May 2019 Archive
Does Romans 8:9–11 Require Believer’s Baptism?
A reader writes with a question about biblical interpretation and baptism: I was going through Colossians 2 when I read the footnote from the Reformation Study Bible… which sent me to. . . Continue reading
The Ends of the Earth Shall Hear (Acts 28) Part 2
The Ends of the Earth Shall Hear (Acts 28) Part 1
Romans Series: The Power of God For Salvation 23
The Late-Modern Oppression Olympics In Biblical Perspective (3)
Last time we considered the reality of oppression and true liberation. In this final essay in the series we must consider what are the moral and ethical consequences for those who, by the grace of God alone (sola gratia), through faith alone (sola fide), have been liberated from oppression. Under the Old Testament, the Lord who redeemed and liberated his church consistently instructed her (the church) to live in light of that gracious redemption. Continue reading
Naaman the Syrian
And So We Came to Rome (Part 2) Acts 28
The Late-Modern Oppression Olympics In Biblical Perspective (2)
As noted last time, oppression is real. The enormous, almost unthinkable, death toll produced by various oppressive regimes in the 20th century stand as a stark witness to its reality. The Nazis murdered no fewer than 6 million Jews in an effort to exterminate an entire people group (genocide). The Soviets murdered 20 million farmers. The Turks murdered a million Armenians. No one knows how many millions Mao murdered in China. One of the greatest and quietest acts of oppression continues today. Americans have murdered more than 60 million infants since 1973. Perhaps more people were killed by oppressive regimes in the 20th century than in any other century in human history. That is not a record of which Modernity may be proud. At the moment the entire globe has become conscious of the evil of human trafficking. Remarkably, in what is supposed to be an “enlightened” age, we are still struggling with ancient and persistent evils. Continue reading