Americans revere the Bible—but, by and large, don’t read it. And because they don’t read it, they have become a nation of biblical illiterates. This lack of Bible-reading explains why Americans know so little about the Bible that is the basis of the faith of most of them. For example, eight in ten Americans say they are Christians, but only four in ten know that Jesus, according to the Bible, deli [...]

Hermeneutics is often defined as the science and art of interpreting what people write (mostly) and speak. R.C. Sproul writes: “The purpose of hermeneutics is to establish guidelines and rules for interpretation. It is a well-developed science that can become technical and complex. Any written document is subject to misinterpretation and thus we have developed rules to safeguard us from such misun [...]

Futurists just can’t bring themselves to believe what Jesus actually said and meant about His “this generation” coming, that it was “about to” take place, before all those who first heard His words died (Matthew 16:27-28). Jesus told His apostles that they would not finish going through the cities before He came (10:23). The use of “about to” in Matthew 16:27 coincides with 10:23, 23:36, and 24:34 [...]

Gary interviews his long-time friend, Dan Riedel, who painted the artwork for the cover of the new book, The Objective Proof for Christianity. [T]he process of knowledge is a growth into the truth. For this reason we have spoken of the Christian theistic method as the method of implication into the truth of God. It is reasoning in a spiral fashion rather than in a linear fashion. Accordingly, we h [...]

How do we determine how documents like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution should be interpreted? Let’s check with those who were there when they were written and the circumstances for their construction. Such a methodology comes to mind with a book I read as a child, We Were There at the Driving of the Golden Spike (1960).Eyewitness accounts are the starting point (e.g., Luke 1:1 [...]

One of the arguments against the preterist (past) interpretation of the Olivet Discourse and the use of the second person plural “you” is an appeal to Matthew 23:35: “And so upon you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.” The claim is made that Jesus’ use of “ [...]

Every Christmas, there is the inevitable talk about a “war on Christmas.” Not all opposition comes from secularists, atheists, and Muslims (see here and here). Some Christians believe the Bible does not set aside the birth of Jesus as a special calendar day to honor His birth because such a celebration violates the “regulative principle of worship.” Acknowledging the birth of Jesus is biblical. Ch [...]

What Bible verses did the bishops who constructed the Nicene Creed use for “and [He] will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead”? All creeds should confess what Scripture says. To borrow from N.T. Wright, used in a different context, Christian theology should not try to “make theological bricks without the biblical straw.”[1] The language and the meaning of a text should come from [...]

This is a continuation of this article from last week. It is an excerpt from American Vision’s new book, The Greatest and the Least: A Biblical Theology of John the Baptist, by Eric Rauch and Zach Davis. Signs and Visions There were also several other visions given during this time. The first is when Mary and Joseph bring the baby Jesus to the temple to “offer a sacrifice according to the law” (Lu [...]

The following is an excerpt from American Vision’s new book, The Greatest and the Least: A Biblical Theology of John the Baptist, by Eric Rauch and Zach Davis: In the New Testament, we find the familiar stories of the miraculous births of John the Baptist and Jesus. Luke gives the most information (Luke 1–2) and Matthew adds a bit more to our understanding of the historical events (Matthew 1 [...]

Gary and Kim Burgess conclude their discussion of 1 Corinthians 15. Paul still fully expected to be alive in his earthly body at the parousia of Christ as based on the direct warrant of Christ Himself in texts like Matthew 10:23, 16:27-28, and 24:34. This is precisely why Paul deliberately used “we” language in both 1 Thessalonians 4 and 1 Corinthians 15. For this we say to you by the word of the [...]

Thomas Ice and H. Wayne House (just two among many) maintain false divisions regarding the law. They want to make a radical distinction between the “law of God” and the “law of Christ” as if two law systems are operating in the Bible. Currently, God has made a new covenant with his people—the church—and we live under the “law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).[1] Indeed, there is a “new covenant” with si [...]

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:27–28) There is a translation issue in Hebrews 9:28. The Greek word “time” is not used. Literally, it’s “out of the second” (ἐκ δευτέρου). [...]

Gary continues speaking with Kim Burgess about 1 Corinthians 15 and the timing and nature of the resurrection. This eschatology debate is not going to have any hope of getting anywhere if we simply argue back and forth among ourselves over a series of isolated proof texts. The solution to this deep and complicated debate is not simply going to be a matter of comparing this verse with that verse in [...]

Gary continues going through 1 Corinthians 15 with Kim Burgess. In this episode, they discuss death as being the final enemy. In Acts 24:14-15, Paul says this: “But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets; having a hope in God, which these men [...]

Gary continues his discussion with Kim Burgess on 1 Corinthians 15. One cannot say that it was all done at the cross or that it was all done at the ascension, or all done at Pentecost, and that is it, and then we move on. No, it was not. The covenantal consummation of this accomplishment of redemption was still being expected by the saints, post-AD 30, as they all were looking to the events that w [...]

Gary begins a series of podcasts on 1 Corinthians 15 with Kim Burgess. The New Covenant order could not and would not be fully in place, established and ready to go, unless and until the prior Old Covenant order was fully removed, historically and visibly. This means that, vastly important as all these events surely were, it took more than the cross, the resurrection, the ascension of Christ, and [...]

P. Andrew Sandlin posted the following on Facebook: “Greg Bahnsen’s name has been invoked in the defense of the hyper-preterist heresy.” He doesn’t say who. For those of you who do not know, Greg Bahnsen was a professor at Reformed Theological Seminary in the 1970s when I was a student there. He taught apologetics, ethics, and a course on eschatology. His article “The Prima Facie Acceptability of [...]

Someone on Facebook wrote, “Why a Literal Historical-Grammatical Interpretation of Scripture Matters. When it comes to understanding the Bible, a literal historical-grammatical approach—taking the text at its plain meaning within its historical and literary context—is crucial.” I agree. I find it ironic that many who advocate the LGH model are selective in how it’s applied. The following is from d [...]

Much of the confusion and questioning of today about eschatology arises from the fact that the Church did not make a distinction between passages related to (1) the “this generation” AD 70 coming of Jesus (Matt. 24:30; 26:64) and what is described (2) as a yet future second physical coming of Jesus. (See my “Slam Dunk” article). The Nicene Creed states, “And He shall come again with glory to judge [...]