The Gift of the Spirit demonstrates beyond question who belongs to the Holy Covenant Community of Jesus, and who does not.
In the assemblies of Galatia, “false brethren” were preaching “another gospel,” pressuring Gentile believers to adopt circumcision and conform to other regulations of the Mosaic Law. Paul repudiated the very idea and sent the Galatians a series of arguments demonstrating why Gentiles need not be circumcised.
Continue readingWhy do church leaders excuse lying, adultery, extortion, and other serious sins when committed by their political allies?
Early in my Christian life, I was taught to strive for holiness in every area of life whether private or public, and as a disciple of Jesus, I must be separate from the ways of this fallen world, not physically, but spiritually and morally. As the Apostle Paul warned the Church of Ephesus, “But fornication, and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you!”
Continue readingEver since the Word became flesh, God’s Glory has been manifested in Jesus of Nazareth, and all who believe in him behold His splendor.
Jesus is the Logos, the “Word become flesh” in whom the “Glory of God” resides. He is the Greater Tabernacle foreshadowed in the Tent carried by Israel, the place where the Glory of Yahweh was seen in the Wilderness. His full glory is now displayed throughout the World for all men to see wherever Christ is proclaimed. Jesus is the true “light that illuminates every man coming into the world.”
Continue readingThe promises, types, and shadows of the Hebrew Bible are fulfilled by the Son of God and Messiah of Israel, Jesus of Nazareth.
An accusation commonly heard in popular preaching is ‘Replacement Theology.’ This seemingly dreaded label is hurled against anyone who claims a promise from the Hebrew Bible made to Ancient Israel finds its fulfillment in Jesus and his Church, but this silly exercise in name-calling misses the point – The New Testament focuses on Fulfillment, not Separation or Replacement.
The New Testament teaches neither ‘Replacement Theology’ nor the idea that God has two distinct covenants and peoples, each with a separate eternal destiny and means of achieving it.
Continue readingWith the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the blessings for all nations of the Abrahamic Covenant commenced.
The “Promise of the Father” is the Gift of the Spirit, which the Apostle Paul links to the Abrahamic Covenant. The promises made to the Patriarch are fulfilled in the New Covenant inaugurated by Jesus Christ. The bestowal of the Spirit on his Assembly on the Day of Pentecost marked the commencement of the “Last Days,” the Age of the Spirit when the promises of God are achieved. Because of his Death and Resurrection, Gentile believers become full heirs of the Covenant along with believing Jews.
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