Together with the 23rd Psalm, and perhaps John chapter 1, First Corinthians 13 is among the most popular chapters in the Bible. It is read at weddings and at funerals, at state ceremonies, hospital bedsides, school assemblies. It is the go-to Scripture for any and every occasion. It is often simply known as St Paul’s […]
If ever there was a man who could call himself the elect of the elect, it was Judas. He was not only Jewish, he was, in all probability, from the tribe of Judah. Certainly his name means “Judah” – which refers not simply to the southern kingdom of Israel but also to the royal tribe […]
Perhaps this question seems to belong to another age, but it’s very worth asking: Where can sinners take shelter from the wrath of God? It might sound old fashioned and out of touch with today’s world. But if so, perhaps it’s we who are out of touch with reality. The word of God rouses us […]
In the sermon on the mount, there is a progression in Christ’s teaching about the scribes and Pharisees. They begin as standard-bearers for outward righteousness. If anyone is to enter the kingdom, they must have a righteousness that exceeds the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 5:20). Of course that means that these do-gooders are not themselves in […]
Here is a famous phrase from the bible. Yet it’s not in the bible. Not in as many words anyway. Here’s how the King James Bible renders it: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 7:12) […]
The most precious of jewels and the filthiest of animals are combined into a single memorable phrase: “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.” (Matthew 7:6) There are people who, at some point, […]
Isaiah addresses the blindness of human unbelief. He proclaims the LORD’s word to a “people walking in darkness.” But while he insists that human wickedness is a disease, he never prescribes human religion as the cure. No, healing is found only in the Righteous King- He is the LORD of the temple vision, He is […]
It’s probably Paul’s quotation of Isaiah 64 that has become the best known version of this phrase: “As it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man…” (1 Corinthians 2:9) Such words can be the equivalent of the magician’s puff of smoke. When a bible teacher […]
When I was 11 years old I invented a religion. Except that there was nothing new about it. I imagined a god who demanded moral goodness and punished shortfalls. And with a combination of carrots and sticks my god would prod me towards some kind of “better place.” I wasn’t the first to consider religion […]
