Have you ever noticed that the Gospel accounts of our Lord’s resurrection differ from one another?  Some claim that these differences are contradictory and disprove the resurrection altogether. Nothing is more dangerous for the Christian than rejecting the resurrection. Paul says it best:

“If there is no resurrection of the dead, then neither has Christ been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then empty (too) is our preaching; empty, too, your faith. Then we are also false witnesses to God, because we testified against God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all.” [1 Cor 15:13-19]

We believe that God raised Christ from the dead through the power of the Holy Spirit [Rom 8:11]. The same Holy Spirit who raised Christ from the dead also inspired the Gospel accounts of His Resurrection. Fortunately, for those who believe, the differences in the Gospel accounts help prove the reality of Christ’s resurrection. In this class, we will examine all four Resurrection accounts found in the Gospels in order to understand the historical events recorded in each of them, and then we will synthesize a harmony of the Gospels to gain a full, biblically grounded, understanding of the Resurrection. Through careful exegetical work, we will be able to confidently exclaim “He has Risen!”

Click here to download the Resurrection Class Slides

In Christ, Marty

I get asked questions about Free Will, Total Depravity, Election, the Church, etc. alot.  Referencing the Westminster Confession, here are some slides that address these issues with my comments and Scripture citations.

Click here to download the slides

Take care, in Christ, Marty

Deuteronomy Syllabus and Class Materials

We will finish working our way through the Torah ("Pentateuch") with Deuteronomy, the fifth and last book in the Law of Moses. “The name Deuteronomy comes from a mistranslation by the Septuagint translators of a clause in Deut 17:18, which refers to a ‘repetition of this law.’ The Hebrew actually instructs the king to make ‘a copy of this law.’ The error on which the English title rests, however, is not serious, for Deuteronomy is in fact a repetition of the law of Moses as delivered at Mount Sinai (Horeb) in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. It is also the literary bridge connecting the first two major segments of the canon in the Hebrew Bible: the Torah and the Former Prophets (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings—sometimes called the Deuteronomic History).” [WBC, Deuteronomy] Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy more than any other book of the Hebrew Bible, so it is vital for Christians to have a firm understanding of the book and the covenant within.

I recognize that many people have difficulty understanding the context and application of the many Old Testament Laws, let alone the entire book of Deuteronomy. However, through the Law, we can observe God Himself and His Son Jesus Christ, the only One to ever keep the Law in its entirety. So, although this course will be challenging, it should be well worth it! At this series, I hope that you will have a better understanding not only of "what would Jesus do?" but also "why Jesus would do it."The format of the series will be interactive. To prepare for each class, I will post biblical readings and public news articles for class discussion through my website: www.biblicaltheology.us. Like previous classes, we will discuss the readings using the Socratic Method.

Although the context of Deuteronomy operates in Theocratic Israel (which has not existed since the 70 AD), the book still has tremendous relevance to us in this present day and age. Using both Old and New Testament sources, we will attempt to answer the question: “What kind of worship does the true God desire?”

Class #1 – The Conditional Covenant If you do good, good things will happen. If you do bad, bad things will happen. That is the essential essence of the Sinai Covenant – everyone gets what they deserve. That doesn’t sound like very good news. However, it is an essential element of the much larger Gospel message. Before diving too deeply into Deuteronomy, we will examine its overall covenant structure and try to understand why God used this inferior covenant to bring redemption through the new covenant in Jesus Christ.
 
Click here to download the slides for Deuteronomy Class #1

Class #2 – Being Clean A major Old Testament concept is the issue of cleanliness. People may defile themselves all sorts of ways and become unclean, causing their temporary or even permanent expulsion from the assembly of Israel. This generally misunderstood concept is highly important to understanding the work of Christ and the continuing redemption of the children of God. In this class, we will examine the life of Jesus as it relates to the cleanliness laws found in Deuteronomy and Leviticus to understand their relevance to the Christian life.

Click here to download the slides for Deuteronomy Class #2

Class #3 – An Eye for an Eye Deuteronomy 19:21 reintroduces the idea of Retributive Justice in the famously quoted “an eye for an eye…” [see also Exodus 21:24 and Leviticus 24:17-22] First, we will study the context and application of this commandment (and its pagan parallels) in the Ancient Near East. Then, we will examine its application and misapplication in the Old Testament. Finally, we will look at Jesus’ analysis of this commandment in Matt 5:38-39. If there is time, then we will discuss the relevance of the commandment in the world today.

Click here to download the slides for Deuteronomy Class #3

Class #4 – Slaves and Slavery: Most people that read the various biblical passages concerning slaves and slavery fall into the trap of either rejecting these passages as old and antiquated or worse, the entire Bible itself. Whether we like it or not, slavery is rich biblical theme found from Genesis all the way to Revelation. In this class, we will cover the institution of Israelite slavery which God instituted at Sinai. By understanding the Law concerning slaves and slavery, one will acquire a deeper appreciation for the work of Christ and the Church.

Click here to download the slides for Deuteronomy Class #4

Class #5 – Questions and Review or TBD

Numbers Syllabus and Class Materials

I recognize that many people have difficulty understanding the context and application of the many Old Testament Laws, let alone the entire book of Deuteronomy. However, through the Law, we can observe God Himself and His Son Jesus Christ, the only One to ever keep the Law in its entirety. So, although this course will be challenging, it should be well worth it! At this series, I hope that you will have a better understanding not only of "what would Jesus do?" but also "why Jesus would do it."The format of the series will be interactive. To prepare for each class, I will post biblical readings and public news articles for class discussion through my website: www.biblicaltheology.us. Like previous classes, we will discuss the readings using the Socratic Method.

Although the context of Numbers operates in Theocratic Israel (which has not existed since the 70 AD), the book still has tremendous relevance to us in this present day and age. Using both Old and New Testament sources, we will attempt to answer the question: “What kind of worship does the true God desire?”

Class #1 – The Bible and Racism  The God of the Bible despises racism, espcially amongst the priesthood of believers, whether Jew or Gentile.  Mistakenly, Christians often think this is a New Testament concept, but it is not.  To understand this, we will exegete a theology of racism in Numbers 12 and 13.

Click here to download the slides for Numbers Class #1

Class #2 – The Good News  The verse immediately preceding the often quoted John 3:16 is "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life."  This class gives us an opportunity to understand how the Gospel has always been the center of God's Holy Community.

Click here to download the slides for Numbers Class #2

Class #3 – Balaam and Balak   How can someone who knows the God of the Bible and demonstrates spiritual gifts turn his backon God and His holy community?  Balaam announces blessings towards Israel through the power of the Holy Spirit, yet he curses himself by allyng with the King of Moab and ultimately ends up damned [2 Pet 2:15].  In short, Balaam introduces the thelogical problem of Judas, but unlike Judas, it appears that Balaam has certain gifts of the Holy Spirit.  In this class, we will tackl this difficult theological problem. 

Click here to download the slides for Numbers Class #3

Class #4 – Questions and Review or TBD

Take care! In Christ, Marty

Leviticus Syllabus and Class Materials 

This class continues our work our way through the Torah ("Pentateuch"). I recognize that many people have difficulty understanding the context and application of the many Old Testament Laws, let alone the entire books of Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. However, through the Law, we can observe God Himself and His Son Jesus Christ, the only One to ever keep the Law in its entirety. So, although this course will be challenging, it should be well worth it! From this class, I hope that you will have a better understanding not only of "what would Jesus do?" but also "why Jesus would do it." 

Although the context of Leviticus operates in Theocratic Israel (which has not existed since the 70 AD), the book still has tremendous relevance to us in this present day and age. Using both Old and New Testament sources, we will attempt to answer the question: “What kind of worship does the true God desire?” The format of the series will be interactive. To prepare for each class, I will post biblical readings for class discussion through my website: www.biblicaltheology.us. Like in previous classes, we will discuss the readings using the Socratic Method.

Class #1 - The Golden Calf  Having come from Egypt, the land of slavery, Israel had some perverse ideas on both who God was and how to worship Him.. For example, the Golden Calf Incident in Exodus 32 demonstrated that Israel considered God (YHWH) to be some sort of a bull-like deity. Consequently, Israel fell into the same “worship pattern” of pagan Egypt, worshipping God through pagan sacrifices, singing, dancing, and false praise.

Click here to download the slides for Leviticus Class #1

Class #2 - A Kingdom of Priests  Because of the Golden Calf episode and Egypt’s pagan influence on Israel, God created barriers between the Israelites and pagan idolatry by regulating worship [Lev 1-10], sanitation [Lev 12-15], sexual relationships [Lev 18, 20], sacrifices [Lev 20], holidays [Lev 23], and even diet [Lev 11]! God did this to keep Israel holy, meaning set apart and consecrated to God Himself. Thus, Israel existed in a unique Theocracy with God Himself as King who governed and regulated Theocratic Israel. This begs the question: “In our complex, pluralistic society, how should we Christians live with our non-Christian neighbors?” To answer this question as well as understand the fulfillment of various Levitical laws, we will examine the Jesus’ encounter with the woman with a discharge [Mat 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34, and Luke 8:43-48].

Click here to download the slides for Leviticus Class #2

Class #3 - Be Holy The end of the 10 Commandments is Holiness. “For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy” [Lev 11:45]. Arguably, Holiness is God’s preeminent characteristic. In this class, we will develop a basic theology of holiness to better understand the Holy One of Israel.

Click here to download the slides for Leviticus Class #3

Class #4 – Questions and Review or TBD

Class,

I meant to post this after our last Genesis class, since it helps set up the reason for Israel's slavery in Egypt.  However, I figure better late than never.  I understand that my point of view that Joseph is fallen like the rest of us is probably not popular, but from the exegetical evidence I believe I am on solid ground. 

Click here to download the essay in PDF form

Merry Christmas!  In Christ, Marty

Question:

Is the reason why God hardened Pharaoh's heart to find out who the people were who would follow him in his sin?

I think your question raises two issues which I need to address separately:
 
Response #1

No. Egypt was not afflicted because of Pharaoh; Rather, Egypt was afflicted because of Egypt. God raised up Pharaoh as a punishment against Egypt. All Egypt (including the Hebrews) were guilty of idolatry in worshipping Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt. For this, God raises up Pharaoh as a judgment against Egypt (and the Hebrews) in order to bring all to repentance. So, the initial state of the narrative is that no one is following God, even the murderer Moses. The remnants of God’s holy community are the Hebrew midwives, Moses’ mother, and his Moses’ sister (Miriam). However, God works mightily to free His people Israel from the bondages of sin. After the 4th plague, Israel becomes reconstituted within the Hebrew people but soon other races join as well. God plays no favorites. Consequently, everyone got what they deserved in this narrative both in this life and the next. God didn’t cause anyone to sin, rather he afflicted people for the sins they had already committed. Some repented, both Hebrew and Egyptian, but most did not (as it is today).

Response #2

No. In Exodus, we read that Pharaoh would not repent but hardened his heart towards God and increased the persecution of the Hebrew people throughout the first 5 plagues (active sin). Beginning with the 6th plague, we read that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (passive judgment). In essence, the logic works like this: God punishes people justly, meaning that Pharaoh hardened his heart (active sin) so what he deserved was to have his heart hardened (passive judgment). In essence, the symmetry of the 10 plagues is that for every time Pharaoh hardens his heart in the first 5 plagues, God hardens it in the last 5 plagues. So, this raises the question: What does it mean to harden your heart? I meant to ask this question but ran out of time. What it means is to be unrepentant and to reject the Holy Spirit [see 1 Sam 6:4, Mark 3:29, Acts 7:51, Heb 3:15] which is the unforgivable sin. Unfortunately, we all do it, meaning that we know the truth of God and we know what is right, but we refuse to repent in our hearts and accept His Holy Spirit in every aspect of our lives. However, God is patient as we work our salvation in fear and trembling [Phil 2:12]. However, we should always remember this: What is the punishment for rejecting God? We are ourselves rejected! So, if today we hear His voice, let us not harden our hearts as Pharaoh and his servants did [Heb 4:7].