Ever present in John’s mind is the challenge posed by the secessionists. The secessionists have been suggesting that faith alone is necessary for salvation, without any corresponding deeds. The issue, as Raymond Brown notes, isn’t hypocrisy. The issue is the secessionists “taught that actions or deeds were not salvifically important since one already possessed eternal…
November 7 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4 God doesn’t leave me when times are tough. I may move away because I am hurt that HE allowed the circumstances. I may move away because my focus becomes me and my pain…
But how should these points work themselves out into the lives of followers of Jesus? Let me suggest some ideas: Henry Neufeld, Not Ashamed of the Gospel, p. 32-33
According to John, as noted in a previous meditation, maybe more than any other New Testament document, breathes the atmosphere of the Old Testament. Even though a dualism between the flesh and the Spirit is pervasive in it, and it utilizes the Greek vocabulary with evident nuance and a broad understanding of its philosophical connotations,…
Significantly, Mark announces the beginning of the Good News (gospel) of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This proclamation stands against any other declaration of good news. For example, Caesar claimed himself to be a “savior” who brought prosperity and peace to the world.Good news, transliterated later into the word “gospel”, comes from the Greek…
While it’s difficult to let go of the old, the new beckons us. What is the old? It is what theologian Walter Wink called the Domination System — it’s the system of violence and oppression that enslaves the world.12 But in the death and resurrection of Jesus, that system — that world — has been…
In this entertaining book for all ages, Squareland enjoys a simple, uniform, conflict-free life of “perfect squares”—until expectations are stunningly upended by change. Suddenly Squares must deal with foreign creatures: Triangles, Rectangles, Circles, Ellipses, Parallelograms, Trapezoids, “Gons,” and such weirdoes. Each shape has its own natural personality and proclivities, so complications, cliques, tensions, and conflict threaten…
Threatened by Amaziah, Amos tells the priest the harsh truth that not only has the sanctuary lost the Spirit of God; it will eventually be destroyed as a result of its choice to serve the king rather than God. In the language of Paul Tillich, the only Ultimate that delivers is the one that stands…
Regardless of what one thinks of Anabaptism, all true Christians must be for peace. This does not necessarily mean that we must all be pacifists. But even if one believes that violence may become necessary in emergencies, we are all to be peacemakers. The Gospel is a Gospel of peace. God is the God of…
God has published prayers from angry, exasperated, and lonely people, so that we can know that hope remains for us. Imagine the tragedy if he had published only perfect prayers from perfect people. Alas, such prayers would not be perfect! We need some rough edges, prayers throbbing with powerful emotions. Otherwise, we might be tempted…
