Jesus

Reviewing Martin Hengel’s Last Published Work

May 16, 2020 by wagraham Leave a Comment

Jesus and Judaism held my attention in ways that academic volumes rarely do. What makes Hengel’s and Scwemer’s work so engaging is its close attention to and citation of the sources that provide the historical context for Jesus. The skillful use of original sources wedded to a narrative presentation of the Jewish history and context around Jesus produces an engaging historical work.

Jesus and Judaism likely will be (and should be) a standard work on the history of earliest Christianity and Jesus in particular for the next decade. [Read more…] about Reviewing Martin Hengel’s Last Published Work

Two Wrong Assumptions about the Great Commission

April 4, 2018 by wagraham Leave a Comment

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt 28:18–20).

– Jesus

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he commissioned his apostles. This commission, known now as the Great Commission, has greatly influenced how Christians conceive of the God’s mission on earth. During the 18th century, many felt that this commission applied specifically to the Apostles, and not to everyday believers. William Carey responded this assumption by asserting the universal application of the great commission. Carey’s pioneering vision for missions previewed the great flourishing of missions that would soon follow and whose influence is still felt today.

While Christians today affirm that Jesus’ Great Commission applies to all believers, believers sometimes misunderstand the nature of the commission. The Great Commission has become so common and familiar that its message is often assumed to be something that is not, and this happens in at least two ways. [Read more…] about Two Wrong Assumptions about the Great Commission

Fear, Anxiety, and Guilt Are Often Futile

April 17, 2017 by wagraham Leave a Comment

Resolved, that I will live so as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.

– Jonathan Edwards

“Light breaks over her” by Robb North – CC-BY on Flickr

Fear, anxiety, and guilt are often futile. And they often feel inescapable. They take you and control you. They guide you to one point of focus: “Did I really say that?”, “How can live after this?”, “Nobody cares about me?” And the point of focus only serves to feed your dour emotions. Like the sun’s setting, gloom slowly but surely covers you in darkness.

And yet, some people overcome the soul’s darkest nights, and Christianity promises joy that puts out shadowy gloom (John 16:24). How? The answer is, in part, that Christians live their lives with eternity on their minds. While fear and anxiety will not disappear when you place eternity at the centre of your life, they will be put in their place and easier to handle. But before we get to this, let’s talk about two kinds of fear, anxiety, and guilt. [Read more…] about Fear, Anxiety, and Guilt Are Often Futile

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?

Jesus Shares Your Struggles

December 6, 2016 by wagraham Leave a Comment

The second chapter of Hebrews aims to prove that Jesus shared in humanity, so that he could be a forerunner of glory and honour, leading those behind him into the same (2:5–18). But sometimes we see Jesus as the perfect God so different from us, that we never consciously assume that he could have experienced temptation and suffering as we do.

Yet Hebrews 2 argues just the opposite: “Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (2:17–18). [Read more…] about Jesus Shares Your Struggles