Most of us understand 2 Corinthians 8–9 to be a passage on giving. And it certainly speaks to the need to give. Yet Paul asks the Corinthians to give because they share in the grace of koinonia with the church of Jerusalem through the Gospel. Put into contemporary terms, local churches must cooperate with other local churches because they share in the grace of fellowship. This is Paul’s argument. [Read more…] about The Most Underused Passage on Church Unity in the Bible
Theology
Does John 6 Speak about the Lord’s Supper?
When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, he said, “This [bread] is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19) and, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (22:20). And so the bread and cup (or wine) represent his body and blood, which he gives as a sacrifice to inaugurate “the new covenant.”
In John 6, Jesus feeds five-thousand. Later in that chapter, he underscores the reality that the sign of the feeding points towards. He says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:53–54).
Do Jesus’ words here refer to the Lord’s Supper? After all, he offers his body and blood for eternal life here much like he does in Luke 22. Not quite. The difference is that Jesus offers the communication of his flesh in John 6 while he institutes the Lord’s Supper in Luke 22. [Read more…] about Does John 6 Speak about the Lord’s Supper?
Does Baptism Regenerate?
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. – Titus 3:4-7 (ESV)
In Titus 3 Paul says that God “saved us . . . by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” The word “washing” (loutron) means washing with water, a bath, or the water of baptism (BDAG, 603). Certainly, Paul can use the word “washing” metaphorically. In fact, he does in Ephesians 5:26, “that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.” The washing here is the washing with the word. It’s a metaphor for purifying someone with the word of God.
And yet there is a close connection between baptism and forgiveness in Scripture. Peter says, “And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
So what is going on here? What does Paul mean by “the washing of regeneration,” and what does Peter mean when he says, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins”? Put simply, how do baptism and regeneration relate to one another? [Read more…] about Does Baptism Regenerate?
A Man of Sorrows And a Man of Sickness?
English translations render Isaiah 53:3 as “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (ESV) or the like (NIV, NKJV, KJV). But the word “grief” here perhaps should be translated as “sickness” (וִיד֣וּעַ חֹ֑לִי). [Read more…] about A Man of Sorrows And a Man of Sickness?
Three Reasons Why We Can Trust the Old Testament
Can we trust the Old Testament? Recently, a number of Christian leaders have argued in ways that depreciate the value of the Old Testament. Most recently, Andy Stanley called his church to unhitch themselves from the Old Testament. Greg Boyd has also argued that the Old Testament does not truly portray God because the Old Testament presents God as Israel thought him to be (and they were wrong). Bruxy Cavey underscores how Jesus and not the Bible is our authority, shifting authority away from the Old Testament to Jesus.
Stanley, Boyd, and Cavey want to clarify the Bible and help their people live the Christian life. Yet I believe that they are doing just opposite for the following three reasons. [Read more…] about Three Reasons Why We Can Trust the Old Testament
How Only a Right Christology Can Save You and Make You Whole
Some think of theology as being reserved for bookish Christians but not for everybody. To experience a vibrant spirituality, many people turn to prayer, community, and music. But theology is not on the list.
Such a view, however, saps our confidence, minimizes our salvation, stalls our growth. The only way to grow in the Christian life is to know God and his son Jesus Christ. And more relevant for this article: only a right Christology can heal your whole person, whether your desires, your will, or your pain. Put another way, if you desire wholeness and a satisfying spiritual life, then only the biblical Christ can give it to you. [Read more…] about How Only a Right Christology Can Save You and Make You Whole