The affirmation of the apostles, the Gentiles, and the ministry of Paul saddles up with the prophetic fulfillment of Christ’s promise to explain the non-normative nature of these texts.
A Royal Priesthood
Jesus is the center of all things. Jesus is the royal priest, Jesus is the chosen one, Jesus is Israel. All that Israel was as a patriarchal clan under Abraham Isaac and Jacob, as a priestly collection of tribes under Moses and as a kingdom under David and Solomon served as shadows to Christ's substance. What this means is that the church does not replace Israel. Rather, the church is Israel in Christ.
On Christian Baptism
There is no dead Lazarus in a baptist baptism. It is not debatable that in the symbolism (and reality) of infant baptism there is no movement from man apart from the movement of the man Jesus Christ. It is simply God reaching down in humility.
Covenant Through New Eyes: Part 7 – The World of the Temple
In the World of the
"I'm not a hillbilly, I'm a hillwilliam"
We're getting close to 1500 people, but there's cows mainly, and in the spring, when the honey-wagon goes by, it gets all over the road and on your tires, and the air is redolent of water, wet dirt, and cow-poop.
The Audience of the New Covenant in Joel (Part 2)
One is left to presume that Peter in the fulfillment of Joel includes "nursing infants" even if they were not physically present at the time of his sermon at Pentecost.
On Externals...and Fear
Because guess what? Most of what I feared from that list above happened. And everything that I anticipated with joy and great thanksgiving did happen.
Worldview as Public Statement
Wright notes how all worldviews, including the Christian worldview, attempt to define the world and commit
The Audience of the New Covenant in Joel (Part 1)
So, Joel’s present audience remains in some sense the future audience of Peter. In every case this future generation is the generation of Peter. Thus in his sermon, Peter is picking up Joel's prophecy.
What Hath Head Coverings to do with Individualism
We tend to believe that people come into the world and begin a new narrative, completely detached from the narratives of others. Paul disagrees with this individualistic ideal. Instead of promoting individualism Paul explains that each individual is entering
Symbols as Cultural Boundary Markers
Questioning or challenging the validity of America’s military activity will quickly raise the temperatures in almost any conversation. Further, the symbolism surrounding America’s military is not only pervasive but also deep and culturally entrenched. There is a specific cultural narrative that surrounds our nations military. From religious overtones to liturgical holidays the symbols surrounding America’s military are some of the most powerful in our society.
Book Review: The Future of Evangelical Theology
How To Read A Real Estate Listing
A few years prior to that, some people had trespassed up there, built a dirtbike track, and planted some, um, alternative crops. This town is pretty rural and there's a lot of open space, so you have to assume a great deal of that goes on.
Israel's Death is Christ's Resurrection
After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will raise us up,
that we may live before him. - Hosea 6:2
Israel, America and the Nations
Modern day Israel can only be in covenant with God through the true Israel Jesus. Psalm 2 teaches us that the nations of the world, including Israel, have only two options before them: make peace with Jesus or perish under His crushing rod.
Are Christian Social Justice Campaigns Misguided?
James says that pure and undefiled religion is to serve the widow and the orphan. In many ways the modern church and our social justice campaigns have changed James’ words to say: “Pure and undefiled politics is this, to serve the widow and the orphan.” In so doing we’ve assuaged our guilt of not truly serving the widow and orphan because we live under a government that claims to do so.
The New Covenant in Hebrews 10
Jesus Christ brings about a new Levitical consecration. This consecration is the initiation of the new covenant. This consecration is applied to a covenant community that can still fall away in the wilderness by profaning the holiness of God.
Fourfold Worldview
The worldview that a culture holds is one that is expressed through narrative and/or story. These stories, in one way or another, are answering the theology questions about “who are we, where are we, what is wrong, and what is the solution?”. The way grid through which these stories are expressed is through certain symbols (a flag, an institution, a holiday, a rite of passage). Finally, all of these things imply (and are formed by) a certain way of living in the world, a praxis.
Book Review: God’s Battle Plan for the Mind
Biblical Meditation presents a cohesive, persuasive look at the Puritan practice of meditation, a practice uniting heart and mind to “wholeheartedly integrate doctrine with living” (1). Godly men set an example of meditation, and Saxton encourages the Christian today to follow in their footsteps.