While the Lord’s prayer is a well-known part of a church service, I sometimes wonder if there is a lack of intentionality and consideration in the recitation of the Prayer. While listening to others say it, and even noting my shame as my thoughts wander sometimes, I often ask myself if people consider what they…
As part of my daily life, I try to practise my Hebrew translation skills by translating certain Hebrew texts into English. Lately I’ve been working on the Joseph narrative. In a recent translation I did, something struck me as I was translating it. This seems to happen a lot when I translate the text from…
I’ve read the account of Paul’s conversion dozens of times, and every time I read it, I’m always struck by Paul’s/Saul’s statement, “Who are you, Lord” (Acts 9:5)? Jesus appeared to Paul, and he didn’t know who it was, so how did he have the sense to call Him Lord? In the commentary section, the…
Genesis 21:1-2, The LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as He had promised. And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. Can you recall a time when God called you to obedience? Indeed, He calls…
Romans 8:31-32, What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Human death is always tragic. When a brother or…
Romans 8:28, And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. Many of us have probably read this passage dozens of times, and it’s rather comforting. But as comforting as it is, it may also leave us confused and inquisitive, especially…
Genesis 3:21-24, And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and…
I’m against animal cruelty, don’t get me wrong. The physical and psychological abuse of animals is a breach of our stewardship over God’s creation. I don’t mean abuse like eating animals because God gave mankind permission to eat animals (Genesis 9:2-3). Neither do I mean animal testing for drugs and beauty products, for it is…
Check out my newest article with Geeks Under Grace! What do we make of Abigail’s loyalty and her husband Nabal’s disloyalty to David in 1 Samuel 25? They are two unseemly characters in God’s narrative of the coming Messiah. Abigail seems an insignificant character at first, but there’s a lot more depth to her example.…
This entire series is my 30-paged bachelor thesis I submitted to the theology department at Concordia University-Ann Arbor—a higher Lutheran education university—as part of the requirement to graduate from the Pre-Seminary programme. It has been reformatted to fit this blog. Separated from God, we exercise Adamic fear as fear of God’s wrath. As we move…
This entire series is my 30-paged bachelor thesis I submitted to the theology department at Concordia University-Ann Arbor—a higher Lutheran education university—as part of the requirement to graduate from the Pre-Seminary programme. It has been reformatted to fit this blog. As I argued in part three, filial fear relies on God’s promise in our justification…
This entire series is my 30-paged bachelor thesis I submitted to the theology department at Concordia University-Ann Arbor—a higher Lutheran education university—as part of the requirement to graduate from the Pre-Seminary programme. It has been reformatted to fit this blog. So far, we have seen Adamic fear as fearing God’s wrath as a result of…
