The Weirdest Passage in Genesis is a Promise

The "weirdest" passage seems rather subjective. And normally it is. However I am very confident pretty much everyone would agree. This passage is a real head scratcher. Until we understand something about the world of 4,000 years ago.

The Part of the Bible No One Reads

The KJV frequently calls God "The LORD of Hosts". The NIV never does. Why not? And why is "LORD" in all caps in some verses and not in others? Why does the ESV read so differently from the NIV at times and so similarly at others? Bible translations are the product of countless decisions by the translators. And there's a place in your Bible where they tell you what they are.

What Do We Do with the OT?

A young relative expressed frustration about trying to read the Old Testament. It's all in the Bible, so it's all important. But we're under the new covenant. And what do we do with all of those stories? How do we apply those to our lives? I shared with her how I approach the Old Testament. There are three key realizations.

Why Genre Matters

There are lies in the Bible. And it's still inerrant.

The Bible is not just one book. It is a collection of books, and those books are different kinds of literature, different genres. Each has its own characteristics, its own rules, and if we don't pay attention to them, we can confuse ourselves and misunderstand the scriptures.

4 Things We Added to the Bible

I'm a nerd. Always have been, always will be. After college my nerdiness shifted some of its focus from science and science fiction to the scriptures. Yep, you can nerd out on the Bible. I haven't learned any esoteric secrets, but lately I've come to realize that a lot of what's rattling around in my head isn't exactly common knowledge, either, so we're going to start a series we'll call Bible 101. Some of the facts I'll share may only be interesting; others may have apologetic value or help us interpret the scriptures. Let's dive in by looking at things in our Bible that aren't actually in the inspired text.

Standing Out From The Crowd

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 5:10).

It can be rough standing out from the crowd. Don’t expect to be popular if you follow Jesus’ teachings.

As we finish up the Christian Behavior series, we need to look at how the world will react to people who actually follow Jesus. It’s not uncommon to hear that people only dislike Christians when they get preachy about sexual morality. That’s not actually true, though. People speak highly of Jesus' ethical teachings until someone actually starts following them. Then they can get grumpy real quick.

Don't Pick and Choose

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock” (Matt 7:24-25).

We really don’t like rules. The day our first parents broke the one rule they were given something crept into our DNA that makes us chafe against any limitations. Nothing makes us want to touch something more than a sign that says “don’t touch.”

We’ve spent the last several months looking at a lot of rules, things Jesus said to do or not do. Human nature is to go along with the ones that suit us and ignore the ones that seem too hard or too limiting. Jesus warns us not to do that.