What Bible Should I Own (Dan Wallace)

I disagree with some of his specific recommendations, particularly his endorsement of The Message, but otherwise Dan Wallace gives good thoughts on Bible translations here:

So, what’s the best Bible to get? There’s no simple answer to this question. I will instead offer three or four categories of Bibles that every English-speaking Christian should own.

via Parchment and Pen » What Bible Should I Own (Dan Wallace).

All About Hell

The 9Marks eJournal this month is all about hell.

Wisdom so often in life prescribes moderation. It’s wise to eat with moderation, to speak with moderation, to feel with moderation, some would even say to believe with moderation.

But there’s absolutely nothing moderate about the doctrine of hell. It’s extreme in every way. It’s an extreme idea for the mind. It’s an extreme confrontation for the heart. And it blows against all the rules of social etiquette.

via eJournal : Hell: Remembering the Awful Reality | 9Marks.

OT Saints: Indwelt by the Spirit?

…there are three reasons why we can affirm the Spirit’s indwelling of OT saints: regeneration, sanctification, and empowerment.

via OT Saints: Indwelt by the Spirit?.

I was actually just thinking about this the other night, while reading through Ezekiel 2-3. I’d heard the argument before that Old Testament saints were NOT indwelt by the Spirit ever, that that Spirit merely “came upon” them.

The text, however, shows otherwise:

Ezekiel 2:2

2 And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. (ESV)

Ezekiel 3:24

24 But the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and he spoke with me and said to me, “Go, shut yourself within your house. (ESV)

Unpacking Forgiveness

Chris Brauns has written a new book on forgiveness:

While I include more detail in the book, the Biblical argument for conditional forgiveness is straight-forward.

• Christians are called to forgive others as God forgave them (Matthew, 6:12, Ephesians 4:32).

• God forgives conditionally. God only forgives those who repent of their sins and turn in saving faith to Him (1 John 1:9, John 3:36).

• Likewise, we also should offer forgiveness to all.

• We forgive those who repent. Indeed, we are obliged to forgive (Luke 17:3-4), knowing that whatever someone has done to offend us pales in comparison to what we have done to offend God (Matthew 18:32-33). (See what others say on conditional forgiveness here).

via Unpacking Forgiveness – Reformation21.

Randy Alcorn: Building a Biblical Worldview

Now, if I’m immersed in God’s Word and biblically based literature, then and only then am I able to discern from the newspaper and Time and Hemingway and movies what values are being communicated and whether or not those values are true. Scripture becomes my grid, my moral filter by which I judge all other claims to truth. I can now pick and choose what is right based on my knowledge of God’s Word.

But If I do not spend sufficient time in Scripture, or if I fail to realize the essential authoritative difference of Scripture and all else, or if I interpret Scripture in light of Seinfeld or Hemingway or Gladiator, then I will be led astray. If I am biblically grounded I can read the Book of Mormon and a book by the Dalai Lama and evaluate it appropriately. If I’m not, by reading such things I run the risk of believing untruths and being sucked into anti-Christian heresy.

via Eternal Perspectives (Randy Alcorn’s blog): Building a Biblical Worldview.

DeYoung, Restless, and Reformed: Social Justice and the Poor (2)

Kevin DeYoung continues his series on social just and the Bible:

My contention, and I am willing to prove myself wrong as I work through several other texts, is that social justice in the Bible is not an achieved result but equal treatment and a fair process. No bribes. No backroom deals. No slanderous judgments. No breaking your promises. No taking advantage of the weak. That’s what the Bible means by social justice. Ideally, justice is blind. That’s why Lady Justice on our courthouses has her eyes covered. That’s why the U.S. Supreme Court building has inscribed on it the words “Equal Justice Under Law.” Justice means there is one law for everyone, not different rules for different kinds of people.

via DeYoung, Restless, and Reformed: Social Justice and the Poor (2).