Matthew 7

Greetings! 
Judging Others
Verses 1-2 are often misused by Christians and non-Christians alike.  They use this as an excuse for any and all behavior and to deflect criticism. If they would keep reading they would see that Jesus meant not to judge hypocritically. There are plenty of verses teaching that we need to make sound judgments, such [...]

Exploring Christianity - Part 4 - Hell

(Cross posted at the 4Simpsons blog) 
See below to see the latest installment of my friend Nicholas’ interview with me about Christianity or click here for the whole thing.  
Nicholas wrote: What happens to those who, through no fault of their own, never experience the Gospel of Christ?  Have entire populations been hell-bound from birth having never had a [...]

Matthew 6

Greetings!  This is a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount. 
In Matthew 5:16 Jesus said, “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”  Yet in verse 1 of this chapter he says not to do your acts of righteousness before [...]

Greetings and overview

Welcome!  The purpose of this blog is get into God’s Word on a regular basis.  The Bible is the most popular and life changing book of all time, but it is also one of the most misunderstood books.  If you have never read the Bible, or if it has been a long time since you [...]

Matthew 5

Greetings!  This begins the famous Sermon on the Mount.  This is chock full of important theology, so I’ll just comment on a few things.  Please feel free to comment on what stood out to you. 

Matthew 5
The Beatitudes
 1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to [...]

Matthew 4

Greetings!  In v. 6 Satan tries to tempt Jesus by quoting Scripture out of context.  Satan tempts Jesus three times, and each time Jesus responds with a proper application of Scripture.  Knowing the Bible is invaluable when we face our own temptations.  God doesn’t tempt us to sin, but He does allow testing in our [...]

Matthew 3

Greetings!  See Luke 1 for more information on the birth of John the Baptist.  He was one passionate guy. 

Matthew 3
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
 1In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” 3This is he who was spoken of through [...]

Matthew 2

Greetings!  This passage will be familiar to many people - perhaps too familiar.  Try reading it like you are doing so for the first time.
As you may know, the number of Magi may have been three (as in We Three Kings) but the number is not stated.  The Magi may have been Jews whose families didn’t [...]

Matthew 1

Greetings!  Welcome to this study of the Gospel of Matthew. 
Matthew was originally written for a primarily Jewish audience.  It would have been very important for them to know that he descended from Abraham, the father of the faith, and David, the great king.  This family line is that of Joseph, Jesus’ adoptive father.  Jesus’ mother, Mary, [...]

Matthew overview

Greetings!  Welcome to the introduction of the Gospel According to Matthew.  We’ll cover one chapter at a time.  I encourage you to scan all of it before reading it line by line.  This will help give you an overview of what the book covers.
Who wrote this and when was it written?  Matthew, one of the [...]

Exploring Christianity - Part 3 - Credibility of the Author(s) - B

See below to see the latest installment of my friend Nicholas’ interview with me about Christianity or click here for the whole thing.  This part is a follow up on the credibility of Biblical writers.  We agreed to move on to a different topic next, which is good, because I’ve run out of things to say on [...]

Proverbs 8

Greetings!  In Proverbs 7 an adulteress calls out, but in Proverbs 8 wisdom personified as a woman calls out.  The importance of wisdom is emphasized.  It is more important than riches.
Verse 17 notes that all who seek widsom will find it.  That reminds me of Matthew 7:7-8 where Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given to [...]

Psalm 18

Greetings!  A slightly different version of this is in 2 Samuel 22.  The theme of God as a rock is repeated roughly 20 times in the Psalms.  David gives God all the credit for the good in his life.  David is asking for justice over his enemies.  He was an otherwise compassionate man. 

Psalm 18
For the [...]

Psalm 17

Greetings!  Psalm 17 is a little like Psalm 16, except this one has a greater sense of urgency.  David was suffering severe persecution from King Saul, who was literally insanely jealous and was trying to kill David.  David pleads with God for justice. 
David had already been told he would become the king of Israel one [...]

Psalm 16

Greetings!  David puts all his hope in the Lord.  He isn’t trusting in anything else for his joy or salvation.
 Psalm 16
 1 Keep me safe, O God,
       for in you I take refuge.
 2 I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord;
       apart from you I have no good thing.”
 3 As for the saints who are [...]

Genesis 50

Greetings!
This is the last chapter of Genesis.  We’ll do a few Psalms 15-18, then Proverbs 8 and then the Gospel of Matthew.
Joseph wept and mourned over his father’s death a long time.  Sometimes it feels like our funeral and grieving processes are so rushed. 
Genesis 50 Joseph threw himself upon his father and wept over him [...]

Exploring Christianity - Part 2 - Credibility of the Author(s) - A

Click here to see the latest installment of my friend Nicholas’ interview with me about Christianity.  He set up a new easy-to-read page that he can just add to as we go along.  The second part dealt with the case for the credibility of Biblical writers. 
Follow-up: Let’s start with your claim that the Bible is written by [...]

Genesis 48-49

Greetings,
Jacob is about to die.  He has led a very challenging yet exciting life, filled with tragedy but ultimately redeemed when reunited with his family in Egypt. 
Jacob gave his blessings to his sons and two of his grandsons.  For some reason he gave a greater blessing to Joseph’s son Ephraim, the second born, even though [...]

Genesis 46-47

Greetings!  This passage has one of the most dramatic reunions in the Bible.  Jacob thought Joseph was dead, and now he’ll get to see him again and live out his last seventeen years with him.
God speaks directly to Jacob to reassure him. 
Genesis 46-47 So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached [...]