Many people today feel like they are adrift in a deep and expansive sea of competing worldviews. They are searching for truth and meaning for their lives. Too often, however, they ignore the greatest treasure they have access to for building their own worldview — the Bible. In his book, The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment (Crossway, …
HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! Sometimes we allow ourselves to so compartmentalize the Bible’s teachings that we fail to grasp the overarching unity of Scripture. On this Resurrection Sunday, I found a tremendous blog at the website for Is Genesis History? Yes, the superb film produced by Dr. Del Tackett. If you have not …
I’ve taken the unusual step of recommending two books on the same topic this week. Too often, commentaries on Genesis 1-3 and Psalm 104 (just to cite two examples) conclude that “cosmic-conflict mythological language” permeates the biblical account (Longman, Psalms, TOTC, 360, about Psalm 104:5-9). Some Old Testament scholars in evangelical circles persist in identifying the …
My Recommendations: Books of the Week, September 10 Read More »
When someone uses words like “the self-existence of” anything, it sounds like something philosophical and esoteric. And, with that comment, my philosopher friends just cringe and think, “No one appreciates philosophers.” If I had used the term “aseity,” the reaction might be even more quizzical: “What … ? Get real, man. Let’s just talk about …
The Self-Existence of God: What does it mean? Why does it matter? Read More »
Continuing with our analysis of Psalm 104, we soon discover that the exegetical evidence favors a change of topic at verse 6. The transition commences with mere implications–a delicate poetic transference that gradually prods the reader into a different direction. While arguments can be made to retain the topic of Creation, David takes the readers …
What Happened in the Garden: The Reality and the Ramifications of the Creation and Fall of Man, edited by Abner Chou (Kregel Academic, 2016) offers a collection of essays by Dr. John MacArthur and the faculty of The Master’s University. Its three parts consist of “Reality of Genesis 2-3,” “Theological Ramifications of the Creation and Fall,” …
Structural or logical line diagramming serves as one of the chief means by which the exegete can identify verse structure in the Hebrew Bible. Since this method unlocks so much of the biblical text, I have begun a series of study helps in order to enable others to learn the method and to gain a better understanding of how it aids the …
Searching for Adam: Genesis and the Truth about Man’s Origin, edited by Terry Mortenson (Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2016) has now been published. Available on Amazon. The volume’s target audience includes serious-minded lay people, pastors, missionaries, seminary and Christian college professors and students, and other Christian leaders. It contains sixteen chapters that biblical and scientific experts …
Starting in Job 33, Elihu, the youngest of Job’s friends, addresses Job, Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad regarding their erroneous views about God’s character and Job’s problems. As he makes his case, Elihu expresses himself with words and phrases, concepts and imagery that appear to echo the early chapters of Genesis. If the Book of Job was …
