Tag Archives: temptation

Telling the Story Again, Part 2

Posted on August 27, 2024 by ehurst

Let’s review what we gain from Heiser’s thesis. As always, it’s not simply his thesis; he brought together a vast body of scholarly work and presented it to church folks who rarely hear anything about it. The huge gulf in … Continue reading →

Posted in teaching | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Telling the Story Again, Part 2

High Trust Is the Devil’s Playground

Posted on April 19, 2024 by ehurst

This is connected to The Inherent Impurity of Monsters posted yesterday; this is a corollary. Our Radix Fidem community is familiar with the important truth behind high-trust and low-trust social structures. We keep warning folks that, while a high-trust society … Continue reading →

Posted in teaching | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on High Trust Is the Devil’s Playground

New Testament Doctrine: Matthew 4:1-11

Posted on June 26, 2021 by ehurst

The only mystery here is what each of these three temptations represent. There are at least two levels for answering this question. The first level is the background story of False Messianic Expectations. One of my professors in college was … Continue reading →

Posted in teaching | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Balance Point

Posted on March 24, 2021 by ehurst

Biblical Law is not rules. Biblical Law is the mindset of determination to please God. It is the divine privilege of being God’s child. On the one hand, that obedient attitude reaps blessings and miracles. The miracles become common, though … Continue reading →

Posted in teaching | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Shedding False Guilt

Posted on November 27, 2020 by ehurst

It’s important to understand biblical anthropology. What does Scripture say or assume about human nature? We are souls. That’s a complex that can be broken down somewhat, but Scripture (and ANE culture) seems to assume that it’s mostly a matter … Continue reading →

Posted in teaching | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Process, Not Product (Reprise)

Posted on May 22, 2020 by ehurst

It’s not at all a matter of the end product. The single factor that most distinguishes a real Christian Mystic from other believers is a commitment to obey convictions simply because they are convictions, without any regard for outcomes. We … Continue reading →

Posted in teaching | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Process, Not Product (Reprise)

Don’t Blame God

Posted on April 5, 2020 by ehurst

So far as we can tell, one of the earliest theological controversies in New Testament times was the business of God’s sovereignty and our temptation. The real issue was the difference between the ancient Hebrew intellectual traditions versus the Hellenized … Continue reading →

Posted in bible | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Don’t Blame God

A Psychology of Temptation

Posted on March 24, 2020 by ehurst

What does God really expect of you? Cry out to Him the moment you sense temptation coming at you. Of course, you first have to invest time and energy understanding what temptation is, and that requires you understand what sin … Continue reading →

Posted in teaching | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on A Psychology of Temptation