Paul tells us all Scripture is “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and we believe that. But what does that mean? One answer has to do with origin—it means the Scripture ultimately comes from God rather than man. This is Peter’s point in 2 Peter 1:19-21. Even in instances where the writer “carefully investigated” his subject matterContinue reading “Some Thoughts on Inspiration”
Category Archives: Getting Started In The Scripture
Meditating on God’s Word
One of my favorite borrowed sayings goes something like this: “Our goal isn’t to get through the Scripture as much as it is for the Scripture to get through us.” I like that because I know from personal experience how easy it is to get distracted as you work your way through Scripture. You’re busyContinue reading “Meditating on God’s Word”
Staying Humble and Hungry
Most of us have heard of the John Godfrey Saxe poem, The Blind Men and the Elephant. It is based on a traditional Indian parable and tells of six blind men from Indostan who come across an elephant. As each touches a different part of the animal, they come to different conclusions about what theContinue reading “Staying Humble and Hungry”
Shaped by the Story
We are all shaped by stories, aren’t we? A tender-hearted teenager hears a speaker talk about their work as a medical missionary and they decide right then and there that’s what they want to do with their life. Someone else reads a biography of a Navy Seal and thinks, “That’s for me!” This kind ofContinue reading “Shaped by the Story”
Digging Deep And Standing Tall
Weekend Edition of NPR ran a story about the rising rate of obesity in France. It explained how this trend runs counter to the French culinary tradition of slow cooked meals of healthy foods eaten around the family table. A finger was pointed in the direction of American culture as imported through movies and television and it wasContinue reading “Digging Deep And Standing Tall”
A Bookish Approach To The Bible
I was preaching/teaching through Revelation on Sunday nights. We had just looked at the first part of chapter 21 and talked about how although this text is commonly applied to heaven, it’s really about the exalted church that has just been delivered from Roman oppression. On the way home my wife Janice made the comment, “That’s really not that hard toContinue reading “A Bookish Approach To The Bible”
Doing It By The Book
Have you ever seen the previews to a movie, gotten all excited about it, then watched the movie and walked away disappointed because it wasn’t anything like what the previews suggested? Welcome to the club. I suppose the people who put the previews together could tell you they were just doing their job (which isContinue reading “Doing It By The Book”
Working With Pictures
You don’t have to read the Bible very long before you appreciate the fact that God speaks to us in pictures a good deal of the time. Pictorial speech is part of the language of Scripture in the same way that rain is part of the weather. It may rain more at certain times ofContinue reading “Working With Pictures”
Background On The Twelve Prophets
When the earliest of the Twelve (whoever that was) began their ministry in the latter part of the eighth century BC, God’s covenant people were almost two centuries into their time as a divided kingdom. The northern kingdom of ten tribes (referred to as Israel, Ephraim, or Samaria), had plunged into idolatry and numerous otherContinue reading “Background On The Twelve Prophets”
Appreciating Emphasis
We emphasize something we want others to pay attention to because we think is important. We raise our voice, lower our voice, or talk slower. We raise our eyebrows, maintain eye contact, or use gestures. If the message is written, we might use boldface, or italics, underlining, the dreaded ALL CAPS, or even worse, ALLContinue reading “Appreciating Emphasis”
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 