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 2, 2013

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

September 23, 2013

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Lesson for September 29, 2013: God Scatters the Nations (Genesis 11:1-9)

By Sam E. Stone After Noah and his family came out of the ark, they sought to follow God”s directions (Genesis 8, 9). Chapter 10 is sometimes called “The Table of Nations,” listing where the families of Noah”s sons settled after the flood. The chapter concludes, “These are the clans of Noah”s sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations” (10:32).   The Setting Genesis 11:1, 2 Noah”s descendants were evidently nomadic people. They moved south and east to the land of Shinar. At some point, they determined to build a city in the region around the area

September 16, 2013

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Lesson for September 22, 2013: An Everlasting Covenant (Genesis 6:9″“9:28)

By Sam E. Stone God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden. Everything was perfect. All too quickly, however, the first humans sinned (Genesis 3). Soon their son Cain sinned too (Genesis 4). The next chapter of Genesis records the genealogy from Adam to Noah. Chapter 5 concludes, “After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth” (v. 32). Genesis 6-8 describes the construction of the ark, the gathering of the animals along with his family, and the flood itself. After the waters finally receded (more than a year

September 9, 2013

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Lesson for September 15, 2013: Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 3)

By Sam E. Stone What a difference a day makes! When last week”s text concluded, everything was good in the Garden of Eden. God had evaluated all of his creation and pronounced it “very good.” The one remaining need was to create a suitable companion for Adam. God gave him Eve. All was well. It was not long, however, till things changed. Genesis 3 introduces a new character into the account””the serpent. “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made.” Although the serpent is not identified by name as Satan or

September 6, 2013

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Their Witness, and Ours

By David Ray   If only trees could talk . . . Outside the walls of Jerusalem, across the Kidron Valley and near the foot of a rising hillside, was a garden called Gethsemane. It held a grove of olive trees, perhaps privately owned and set off from public space, but graciously made available to Jesus and his disciples whenever needed. A place of quiet retreat, it was far enough away to escape the hectic press of the city, but still close enough to see the temple clearly. By day, the garden was a cooler place, with shade found under

September 2, 2013

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Lesson for September 8, 2013: God”s Image””Male and Female (Genesis 1, 2; 5:1, 2)

By Sam E. Stone “First Things” is the theme that ties this quarter”s lessons together, using excerpts from both Genesis and Exodus. We will see not only the first days of creation, but also how God formed his people Israel as the first nation, and then how their first freedom came about. Moses wrote Genesis. Inspired by God, he recorded things that only the Creator could know. Because of this, Scripture gives the only definitive account of creation. Each day is described in Genesis 1. Today”s text provides more details about what happened on the sixth day, when the Lord

August 30, 2013

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Communion . . . and Grace

By David Timms Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Perhaps nothing hurts as much as betrayal. A wife discovers a string of e-mails and realizes her husband has been intimate with another woman. Or a man receives a note from his wife saying she and one of his longtime friends plan to start a life together. Or someone at work gives the boss information that was shared in confidence. Betrayal cuts deeply for all of us, and no less so for Jesus. That last night with his disciples, Judas sat close to Jesus. The plot was in place,

August 26, 2013

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Lesson for September 1, 2013: God Creates (Psalm 104)

By Sam E. Stone During the next two months we will study highlights from the book of Genesis. Today”s lesson provides a helpful introduction to the creation account (Genesis 1). It leads the reader to praise God for his unimaginable greatness and goodness, shown when he made the world. The psalm has been described as “a poetical commentary upon the first chapter of Genesis.” It ranks with Job 38, 39, Psalm 8, 19, 29, and Habakkuk 3. This beautiful hymn praises God for the wonders of creation. The content parallels the creation account in Genesis 1. Some Bible students see

August 23, 2013

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Communion . . . and Humility

By David Timms Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Remember summer camp or church camp? Those late nights raiding other tents or dorms? Those camp meals that looked increasingly familiar as the week went on? The mosquitoes, bugs, and sunburn that made for some uncomfortable moments? But most of all . . . cleanup duties at the end. Remember the scramble not to be assigned the shower and toilet block? Remember the hair, the soap residue, and the scum? It was nasty, and nobody in their right mind would volunteer for that job. We were made for a

August 19, 2013

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Lesson for August 25, 2013: Sabbath Reforms (Nehemiah 13:4-31)

By Sam E. Stone The conclusion of the book of Nehemiah emphasizes how reform happens. James E. Smith observes, “Once again the reading of Scripture had driven home to the Jews the obligation to be holy unto Yahweh. The prohibition here enjoined (Nehemiah 13:1-3) was not absolute. It was religious, not ethnic. Those who embraced in faith the God of Israel, like Ruth the Moabitess, could find a very different reception in Israel.” Nehemiah 13 describes a time somewhat removed from the first chapters. Nehemiah has now returned to Jerusalem from his homeland (v. 6-9). While some feel he had

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