Jesus has so far affirmed Pharisee soteriology. God first loves an individual. In response to God’s love, the individual cares to keep God’s Law. If a person keeps God’s Law, that person is righteous. God’s love is what brought the person into righteousness (i.e. saved the person). When the person kept the Law, that was... Continue Reading →
Seeing the Kingdom of Heaven
Have you ever seen God? Some of you will answer by telling me how you see God working or how you see God in nature or people. Those things are not God Himself. I will venture to guess that you have never seen God. Yet, we believe He is. A vast majority of people on... Continue Reading →
Jesus as Prophet and The Personal Salvation Debate Among Jews in the First Century
In these notes, I first show the point of John 3:1-2 by offering a biblical apologetic for Jesus as having the authority of a prophet to reveal new revelation. Then, I explore the theological environment of First Century Judea in order to provide historical context for Jesus's conversation with Nicodemus. It is no surprise that... Continue Reading →
On Salvation and Reprobation
From the debates between Paul and the Gnostics through the ancient dialogue between Augustine and Pelagius to the exchanges between Luther and Erasmus or Calvin’s disciples and those of Arminius to the more modern upheaval between the New Calvinists and Free Willists, the doctrine of election has dominated Christian discussion. Election is the doctrine that... Continue Reading →
Unspiritual Spiritual Gifts- Exodus 31:1-11
After God instructed Israel to craft all of the specialty, custom items for the tent of meeting, He reveals that He has gifted certain individuals by His Spirit for the purpose of crafting these pieces artistically. God takes the credit for gifting His people for craftsmanship according to His own plans for the production of... Continue Reading →
Food and Drink- Exodus 29:31-46
Earlier, we saw the table of presence given as a reminder that God intended to eat and drink with His people. With the sacrifice of Christ, God would pull His own mercy seat up to the table because the veil would be torn. This eating and drinking imagery permeates all of the religious practices God... Continue Reading →
Ordination- Exodus 29:1-9
Aaron and his sons are ordained for their priestly ministry. The phrase translated as ordain, here (ומלאת יד–אהרן ייד–בניו), literally means to fill the hand of Aaron and his sons. The earliest mention of a type of ordination by the people of anyone to any kind of ministry in Scripture literally means that through ordination,... Continue Reading →
The Bride of Christ- Exodus 28
God instructs Israel to make special garments for the priests. They are to be adorned for beauty and glory. The priests are to be fully covered, exposing none of their shame—in line with the imagery of nakedness in Genesis 3. The garments of the priests were meant to depict two truths. First God is holy.... Continue Reading →
Armageddon
Only one more chapter until Jesus claims all authority in heaven and on the earth. Matthew is writing about how the kingdom of heaven came. We saw Jesus claim that from this moment on, the people would see Him at the right hand of Power and coming in the clouds. Peter denied Him, fulfilling prophecy... Continue Reading →
The Accessibility of God- Exodus 27
God instructs Israel to build the bronze altar for sacrifices and the outer court of the Tabernacle. When He finishes instructing them how to build those things, He instructs Aaron and his sons to keep the tent of meeting in order from evening to morning. He instructs the people to bring oil so that the... Continue Reading →