Cross

Nine statements on divine impassibility and the cross

April 4, 2020 by wagraham 2 Comments

Recently, I wrote an article on divine impassibility. In the article, I tried to show how only the suffering God can help us during times of crises. It was not an article “proving” the doctrine since divine impassibility is both creedal and confessional, although at some point I would like to write a scriptural-theological argument for the doctrine.

One possible confusion with divine impassibility involves the cross since Christ suffers on the cross. I should note that the same problem exists for divine simplicity, immutability, and so on. The answers to these possible problems generally involve reflecting deeper on the doctrine of God and the Trinity as well as Christology.

What Is the Day of the Lord?

February 1, 2017 by wagraham Leave a Comment

The Day of the Lord is a major theme in the Old and New Testaments, and it appears in contexts of judgment. The phrase itself pops up mainly in the prophets of the Old Testament (Is 13:6, 9; 58:13; Jer 46:10; Ezek 13:5; 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14; Amos 5:18, 20; Obad 1:15; Zeph 1:7–8, 14; Mal 4:5) but also with some frequency in the New Testament (Acts 2:20; 1 Cor 5:5; 1 Th 5:2; 2 Th 2:2; 2 Pet 3:10).

The Day of the Lord is not something to look forward to. In fact, Amos warns those in his day of hoping in it because they thought God’s judgment would only affect other people, not them!

Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why would you have the day of the LORD? It is darkness, and not light, as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him. Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it? (Amos 5:18–20).

So why in the world does the Bible talk about the day of the Lord (DOL) and why should we care about it? I can give you at least three reasons. [Read more…] about What Is the Day of the Lord?

Tom Wright and Tom Schreiner On the Cross

November 13, 2016 by wagraham Leave a Comment

Tom Wright and Tom Schreiner recently participated on a Christian radio called Unbelievable? They discuss Wright’s new book The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus’ Crucifixion, and they disagree somewhat sharply on how to emphasis the wrath of God and the idea of penal substitution in the Bible. To listen to the this fascinating discussion, click here.