Think Wink.

I had looked over J. J. Hiehaus’ work God at Sinai and wanted to post on a text that I found quite amazing. Niehaus argued that in Genesis 3:8 we don’t see God walking in the cool of the day in the garden but rather was coming in the wind of the storm based upon word studies done in Akkadian that line up with the Biblical Hebrew (Kind of makes one wonder about this past weekend’s tornadoes in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Georgia that killed 22 people at my last count). You can refer to this post for the citation. Niehaus offers an interesting translation of 1 Kings 19:12 which reads in the ESV,

And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.

This post will summarize the arguments and then posit some thought on the translation. You can find the arguments in detail in Niehaus’ book God at Sinai on pages 247-248.
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In the Cool of the Day?

Dr. Jerry Falwell

What to do?

This is an amazing video that concludes a debate on Calvinism. Enjoy.

James White on Steve Gregg

James White on John 3:16-17

James White–Steve Gregg Debate

H/T: Justin Taylor

Why Did I Take That Class?

Luther on Ingratitude and Thanksgiving.

Everyone Loses It At Some Point

Here is an amazing treatment by James White on John 3:16-17: Common Attacks Against Reformed Theology II. This uses Real Audio so click here for the link to the Phoenix Reformed Baptist Church page to download the software (it’s in the small print near the top of the page).

James White on Steve Gregg

The Importance of “The”

Can a Person say that?

Today I read a very interesting article on the meaning of he’emin in Genesis 15:6, which in the ESV says,

And he believed [he’emin; LXX: ἐπίστευσεν] the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

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A taste of My Friday Morning

The Grace of “euaggelion”

Doxa-Logos: A Glorious Word

This is the third post on Mark 1:11 and its three sources of Genesis 22LXX; Psalm 2:7 LXX; and Isaiah 42:1 LXX. This post will conclude our examination of how Jesus is God’s Son (Genesis 22), Son (Psalm 2:7) and Servant (Isaiah 42:1). Let us get the scene of Mark 1:9-11 in front of us from the NET,

9 Now in those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan River. 10 And just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my one dear Son; in you I take great delight.”

Again let us see the Greek text of Mark 1:11 and Isaiah 42:1 before us so that we can see the parallels.

Mark 1:11 — καὶ φωνὴ ἐγένετο ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν σὺ εἶ ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός ἐν σοὶ εὐδόκησα
Isaiah 42:1 LXX — Ιακωβ ὁ παῖς μου ἀντιλήμψομαι αὐτοῦ Ισραηλ ὁ ἐκλεκτός μου προσεδέξατο αὐτὸν ἡ ψυχή μου ἔδωκα τὸ πνεῦμά μου ἐπ αὐτόν κρίσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐξοίσει
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Son, Son, or Servant and Mark 1:11 Part 1

Son, Son, Or Servant and Mark 1:11 Part 2

“Son of Man” and Jesus

Here is the “him that pisseth against the wall” preacher again, this time trying to refute the reformed doctrines of grace.

A couple of points on this video. He references John 6:70 to disprove election being unto final salvation (cf. Ephesians 1:4-6). The pastor does not check the context of the statement. Up in John 6:64-65 we see, “‘But there are some of you who do not believe.’ (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.’” John 6:65 is the explanation as to why those who were with Jesus after the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 were only there for the food that Christ could make and not for Jesus himself. But John 6:64 tells us that John 6:65 also explains why the one who would betray Jesus would do so, God did not grant to Judas to follow after Christ. Thus Jesus could say in John 6:70, “Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.”

This preacher also states that God did not want Judas to betray Jesus but to follow him. However, look at John 17:12, “While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.” Judas was lost so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled. It was God’s plan that this happen. Or consider also Acts 2:23, “this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” Jesus was delivered over by the Jews to Pilate and crucified “according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God.” Hear also the prayer of that same church in Acts 4:27-28, “In this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.” Again what happened to Jesus–including his betrayal by Judas–was done according to “whatever your [Yahweh’s] hand and your plan had predestined to take place.” God determined that Judas would betray Jesus. He revealed it in Scripture. The early church in Acts 4 saw that as part of the fulfillment of Psalm 2:1-2 (cf. Acts 4:25-26).

If you don’t want to hold to the Reformed doctrines of grace and Reformed soteriology, that is fine and I pray for you to see the truth of the Scriptures. But please when you try to refute the theology, do your homework better. Read the context of the passages that you site. The Gospel of John is the most “Reformed” book in all of the New Testament. I will give him this, at least he was trying to speak to doctrine in this video instead of the KJV being the only Word of God.

James White on Calvinism

Trouble in the SBC

Debunking Bad Arguments

Every morning I like to listen to either a sermon (but not on Christian radio–ugh!) (usually D.A. Carson) or an audio book–Christian theology or any kind of good fiction (e.g. Star Wars: Legacy of the Force; Vince Flynn novels; Jonathan Edwards). Here are some lectures that I am looking forward to listening to this summer.

Kingdom Prologue

OT Exegesis

OT Prophets

H/T: Justin Taylor

Faith, Works, Amen

A taste of My Friday Morning

Free Book for November

I finally found the hermeneutical quiz that Scot McKnight posted for LeadershipJournal.net. It was a fun quiz. It scored a 48 which is a hermeneutical conservative–but on the moderate side of the scale as I am only 5 points from being a hermeneutical moderate. Here is how the quiz defines a conservative:

First, the conservative hermeneutic group scores 52 or lower. The strength of this view is its emphasis on the authority, ongoing and normative authority, of all of Scripture. It tends to operate with the line many of us learned in Sunday school: “If the Bible says it, that settles it.” Such persons let the Bible challenge them with full force. Literal readings lead to rather literal applications. Most of the time.

H/T: Tyler F. Williams

My Millennial Views Pt. 2: Reading the Bible.

“This Generation”

Thank You Dr. Piper

If anyone ever thinks Piper is perfect…

Debunking Bad Arguments