I wrote this article with two purposes in mind: (1) to understand 1 Samuel 25 and (2) to make a hermeneutical demonstration of the appropriate use of cultural backgrounds.
Author: L. Jared Garcia
L. Jared Garcia (Ph.D., New Testament) is a global worker with Reaching & Teaching International Ministries (RTIM). He serves as an associate pastor at Pines City Baptist Church and academic director of Pines City Baptist School of Theology in Baguio City, Philippines. Previously, he served as an elder at Emmanuel Bible Church in Mauldin, SC and pastoral resident at Hinson Baptist Church in Portland, OR under Michael Lawrence. Jared loves reading theology, playing basketball, drinking coffee with his wife, Laurie, and playing with their son, Carson. He blogs at www.leejaredgarcia.com.
I Sing the Mighty Power of God—Additional Stanza
Yesterday, I preached on Psalm 147 (Psalms Series). As I was thinking about a good hymn of response to this psalm, "I Sing the Mighty Power of God" by Isaac Watts came to mind. But I just felt that it was missing some key elements to it. Plus, the hymn has only 3 stanzas. So,… Continue reading I Sing the Mighty Power of God—Additional Stanza
Why Pray Lament Psalms?
Over the last three months, I have been preaching through a short series on selected psalms. Three of the psalms in the sermons series were laments. Consider the following. “O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of my soul, ‘There is no salvation for him in God.’… Continue reading Why Pray Lament Psalms?
The Message of Acts
As I read the Book of Acts, four key components stand out: the agency of the Spirit, the proclamation of the kingdom, the means of the Word and prayer, and the movement of gospel advancement. Photo by Daciana Cristina Visan on Pexels.com 1. The Holy Spirit is the agent of gospel advancement. All through Acts,… Continue reading The Message of Acts
God’s Glory Is Displayed Most Visibly through Healthy Churches
In Ephesians 1, all the spiritual blessings God the Father gave his people—choosing us in Christ, adoption, redemption through Christ’s blood, forgiveness, inheritance, sealing of the Holy Spirit, etc. (Eph 1:3–14)—were all for the praise of God’s glory (Eph 1:6, 12, 14). God is saving his people for his glory. In this great redemptive work, God saves people dead in their sins only by his grace through faith (2:1–9) to display his grace in Christ (2:7). God gathers all the redeemed and unites them together as one body in Christ—Jews and Gentiles together—to make up the church (2:11–22).
Partipants, Not Spectators
There are two kinds of people who enter a sports arena. There are the fans. With pompoms and face paint, they are excited and ready to be entertained. Then there are the players. They are not there to be entertained, but to compete. If you're not a sports fan, this dichotomy also works in the arts. There are theater-goers, and then, there are the actors and the production team. In both worlds, there are spectators, and there are participants.
Elders and Deacons
The New Testament considers only two offices for the church: elders/pastors and deacons (cf. 1 Tim 3:1-17). Different terms, however, may be used to refer to the same office.
“What Is the Gospel?” by Greg Gilbert — a Book Review
Since the gospel creates the church, a biblical understanding of the gospel is significant in the life of the church. The opposite is also true: a wrong understanding of the gospel is detrimental and could lead to the death of local churches. Thus, Greg Gilbert’s What Is the Gospel? provides a significant contribution as he clarifies and defends the biblical gospel and the centrality of the cross.
Greg Gilbert Trilogy Is Now Available in Taglish
Bakit nga ba maaasahan ang Bible? Malinaw itong sinasagot ni Greg Gilbert. Hindi niya iniiwasan ang mga mahihirap na tanong kagaya ng: bakit maraming iba’t ibang translations? Bakit apat lang na Gospels ang kasama sa Bible? Ang mga sagot niya ay nagbibigay ng confidence na ang Bible ay talaga ngang Salita ng Diyos. Si Cristo talaga ay bumangon mula sa kamatayan. Kung may pagdududa ka, basahin mo ito. Kung ikaw naman ay isang Cristiano na, ang librong ito ay magpapalakas sa iyong kumpyansa sa Bible para lalo mo pang pag-aralan at sundin ang sinasabi nito para sa kaluwalhatian ng Diyos.
“Three in One: Analogies for the Trinity” by William David Spencer – A Book Review
Spencer argues for the legitimacy of the use of imagery in teaching the Trinity. For Spencer, such complex doctrine requires natural illustration to help us understand the Triune Godhead. Spencer’s research is thorough, and the structure of his argument is well-presented. I began reading this monograph as a critic who denied any value for using images to teach the Trinity. While I remain unconvinced by Spencer’s arguments, reading Spencer made me realize one way the use of imagery in teaching the Trinity may be helpful, but it may not be in the same way intended by Spencer. Before presenting this one way that imagery could be helpful, here are three arguments against the legitimacy of the use of imagery to teach the Trinity: What then is the help of these illustrations of the Trinity? One thing that this monograph helped me realize as Spencer kept citing his students’ responses is that these illustrations could be a pedagogical tool to negatively demonstrate what the Trinity is not. In other words, since these illustrations all come short of the entire concept of the Trinity, they are helpful in so far as the teacher demonstrates how the Trinity is unlike any of these images. Once the point of distinction is made, the understanding of the biblical teaching of the Trinity becomes apparent. In this negative way—and only in this way—images and illustrations are helpful in the teaching of the Trinity.
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