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The Latter Days in the Old Testament

Eschatology precedes soteriology. Find out why in this essay.

Two Ages: Evaluating a Biblical concept

If the cosmos has changed over time, as redemptive history has moved from through “five worlds” from creation (Genesis 1–2) to the new creation (Revelation 21–22), then there have also been covenantal changes, too. In the beginning, God made a covenant with Adam (Gen. 2:15–17; cf. Hos. 6:7), which is often called the “covenant of works.” Then, after the flood, God re-established a covenant with Noah and all creation. As Genesis 9:8–17 reports, God hung his bow in the sky as

Getting Into Macro-Eschatology: Seeing The Five Worlds God Has Made

Last Sunday I introduced something I called “macro-eschatology.” Macro-eschatology is an approach to redemptive history that sees the end of things (eschatology) as fulfilling, restoring, and superseding the beginning of things (protology). At the center of this approach to reading the Bible is the person and the work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who stands at the center of God’s plan to unite all things in creation. As Ephesians 1:9–10 tell us, Christ is the one who will

The ABCs of Eschatology (Pt 2): 14 More Key words

Last time, I introduced fourteen key words for understanding some basic concepts in the study of last things (eschatology). Today, I will complete my basic glossary with fourteen more terms, in hopes that these definitions will help improve present and future discussions about eschatology. You can also listen to the Sunday School that explains many of these terms. And if you would like a handout of the glossary, scroll to the bottom. (15) The Intermediate and Final States. W

The ABC’s of Eschatology (Pt. 1): Key Words to understanding end times

Eschatology is a word that means the study (-ology) of last things (eschatos). And in that study there are lots of words that are familiar (*resurrection), unfamiliar (*preterist), and debated (*rapture). Likewise, terms like millennium and tribulation are ones that have multiple definitions, and figures like the *antichrist, whose common description may or may not match John’s use of the word. Knowing that sound doctrine and fruitful discussions require clear definitions,

Twelve Books to Read Before the End of the World

When I teach Systematic Theology to seminarians, I make students read two books on eschatology and I recommend about twenty. Since I recently began a Sunday School series on the subject of eschatology, I wanted to share that list with you. You can also listen to the classes here. The Two Most Important Books on Eschatology Benjamin Gladd and Matthew Harmon, Making All Things New: Inaugurated Eschatology for the Life of the Church (2016). This is my go-to book for eschatolog

In Praise of Old Books, Like Ebenezer Henderson’s Work on Divine Inspiration and the Spiritual Gifts

I love old books. Even more, I love old books that I find by serendipity—a real research method (see Thomas Mann, The Oxford Guide to Library Research, pp. 23, 61). That is to say, I love when I go looking in one book (or one bookstore) for one thing, and find something else even more helpful. That … Continue reading In Praise of Old Books, Like Ebenezer Henderson’s Work on Divine Inspiration and the Spiritual Gifts

Holy Spirit Power: The Gift, the Giver, the Goal, and the Gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1–11)

Holy Spirit Power: The Gift, the Giver, the Goal, and the Gifts (sermon audio) Despite their obvious flaws, Paul loved the church at Corinth. And in his section on spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12–14, he aims to help his spiritual children come to a true understanding of the Holy Spirit and the purpose of the spiritual … Continue reading Holy Spirit Power: The Gift, the Giver, the Goal, and the Gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1–11)

Understanding the Spiritual Gifts: A Few Translation Notes on 1 Corinthians 12:1–11

First Corinthians 12:1–11 is a glorious passage but also intensely debated. As I prepared to preach this passage on Sunday, I found that it is more than the theology that is challenging in these verses; it is also the translation of the text. What follows are a few notes on what Paul is saying in … Continue reading Understanding the Spiritual Gifts: A Few Translation Notes on 1 Corinthians 12:1–11

‘Power’ in Paul’s Letters: How Apostolic Miracles Magnify the Gospel Message

What does Paul think of power? How does he define it? When he speaks of “the working of miracles” (1 Corinthians 12:10), does he have modern charismatic signs in mind or something else? When Paul speaks of power, what is he talking about? These are just a few questions we need to ask when we … Continue reading ‘Power’ in Paul’s Letters: How Apostolic Miracles Magnify the Gospel Message

Rightly Dividing the Cultural Background to 1 Corinthians 11

There are a lot of cultural challenges to 1 Corinthians 11:2–16, a passage that invites discussion about the trinity, gender roles, the use of head coverings, and the role of angels in public worship. Tomorrow I will preach on this passage, but today I share a number of quotations from various commentaries related to various cultural and theological … Continue reading Rightly Dividing the Cultural Background to 1 Corinthians 11

Three Horizons in Biblical Interpretation

[This morning I teach the men of our church about three horizons in biblical interpretation. Here are the notes. What follows is a portion of content.] Three Horizons in Biblical Interpretation In Preaching and Biblical Theology, Edmund Clowney identified three horizons that the faithful interpreter must engage three horizons to rightly understand biblical truth. These … Continue reading Three Horizons in Biblical Interpretation

Augustine on the Trinity: Jesus Christ ‘In the Form of God’ and ‘In the Form of a Servant’

You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. — John 14:28 — Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not … Continue reading Augustine on the Trinity: Jesus Christ ‘In the Form of God’ and ‘In the Form of a Servant’

Kephalē and Context: Toward a Biblical Understanding of Headship

For more thirty years, an exegetical debate has raged between complementarians and egalitarians over a single word: Kephalē, the Greek word for ‘head.’ The former argue that this word means “authority over,” while the latter argues the word means “source.” In the New Testament, this word can be found to have both connotations, even in the … Continue reading Kephalē and Context: Toward a Biblical Understanding of Headship

Love Your Neighbor: A Biblical Theology of Race and Ethnicity

For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us … Continue reading Love Your Neighbor: A Biblical Theology of Race and Ethnicity

Learning to See the Beauty of a Gospel-Centered Church

This Sunday we start up a new cycle of membership classes at our church, what we call Discover OBC. And in our first part we look at the Gospel and the Church. I love teaching about these two subjects, because they are at the core of Christianity. The gospel is the message which brings hope to … Continue reading Learning to See the Beauty of a Gospel-Centered Church

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