Moses said to Aaron, “Sacrifice the offering that is for the people and make atonement for them, as the LORD has commanded.” Aaron then brought the offering that was for the people. As they led him away, a large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. Then he lifted…
Tag: Jesus Christ
Another Scary Verse from Hebrews
I was reading through old posts yesterday and decided to repost this. *** “For if we deliberately sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire about to consume the adversaries” (Heb. 10:26-27). This is one of…
The Hebron of God
“Burial of Sarah” by Dore Genesis 23 opens with the death of Sarah. Abraham, being a foreigner, asks the Hittites to sell him the cave at Machpelah for a burial site. The Hittites offer to give Abraham the land because he is “a mighty prince” but Abraham insists on paying the full price (Gen. 23:6,…
The Gospel of God
“[T]he good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God…” (Mark 1:1). Jesus Christ is the gospel. The Corinthians thought it was about spiritual gifts and supernatural manifestations. While encouraging them in the gifts of the spirit, Paul pointed the Corinthians to something even greater: Jesus Christ and Him crucified, the wisdom and power […]
Bereavement’s Provision
In Genesis 22, God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac: “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about” (Gen. 22:2). There is tenderness in the way the phrasing builds from…
Jesus (Not Jones)
One of my mix CDs has a song by Jesus Jones called, “Right Here, Right Now.” During the chorus, the lyrics are, “Right here, right now, there is no other place I want to be. Right here, right now, watching the world wake up from history.” As the music rises and crests, you can almost…
What Is the Gospel?
Ministering to the poor and homeless is not the gospel. Speaking in tongues, prophesying, and moving in other gifts is not the gospel. Pro-Christian political activism is not the gospel. Intercessory prayer is not the gospel. Healings and miracles are not the gospel. Tradition is not the gospel. Creation care is not the gospel. Evangelizing…
Stepping off the Merry-Go-Round
The golden calf…. It’s as epic an event as is found in scripture. The drama peaks when Moses comes down Mount Sinai and sees the Israelites worshiping the calf. Moses is so angry he *smashes* the stone tablets on which God wrote His commandments. You have to be pretty ticked–boiling, nuclear–to smash God’s commands. But…
Love not Law
“Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1) Most Christians know that Christ has freed them somehow. What does freedom in Christ mean? In one sense, freedom is defined by what we are freed from. Galatians 5 helps us see the borders of…
Scripture vs. Tradition
Scripture versus tradition…. Most of us have heard something of this debate, which goes like this: Does scripture or tradition hold higher authority for Christians? For some, scripture is the obvious answer. Jesus lambasted the Pharisees because tradition caused them to violate God’s word (Matt. 15:3). Paul also warned the Colossians about the “empty deceit…
The Voice of One 