Lee Harmon's Blog, page 42

John 9:32: Nobody Can Cure the Blind!

Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.



//This is an odd verse. John, writing in the tenth decade of the first century, should be well aware that such a claim was made of others besides Jesus. Eighteenth century philosopher David Hume reminds us that “One of the best attested miracles in all profane history, is that which Tacitus reports of Vespasian, who cured a blind man in Alexandria, by means of his spittle” (precisely the way Jesus h...

John 3:5: Born out of Water and Spirit

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdomof God.

//Christians generally understand what it means to be born again of the Spirit, but what does it mean in today’s verse to be born of water? You might guess it refers to baptism, but you would be wrong.

One must remember that in those days, babies were born at home, not hidden away in a hospital. Everyone witnessed a baby’s birth, everyone could see the mother...

2 Corinthians 13:10, The Severe Letter

Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction .

//In verse 2:1 of this letter, Paul describes a visit to Corinth that is not mentioned in the book of Acts. The visit appears to be a disaster; opposition in Corinth has come to a head.

Many scholars think that the second letter to the Corinthians is actually two letters. They surmise that two letters have been combin...

Book review: Worshiping with Charles Darwin

by Robert D. Cornwall

★★★★

I’m a fan of Robert Cornwall’s writing. It’s hard to overrate brevity, common sense, and simple honesty. Last year, one of his books made my Top Ten for 2012: See Faith in the Public Square.

In this book, Cornwall tackles the sticky subject of evolution. He writes as a theologian, not a scientist, but as one who recognizes his limited expertise and therefore respects and appreciates the contribution of scientists. Cornwall believes evolution is true not only because ou...

1 Corinthians 14:11, The Barbarians

Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me.

//It’s fun sometimes to trace back the origin of words. Take this word “barbarian.” It means a savage, or uncivilized person, right?

In Paul’s time, Greeks did indeed look down their noses at non-Greeks (well, except for Romans, who were at the top of the pecking order.) In fact, the world seemed to them divided into two categories: Greeks and non-G...

Galations 5:11-12, I Wish the Knife Would Slip!

And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased. I would they were even cut off which trouble you.

//I grew up reading the King James Version of the Bible. It’s a poetic translation, but it seems to be careful here and there to shield its readers from crassness. In today’s verse, Paul is complaining about others who taught that circumcision of non-Jews was necessary, and he says he wishes such people would be “cut off” fro...

Book review: Christian History Made Easy

by Timothy Paul Jones, PhD

★★★★

This beautiful full-color book highlights the major personalities in Christian development over the last 2,000 years … from A.D. 64 to 2009.

It’s a short book, so I confess I felt a little frustrated at the lack of depth. The book takes on a little too big a topic for 188 pages of text, and religion is a topic where oversimplifying by bouncing along the surface can distort as much as elucidate. Therefore, to get the full benefit of the book, treat it like an instr...

Revelation 21:2, The Parousia, part III of III

And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

//Wrapping up this discussion of the parousia, let’s now turn to the final book of the Bible: Revelation.

In the Revelation story, the parousia occurs just before Christ begins his 1,000 year reign on earth. In other words, if we are to be “with the Lord forever” from that moment on, new life will at least begin on earth, not up in the sky.

So what are we doing up in t...

Psalm 24:7, The Parousia, part II of III

Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

//Yesterday, I explained that in Paul’s understanding, the parousia didn’t mean flying up to heaven forever. It meant meeting and greeting Jesus in the air, welcoming him down to earth.

Paul, when he speaks of meeting Jesus in the air, is using the language and metaphors of a royal visit. Backing up one verse from yesterday’s topic, we read this:

For the Lord himself shall descend from h...

1 Thessalonians 4:17, The Parousia, part I of III

After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

//As I enter this discussion, I want to be clear that I am not preaching a particular set of beliefs. I am merely explaining what the Bible writers were saying as they wrote. But I don’t always know what to make of what the Bible really says, so what you do with this information, how or whether it changes your beliefs, is up to...