Theology & Bible

Theology & Bible helps Christians understand Scripture and the core teachings of the Christian faith. Explore Bible-based articles on biblical interpretation, doctrine, salvation, the Holy Spirit, baptism, communion, creation, and key themes across the Old and New Testaments. You’ll find thoughtful guidance for studying the Bible faithfully, applying God’s Word to life and ministry, and growing in theological clarity rooted in the gospel. Whether you’re a church leader, teacher, student, or everyday disciple, this hub equips you to know God through Scripture and live with conviction and hope.

December 30, 2013

Christian Standard

Lesson for January 5, 2014: Honoring the Sabbath (Luke 6:1-11)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone Questions about fasting arose early in Christ”s ministry (see Luke 5:33-35). It seems as though the disciples of John the Baptist joined the Pharisees in asking Jesus questions about fasting. Mark suggests that the questions were asked on one of the fasting days observed by both the disciples of John and the Pharisees (see Mark 2:18). Luke records five criticisms in a row from the Pharisees with two of them claiming a violation of the Sabbath.

December 23, 2013

Christian Standard

The Color of Christmas

By Daniel Schantz “[White] is not a mere absence of color; it is a shining and affirmative thing, as fierce as red, as definite as black. . . . God paints in many colors; but He never paints so gorgeously . . . as when he paints in white.” “”G.K. Chesterton, from his essay “A Piece of Chalk,” 1905   Although the traditional colors of Christmas are red and green, no color expresses the spiritual essence of Christmas quite like the color white.   Grace “Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7). Snow is the perfect

December 23, 2013

Christian Standard

Lesson for December 29, 2013: Jesus Is Presented in the Temple (Luke 2:21-40)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone This month”s lessons have followed the theme, “God Sends Jesus,” based on Luke”s Gospel. We have seen how God called various individuals to have part in these events. In today”s study Simeon and Anna touch the life of Jesus when he is just a baby. Their hopes were realized in the birth of the Messiah, just as ours are.   Obedient Parents Luke 2:21, 22 Joseph and Mary took Jesus to Jerusalem to present him to

December 19, 2013

Christian Standard

Incarnation

By Tom Lawson Stephen and Ian stood together talking, while they braved the crisp breeze of a cold December in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. They had decided to go to a popular local café for lunch. But the people standing outside told them what was confirmed by the hostess at the door, “It will be about 20 to 30 minutes, if you want to wait.” They did. In the eight months between college and graduate school, my son Stephen decided to live and worship with a group of Christians in a depressed section of Lexington. From various denominations, the members of

December 16, 2013

Shawn McMullen

The Father Was There

By Shawn McMullen We see Jesus Christ as the focal point of the final week, the main character in the drama of redemption. From the triumphal entry to the resurrection, our eyes are fixed on him. We picture him during his last days on earth cleansing the temple, teaching the masses, and warning hypocrites. We follow him as he observes the Passover, prays in the garden, and suffers a friend”s betrayal. Our hearts ache over his abandonment, arrest, trial, and crucifixion. Following Christ in his final week helps us appreciate the scope of his sacrifice and the depth of his

December 16, 2013

Christian Standard

Lesson for December 22, 2013: Jesus Is Born (Luke 2:1-20)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone Of the four Gospel writers, Luke is the one who gives the historical details and setting of Jesus” birth. With careful research and guided by the Holy Spirit”s inspiration, he records the wonderful news of Christ”s birth and how those who first heard about it were called to rejoice. No doubt Luke interviewed Mary, Jesus” mother, in preparing to write it (Luke 1:3; 2:19). The Baby”s Birth Luke 2:1-7 Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. The Romans were

December 14, 2013

Christian Standard

God Enfleshed

By Miriam Y. Perkins Incarnation is not a word we often use in church settings. It has the intimidating look of a complicated theological term that causes more confusion than clarification. Yet the incarnation sums up three of the most important aspects of Christian faith: the nature of God”s love, the shape of salvation, and the spirit of Christian ministry. The incarnation inspires wonder and delight in knowing and worshipping God, who is beyond all we know and understand and yet is as fully present to us in the person of Jesus as we are one to another. I invite

December 13, 2013

Christian Standard

Like Us, With Us

What are we to think of ourselves, to make of ourselves, because God became a man in Jesus? How does Jesus help us understand and define our own humanity?   By Jon Weatherly What is a human? The story is told of two medieval philosophers discussing that question. One said, “A human is a featherless, two-legged creature.” The second excused himself, then returned an hour later with a plucked chicken. We need a better definition. Or perhaps we humans are better off describing our experience rather than formulating a definition. So what is our experience? We are like and unlike other

December 9, 2013

Christian Standard

Lesson for December 15, 2013: Zechariah Prophesies About His Son John (Luke 1:57-80)

By Sam E. Stone It had been 400 years since the last of the Old Testament prophets appeared on the scene in Israel. The angel Gabriel”s announcement””first to Zechariah, then to Mary””broke Heaven”s silence. When Zechariah was told that he and his elderly wife, Elizabeth, would be the parents of a son (John), the old priest was incredulous. Because he asked the angel for a sign, he was unable to speak from that moment on. On the other hand, when Mary learned that she would be the mother of the Messiah, she humbly submitted herself to be the Lord”s slave.

December 2, 2013

Christian Standard

Lesson for December 8, 2013: Mary Sings Her Praise (Luke 1:46-56)

By Sam E. Stone When Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel, she learned that God had selected her to be the mother of his Son. After receiving this message she traveled to see her relative Elizabeth who lived many miles away from Nazareth, down in Judea. Elizabeth had also received a message from the Lord. Although she was childless and of advanced age, God promised to answer her prayer for a son (Luke 1:5-25). The son of Elizabeth and Zechariah would be called John the Baptist, sent by God to prepare the way for the Messiah. Last week”s lesson

November 25, 2013

Christian Standard

Lesson for December 1, 2013: The Angel Foretells Jesus” Birth (Luke 1:26-45)

By Sam E. Stone For the next two months our lessons are taken from Luke”s Gospel, presenting “Jesus and the Just Reign of God.” Luke is the longest of the four Gospels and, in fact, is the longest book in the New Testament. Angels are shown throughout to be special messengers from God. Early in chapter one, Luke records the visit of the angel Gabriel when he brought hope to a priest, Zechariah (Luke 1:8-23). He and his wife, Elizabeth, had no children and they were “both well along in years.” The angel told him his wife would bear a

November 18, 2013

Christian Standard

Lesson for November 24, 2013: Beginning of the Tabernacle (Exodus 35″“40)

By Sam E. Stone In the account of the building of the tabernacle, one refrain stands out above everything else: “Moses did everything just as the Lord commanded him“ (see Exodus 40:16, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 32). Wilbur Fields calls these eight verses “An overview of obedience! A chronicle of compliance!” James E. Smith put it this way: “The Tabernacle is rooted in divine revelation. The Israelites merely implemented the directives of God. Eighteen times in the last two chapters the narrator emphasizes the complete compliance to the commandments of God . . . God”s commands are meant

November 11, 2013

Christian Standard

Lesson for November 17, 2013: Beginning of Freedom (Exodus 13:17-22; 14)

By Sam E. Stone Last week we reviewed the institution of the Passover meal when the Israelites prepared to leave their bondage in Egypt. With the death of every firstborn Egyptian, Pharaoh relented and gave permission for God”s people to leave. As they did, the presence of God went before them, visible in a pillar of cloud and of fire (Exodus 13:21). God told them to take a most unlikely route. He directed them toward the Red Sea rather than going northward on the Via Maris through the land of the Philistines (13:18). Their circuitous route made Pharaoh conclude that

November 4, 2013

Christian Standard

Lesson for November 10, 2013: Beginning of Passover (Exodus 6:2-30; 12)

By Sam E. Stone “The deliverance of Israel from the bondage of Egypt was at hand; also their adoption as the nation of Jehovah,” writes C. F. Keil. “But for this a divine consecration was necessary, that their outward severance from the land of Egypt might be accompanied by an inward severance from everything of an Egyptian or heathen nature. This consecration was to be imparted by the Passover””a festival which was to lay the foundation for Israel”s birth into the new life of grace and fellowship with God, and to renew it perpetually in time to come.” God gave

November 1, 2013

Christian Standard

What on Earth?

By Neal Windham Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:22-24). Even believers sometimes struggle with the fact that an instrument of execution is the dominant symbol of the Christian faith.1 So it should come as no surprise that many ancient Jews and Greeks found the cross unacceptable. Generally speaking, the religious quest is, after all, about life, not death. It is

October 28, 2013

Christian Standard

Lesson for November 3, 2013: God Prepares for Deliverance (Exodus 1″“4)

By Sam E. Stone In our study of Genesis we saw God appear to Abraham (Genesis 15), reaffirming his promise to make of him a great nation. But God indicated that Abraham”s descendants would have to remain in Egypt for 400 years (v. 13). While the Israelites were enslaved there, a baby boy was born. His mother hid him in a basket (a papyrus boat) and placed it in the Nile River, hoping his life would be spared. Pharaoh”s daughter found him and drew him out of the water, giving him the name Moses. Moses saw that, while he had

October 21, 2013

Christian Standard

Lesson for October 27, 2013: The Blessing Passes to Jacob (Genesis 27, 28; 32:22-30; 35:9-15)

By Sam E. Stone Last week”s lesson concluded with Isaac becoming extremely prosperous (Genesis 26:13). He and his family moved south toward Beersheba, where his father Abraham had lived. Genesis 27 describes how Jacob tricked his father into giving him the special blessing that normally would have gone to his elder brother, Esau (27:1-40). When Esau learned of Jacob”s deception he cried, “Isn”t he rightly named Jacob? He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthright, and now he”s taken my blessing!” (v. 36). Esau planned to kill him after his father died. When his mother, Rebekah, learned

October 14, 2013

Christian Standard

Lesson for October 20, 2013: A Blessing for Ishmael and Isaac (Genesis 15″“17; 21:9-21; 26:1-25)

By Sam E. Stone Abraham is described in Scripture as an example of faith, and he certainly is (see Hebrews 11:8). But even “the father of the faithful” had his shortcomings. At one point in his life, he and Sarah seemed to doubt that God would fulfill his promise to give them a child. Sarah suggested they take things into their own hands. She urged Abraham to sleep with her handmaid, Hagar. He did and fathered a child””Ishmael. Their attempt to run ahead of God led to tragic results, the effects of which are still obvious in the world today.

October 7, 2013

Christian Standard

Lesson for October 13, 2013: A Promise to Sarah (Genesis 17:15-17; 18:9-15; 21:1-7)

By Sam E. Stone When God originally called Abram (as he was then known) to leave his home in Ur of the Chaldeans, he summarized the blessings that would follow (Genesis 12:1-3). Abram was 75 years old at the time. He and his family went to Canaan and from there to Egypt to secure food during a famine. He and his nephew Lot separated upon their return to the promised land. Once more God reaffirmed his covenant with Abram (Genesis 15:1-5). Sarai, Abram”s wife, still had borne no children. She encouraged her husband to marry her Egyptian maidservant, Hagar (16:1-4).

September 30, 2013

Christian Standard

Lesson for October 6, 2013: The Promise of a Future (Genesis 12:1-7; 13; 15; 17:8)

By Sam E. Stone For the past four weeks we have noted highlights from the opening chapters of Genesis, considering the creation, the fall, the flood, and the Tower of Babel. Today our focus centers on Abraham as we see God”s plan for man”s redemption begin to unfold. His initial call from God came while he was still in Mesopotamia (Genesis 12:1-3; see Acts 7:2). After moving to Canaan he and his family then had a sojourn in Egypt, and later separated from Lot. In Genesis 15 Abram (as he was then known) asked God if his servant Eliezer would

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