Reconsider the Two Parts of the Bible Where Does the Law of God End and the Love of Jesus Begin in Scripture? The Bible divides Christian Scripture into two parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament looks at the rules God...
We Should Pay Attention When Jesus Says, “But I Tell You.” Jesus fulfills the Old Testament Law and Prophets when he gives new meaning to the old ways Jesus said he came to fulfill the Law and Prophets (Matthew 5:17). One way he did this, the...
How Does Jesus Fulfill the Law and the Prophets? Jesus does three things to complete what the Old Testament started Jesus drew people to him. The words he spoke and the hope he communicated attracted them. Some people assumed he had come to...
The Bible Reveals God the Father to Us Father God is the star of the Old Testament; it explains his expectations and shows his care The story arc in the Bible is God’s relationship to us: the creator and his creation. Most people of faith—the...
I think we’re doing church wrong. At first I assumed it was just me, but today’s church is stuck in a rut, an Old Testament rut. When God gave Moses the Law, he established some key expectations for worship. First, he set specific parameters for...
For the most part, the church of today is an institution. Institutions require structure and leadership; self-perpetuation is essential – regardless of cost. For an institution to work, it needs paid staff. That’s why local pastors receive a...
The Old Testament of the Bible presents God’s original way of interacting with his people (a covenant). It consists of a list of rules and expectations (the law). The New Testament of the Bible introduces Jesus and a new way to interact with God...
Maximize Our Understanding of the Old and New Testaments Those who follow Jesus often concentrate on the part of the Bible that focuses on his life and his disciples’ work. But neglecting the Old Testament lessens the depth of our...
The Bible says we are to fear God. But what does that really mean? I don’t think it implies God is malevolent or waiting for us to mess up so he can zap us, which would be legitimate reasons to fear him. Instead, God is benevolent and wants...
There’s a verse in the Bible that frustrates me—not for what it says, but for what it doesn’t say. Here’s the background: Jesus dies and rises from the dead, but his followers are slow to catch on. Two of them are on a road trip...
