Being the kind of person that assigns subtitles to my sermon notes through portions of the Bible, I wrestled a great deal with what to call this study through Colossians. At first glance, Colossians can appear to be a lesser imitation of Ephesians. Of course, Paul’s letter to Colossae has its own magnificent merits (such …
Of the Lord’s Prayer, Tertullian wrote that it “is comprised of the whole Gospel” (I). Cyprian called it “a loving and friendly prayer to beseech God with His own word, to come up to His ears in the prayer of Christ” (3). Augustine said that “the words our Lord Jesus Christ has taught us in …
In Ephesians 6:4, the Apostle Paul commands fathers to raise their children in the discipline and instruction of the LORD. Correct them. Teach them. What’s so hard about that? Proverbs, particularly and repeatedly, reminds us of the corrective role in parenthood through the rod. “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves …
Author Proverbs 1:1 presents Solomon as the primary author of the book, but there are other writers as well, such as Agur and Lemuel. Theme Proverbs aims to teach us biblical wisdom, which is the skill of understanding and navigating the broken, sin-filled world around us by conforming ourselves to God’s pattern for creation. Background …
Serious study of any ancient document will require resources and tools that help to enrich one's understanding of the text. The Bible is no different. As both a cohesive and complete revelation of God to humanity and a library of literary masterpieces, the Bible has consumed the lifetime focus of some of history's most brilliant …
The Bible is a story. In fact, it is the Story, the true myth, the architype that is woven into who we are as people. It is the story that we all long for, even those who have yet to hear it and those who reject it. It’s the story that we continue telling. The …
Back in 2012, I taught through the books of Ecclesiastes and Philippians together, attempting to show how they both present that true joy is only found in Christ. Since I am now preaching through them again (finishing Ecclesiastes this Sunday), I'm sharing the essay that I wrote in 2012 to explain the connection between these …
Continue reading Depressing Joy: a thousand year search for meaning
I read from Stephen Nichols (in Heaven on Earth: Capturing Jonathan Edwards's Vision of Living in Between) that Jonathan Edwards was voted out of his church after moving the church to closed communion. The change backfired in part because Edwards failed to cultivate deep friendships within his congregation that would support him through such a …
It was a day full of butterflies. The ground outside stood muddied by rain, prayers and wishful thinking dried it no quicker. So people gathered, and plans changed. Under shelter, beams were raised, flowers planted, and lights ignited. Soon a flood of faces filled the landscape, waiting for that moment, for the doors’ opening. And they did open. Beauty levitated past the …
Continue reading The Day Full of Butterflies (6 Years & Counting)
Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? Ecclesiastes 1:2-3 (ESV) In these verses, Solomon proclaims that all is vanity. Or using other words, everything is meaningless. That statement is true, but there is a problem. …
B. C. Newton 