Mathew B. Sims's Blog, page 3
April 17, 2014
Review: Bart Ehrman’s How Jesus Became God
Bart D. Ehrman. How God Became Jesus.
HarperOne, 2014. 416 pages. Hardcover. Kindle.
Dr. Bart Ehrman is a New Testament scholar and a professing agnostic. His books are used in New Testament courses at secular universities across the country, and several of his popular-level books have become New York Times bestsellers. Needless to say, Ehrman is one of the most prominent and influential
HarperOne, 2014. 416 pages. Hardcover. Kindle.
Dr. Bart Ehrman is a New Testament scholar and a professing agnostic. His books are used in New Testament courses at secular universities across the country, and several of his popular-level books have become New York Times bestsellers. Needless to say, Ehrman is one of the most prominent and influential
April 15, 2014
The Resurrection Seed #ResurrectionSeries14
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus
April 13, 2014
A Steaming Pile of Lies
I was meditating on this parable after reading Jared C. Wilson’s The Storytelling God (which I recently reviewed), and something struck me. That’s one of the things I love about the parables. Every time I read them, they feel fresh.
The prodigal son demands his inheritance before his father is even dead. He goes out into a far country and spends everything. Jesus says, “So he went and hired
The prodigal son demands his inheritance before his father is even dead. He goes out into a far country and spends everything. Jesus says, “So he went and hired
April 12, 2014
Review: Jared C. Wilson’s The Storytelling God
Jared C. Wilson. The Storytelling God.
Crossway, 2014. 192 pages. Paperback. Kindle.
The Storytelling God approaches the parables through Jesus and kingdom spectacles. “The rightful king has landed, and he is leading an insurrection against the pretenders to his throne” (17) and “The glory of Christ is to be had in the parables, provided the parables are had at all” (21). These loci help
Crossway, 2014. 192 pages. Paperback. Kindle.
The Storytelling God approaches the parables through Jesus and kingdom spectacles. “The rightful king has landed, and he is leading an insurrection against the pretenders to his throne” (17) and “The glory of Christ is to be had in the parables, provided the parables are had at all” (21). These loci help
April 10, 2014
Review: JinHyok Kim’s The Spirit of God and the Christian Life
JinHyok Kim. The Spirit of God and the Christian Life. Fortress Press, 2014. 329 pages. Kindle. Paperback.
There are few theologians more verbose than Karl Barth. This truth makes it even more amazing that Barth wrote few direct words on the work of the Holy Spirit. This could have been because he did not get to complete his epic Church Dogmatics. It may have been because of his Biblical
There are few theologians more verbose than Karl Barth. This truth makes it even more amazing that Barth wrote few direct words on the work of the Holy Spirit. This could have been because he did not get to complete his epic Church Dogmatics. It may have been because of his Biblical
Review: HyokJin Kim’s The Spirit of God and the Christian Life
HyokJin Kim. The Spirit of God and the Christian Life. Fortress Press, 2014. 329 pages. Kindle. Paperback.
There are few theologians more verbose than Karl Barth. This truth makes it even more amazing that Barth wrote few direct words on the work of the Holy Spirit. This could have been because he did not get to complete his epic Church Dogmatics. It may have been because of his Biblical
There are few theologians more verbose than Karl Barth. This truth makes it even more amazing that Barth wrote few direct words on the work of the Holy Spirit. This could have been because he did not get to complete his epic Church Dogmatics. It may have been because of his Biblical
April 8, 2014
“but if it dies. . . ” #ResurrectionSeries14
Long ago, in a holy land, the Son of God lifted His eyes and asked a dead man to walk out of his rank tomb. The dead man obliged (Jn. 11).
Many believed in Him that day.
Others ratted Him out.
His days seemed to shorten after that.
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his
Many believed in Him that day.
Others ratted Him out.
His days seemed to shorten after that.
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his
April 6, 2014
Preaching Crucifixion or Cross?
Each year around this time, as we march with anticipation toward the glory and grandeur of Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, there is a tendency to overemphasize the process of crucifixion in our zeal to say to others, “Behold the love of God for you! See what Jesus did for you!”
Now don’t get me wrong: we need to know what crucifixion is in order to understand how Jesus died. He wasn’t
Now don’t get me wrong: we need to know what crucifixion is in order to understand how Jesus died. He wasn’t
April 3, 2014
Review: Mike Reeve’s Delighting in the Trinity
Mike Reeves. Delighting in the Trinity. IVP Academic, 2012. 135. Paperback. Kindle.
Right off the bat I’m going to tell you that you need to buy this book. It’s the kind that you’ll read over and over again. It’s the kind that could be considered a classic. What stood out to me as I read Delighting in the Trinity is the way Reeves took something that could be considered complicated, and made
Right off the bat I’m going to tell you that you need to buy this book. It’s the kind that you’ll read over and over again. It’s the kind that could be considered a classic. What stood out to me as I read Delighting in the Trinity is the way Reeves took something that could be considered complicated, and made
April 1, 2014
The Hands, Feet, and Fish of the Gospel #ResurrectionSeries14
There are no rules for these things. You hear the story over and over through the years and it seems so. . . obvious--that it had to happen exactly this way. But you know, there are no rules for these things.
Jesus rises from the dead and miraculously appears to the eleven (absent Thomas) in Luke 24. It’s a familiar account. But with that familiarity, we slip through the story, sliding by
Jesus rises from the dead and miraculously appears to the eleven (absent Thomas) in Luke 24. It’s a familiar account. But with that familiarity, we slip through the story, sliding by
