Theology, opinion, fiction, and the occasional limerick.
Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? In a conversation about the…
You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Back in the early days of this study I told the story of a toy firetruck I received for Christmas as a very small child. However, there was an aspect of that story that I didn’t share…
You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. This second verse of chapter four continues on the theme of conflict among the brethren that James began in the previous verse. But before we dive into that,…
In our first article in this series, I shared some of my own journey in the biblical languages, and included some resources that have helped me along the way. The second article focused on the personal and ministerial benefits of studying Greek and Hebrew. To conclude this series, I want to share how I have…
Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? During the War of 1812, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry won a decisive victory over the British Navy on Lake Erie. His communication of that victory to his superiors has become the stuff…
In my previous article I shared a little of my personal journey in biblical languages, and some of the resources that have helped me along the way. Today I want to talk about how a working knowledge of the original languages – even at my own admittedly limited level – has been a tremendous help…
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. There is a story my Dad tells of his growing up years, one that…
There was a time when I was a member of the tribe whose eyes would glaze over and who would glance at their watches every time a pastor would say from the pulpit “now the Greek here is interesting…” Just keep it relevant, keep it contemporary, and keep it in English – these were what…
This week we’ll bite off a lager piece of James than usual, just because this section contains variations on one common theme. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My…
For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. When we arrived home to Brazil, a little over four weeks prior to the time of this…