Category Archives: bible

NT Doctrine — Colossians 2

There’s a lot going on in this chapter. Translators note that this passage is loaded with ambiguous phrases, and too many English renderings follow a path that tends to obscure the depth of what Paul is saying. As previously noted, … Continue reading

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NT Doctrine — Colossians 1

Colossae was nestled in the Lycus Valley, running between two high mountain ranges, not too far from Laodicea. Paul passed through this area because the main highway ran through both, but didn’t preach in any of the cities. One of … Continue reading

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NT Doctrine — Resurrection Review

This is a review of a previous lesson on the Resurrection. John 20 (Parallels: Matthew 27, Mark 16 and Luke 24) Jesus lay in the tomb. As the Lamb, He died on the day of Passover, a High Sabbath. Then, … Continue reading

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Just Use It

You may have heard of the Halo video game franchise. It’s quite entertaining, up to a point. It’s also anti-Christian. A major premise of the game is mocking faith in Eternity and pushing the dire necessity of advancing humanity against … Continue reading

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NT Doctrine — Philippians

Paul’s letter to Philippi was largely a personal note. The church had sent Epaphroditus to Paul in his Roman house arrest during the first trial with a gift and asking after his welfare. While he was there, Epaphroditus got sick … Continue reading

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NT Doctrine — Ephesians 5-6

The whole point of this two-volume series is to highlight the continuity between the Old and New Testaments. One thing we notice is that the ritual conduct under Moses was far more stringent than the broader code of conduct. This … Continue reading

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NT Doctrine — Ephesians 4

The primary doctrine in this chapter remains consistent with the rest of the whole letter. Once again, Paul paints an image of Christian unity borrowing from bits and pieces of what his readers had experienced in human politics. First is … Continue reading

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NT Doctrine — Ephesians 3

This is by necessity a rather short lesson. The primary subject of this chapter is some of Paul’s personal background and a prayer on the readers’ behalf, but very little doctrine. The doctrinal issue here is very difficult for most … Continue reading

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NT Doctrine — Ephesians 2

The theme continues to be uniting Hebrew and Gentile Christians. The previous chapter emphasized our unity as a single nation rooted in Heaven, pointing out how the Lord designed it on three levels: cosmic, global and individual. Here, the emphasis … Continue reading

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In Christ

Most people choke on Ephesians 1:3-14. It’s very dense, and frankly not good writing. People either gloss over it or get bogged down in the precise meaning of the grammar. One of the biggest issues for debate is trying to … Continue reading

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