Articles

This week we find ourselves in Luke 24. You know, one of the good things about reading through all four gospels is the different perspectives we get to see. Matthew briefly recounts how the women found the empty tomb, and how the authorities spread a false report, but his goal is to get to the Great Commission at the end of the chapter. Mark sort of ends on a cliff hanger, “and [the women] said nothing to anyone, for they ...

Today our Bible reading plan has us in Luke chapter ten. As with most chapters in the book of Luke, this chapter is long, not as long as chapter one, but still long. Sometimes I actually wish I could talk to the man who divided the New Testament into chapters and verses so I could ask him why on earth he made the chapters in this particular book so long, but since that will never happen I suppose it’s pointless ...

And so we reach the end of the book of Genesis. There are so many important things in Genesis. It really is a foundational book, essential for understanding the rest of Scripture. Today we conclude this first book of Moses with the death of Jacob, one last reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers, and finally the death of Joseph. I want us to focus on two things from this chapter: the sovereignty of God, and the hope of the resurrection ...

Our text this week is found in Genesis 43. Before we dive in, though, let’s take a look back on our journey through the book of Genesis up to this point. After the flood, humanity began to spread over the whole earth, just as God had told them to do after the flood. There was a small hiccup in Genesis 11 with the tower of Babel, where the people not only tried to refuse to be dispersed over the whole ...

So, before we get to our chapter for this week, I do want to let you know about a couple of “housekeeping” matters. First, since I was sick last week, I was unable to post an article. I do apologize for that, but I hope that you were able to continue with your readings in my absence. As always, if you missed a day (or seven) just jump back in with us. That’s one of the things these articles are ...

Abraham: Covenant Ratification Today we come to Genesis 15, “Covenant Ratification.”[1] Since I know it’s the weekend, and you probably have other things on your mind, I’ll make this post as brief as possible. I just couldn’t let Genesis 15 go by without comment. This is one of the most important chapters in Scripture. In fact, verse 6 is quoted practically verbatim in Romans 4:3, Galatians 3:6, and James 2:23. Clearly the New Testament writers thought this chapter was incredibly ...

Abraham: Covenant Introduction Abraham is probably the most important figure in the Old Testament. You could make a case for Moses, but even Moses was raised up because “God remembered his Covenant with Abraham.”[1] Both Paul and James use the life of Abraham to illustrate the (different) points they make in their books. Paul shows how Abraham’s life teaches us that a person is declared righteous before God by faith alone. James shows how Abraham’s life teaches us that the ...

As we read through the Bible over the course of the next two years, I want to do everything I can to ensure that you get the most out of what you’re reading. Now, don’t get me wrong, God’s Word is living and active. It’s sharper than any two-edged sword. God’s Word will always accomplish God’s purposes, and you don’t have to be a scholar to understand the essentials of the faith. As our confession says, “All things in Scripture ...

This year at Trinity Presbyterian Church we will be reading through the Bible together, walking together through God’s Word and hearing his voice together as one body. As part of that, each week, I will be writing a short article about one of the chapters from that week’s readings. These articles won’t be long. They won’t be scholarly (as you can see by the fact that I’m using contractions). Some weeks I’ll quote commentators, and some weeks I’ll simply give ...

Many people will be intimidated by Charles Hodge’s three-volume Systematic Theology. There’s good reason to be. I’ve often opened my copy to consult Dr. Hodge on one issue or another, and, to my dismay, found that much of that particular section was quoting other sources…sources not written in English…sources which Dr. Hodge chose not to translate. He apparently thought it was good for his students to have to translate from Latin, or German, or whatever other language it was. It ...