Affections are too costly to bestow
Upon the fair-faced nothings here below.
The eagle scorns to fall down from on high
(The proverb saith) to catch the silly fly.
And can a Christian leave the face of God,
T’ embrace th’ earth, or doat upon a clod?
Israel’s unbelief causes Paul deep grief and raises a serious theological question: how can God remain faithful to his promises when his chosen nation is apostate? Paul now approaches the issue from the perspective of human responsibility. Israel’s unbelief is not only within God’s sovereign plan, but also a matter for which they are accountable.
History is a vast tangle of interconnected events. One of the historian’s chief tasks is to bring order and clarity. This article summarizes world history with landmark moments. If one becomes familiar with the following twenty-five events, he will have gained a solid grasp of the overall flow of Western civilization.
The book of Esther is most unique in the Hebrew Bible. God is never mentioned. It tells the story of a Persian queen who rises to power amid scandal and danger. The narrative confronts us with difficult questions about the choices of those who claim to be God’s people. Is it possible to learn anything about God from the book of Esther?
“But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” (Isaiah 66:2b)
Here is a promise that God gives; he will look at the individual who has the three characteristics mentioned in this verse.
Would you like to survey the entire story of the Bible without reading the entire book? Perhaps you need a change from your normal Bible reading plan, or you want to review how all the pieces fit together. If so, let me introduce The Storyline of Scripture Bible reading plan.
As the year draws to a close, I’m grateful for the opportunity to revisit some of the most popular posts of the year. Whether you’ve read them before or are new to the blog, these posts—and a few personal favorites—are ones I hope will encourage and challenge you.
As the year ends, I’m delighted to share my list of favorite reads from 2025. Each book on this list offers something worthwhile—some contain a compelling story, others may shape your understanding of the world, and a few may challenge you, but all will leave you with something to ponder.
In the first eight chapters of Romans, Paul has shown that there is ‘no distinction’ between Jews and gentiles. But all of this raises questions: Does Paul no longer care about the Hebrew people that he is part of? And how can God be faithful to his covenant people if he is now working primarily among gentiles rather than Jews?
“But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.” (Romans 7:6)
