Tag Archives: Apostle Paul

NT Doctrine — Acts 9:23-43

I cannot improve on my previous commentary. Where Paul had previously officiated the execution of Stephen, he now took up the work of Stephen himself, debating with the same overpowering logic in the synagogues. To have their chief enforcer now … Continue reading

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NT Doctrine — Acts 9:1-22

Jewish prejudices were being dismantled bit by bit. The Messiah overcame their murderous rejection and unilaterally declared a new Kingdom of Heaven. He opened the door to Diaspora Jews, Samaritans, and the ritually impure Ethiopian Eunuch. Now He’s going to … Continue reading

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Discernment 01: Unlearning

You will spend your whole life unlearning. The call to faith is the song of the heart, crying out to God for redemption. It’s the song that pulls us back to Eden. This path we follow is the whole thing; … Continue reading

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Romans 5-6 — Law versus Grace

I can’t promise that you’ll like my handling of this. Our difficulty is not merely that Western Christianity reads the words wrong, but that Western Christianity has a totally different set of assumptions about reality from what Paul held when … Continue reading

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Heavenly Consolation

Paul and his companions followed one solid rule during those missionary journeys: Go only where the Lord opens a door. It didn’t matter what made the most sense, or where he was yearning and burning to go. You have to … Continue reading

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A Little More about “Law”

In the Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) mind, “law” was nothing like our Western concept. It was always envisioned as a covenant. It was personal and feudal in nature. The closest term we can use is a “suzerain-vassal treaty,” and even … Continue reading

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Boundary or Not

To many Christians, I sound like a conspiracy theorist when I mention the Hellenizing of Hebrew religion into Judaism. It’s particularly odd when any decent Bible college teaches the widely known history of Post-Exile Jerusalem. They talk about the conquests … Continue reading

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05 The Sheikdom of Heaven

Paul was merely following the customs of his day when he wrote his letter to the Ephesian churches. Those first verses in chapter 1 string together a huge image, and in most English translations, it’s poorly rendered. That’s because it’s … Continue reading

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Admin: Review of Paul’s Letters Complete

I’ve posted the updated review and reformatted HTML version of Ancient Truth: Paul’s Letters. You can see it here (gone). Update: This document was lost in the transition between computers.

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Paul’s Letters Continued

Yesterday I finished reviewing my Bible study notes on 2 Corinthians. It stands as the single most powerful statement for the otherworldly perspective for Christian faith. I look back over the years of Christian teaching I received in different churches … Continue reading

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