From his book, Exposition of the Holy Gospel According to Saint Luke with Fragments on the Prophecy of Isaias: “‘[H]eaven was opened, the Holy Spirit descended in bodily shape like a dove’ (Luke 3:21-22). Why like a dove? For the grace of the washing requires simplicity, so that we may be ‘innocent like doves’ (Matt. 10:16). The grace of the washing requires peace, as in an earlier image the dove brought to the ark that which alone was inviolable by the flood (Gen. 8:10-11)…In that branch, in that ark, was the image of peace and of the church. In the midst o...

This entry is part 4 of 14 in the series SDA Propaganda RefutedI was alerted about a new post that our SDA friend, Glenn, posted today. At first I was happy because it would give me another opportunity to show how ridiculous their beliefs are but then I was sad because it really highlights how blindly devoted this man is to his church’s teachings. Scholarship, logic, reason, and Scripture don’t matter. As long as the conclusion is what he agrees with, he’ll believe it. No matter how that conclusion was reached. As the title of this post makes clear, the verse in question is R...

This entry is part 1 of 1 in the series ExegesisAs Paul is approaching the end of his epistle he is aware that there is one important problem on which he has not yet touched, namely, that of the relation between the weak and the strong. The strong were those who were able to grasp the significance of Christ’s death for daily living (e.g., eating, drinking, etc.) the weak were not. Origin of the Problem God had laid down certain rules with respect to clean versus unclean animals. Only the clean were permitted to be used as food. (See Lev. 11:1-45; Deut. 14:3-21; cf. Dan. 1:8ff) In connect...

“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5) This third of Christ’s beatitudes has always seemed paradoxical because those who now rule the earth seem anything but meek. It has always been the strong and aggressive who control the world, not the meek of the world. Christ, however, was confirming an ancient promise given through David: “But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace” (Psalm 37:11). Surprisingly, there are also four other promises in this psalm describing those who are to inher...

What do they share in common? They are all in a story about a beautiful woman named Esther. Every year in the spring (this year it was on March 9th), Jews gather in synagogues to hear the biblical book of Esther chanted with a special melody. Each time the name of Haman, the story’s villain, is mentioned, the entire congregation stomps their feet and makes noise to blot out the very sound of this infamous individual. All Jews, young and old, participate in this joyous holiday. Whether they are hearing the Megillah (as the “scroll” of Esther is known) for the first or hundredt...