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Was Paul Against Circumcision, Or Not?
Most Christians assume that the Apostle Paul was adamantly against circumcision. After all, this is the man who warned the Galatians that receiving circumcision could make Christ “of no advantage” to them (Gal 5:2). He even declared that those who accepted circumcision were obligated to keep the entire Mosaic Law (Gal 5:3). Those are strong words! So, the matter would seem straightforward: Paul opposed circumcision. But then we continue reading the New Testament and discover something surprising. Paul personally circumcised Timothy (Acts 16:3). Not only did Paul circumcise him, but he did so immediately after participating in the Jerusalem Council, where the apostles had just decided that Gentile believers did not need to be circumcised. At first glance, Paul’s actions appear inconsistent. Was Paul against circumcision or not? Why would he refuse to circumcise Titus but then turn around and circumcise Timothy? Was he compromising his convictions? Or was something…
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The Feast of Booths, the Transfiguration, and the Kingdom of God
The Feast of Booths is not something we often take the time to study because understanding it requires spending considerable time in the Old Testament. Yet the New Testament assumes that its readers are familiar with it. In fact, knowing about the Feast of Booths helps us better understand the Transfiguration in Matthew 17 and, even more, the Kingdom of God. What Is the Feast of Booths? The Feast of Booths (Sukkot in Hebrew) was an important celebration in both the Old Testament and New Testament eras. It was one of the three annual feasts during which all the males in Israel were required to appear before the Lord in Jerusalem (Deut. 16:16). The Feast of Booths was an eight-day celebration (beginning on Tishri 15 on the Jewish calendar), which falls around September or October on our calendar. During this feast, the people lived in temporary shelters (booths) and presented…
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Understanding 1 Timothy 2:15 – “She will be Saved through Childbearing”
One of the most perplexing verses in the New Testament is 1 Timothy 2:15, “Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control” (ESV). Although this is a difficult text to understand, the application of this text is important for our understanding of the roles of men and women. There are a variety of questions that arise from this text about the nature of salvation and even how childbearing fits into the equation. I address the most important of these questions as follows. Who is the “she” in verse 15? The immediate context of 1 Tim 2:11-12 demonstrates Paul is speaking about the role of women in general. Paul commands that women are to “learn quietly,” (v. 11) and to refrain from teaching or exercising authority over men (v. 12). As support for this command, Paul refers to the history of Adam…
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Does Blind Bartimaeus Expose a Contradiction in the Gospels?
Throughout the history of the church, faithful men and women have confessed that the Bible is inerrant—that it is free from error in all that it affirms. When Scripture speaks, it speaks truthfully. Whatever the Bible claims, whether theological, historical, or factual, is true. This conviction is not a later invention imposed on the text by theologians desperate to protect it. Rather, the doctrine of inerrancy arises directly from Scripture’s own claims about itself. Peter explains that “men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet 1:21). Paul similarly teaches that “all Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Tim 3:16). In other words, God himself stands behind the words of Scripture; he is their ultimate source. And because God cannot lie (Titus 1:2; Heb 6:18), Scripture—being his Word—cannot err. If God is truthful, then what God inspires must likewise be true. Yet despite this historic confession,…
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The Fascinating Link between Eschatology and Spiritual Gifts
Although it might surprise you, there is an essential link between eschatology and the spiritual gifts. However, this connection is often downplayed in the discussion. To be honest, I’ve only seen it acknowledged a handful of times. But the truth remains: what one believes about eschatology, specifically the kingdom of God, has a logical impact on his understanding of the spiritual gifts. The Connection between the Miraculous and the Kingdom of God Now, before we talk about eschatology, we need to review the Bible storyline and note that there are specific times in history when there are major displays of miracles. Notably, these miraculous exhibitions are linked to time periods associated with the Kingdom of God. To show this in summary form, I have adapted a chart from Mike Vlach: Kingdom Situation Time Period Kingdom Mediator(s) Result Signs and wonders to deliver Hebrews from Egypt The period of the Exodus…
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How do Good Works Relate to Salvation?
Many people do not connect good works with salvation at all. As a case in point, I remember a time when I had the opportunity to speak with a man from Texas at a hotel. As we talked about Jesus and the church, he mentioned that everyone went to church in the South and that it was a way of life. When I pressed him further, he admitted that there were many in the South who would verbally identify as Christians but live just as pagan as anybody else. When I asked this man how someone goes to heaven, he articulated a very clean and precise presentation of the gospel. He told me that going to heaven was only possible through Christ’s sacrifice and that good works play no part in earning salvation. At that moment, I was kind of stunned because he was articulating a better-than-average knowledge of the…
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What “Lukewarm” Really Means in Revelation 3:16 — The Forgotten Context of Laodicea
In Revelation 3:14-22 Jesus addresses the church of Laodicea and sternly rebukes their deeds. He says, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth” (vv. 15-16). The most popular interpretation of Revelation 3:16, and particularly the nuance of “lukewarm,” is as follows: (1) the hot water stood for people who follow God, (2) the cold water stood for people who reject God, and (3) lukewarm stood for nominal Christianity. This interpretation holds that lukewarm Christianity is deplorable to Christ and that it would be better to be completely opposed to Christ than to be lukewarm, or nominally committed to Him. Although many commentators I respect hold to some variation of this position, I have since become convinced of what I believe is a…
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“I said, you are gods”—What is Jesus Saying in John 10?
I have made the argument in the past that Psalm 82 is better interpreted as a reference to angelic beings than a reference to human judges. However, many interpreters view Jesus’ quote of Psalm 82 in John 10 as further evidence that Psalm 82 is a reference to human judges. Is John 10 evidence that Psalm 82 should be understood as referring to human rulers? Within the context of John 10, the Jews are about to stone Jesus for making himself out to be God (John 10:33). In answer to the Jews picking up stones, in John 10:34-36, Jesus says the following: Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken—do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I…
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Are Apostles for the Church Today?
Although it is becoming more and more popular to argue that there are Apostles in the church today, this is far from a majority position. Rather, it is generally recognized that the Greek word used for apostles in the New Testament can be used in both a generic sense (simply meaning “sent one”), or in a specific sense. Romans 16:7 is an example of a generic sense where Paul uses the term “apostle” to refer to individuals who are sent out from a church for some purpose. But there is also a more specific category of apostleship that relates specifically to apostles who represent Jesus Christ as His authoritative ambassadors. In other words, these Apostles were viewed with the authority of Jesus because He commissioned them himself. Note, for example, that Paul, an Apostle of Christ, had the authority to give instruction which was on the same level of Christ…
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Is New Covenant Prophecy Fallible?
Is there any aspect of life where the New Covenant’s existence is inferior to that under the Old Covenant? This may seem like an odd question, but it actually is significant. Most of the time, we focus on the superiority of the New Covenant in relation to the Old Covenant under Moses. And rightly so! After all, the Old Covenant never had the provision to save anyone (Heb 10:4). It was never able to perfect anyone (Heb 10:1). And whereas under the Old Covenant, God’s relationship with the people was located spatially in the temple, now believers in the New Covenant are regarded as the temple of God where He lives (cf. 1 Cor 6:19; Eph 2:19-22). The New Covenant is vastly superior in every way. The surpassing value and greatness of the New Covenant is a major theme in the New Testament. Paul describes the comparison of the Old…