The archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, told the TUC on Wednesday that “the Bible is political from one end to the other.” The problem is that Welby is a poor politician. He condemned zero-hour contracts, the gig economy and Amazon in particular for not paying sufficient taxes in the UK. Since then it has transpired …
Category: Scripture
Ambiguity and exegesis: confusing English words
My last blogpost highlighted the mistake that early Christians made between 'soon' and 'suddenly'. It continues to the present hour, even among academia, with serious practical consequences both to the early Christian church 2Th 3:11 and to current Christianity. There are other examples of ambiguity in English words leading to confusion in exegesis. Such an …
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Before or from the foundation of the world?
There are many misquotations of Scripture that need to be corrected. I will gather over time a list of them here and put them into biblical order for easy consultation, but beginning with the one in the title of this blogpost. I will also supply mnemonics or the rationale which will help people to remember …
Continue reading Before or from the foundation of the world?
Christian scribes
I am a scribe but not a Pharisee – that is, I am a Christian scribe. In Jesus' day, the scribes and Pharisees were opposed to His teaching. Jesus accused them of hypocrisy: 'Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you close the kingdom of heaven against mankind: for you neither go in yourselves, …
Academic exegesis
Academic exegesis is that form of interpretation which copies academics or authority figures. The Lord Jesus Christ cut through this in His teaching. Academic exegesis is seen in the translation of several biblical passages. Bible versions are the product of teams of academic translators pooling their collective knowledge to produce a final decision on the …
The majority of mankind will be saved
The majority of mankind will be saved – will you be among them? It is not uncommon to hear the depressing and unbiblical doctrine that only a minority of the human family will arrive in heaven. It is also common to hear the ungodly say that they do not want to go to heaven, which …
Biblical mnemonics
Ps 117: the shortest chapter in the Bible. Ps 119: the longest chapter in the Bible. Ps 118: the middle chapter in the Bible. Ps 118:8 "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man." 1188/2 = 594. There are 594 chapters before Ps 118 and 594 chapters after it …
The Ark of Noah – and The Unsinkable Dream
I have just finished reading The Unsinkable Dream by Johan Huibers, the Dutchman who has built a full-sized replica of Noah's Ark. Its Dutch title is Let Your Dream Sail. It is a wonderful read about an amazing project with so many lessons that you should simply purchase the book for yourself. The Ark is …
Sermon on Acts 13:26
The Free Offer of the Gospel ‘Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you fears God, to you is the word of this salvation sent’ Act 13:26. The Gospel is 'good news'. The good news is that God's salvation is sent to you. The Holy Spirit sends the Gospel to …
Metaphors and exegesis
Biblical exegesis is a wonderful God-given skill. It enables the exegete to draw out of Scripture the meaning intended by the Holy Spirit, as opposed to imposing on Scripture a meaning that the reader has already determined (eisegesis is reading into Scripture one's own prejudices). There are many principles for exegesis, but one of them …
