As Deserts Are with Sands

Set in vast realms of space Across an untold time The sprawling story he creates, Sings the song sublime. The music pure made matter hard, The words became the real. What is was built by his mere word, The worlds the words do feel. A garden sprang up from the song, Replete with sacred tree, …

God’s Indwelling Presence: Five Sermons on the Spirit

Were old covenant believers indwelt by the Holy Spirit? What does the Old Testament say about where God took up residence? What does the New Testament say about the issue? If believing members of the old covenant remnant were not indwelt by the Spirit, how did they believe and remain faithful? What about those whom …

The Epic Quest of Your Life

The Journey to the Bible’s World: The Epic Quest of Your Life Sydney Carton went to a far better rest than he had ever known. Jane Eyre heard the voice of her old master. Alexei helped his brother Dmitri escape. Raskolnikov found grace with Sonya. Jean Valjean became a father to Cosette. Bilbo found the …

Winter Bible Conference, Grace Church Tallahassee

Grace Church of Tallahassee, Florida is hosting a Winter Bible Conference January 25–27, 2013. I’ll be speaking on the Holy Spirit. Here are the session topics and times: Friday, January 25, 7pm, The Holy Spirit and Old Covenant Believers Saturday, January 26, 9am, The Promise of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament Saturday, January …

Amen: Credo Interview with Schreiner on Biblical Theology

The first few questions and answers from the Credo Interview with Dr. Thomas R. Schreiner on his new book, The King in His Beauty: There has been something of a “renaissance” in the publication of “whole bible” theologies in recent years. Where does your contribution stand in relation to these other works? First of all …

The Other 2013 Book I’m Most Excited to See

Tom Schreiner’s New Testament Theology was hailed by Simon Gathercole as “a magnificent acheivement.” What shall we say, then, about his new whole Bible theology, bearing the matchless title, The King in His Beauty? I can say that there’s not a saner, clearer, shrewder, godlier scholar I know. No one humbler or happier, no one …

New Post at Christianity.Com: Intended Allegory in the Song of Songs?

Over at Christianity.Com I ask whether there is exegetical evidence that Solomon intended an allegorical layer of meaning in the Song of Songs. Here’s the opening: For a number of years now learned interpreters of Scripture have been telling us that the Song of Songs is (primarily) about human love. I put the word primarily …

Review of Goldsworthy, Christ-Centered Biblical Theology

This review was originally posted at TGC Reviews —- Graeme Goldsworthy, Christ-Centered Biblical Theology: Hermeneutical Foundations and Principles. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2012. 251pp. $20.00, paper. Let me begin by saying what Graeme Goldsworthy’s Christ-Centered Biblical Theology: Hermeneutical Foundations and Principles is not. This book is not a sustained argument that Christ is the center of …

Typology Preserves Biblical Inerrancy Against Ehrman’s Mistake

Bart Ehrman describes why he left the faith in his book Misquoting Jesus (8–9): A turning point came in my second semester . . . . we had to write a final term paper on an interpretive crux of our own choosing. I chose a passage in Mark 2, where Jesus is confronted by the …

The Typology of David’s Rise to Power: Messianic Patterns in the Book of Samuel

What is Typology? How do the biblical authors develop typological connections? Can we read the Bible the way the biblical authors did? These are some of the questions I seek to address in an essay that has just appeared in The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology. Thanks to the generosity of the editor, Steve Wellum …

In Houston October 1–6, 2012

My sweet wife grew up in Houston, and then when I finished my PhD at SBTS in 2003, the Lord opened a door for me to teach at the Houston campus of Southwestern Seminary. I had the privilege of teaching there from 2003–2008. In January of 2004 I was ordained to gospel ministry by Providence …

Congrats to Andy Naselli on From Typology to Doxology

My good friend Andy Naselli recently completed his second Phd. The first one was done at Bob Jones in Theology and resulted in an important book entitled Let Go and Let God? A Survey and Analysis of Keswick Theology. The second one was done at Trinity under D. A. Carson, and it has now been …

I. H. Marshall Reviews G. K. Beale

It’s not often that a scholar of the stature of I. Howard Marshall reviews a book by a scholar of the stature of G. K. Beale. Both are men of massive influence, standing, piety, and scholarship. Both Marshall and Beale have written a New Testament Theology, and Marshall’s review of Beale’s is in Themelios 37.2, …

A Biblical Theology of Motherhood

The editor of the Journal of Discipleship and Family Ministry, Timothy Paul Jones, has generously granted me permission to post my essay from the most recent issue (table of contents). Here’s a taste of “A Biblical Theology of Motherhood“: What is a biblical theology of motherhood? A biblical theology of anything seeks to describe both …

Congrats to Gentry and Wellum on Kingdom through Covenant

I am delighted that the UPS man just dropped this book at our house. Heartiest congratulations to Peter J. Gentry and Stephen J. Wellum on their book, Kingdom through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants. I’m thrilled to see this in print, and I’m excited about the discussion of this book and my own …

Some Thoughts on Preaching the Minor Prophets

How should we approach preaching the Minor Prophets? Should we move through the text chronologically, thematically, book by book, several books per sermon? A friend of mine posed these questions to me, and I thought I’d put my replies here in case they might help others as well. The Chronological approach would be difficult to …

The Big Story of the Bible in Three Minutes

Nice piece of biblical theology here: Trevin Wax describes it like this: At the SBC yesterday, we presented a video on The Gospel Project that summarizes the biblical storyline in 3 minutes using famous art. I don’t use the description “must-see” very often, but this is one of those rare occasions when I think you should …

In Parker, Colorado This Weekend: The Fulfillment of the OT in Revelation

If you’re in the Denver area, I’d love to see you tomorrow and Sunday. Lord willing, I’ll be teaching from 9am to 5pm at Faith Baptist Church in Parker, Colorado on Saturday, June 9, 2012 on the Fulfillment of the OT in Revelation. Then on Sunday I’ll be preaching from Revelation 5. Would love to …