I am not going to consider all sixteen “proverbs” nor all three “sermons” in James. His “proverbs,” even long ones that stretch the definition of a proverb, are best understood through meditation, not exegesis. I will therefore leave most of the text alone and invite you to meditate upon it. But given that this was …
Continue reading Poverty, Wealth, Temptation, Life, and Death (James 1:9-16
In this series of essays on Hebrews we have completed our comments on the first two major sections (“Jesus is Superior to Angels,” ch.1-2, and “The Inheritance and The Rebellion,” ch. 3-6) and are ready to turn our attention to the third major section, “The Priesthood, the Temple, and the Covenant” (ch. 7-10). The third …
The world has lost its bearings. Not that ideologies are lacking, to give directions: only that they lead nowhere. People are going round in circles in the cage of their planet, because they have forgotten that they can look up to the sky and Because all we want is to live, it has become impossible …
And so we come to my final big salvation word: Repentance. In case you haven’t figured it out, this little collection of essays are a Lenten meditation. It might seem odd to choose the word “repentance” on this day after Easter. “Shouldn’t you be talking about victory, or new life, or bunnies?” you ask. Ah, …
Why is there a “second Law” (the meaning of the word “Deuteronomy”) in the Old Testament? The people of Israel have been desert nomads for 40 years. That is more than a generation of people, so only the old people remember the mighty acts of God: the plagues, the escape from Egypt, the terror of …
What is the glory and majesty of God? One of my favorite pictures of that glory is in Ps 93:1. “The Lord is king, he is robed in majesty.” Majesty is also a fearsome concept. Consider Job, for instance, “Will not his majesty terrify you, and the dread of him fall upon you?” Or Ex. …
So what is the relationship between divine grace and human effort? Let's start by imagining me as the quarterback of the Washington Redskins instead of Robert Griffin III … or not. It doesn't matter how much strength training, how much coaching, and how many years of practice I had, I could never be a NFL …
Bonhoeffer (in the previous post) was certainly passionate about costly grace. But isn't that at odds with the idea of “salvation by faith alone” (a phrase many folk assume the Apostle Paul said)? Three points on that: (1) Paul never said it; it's actually a post-Reformation era formula in response to Erasmus and is a …
Dietrich Bonhoeffer begins The Cost of Discipleship with a rant. Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church. We are fighting to-day for costly grace. Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheapjacks' wares. The sacraments, the forgiveness of sin, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut prices. Grace …
Life is hard. By this I don't mean to say it's full of drudgery (although it can be) or that it is beyond our means to cope (although it can be). “Hard,” in the opening sentence ought not carry a negative connotation. Basketball, when played seriously, is hard. It requires a great deal of sweat …
Just Another Jim 