Bible Exposition

Are the Biblical Documents Reliable? Jimmy Williams: A brief summary of factors determining whether the manuscript evidence for the Old and New Testament books is sound, or highly embellished and corrupted over time and transmission. How reliable are the texts of both Testaments we now have?
Are the Gospels Mythical? First Things, April 1996: Are the Gospels mythical? More specifically, is the story of the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus more than a story? It has been compared to Greek myths since ancient times to undermine the uniqueness, and thus validity, of Christianity. In order for
Are the Persons described in Hebrews 6:4-6 Christians?: In recent centuries, Christians have faced-off over differences surrounding the eternal security of the believer, the perseverance of the saints and the possibility of losing one's salvation. Hurtado focuses upon five participial phrases with which the writer of Hebrews describes the apostates. His exegesis will show that the participial phrases describe progressively deeper experiences of faith and makes observations concerning the warnings found in Hebrews 6:4-8.
The Authority of the Bible Patrick Zukeran: Explores why the Bible is the Word of God, by examining internal evidence (self-proclamation, the Holy Spirit, transforming ability, and unity) and external evidence (indestructibility, archeology, and prophecy).
The Bible Code Rich Milne: How should thinking Christians respond to purported information embedded in the Bible?s original language? There is more to "The Bible Code" than first meets the eye.
A Bible Fit for Children First Things, May 1997: Do children represent idealized innocence or the self-gratifying, sinful state of humanity? The author considers both possibilities as he traces the development of thought on this matter.
Bible and Science First Things, March 1997: Fr. Stanley Jaki's "Bible and Science" acknowledges that biblical authors held a primitive view of the natural world. But it is their understanding laid the foundation for later scientific inquiry. Reviewed by Stephen M. Barr.
Capital Punishment Kerby Anderson: Looks at Old Testament Law, New Testament principles regarding capital punishment. Also, answers the question of whether capital punishment is just and whether it is a deterrence.
Catholicism and the Bible: An Interview with Albert Vanhoye First Things, June/July 1997: The publication of "The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church" was met with great fanfare. It describes the relationship between the Catholic Church and Scripture.
Character Deficiency Syndrome Garry Nation: The Hebrew words for "fool" as developed in Proverbs indicate four progressive stages into moral and spiritual depravity: The Simple or Naive fool, the Self Confident fool, the Committed fool, and the Scornful fool.
Context Bible Verse Search: The Context Bible Verse Search (tm) gateway will assist you in looking up a verse within its context. The Context Bible Verse Search is hyperlinked to Matthew Henry's Commentary.
Did Moses Write the Pentateuch?: A look at Mosaic authorship of the first five books of the Bible, and the challenges to that claim.
Farmers, Founders, and Fratricide: The Story of Cain and Abel First Things, April 1996: Liberals blame external sources (poverty, prejudice) for man's social problems, wheras conservatives accuse man's inner life (vanity, jealousy) for the same difficulties. Both liberals and conservatives look to the same traditions, including the Bible, t
Genesis Unbound Rich Milne: Dr. John Sailhammer argues in his book Genesis Unbound that after Genesis 1:1, the rest of the chapter describes God's creation of the promised land for His chosen people. The earth may be young or old, but in six literal days God created a home for Israel.
God and Gender in Judaism First Things, June/July 1996: The author describes how the Jewish Reform movement prepared to issue its 1996 High Holy Day prayerbook complete with "gender-sensitive" language. Such language was desirable to reflect the "religious equality of women." This implementation even require
Hermeneutics Don Closson: Basic rules for biblical interpretation are offered from a conservative evangelical perspective.
How to Talk to Your Kids About Evolution and Creation Dr. Ray and Sue Bohlin: If parents have a basic understanding of creation and evolution issues with some helpful answers, it will be a lot easier to answer their children's questions and lead them into discussion about these important subjects. Dr. Ray Bohlin discusses with his wife Sue some of the questions kids and parents ask.
Inspiration of the Bible Rick Wade: What Jesus said of Scripture and the nature of apostolic teaching are two of the main issues in Rick Wade's examination of the inspiration of Scripture.
Israel's History Written in Advance Rich Milne: In the Old Testament, God made many predictions about nations and cities and their fate. With remarkable accuracy, archeology shows that in every case, what God predicted would happen even hundreds of years later, came to pass. That the Jews still exist is an amazing testimony to God's faithfulness even as He judged the nations around them.
The Jesus Seminar Jimmy Williams: An analysis of the Jesus Seminar's findings.
The Jesus Seminar Leadership University Special Focus: The Jesus Seminar is a group of New Testament scholars who have been meeting periodically since 1985. The initial two hundred has now dwindled to about seventy-four active members. They initially focused on the sayings of Jesus within the four Gospels to determine the probability of His actually having said the things attributed to Him.
The Myth of Soulless Women First Things, April 1997: Many believe that Christian theologians and philosophers have denigrated women, even asserting that they are souless. The author traces the origin of such beliefs and explains how texts were misconstrued to reach such conclusions.
The New Testament: Can I Trust It? Rusty and Linda Wright: "How can any well-educated person believe the New Testament? It was written so long after the events it records that we can't possibly trust it as historically reliable." This is a common question on the university campus and deserves on honest answer. This paper explores this issue.
The Old Testament Picture of God's Graciousness John H. Stoll, Ph.D.: There are those who say that the God of the Old Testament was a God of judgment and vindictiveness, both on Israel, as well as the nations, whereas the God of the New Testament is a God of love and grace. This dichotomy is not true, for God is the same in both Testaments. God was loving and gracious to His people Israel in the Old Testament. Granted, He was judgmental of the other nations. He had good reason to be, as they were idolaters, and trafficked in sexual perversion as worship to their heathen idols. That is why God told Israel to drive them out of the land, or kill them off, and certainly not intermarry with them.
Paul and the Mystery Religions: This essay argues against the strong dependency view that claims that the Apostle Paul borrowed religious ideas from the pagan mystery religions.
People of the Book: Christian Identity and Literary Culture First Things, October 1997: Book review of "People of the Book: Christian Identity and Literary Culture," by David Lyle Jefferey. He traces the Bible in the development of many cultures. The Bible is shown to remake culture. Reviewed by Alan Jacobs.
Probe Answers Our E-Mail: 3 Days and Nights: Answers the question, 'If Jesus was crucified on Friday, how was He dead for three nights?'
Probe Answers Our E-Mail: Jesus Seminar: Answers the question, 'Are the Ideas of the Jesus Seminar Now Catholic Doctrine?'
Probe Answers Our E-Mail: You Are Gods: Answers the question, 'What Did Jesus Mean When He Quoted the Scripture 'You Are Gods'?'
The Real Jesus & The Jesus Quest First Things, June/July 1996: In this review essay, Richard B. Hays considers two books on the historicity of Jesus: "The Jesus Quest: The Third Search for the Jew of Nazareth" by Ben Witherington III and "The Real Jesus: The Misguided Quest for the Historical Jesus and the Truth of
Remnant Theology John Gay: Through the centuries there have been two predominant concepts concerning the relationship between Israel and the Church. Is it possible that both of these popular positions have been somewhat in error? Is there a middle ground of truth?
Rescuing the Gospel from Bishop Spong: This essay considers and responds to Bishop John Shelby Spong's view of the Bible and historical Christian beliefs as found in his book "Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism."
Responding to Pro-Gay Theology Joe Dallas: Former gay activist and Metropolitan Community Church elder Joe Dallas explains why he no longer promotes or accepts gay theology.
Responding to Pro-Gay Theology Joe Dallas: This article addresses the pro-gay theology by dividing its arguments--or tenets--into three categories: social justice arguments, general religious arguments, and scriptural arguments. A brief description of these arguments is provided, followed by a response/rebuttal to each.
The Star of Bethlehem Ray Bohlin: What WAS the Star of Bethlehem? Some people suggest it ws an astronomical conjunction of planets or stars. But it might have been the Shekinah Glory, a physical manifestation of God?s presence on earth.
Talbott's Universalism William Lane Craig: Thomas Talbott rejects the Free Will Defense against the soteriological problem of evil because (i) it is incoherent to claim that someone could freely and irrevocably reject God, and (ii) in any case, God would not permit such a choice to be made because it would pain the saved. I argue that a Molinist account escapes Talbott's objections. It is possible both that in no world realizable by God do all persons freely accept salvation and that God alone will endure the pain of knowledge of the lost.
Talbott's Universalism Once More William Lane Craig: In the debate between universalism and particularism, three questions need to be addressed: (I) Has it been shown that it is inconsistent to affirm both that God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent and that some persons do not receive Christ and are damned? (II) Can these two affirmations be shown to be consistent? (III) Is it plausible that both affirmations are true? In this on-going debate with Thomas Talbott, I argue that Talbott has failed to show the above affirmations to be inconsistent, that while one cannot prove them to be consistent, it is plausible that they are, and that it is also plausible that both affirmations are in fact true.
Ten Basic Steps Toward Christian Maturity: The Ten Basic Steps Toward Christian Maturity is a proven study series that offers a simple way to understand the basics of the Christian faith. The series introduces Jesus Christ and explains how to live the Christian walk. Each step contains six to seven lessons, plus a review section. These studies have been used effectively by churches, individuals, and home Bible study groups worldwide, providing a solid foundation for Christian growth. A great resource for discipling.
Transferable Concepts: In our endeavor to help meet these three basic needs and to build Christian disciples, Campus Crusade for Christ has developed a series of "how to's" - or "transferable concepts" in which we discuss many of the basic truths that Jesus and His disciples taught. A "transferable concept" is an idea or a truth which can be transferred or communicated from one person to another and then to another, spiritual generation after generation, without distorting or diluting its original meaning.
Typology and the Public Church First Things, November 1997: The author considers two modern views and uses for the Old Testament--simply historical or as a source of parallels for modern political movements.
Values, Virtues, and John Paul II First Things, April 1997: Today politicians of every stripe seek to promote "values." But the term "values" itself is a problematic one. Pope John Paul II speaks of "values" fairly frequently. What does he mean when he uses this term?
Virtuoso Theology: The Bible and Its Interpretation First Things, December 1996: "Virtuoso Theology: The Bible and Its Interpretation" was authored by Frances Young and reviewed by Paul M. Blowers. This book is intended to guide the reader toward a Biblical interpretation model based on the teachings of the Church Fathers. Issues s
What Are You Looking For First Things, March 1997: Popular culture is filled with angelic imagery. What message do angels really have for us? The author turns to the Old Testament to learn the purpose of angels.
Where Are You, Adam? First Things, May 1996: After the consumption of the forbidden fruit, God finds the first man filled with shame and excuses. We frequently have excuses about our own shortcomings, often claiming the role of victim. But do we any longer have shame about our failures?
Who is 'Israel' and What is Her Future? Jonathan Went: The author discusses the issue of what, biblically, is meant by the term 'Israel,' and what God has planned for the future of the Jewish nation.
Why Care About Theology? Jerry Solomon: The contemporary church is in need of theological reflection. What we believe about theology impacts our thinking and our behavior, even though we may not be aware of it.