So what is artisanal Bible Study? It’s something I read somewhere. Can’t remember where – but it got my attention. Sounded interesting.
And that’s what things in this category are about. It’s not “traditional” study, where we go through the grammar and other scholastic stuff like that.
Instead, it’s about the culture of the time – because we’re just not living in anything like what the world was like in Biblical times. We can’t really relate to what the Bible says unless we can walk in the shoes – or sandals – or bare feet – of the people we’re reading about.
And it’s about Hebrew and Greek word meanings. Their language was so much richer than ours today. We try to cram in the single best word scholars can come up with. The scholars and translators have to do that, otherwise the Bible will be way too long. No one would read it.
And yet, by making those choices, we lose so much of what transpired. We lose nuances. We lose idioms. We get such a watered down version that we don’t really understand the impact of what was said.
In one case, we read of Paul calling his pre-conversion life as anything from a waste of time to rubbish. But what he actually said was about something we’d sit on the toilet for today. Since we’re comparing his pre and post conversion life and beliefs – that’s a difference we should know about!
So that gives you the flavor of what’s going on here. Verses and passages that we probably know. But in a whole new light. A light that will, I pray, give us a better understanding of why Christianity, as we call it today, was so exciting to the early church! They risked their lives for “The way” as it was know then. But today we have a hard time even getting to church on Sundays. Obviously, something’s different. It’s not God. It’s us. And we’ve got to get “it” back!
The Parable of the Fruitless Fig Tree – repent or perish. When you read it, the concept of the tree without fruit and the warning of repent or perish makes sense.
Well, it should make sense to Christians.
However, I believe there’s more to it than we might think.
The Parable of the Fruitless Fig Tree – repent or perish More
The Great Commission and The End Times – Is the completion of one the beginning of the other? When the Great Commission has been fulfilled, will The End Times begin? Are we actually working to bring about the events in Revelation when we spread the Gospel? In a sense, even without tying the two together, every second that passes by is bringing us one second closer to The End Times. It’s just a fact of time. The question is one of whether there’s a Biblical link between the two.
The Great Commission and The End Times More
The Parable of The Wise And Foolish Builders. On one level, it’s about the choice between building a house on rock or sand. That sounds like an easy choice to make. On another level, it’s about what we do, if anything, after hearing or reading what Jesus had to say.
Parable of The Wise And Foolish Builders More
What else does God want from us? Since it says what else, obviously this isn’t the only thing God wants from us. Further, since this is part two, this is, possibly, the second thing God wants from us. Something that comes after we love God. Any ideas about what it is?
What else does God want from us? More
What does God want from us? When we pray, we often ask God for all sorts of things. And we’re often disappointed if we don’t get everything we wanted – NOW! Have you ever thought about it the other way around? What do you think He wants from us? And do you think maybe He’s disappointed when we fail to give Him what He wants?
What does God want from us? More
What’s the difference between knowledge of evil versus actual evil? Well, in But I was certain that evil existed, we saw that both good and evil have always been present in our part of God’s creation. But if both have always existed, then how come God said, after He created everything, “it was very good”? Did God just say that evil was good?
The “knowledge of evil” versus “actual evil” More
Evil Exists: “Only minutes ago I doubted anything that might be called supernatural; now I knew that I had been naive. I knew neither the extent of it nor the means by which to deal with it, but I was certain that evil existed. I had come face-to-face with it and survived long enough to know at least that much.” from “Immanuel’s Veins” by Ted Dekker
But I was certain that evil existed More
Who is the wise one in Jesus’ parable about building? In the parable of the wise and foolish builders, Jesus compared, obviously, a wise builder and a foolish one. Of course, we want to emulate the wise builder. So let’s take a look at him. What is it that made him “wise”? Was it conventional wisdom of the time? Or was it something else?
Who is the wise one in Jesus’ parable about building? More
The parables told by Jesus are in the New Testament. However there’s no such thing as a complete list that all denominations agree on. So, we’ll use this list:
What religion was Abraham? After all, he is claimed as the father of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Two of those religions took one path to get from Abraham to their religions that exist today. However, the other one took a different path to get from the man who used to be Abraham to that religion today. Notice, I worded that very carefully. Let’s find out why. And learn what those two paths are.
What religion was Abraham? More
