Part One Paul’s Understanding of God’s Covenants Let me begin by again stating that the Apostle Paul saw himself as an ambassador of the New covenant. (2 Cor. 3:5). Even though he rarely refers to it by name, it has become clear to many scholars that Paul’s theology is steeped in the New covenant.[1] In the passages I cited above we can see this. And it is true to say that without this comprehension of his mission Paul’s theology …
Category: Biblical Studies
From the time of Paul’s dramatic conversion in Acts 9 he was called to represent Yahweh to the Gentiles. Yet he never forgot his people. He would often begin a stint in a city by going into the synagogues and expounding Christ to the Jews (e.g., Acts 13:14; 14:1; 17:1-3). Although he did not write systematic expositions, Paul’s occasional letters He is the qualify him as the greatest theologian of the Christian Church. His thought is profound and multilayered, and …
Happy New Year to all! Here is a little challenge to start 2022. Try to refute the logic: God works through His covenants. Neither the Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Priestly, or Davidic covenants contain any word or provision for the salvation of sinners. According to the Servant Songs in Isaiah 42:6 and 49:8 the Servant (Messiah) will be made “as a covenant” to redeem both Israel and the nations. Jeremiah 31:31-34 promises a “New covenant” which will replace the Mosaic covenant …
Explaining Acts 2 with Acts 3 Further Instances of Kingdom and Covenant The preaching of the deacon Philip in Acts 8 is described as relating to “the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ,” (Acts 8:12), which resulted in many baptisms. There is no reason to deny that Philip preached about the coming eschatological kingdom. Christ has come and the kingdom of Christ will come. The mix of telos and eschatos furnishes a strong worldview …
The Kingdom in the Opening of Acts Peter’s First Sermon and an Interpretive Challenge The commotion caused by this miracle of languages made some present utter disdainful remarks about the disciples being drunk (Acts 2:13). This gave Peter the pretext he needed to speak to the crowd. After dismissing the accusation Peter announced that what was happening was “what was spoken by the prophet Joel.” (Acts 2:16). He then quoted Joel 2:28-32 (Acts 2:17-21). But what was this? Joel …
We have already seen how Luke lays a heavy stress upon the Kingdom of God. Although it does not receive half as much notice as it deserves to, Luke is very interested in the matter of continuity between the OT and the Apostolic writings that would become the NT. This continuity is quickly seen in the opening of the first chapter of Acts. There we see the Risen Lord teaching His disciples over the course of forty days. Luke …
Part Seven False Christ’s and the True Christ Jesus continues His answer to the disciples’ second question by repeating that although there will be many false Christ’s and false prophets, and many attention-grabbing supernatural happenings, one should not be fooled (Matt. 24:23-24). We should take note that contra the scientistic naturalism so prevalent among “intellectuals” in our day, the Tribulation will be charged with spectacular supernatural manifestations and calls to worship. It will be an extremely “spiritual” time, with no …
Part Four The Parables of the Kingdom (Pt. 2) The Parable of the Mustard Seed The other five (or six) parables are shorter. The Parable of the Mustard Seed (Matt. 13:31-32) speaks of the “kingdom of heaven” beginning almost imperceptibly like a tiny seed but growing until it becomes a tree that can hold bird’s nests. Does this depict positive or negative growth? The wheat or the tares? It is hard to say, but I side with the majority …
This is from the first draft of my book ‘The Words of the Covenant, Volume 2: New Testament Continuity’. Part Three The Parables of the Kingdom (Pt. 1) In any study of the Kingdom “the parables of the kingdom,” seven (or eight depending on one’s reckoning) of which are located in Matthew 13 are critical. Although this is not a Bible commentary, it is important to take a look at these parables because they provide important information about the …
Roll up, roll up, look this way to see a new and amazing sight! Well, not quite. The truth is more in the region of “Oh, Henebury’s book that he’s been promising since Gutenberg is actually out now.” I got my advance copies in the mail a couple of weeks ago. It was a strange feeling looking down at the thing I had spent over five years writing and nearly twelve years studying. I asked a friend who has himself …
