What to Expect From This Blog

I believe very strongly that God has put on my heart a desire to teach His word. I feel sometimes like Jeremiah must have felt when he proclaims in Jer 20:9 "His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back." Of course, Jeremiah was put in the stocks for preaching the word in his day... so I suppose the comparison ends there. Nevertheless, I believe God has called me to always be "toiling" in his word. This blog is a chance to give out what His Spirit has given me in my studies. May you be blessed by it. My prayer for you is that the God of the universe shatters your life for His glory!

A quick note about the title of the blog, "The Berean Call." In Acts 17:10-15, the Bereans (people from the city of Berea) were praised for their desire to study the word of God. Acts 17:11 states, "These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with readiness, and searched the scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." Imagine how their lives were changed as the Holy Spirit began to open their eyes to Jesus in the word of God! Are you ready to be changed in that same way? Then let us be Bereans and study the word of God with open and soft hearts.

The goal of this blog is to begin a verse by verse study of God's Word, beginning at the beginning. There will be thematic studies of each chapter, followed by a verse by verse commentary. The hope is that it will supplement your studies of the word of God. The goal is that you will interact with the posts as well, providing questions, comments, personal stories, etc. If you disagree, please say so. If you do it in an edifying way, then we are both challenged as we "spar" using the Word of God in its proper context to come to proper theological conclusions. If you are not edifying, unfortunately you have not learned much from the book you are arguing out of... and your post will be deleted. So lets challenge each other in love!

My desire is for the Lord to speak to us and not to simply regurgitate what some commentary says about each verse. There is a positive and negative to this. I will start with the negative. For thousands of years, brilliant and Godly men and women have been studying the bible and coming up with brilliant things to say about it. When they publish their findings, their work passes through the fire of public and academic opinion. The idea is that bad theories are refuted and "burned" up, while good theories with strong biblical backing stand. Therefore, a good commentary has a way of "legitimizing" thoughts about the word. And because there is "Nothing new under the sun", what we all come up with in our studies has most likely been covered before. So, if I come up with something that NO ONE has ever come up with before, most likely it is some hair-brained idea that will never stand in the "fire." So, that being said, commentaries have a way of forming the rubric for our theological thoughts. I have used many and I understand their value. But now for the positives for not using them in this blog. Many students of the word, including myself, have used commentaries as a substitute for their own time spent in communion with the Holy Spirit. I have said in the past, "I am going to spend time with Jesus", when I only spent time with Calvin, Edersheim, Keller, etc. Those are great men, but no substitute for our Lord. Therefore, what comes out of this study will be out of the intimacy of a man desiring to listen to the voice of the Spirit. I will use commentaries... sparingly. But you might ask, "How will ideas presented in this blog pass through any "fire" of collective thought?" This is where you come in. Be a Berean! If I am off, tell me. Perhaps I will debate with you... or perhaps I will agree. If I cannot defend it, then it should not be here for people to read.

Below I will list some theological platforms I stand on. If you disagree with these, see the above paragraphs and stay with me. I am not looking for people just like me. But you must understand there are primary doctrines and secondary doctrines when it comes to Christianity. The word of God has given me every right to be dogmatic about primary doctrines. If you do not believe one of these primary doctrines, such as, for instance, the deity of Christ, I will say to you right now there is a major flaw in your theology which will affect everything about your life and in many cases your salvation. Secondary doctrines are different. Though you or I may have strong biblical backing for a certain doctrine, such as the pre-tribulational rapture of the church, you and I can disagree and still live Spirit-Filled lives. I welcome debate over differences in both primary and secondary doctrines.

Theological Platforms: (These are some of the basic ones. Certainly there are many more)

The triune God - Personal, Uncreated, Omniscient, Omnipresent, all loving, all providing
God the Father - 1st person of the trinity, see line above.
Jesus - The son of God, 2nd person of the trinity, came to earth to live as a man, lived a perfect life, died a sacrificial death for the world through which the world may receive salvation through faith.
Holy Spirit - 3rd person of the trinity, a "helper" to the Christian, convicts of sin and righteousness both to the Christian and the non-Christian.
Man - Created to walk in fellowship with God, fallen, sinful by nature, needs Jesus.
The bible - Holy Spirit inspired, inerrant in the original manuscripts, literal except where poetic expression is used, historical. The entirety of God's written word and the basis for all theological thought.
Salvation - Offered to all by God through faith in Christ alone.
Resurrection of Christ - Real, historical, bodily.
2nd Coming of Christ - Real, future, bodily.
The Church - The body of believers who have been united together through faith in Christ. Christ is the head.
The Rapture - Pre-tribulational, Imminent



Andrew Murray - "A great many Christians delight to read about the Spirit-led life, but that is not enough. It now becomes a matter of the will. I must "buy" it. At what price? Give up all!