ Jesus
In two of my recent blog posts, I talked about the fact that you can’t properly understand New Testament theology unless you have an appreciation for the writers’ eschatology—their beliefs about the end times. Eschatology When we use the word eschatology today we...
Psalm 116: He Heard My Plea [Video]
We are individual Christians, but we should never think that that’s where our Christian identity ends. We cannot serve Christ fully unless we appreciate that we belong to and in a community of fellowship and worship, the body of Christ. If you’re not already a part of...