“Reading through the Old Testament, there are numerous places where the modern reader walks away puzzled…. One such example is something that shows up repeatedly throughout the first few books of the Bible: cities of refuge. How exactly do these cities work? Why did God set them up? And why did ancient Israel solve the problem of murder this way?” - P&D
“The strength of Sloan’s argument comes with a necessary caveat…. he goes on to argue that Jesus, as Lord of the law, reestablishes the law and restores God’s people to a form of law observance. And this brings us to a few serious criticisms of Sloan’s work.” - 9 Marks
Henry Knox personifies the perennial American virtues of dependability and ingenuity.1 He was George Washington’s chief artillery commander during much of the Revolutionary War. Knox was nobody’s version of a dashing soldier. A 1784 portrait shows a chubby, round-faced man with at least two chins. His shoulders slope downward as if he’s slouching for the portrait—one can just imagine the belly that must be there, despite being over six feet tall.
“The vast majority of Christians only have a traditional understanding of tithing but have no idea what the Bible has to say about the topic.” - Jason Rambeck
Training wheels are good … for a little while. I remember learning to ride a bike and being very grateful those training wheels would stop me from falling! I also remember the day my father removed the training wheels and the time came for me to ride a bike without them. They were temporary. They served their purpose, but now it was time to be done with them. So, I fell down a lot—but I learned to ride the bike.
This is part of a commentary series through the Book of Galatians. It began with Galatians 3:1-6. This series will progress until the book is finished, then circle back and cover ch. 1-2.
Here, we begin the most difficult portion of Paul’s letter—the relationship of the Mosaic Law to saving faith. Before we begin, I’ll restate some principles from the first article that will help you understand the position this commentary takes. Here they are:
About once per month, I’m going to slowly write my way through a short commentary on the Letter to the Galatians. I’ll deliberately skip the usual analysis typical of this genre—no “scholarly” questions, text-critical issues, and minimal formal interaction with opposing viewpoints. I’ve taught through the book four times now, and feel I’m in a position to have something competent to say on the matter. My aim is to write for normal Christians who just want to know what the text means. So, here I stand.
“There is only one clear reference to tattoos in Scripture:.. (Leviticus 19:28)….an Old Testament precept, and many Christians argue that it is no longer applicable today. This claim deserves some careful consideration.” - Ref21
“The following chart is adapted from a chart in the ESV Study Bible, which was itself adapted from a section by D. A. Carson in the book Love in Hard Places.” - Justin Taylor
