Opening the Scriptures Then their eyes were opened and they recognized [Jesus], and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” ~ Luke 24.31-32 NIV 1 Peter, Standing of God's People # 2 Suffering: Remember This First David Anguish As we read 1 Peter, it is evident that Peter wanted to prepare his readers to endure suffering, especially the suffering of persecution (1 Pet...
10 days ago • 7 min read
The Coming One … and His Mission David Anguish Following Jesus’ sermon at Nazareth, which, in Luke, “is programmatic for … understanding … the mission of Jesus” (Luke 4.16–30) (Green 1995, 76), the author recounts a series of episodes that showcase Jesus’ teaching, healings, exorcisms, nature miracles, calling of disciples, socializing with outsiders, Sabbath works, and responses to criticism (4.31—6.11). He then reports Jesus’ selection of the twelve apostles and the core principles of his...
17 days ago • 5 min read
Opening the Scriptures Then their eyes were opened and they recognized [Jesus], and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” ~ Luke 24.31-32 NIV 1 Peter, Standing of God's People # 1 Confident in a Sure Salvation David Anguish πάσχω (paschō, to suffer) — 12 times: 1 Peter 2.19–21, 23; 3.14, 17–18; 4.1, 15, 19; 5.10 πάθημα (pathēma, suffering) — 4 times: 1 Peter 1.11;...
24 days ago • 7 min read
Mad Enough to Kill David Anguish Just what did he say to make them so angry? The beginning was uneventful. He stood, found his text, and read one of Scripture’s great promise passages. When the Lord’s anointed arrives, the poor will hear the good news and the brokenhearted will be healed. Captives will be released, the blind will see, and the oppressed will be liberated. At first, his words were well received. So, too, was his bold claim that followed: that he was the one fulfilling the great...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Opening the Scriptures Then their eyes were opened and they recognized [Jesus], and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” ~ Luke 24.31-32 NIV 1 Peter, Introduction # 6 1 Peter's Message and Relevance David Anguish These are people [Peter’s readers] whose commitment to the lordship of Jesus Christ have led to transformed attitudes and behaviors that place them on the...
about 1 month ago • 7 min read
The Kingdom in Context David Anguish In seeking to understand the New Testament, it is essential to keep in mind that neither the documents nor the story they tell arose from a vacuum (see The Bible’s One Story). Ideas that are brought to fulfillment in the New Testament originate and are defined in terms of their use in the Old Testament and Judaism. Everett Ferguson elaborated on this point relative to the references to the kingdom in the Gospels: In the ministry of Jesus as described in...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Opening the Scriptures Then their eyes were opened and they recognized [Jesus], and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” ~ Luke 24.31-32 NIV 1 Peter, Introduction # 5 1 Peter's Readers and Their Circumstances David Anguish Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ: To those chosen, living as exiles dispersed abroad in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen...
about 2 months ago • 7 min read
The Bible's One Story David Anguish "Why study the Old Testament? This question has echoed down through the centuries of church history” (Hill and Walton 2009, 11). Most believers affirm that, at some level, the church needs to study the OT. We’ve read the reasons identified in Romans 15.4 (“instruction”) and 1 Corinthians 10.11 (“warnings” [NIV]). We know the OT’s importance for providing the details needed to understand references to names and events in some NT passages (e.g., Jude 5–11)....
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Opening the Scriptures Then their eyes were opened and they recognized [Jesus], and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” ~ Luke 24.31-32 NIV 1 Peter, Introduction # 4 1 Peter: Author, Date, and Point of Origin David Anguish Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ: To those chosen, living as exiles dispersed abroad in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen...
2 months ago • 7 min read