In 2 Samuel 7:1-17, we have the record of God making his covenant with David in which he promises to take the son(s) of David (i.e. the royal lineage) and make him his own Son, to build the House of David, and through his Son to build a House for the Name of God. Psalm … Continue reading Messianic Reign in the Psalms

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in … Continue reading Relevance of the Psalms

A pastor-friend and I were discussing how we should understand (and not understand) the meaning of the new birth or being born again as taught by Jesus and his Apostles in Scripture. It was a fruitful conversation. More recently, I’ve tended to favor or emphasize the New Birth as a corporate objective historical reality first and foremost. … Continue reading The New Birth

Over the last several years, I’ve come to think differently about the theological bling of the New Calvinism and the self-styled Truly Reformed, i.e. the Golden Chain of Redemption, the Reformed ordo salutis (order of salvation) as it’s commonly taught. A friend directed me to this Visual Theology – The Order of Salvation from Tim Challies as … Continue reading Rethinking the Golden Chain

This is a summary of my interpretation (or adaptation?) of the ritualistic framework for soteriology that I’ve learned from reading Peter Leithart’s materials. I favor it, because I think it does a good job modeling ordinary human social and developmental reality and the perspective from which the biblical authors were writing. This soteriological framework is … Continue reading My Social-Salvific Ritual Framework

I'm convinced that in this time and place in culture the message of Jesus as the Scapegoat of God who ends the pattern of violence in the world is needed as desperately as the more familiar message of Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The Pattern Perpetuates … Continue reading Victims, Perpetrators, and the Good Scapegoat

There are two projects of biblical interpretation going on under the label of the Christian Faith and under the roofs of many Christian churches and denominations in contemporary Western culture. Project 1: Listening to Scripture as not merely the words of men but the Word of God. It's hearing and heeding the Voice of the … Continue reading Rival Bible Projects

I spent time with a friend not long ago who grew up Roman Catholic but has been in the Assemblies of God since college. We were catching up in family anecdotes, and he used a phrase I haven't heard in a long time and that isn't typical lingo in my Christian circles: "Speak Life." He … Continue reading Speak Life

A Sketch of the Biblical Meaning of Divine Image-Bearing My developed impression is that most Christians think being made in the image of God, aka Imago Dei, is a broad, flat, and generic affirmation of the universal intrinsic dignity and worth of humans as the special creatures God made us to be. I don’t think … Continue reading Glimpses of the Imago Dei

A Sketch of Offices and Functions in the Church What follows is a sketch of the various offices in the church. I gathered these details from looking at Scripture and pondering how the institutional church in her various locations and forms has implemented and developed her offices through history. The most basic idea behind offices … Continue reading And He Gave Gifts to Men