The Working Wisdom of James
Ancient wisdom literature tends to be provocative and probative. It wants you to think differently about everything, even the most fundamental aspects of our lives.
Category: Exegesis
Reading James: The Challenge
“I’m really struggling to preach about Jesus from the book of James.” A Sunday School teacher at our church recently approached me about the topic. The class is enjoying the book, and so is the teacher, but it’s become apparent that it’s hard to “get to Jesus” through typical exegetical methods. “I feel like every week I preach Christ the same way: ‘James commands us to do this or that, I consistently fail to do this or that, and so Jesus forgives me for this or that.’ Am I missing something?”
When to Use Your Language Knowledge, Part 2: Only if it’s Absolutely Necessary (and it probably isn’t)
Even if you can utilize your knowledge of Greek or Hebrew syntax and vocabulary, there’s probably a better way to prove your point, and you should take that route instead.
The Best Translation to use for (Public) Exegesis
It might not be your favorite translation; it might not be the one you memorized as a kid, or the one that represents your hermeneutical and theological ideal, but you need to regard it as yours. Why? Because it’s the one your church uses.
Just Not Good Business
I recently had the opportunity to contribute to Tabletalk Magazine for their issue on “The Parables of Jesus.” Most of Jesus’ parables are relatively lengthy and complex, but I was given the two shortest,...
How do I do good exegesis if I don’t know Hebrew or Greek? (Part 1)
Let’s say that you want to do some serious exegetical work on a passage of Scripture–perhaps you need to write an exegetical paper, or you’re running this week’s Bible Study, or counseling a client...
All Prayer is Corporate Prayer
Prayer is always a kind of gathering, even when it is private. All prayer is corporate prayer, for in it we inevitably include our family, our neighbors, our church, Christ’s kingdom.
The Seven Letters in Revelation are Sermons on the Rest of the Book
(Note: you can find a simplified version of this article here). Imagine you are tasked with preaching the entirety of Revelation to your congregation in a single sermon. The whole book. One sermon. Majoring...
When to use the original languages. Part 1: Only if you know them!
So you think that the person you’re talking to (or preaching at) needs to fully appreciate what the Greek or Hebrew really says? I recently tweeted out the following conditions that must be true before...
Witsius: We not only pray TO God, but FOR Him
The first petition of the Lord’s pray calls upon God to “hallow” his own name, which is remarkable for at least three reasons. Witsius argues that this is remarkable for three reasons: It is...