A man of violence entices his neighbor and leads him in a way that is not good. Proverbs 16:29 ESV Why does violence entice? After all, don't we tend to find violence revolting rather than exciting? We like to think that. Shirking away from violence is the socially appropriate response. But deep down, I believe, …
You shall not commit adultery. Exodus 20:14 ESV There is an interesting symmetry to be found within our recently studied commandments. The Fifth Commandment presented us with how we must relate to those who gave us life, our father and mother. The Sixth Commandment then dealt with how we actually treat life itself, specifically among …
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I am a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the …
A few weeks ago, I dreamed a disturbing dream. As with many dreams, I cannot recall the context nor the setting in great detail, yet Tiff and I were eating a meal with others. We were eating meat, which I came to realize was not beef or pork but human. Everyone at the table ate …
Continue reading Dreams, Cannibalism, & the Danger of Normative Morality
You shall not murder. Exodus 20:13 ESV With our study of the Sixth Commandment, we now officially move into the second half of the Ten Commandments. As we noted while discussing the Fifth Commandment, the final six commands apply directly to how we treat our fellow humans, whereas the first four consider how we relate …
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things …
Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. Exodus 20:12 ESV In our study of the Ten Commandments, we enter now the second table of commands. Commandments 1-4 comprise the first table, which describes how we are to love God, …
And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and …
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, …
As I turned my computer on this morning, I was greeted with an image of some beautiful Alaskan mountains, curtesy of Bing, that said, “What to get away from it all?” My heart’s answer was yes. Yes, it would be great to escape the pressures of everyday life, to behold firsthand the breath-taking wonders of …
B. C. Newton 