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Biblical Studies

Thinking About Church History

This essay takes up from the essay " Thousands of Generations. " In that essay we saw that God has promised to show His faithfulness to thousands of generations of those who love Him. If God is going to do this, then human history will have to last for thousands…

by James B. JordanJune 9, 1994
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Biblical Chronology

The Chronology of the Pentateuch (Part 4)

11. The Life of Abraham 2006 – Noah dies (Gen. 9:29). 2008 – Abram is born of Terah in Ur (Gen. 11:26-32; 12:4; Acts 7:4). 2026 – Reu ben Peleg dies (Gen. 11:20-21). 2042? – Abram and Terah move to Haran (Gen. 11:31-32). 2049 – Serug ben Reu dies (Gen.…

by James B. JordanJune 9, 1994
Authority

The Second Word I: Seeing & Hearing

While this is dated June/July, this essay is actually being finalized and prepared for shipment in November. What this reflects more than anything else is my personal reluctance to take up this topic. The reason is that a number of friends and acquaintances have over the years, some rather recently,…

by James B. JordanJune 5, 1994
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Art

The Enoch Factor

After Cain murdered Abel and was driven out of the land of Eden, we read that he had a son whom he named Enoch, and that he founded a city that he also named Enoch (Genesis 4:17). The city, we are told, was named for his son. This was the…

by James B. JordanMay 25, 1994
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Art

The Importance of the Woman

Now we notice that God said that it was not good for the man to be alone in this task. God determined to make a helper suited to the man (Genesis 2:18). In context, the woman is to help the priest guard and beautify the sanctuary, home, and workplace. Two…

by James B. JordanMay 25, 1994
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Art

The Bride as Artist

Genesis 2:15 says that the first man was commissioned by God to dress and to keep the garden. The garden was located within the land of Eden, which was one among many lands on the earth according to Genesis 2:8-14. The garden was the place where God would meet with…

by James B. JordanMay 25, 1994

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Yahweh’s Field of Battle

In his commentary on 1 Kings 17-19, M. B. Van’t Veer has this insightful comment about the difference between OT and NT: “We could say that the Lord attacked the powers of darkness, the kingdom of satan on earth [in the old covenant] within the boundaries of Canaan. The land…

February 27, 2005

Yahweh’s Field of Battle

In his commentary on 1 Kings 17-19, M. B. Van’t Veer has this insightful comment about the difference between OT and NT: “We could say that the Lord attacked the powers of darkness, the kingdom of satan on earth [in the old covenant] within the boundaries of Canaan. The land…

February 27, 2005

Law

Perhaps the central dogmatic/systematic challenge raised by the New Perspective on Paul is the claim that Paul’s concerns about “Law” do not have to do with an eternal, unchanging expression of God’s righteousness but with the contingent and temporary institutions and regulations of the Mosaic order. This really does challenge…

February 25, 2005

Regeneration and Justification in Vermigli

Frank James, translator of Vermigli’s treatises on predestination and justification, has these intriguing comments on Vermigli’s views on the relation of justification and regeneration: “Vermigli’s understanding of forensic justification is not particularly unusual. Indeed, it corresponds generally with the Reformed branch of the Reformation. What is unusual is the inclusion…

February 25, 2005

Thick Description

Peter Vermigli offers this charming and helpful comment on the definition of faith as “substance” (Greek, hypostasis ) in Hebrews 11:1: The word “is derived from the verb hyphistamai , which signifies ‘to sustain, receive, not to yield to one rushing blindly.’ Hence, a soldier is called hypostatos if he…

February 25, 2005

Justification and Sacraments

Vermigli discusses the role of works in salvation, arguing that those who do not live uprightly and practice virtue “shall not come to eternal salvation,” yet these works are the “fruits of faith and effects of justification, not causes.” He understands the fathers’ references to “something more” than faith in…

February 24, 2005

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