Posts

Showing posts from October 3, 2026

Featured

Browse at Your Own Pace

Begin wherever your curiosity leads. The studies will be here when you’re ready. When I shared my first Matthew study on Facebook today, I mentioned that I planned to post daily, though I might not share every post on Facebook. As I continue setting up this blog, I’ve realized that what matters most to me is making my past studies available for anyone who wants to explore them. For now, I’ll be adding posts to my heart’s content as I work through those studies. Some days that may mean one post; other days it may mean several. I’ll continue reading through and preparing each one before sharing it. There is no need to keep up with everything as it appears. This blog is becoming a place you can browse at your own pace—begin with a book, a question, or a study that interests you, and follow from there. The Bible Books page gathers studies by book, while Study Threads helps connect topics that travel through more than one book. The labels on individual posts also bring related material to...
Post a Comment
Read more

24. Ten Commandments: Keeping the Father First—Honoring the Son He Sent

Image
God’s Image Study — Inside the Mind — Where the Word Leads As we close this portion of our study, we return to the commandment that began it: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” — Exodus 20:3, ASV The preceding verse identifies the speaker as Jehovah, the God who brought Israel out of bondage. The command concerns allegiance to the one who identifies himself and recounts what he has done. See Exodus 20:2–3 . Throughout these posts, we have considered what it means to put YHWH (יהוה) first. That examination has required attention to names, titles, authority, relationships, and conduct. One important distinction has remained central: being called god, possessing authority, or receiving honor does not by itself establish that someone is the Almighty. We must examine who is being described, what authority they possess, and whether that authority was given to them. This is especially important when considering the Father and Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 8:6, Paul identifies the Father as...
Post a Comment
Read more

23. Ten Commandments: When Hearing Becomes Obedience

Image
God’s Image Study — Inside the Mind — Where the Word Leads Throughout this first-commandment study, we have examined authority, allegiance, and our willingness to receive correction. Now we must bring those questions into our own conduct: When I recognize something in God’s instruction that requires a change, what do I do with it? It is possible to read carefully, discuss at length, and recognize an important point—then continue living as though we had never encountered it. James illustrates this with a mirror. A person looks, walks away, and forgets what was seen. He contrasts that response with someone who continues attending to the law and puts it into practice. The distinction concerns what follows the hearing. See James 1:23–25 . That comparison deserves personal attention. When reading Scripture, am I primarily noticing what someone else needs to change? Or am I allowing what I read to examine me? Perhaps I have recognized that I excuse a favored teacher while judging another har...
Post a Comment
Read more

22. Ten Commandments: The Father Draws, the Son Reveals

Image
God’s Image Study — Inside the Mind — Where the Word Leads In our last post, we considered the difference between believing we need nothing and recognizing our need for God. That raises another question: How do we come to know the Father and the Son? Jesus speaks directly about this relationship. His words identify who sends, who draws, who receives, and who reveals. Each detail deserves our attention. In John 6:44, Jesus says that coming to him depends upon the Father who sent him drawing the person. Then he explains: “Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.” — John 6:45, LSB The Father’s activity is essential to this passage. He sends the Son, draws people to him, and teaches. Hearing and learning from the Father lead toward Jesus. Jesus also identifies his own work: raising the person on the last day. See John 6:44–46 . Coming to the Son does not make the Father’s role disappear. It follows the Father’s activity. Now place Matthew 11:27 beside this. Jesus beg...
Post a Comment
Read more

21. Ten Commandments: Rich and Poor—Recognizing Our Need for God

Image
God’s Image Study — Inside the Mind — Where the Word Leads When Scripture speaks of the rich and the poor, we must pay attention to what kind of wealth or poverty the passage describes. Someone may possess much and still lack what matters before God. Someone else may have very little and possess a richness that outward appearances cannot reveal. Our examination of partiality brings us to this question: Have I recognized my need for God—or have I become convinced that I already possess everything I need? The Greek adjective πλούσιος ( plousios ) means rich or wealthy. It can describe material abundance or, figuratively, abundance in something specified by the passage. πτωχός ( ptōchos ) means poor or destitute and can likewise describe material or figurative poverty. Neither word, by itself, means self-righteous or humble. The surrounding words reveal the condition being described. See the lexical entries for plousios and ptōchos . James gives us a clear example of why that distincti...
Post a Comment
Read more

20. Ten Commandments: Partiality—When the Person Changes the Standard

Image
God’s Image Study — Inside the Mind — Where the Word Leads In our last post, we examined Corban: how a religious practice could be used to excuse withholding help from a father or mother. Something presented as devotion to God became a means of setting aside what God commanded. That brings us to another question worth examining: Does who someone is change whether we hold them accountable to God’s instruction? James gives a concrete example. A wealthy person enters an assembly and receives favorable treatment, while a poor person receives a place of dishonor. Their outward circumstances become the basis for how they are treated. James does not describe this as an innocent preference: “But if you show partiality, you are committing sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.” — James 2:9, LSB His example concerns rich and poor. We should preserve that setting before considering how the same problem might appear elsewhere. Leviticus makes clear that righteous judgment must not favor...
Post a Comment
Read more

19. Ten Commandments: When Human Teaching Takes God’s Place

Image
As we continue the God’s Image study , our examination of the first commandment brings us to the authority we give religious teaching. In the previous post, we considered receiving someone whom God sends. That raises another question: What happens when someone’s teaching leads us away from the command God gave? Jesus addresses a situation where people carefully preserved a tradition while setting aside God’s instruction. Holding One While Leaving Another Jesus says: “Leaving the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” — Mark 7:8, LSB Notice the two actions: leaving and holding . The people addressed were holding firmly to something. Their commitment, however, did not establish that what they preserved was faithful to God. The passage asks us to examine what receives priority when a tradition and God’s command come into conflict. That question belongs within our study of putting God first. A Specific Example: Father and Mother Jesus gives a concrete example involving the...
Post a Comment
Read more

18. Ten Commandments: Receiving the Son, Honoring the Father

Image
As we continue the God’s Image study , I want to consider how we respond to the relationships we have been examining. We have followed the Father’s place as Source, Jesus’ appointment and anointing, and the work accomplished through him. Now another question comes into view: What does honoring the Father require of our response to the Son He sent? Jesus addresses that relationship directly. The Honor the Father Intends In John 5, Jesus explains that the Father has entrusted judgment to the Son. He gives the purpose: “so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father.” — John 5:23, LSB The verse continues by connecting failure to honor the Son with failure to honor the Father who sent him. I want to preserve the strength of that statement. The Father’s place in our study does not give us permission to disregard Jesus. The Father Himself intends the Son to receive honor. The surrounding words also preserve their relationship: the Father gives, the Son receives, and the Father ...
Post a Comment
Read more

17. Ten Commandments: God’s Image—Preserving the Pair and the Progression

Image
As we continue examining the first commandment, I want to return to the foundation of our God’s Image study . We have considered names, titles, anointing, and the Father’s work through the Son. Those comparisons belong beside the image language we have already followed through Genesis. Here, small details carry an important part of the study: one and two, him and them, the joined relationship and those who follow . I want to preserve those distinctions as we continue. Man, Him, Male and Female, Them Genesis describes God creating man in His image, then says: “in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” — Genesis 1:27, LSB The movement remains: man → him → male and female → them In the reading developed throughout this study, I am following the male and the female as the pair. I do not replace that relationship with the general word humanity and then let that summary determine everything that follows. The female belongs within the image statement. The wording ...
Post a Comment
Read more

16. Ten Commandments: The Fullness in Christ—The Father at Work

Image
As we continue the God’s Image study , our examination of Jesus’ anointing brings us to another important word: fullness . Peter describes God anointing Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power. Paul describes the fullness dwelling in Christ. Jesus speaks of the Father abiding in him and doing the works. I want to bring these passages together carefully. How do they help us understand what is present in Jesus while preserving his relationship to the Father? “All the Fullness of Deity” Paul writes: “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells bodily” — Colossians 2:9, LSB Every part of that statement deserves attention. The Greek word translated fullness is plērōma (πλήρωμα) . It can describe fullness, completeness, or that which fills. Here, the surrounding words identify the fullness being discussed: the fullness of Deity . Greek: plērōma . The word translated Deity is theotēs (θεότης) , meaning deity or Godhood. It is a strong expression. We should not reduce it to ordinary goodness, w...
Post a Comment
Read more

15. Ten Commandments: Anointed by God—What Messiah and Christ Mean

Image
As we continue the God’s Image study , I want to pause over a word that appeared repeatedly in our examination of the Son’s honor: anointed . We have followed the statement that God anoints him. Now we need to ask what that means. The titles Messiah and Christ bring this relationship into the very words we use when speaking about Jesus. Who anoints him, with what, and for what purpose? Messiah and Christ The Hebrew word māshîaḥ (מָשִׁיחַ) means anointed one . The Greek Christos (Χριστός) carries that meaning as well. These are the words behind the titles Messiah and Christ . Hebrew: māshîaḥ , Greek: Christos . John makes the connection explicit when Andrew tells Simon that they have found the Messiah, then explains the title as Christ. John 1:41 . When we say Jesus Christ , the title identifies Jesus as the Anointed One. That meaning deserves attention. Anointed One directs us toward an appointment and, with it, toward the One responsible for that appointment. It does not mean Al...
Post a Comment
Read more

14. Ten Commandments: The Promises Before the Fulfillment

Image
As we continue the God’s Image study , I want to follow the words in Hebrews back to the passages being quoted. In our previous post, we examined Jesus’ received honor and the importance of sequence. But the words Hebrews uses were already present in Scripture before Jesus’ earthly ministry. That gives us another question to consider: What did those earlier passages describe, and how does Hebrews bring them forward in speaking about the Son? For this post, we will follow three of those connections: Psalms 2, 45, and 110. Psalm 2: The King Who Receives Psalm 2 begins with opposition to YHWH (יהוה) and His anointed. It then describes God establishing His king on Zion. The king recounts the decree spoken to him: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.” — Psalm 2:7, LSB The following verse describes the nations as an inheritance God will give him. I want to notice the relationship throughout the passage. God establishes the king, addresses him as Son, and promises him an inheritance. T...
Post a Comment
Read more

13. Ten Commandments: The Honor Jesus Received—Following the Sequence

Image
As we continue the God’s Image study , I want to examine more than the titles applied to Jesus. I want to follow how the passages describe his receiving honor and authority . In our earlier post about the Son over the house, we considered his appointed position. Now we will give closer attention to the sequence. What has he accomplished? What does he receive? Who gives it to him? These questions belong within our examination of the first commandment because they help us preserve the relationship between the Father and the Son. “Having Become” Hebrews describes the Son accomplishing cleansing for sins and then sitting at the right hand of the Majesty on high. It continues: “having become so much better than the angels” — Hebrews 1:4, LSB The verse connects this superiority with an inherited name. The words describe a position attained. We should not pass over the movement from accomplishment to enthronement, or the language of becoming and inheriting. At the same time, this statement do...
Post a Comment
Read more

12. Ten Commandments: Mighty and Almighty—Following the Words

Image
As we continue the God’s Image study , our examination of the word God brings us to another distinction: What does it mean to be called mighty, and is that the same as being called Almighty? These words deserve careful attention because they appear in discussions about who Jesus is and how he relates to the Father. Before drawing a conclusion, I want to ask what the words themselves establish. “Mighty God” in Isaiah Isaiah describes a child born, a son given, and government resting on his shoulders. Among the descriptions given is: “Mighty God” — Isaiah 9:6, LSB The Hebrew expression is ʾel gibbôr (אֵל גִּבּוֹר) . We have already considered ʾel , a word used for God or god. Gibbôr describes might or strength and can refer to a mighty person, warrior, or hero. Its use extends beyond descriptions of God. Hebrew: gibbôr . The expression in Isaiah is significant. We should preserve its strength without replacing it with a different title. The passage says “Mighty God.” It does not say “G...
Post a Comment
Read more

11. Ten Commandments: When Something Becomes Our God

Image
As we continue the God’s Image study , I want to remain with the first commandment and examine another part of its meaning. We have already considered the One and the many called gods , the Son over the house , and Moses’ appointed role before Pharaoh . Those comparisons brought us to the importance of context: Who is being described, what role do they hold, and where does their authority come from? Now I want to consider passages where the word god describes something that leads people away from God. These bring the examination into our own lives. What am I allowing to govern my understanding, desires, and decisions? What Does the Word Mean? Among the Hebrew words translated God or god are ʾel (אֵל) and ʾelohim (אֱלֹהִים) . Their uses include the God of Israel and other beings described as gods. Elohim has a plural form, but it frequently refers to the one God of Israel; its form alone does not tell us how many are being described in a particular passage. Hebrew: ʾel , Hebrew: ʾe...
Post a Comment
Read more