James reveals an early, if not the earliest, early Christian (post Jesus) understanding of “new birth” and “spiritual formation.” Notice how James thinks the community is to be formed spiritually: “humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you” (1:21). Notice that James urges that the messianists develop a disposition toward God’s word:…

This week’s Friday is for Friends comes from Matt Edwards, at Believers Fellowship in Gig Harbor. I have a question regarding loyalty and the third way. One of the prominent attributes of YHWH in the Old Testament is His hesed, translated “steadfast love,” “faithfulness,” or “lovingkindness” by various English Bibles. Essentially, the word means something…

“What the congregation needs is not a strategist to help them form another plan for achieving a desired image of life, but a poet who looks beneath even the desperation to recover the mystery of what it means to be made in God’s image.” So pastor-professor and poet M. Craig Barnes, in his new book:…

We are doing a series on NT commentaries, and I have to confess that I forgot about it … so here is the Gospel of Mark. Our goals is to provide for pastors and students and serious Bible students a listing of the top commentaries. There is an abundance, and I’m happy to hear about…

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