Live by the Spirit In Galatians 5, we see Paul continue his spirited opposition to requiring ritual practices to the message of the Gospel. Paul continues to preach that circumcision is not required as entry into the new covenant that is offered through the sacrifice of Jesus. And yet, even more so, Paul is not … Read more
Reading Scripture as an Allegory Allegory can be a difficult word to use or to understand when it comes to Scripture. For some, it is a word that makes our skin crawl with discomfort. For others, it opens the door to a wide range of possibilities that might frighten us, or maybe excite us about … Read more
The Law as Custodian As the story of Scripture progresses in the Bible, particularly in the New Testament, we begin to see a battle of sorts play out. The battle is between the works of the Law and faith in Jesus (or perhaps the faithfulness of Jesus which brought redemption to all of humanity at … Read more
Dinner Party There is an episode of the hit comedy series, The Office, where the boss, Michael Scott, invites some of his employees to his house for a dinner party. What ensues is a tragically hilarious meltdown between Michael and his girlfriend, Jan. Now, of course, The Office is fictitious and the scenes shown to the viewers … Read more
Another Gospel The book of Galatians is Paul’s most ardent defense of the Gospel. In Romans, we might say Paul is laying out some of the key arguments in understanding the intellectual side of Christianity; in Corinthians Paul is writing about specific moral issues that need to be cleared up or he is defending his … Read more
It’s Not Always Easy, But it is the Love of God Among Jesus’ commands and teachings, there are some truly difficult ideas. Perhaps none is more difficult than the command to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). And yet, this command is also one that sets Christians apart … Read more
Jesus’ Love There is a theme in the Gospels that I think about often. It seems to happen over and over again that the people who Jesus spends time with walk away with an experience that falls into one of two categories. Either they leave Jesus happy, healed, and whole, or they leave him wanting … Read more
The Psalmists’ Search Throughout the Psalms, we read beautiful poetry that uncovers truth about God and about our relationship to God. Some of these Psalms are written from places of gratitude and thankfulness. Others are written with the hope of God’s promises being fulfilled. And still yet more are written from places of hurt, crying … Read more
John 15:9-17 In John 15, Jesus shares the above statement with his disciples. It is both encouraging, and perplexing to me. Encouraging because we hear of the love that Jesus has for us and because Jesus gives instructions on how to display the love we have received for others (through following the commands of God). … Read more
Ananias and Sapphira In the book of Acts, we encounter a very strange and frightening story at the beginning of chapter 5. Two followers, named Ananias and Sapphira, sell a plot of land in order to turn the proceeds over to the apostles to bolster the early faith community. It is a generous action, at … Read more
