Category: Theology

Heralded

The sudden appearance of John on the scene, proclaiming a message of repentance is captured by all of the Gospel writers.[1] John introduces his namesake as the first significant event in his Gospel. He portrays those coming to him as curious and trying to identify him.  It seemed that an Old Testament figure had re-emerged… Continue reading Heralded

Arrival

Matthew and Luke both provide accounts of Jesus’ birth with Luke going on to provide further detail about his infancy up until the age of 12.  Whilst Mark and John do not include such narratives, John does make this brief but theologically explosive statement. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”[1] The imagery there… Continue reading Arrival

Predestination in Ephesians

One of the most controversial statements in the New Testament is found in Ephesians 1:5 where it says: “ he[b] predestined us” It’s controversial because if God has determined from eternity what will happen to us, then where does that leave free will. It seems that everything has already been decided. If, God “chose us …before the foundation… Continue reading Predestination in Ephesians

Introducing Jesus

There are four Gospels or accounts focusing on the life of Jesus.   John stands distinct from the other three with Matthew, Mark and Luke being referred to as The Synoptic Gosels meaning that they can be read together. This is due to the fact that there appears to be a significant overlap of source material… Continue reading Introducing Jesus

The Spirit in Ephesians

A central theme in Ephesians is the work of the Holy Spirit.  If this is a letter about God’s purpose for his church, about how to be united in love as his alternative society and about standing firm in spiritual warfare, then the Holy Spirit is crucial to all of that. But before Ephesians is… Continue reading The Spirit in Ephesians

“That’s interesting” Does theology belong in academia?

This was the question posed on Twitter by Jonathan Dowie (who has recently written a book on multi-lingual church which I hope to review soon).  Jonathan then went on to highlight the problem with academic writing, in short, he said “it sucks.”  His big issue was the tendency for academics to be verbose, hiding behind… Continue reading “That’s interesting” Does theology belong in academia?

Ephesians in 5 short statements

Whenever I’m involved in a teaching series, I find it helpful to get a sense of the whole shape of the book so I can be clear about its purpose, message to the church and where the bits I will preach fit in.  Our church are just starting a preaching series on Ephesians.  So, I… Continue reading Ephesians in 5 short statements