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.

July 2, 2012

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Lesson for July 8, 2012: David Embodies God”s Justice (2 Samuel 22:1″“23:7; 1 Chronicles 18:14)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone God holds the leaders of a nation to a high standard. He expects them to model the justice he himself shows. David began life as a shepherd boy, but he was called to sit on the throne of Israel. Today”s text describes his role and the spirit that marked his reign. These references to his rule are significant because of the covenantal character of his kingship. The prophet Nathan had delivered God”s promise to him years

June 25, 2012

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Lesson for July 1, 2012: Samuel Administers Justice (1 Samuel 4″“7)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone Further evidence of God”s desire for justice is found as we move from the patriarchs and judges to the kings. Samuel is a “bridge” figure between the latter two groups. He had a role unique in Hebrew history. He was a prophet (1 Samuel 3:20), but he was also a judge (7:15). It was Samuel who anointed both King Saul (10:1; 15:1), and later King David (16:13) to rule over Israel. He was a strong and

June 22, 2012

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Endless Summer

By Rick Chromey Few seasons, other than Christmas, have more songs dedicated to them than summer. The soundtrack of our youth is loaded with countless odes to those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer in the city. Even when the summertime blues proved cruel, most boys of summer still favored hot fun in the summertime. After all, who doesn”t enjoy a summer breeze to make you feel fine? Perhaps the reason summer captures our imagination and inspires our soul is we”d love for it to be, as the Beach Boys” album suggested, “endless.” Summer reminds us of childhood and a

June 18, 2012

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Lesson for June 24, 2012: Love God; Love People (Deuteronomy 10:1-22; 16:18-20)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone Today”s suggested devotional reading, Micah 6:1-8, presents the same principles taught in our printed text. Both passages show the importance God places on how his people treat others. All of our lessons so far this quarter have been based on sections of “the law,” the first five books of the Old Testament. The book called Deuteronomy literally means “second law.” Moses had given the law to the people at Mount Sinai years before. But because of

June 11, 2012

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Lesson for June 17, 2012: Celebrate Jubilee (Leviticus 25)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone Last week we learned that the Israelites were required to help the poor and the aliens in their midst. The Lord required fair and just treatment for everyone. This week”s lesson explains an additional unique practice God ordained for his children””jubilee. In our time, “jubilee” often suggests a big party or celebration. To the Hebrews, however, it was “a year of emancipation and restoration provided by Hebrew law to be kept by the emancipation of Hebrew

June 4, 2012

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Lesson for June 10, 2012: Live as God’s Just People (Leviticus 19)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone Compassion is a key part of justice. In the Lord”s directions for how the people of Israel should live, justice is clearly an inherent ingredient. This is emphasized in the first five books of the Old Testament, known as “the Law.” An interesting literary device in today”s text is the repetition of the phrases “I am the Lord” and “I am the Lord your God.” In the 37 verses of Leviticus 19, the two expressions occur

May 28, 2012

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Lesson for June 3, 2012: Practice Justice (Exodus 22:1-23:9)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone In the three summer months we will focus attention on an important theme throughout Scripture””justice. The lessons will include highlights from 12 Old Testament books. They make it plain that God is concerned that his people be consistent in practicing his kind of justice in our very wicked world. The book of Exodus does not simply tell about how the children of Israel left Egypt. In addition it contains the laws laid down by God to

May 21, 2012

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Lesson for May 27, 2012: The Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone Some Bible students have pointed out that while John 13 contains a narrative and a dialogue, chapters 14, 15, 16, and 17 each have a central theme. The predominant note in John 14 is conflict. The setting for this week”s lesson text is the night Jesus was betrayed. After instituting the Lord”s Supper in the upper room, Jesus and his disciples (except Judas) set out for the Garden of Gethsemane.   Christ”s Promises John 14:1-4 Do

May 14, 2012

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Lesson for May 20, 2012: The Resurrection and the Life (John 11:1-44)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the “synoptic Gospels.” These three accounts of Jesus” life follow a similar outline and record many of the same events. The Gospel of John, written some years later, supplements our knowledge of Christ”s ministry in a wonderful way. While John recounts many of the same things as the other three, he also includes other significant teachings and events not previously recorded. Today”s lesson is one of them. Near the

May 11, 2012

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The Privilege I Anticipate

By Bryce Jessup I remember telling my dad at the age of 9 I wanted to become a Christian. I recall my older brother saying, “All he wants to do is be able to take Communion.” There was quite a discussion that ensued between my dad and his two sons! After studying for a number of weeks under my dad”s direction, I went forward to commit my life to Christ and be baptized. It was a wonderful time of celebration and hope for the future. I remember my uncle pouring some water into the baptistery from a vial he filled

May 7, 2012

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Lesson for May 13, 2012: The Good Shepherd (John 10:1-18)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone In the Old Testament, God”s relation to the Hebrew people was often compared to that of a shepherd and his sheep (Jeremiah 31:10; Ezekiel 34:31). It is not surprising to find that Jesus used the same illustration (Luke 15:3-6). Today”s lesson is taken again from John”s Gospel. The setting is Jerusalem, well into Christ”s ministry.   The Good Shepherd and the Sheep John 10:7-10 By saying, “I tell you the truth,” Jesus clearly connects what he

May 3, 2012

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Backward, Inward, and Forward

By Bryce Jessup Communion points us in three directions. We look backward, inward, and forward. First Corinthians 11:23-29 was written for troubled people who needed repentance, forgiveness, and acceptance in order to go forward with their lives. The same need exists for us today. The backward look is to Jesus when he said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me” (v. 25). Communion is looking back to the cross and seeing the One who died so that we might live. He hung from the cross not because of

April 30, 2012

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Lesson for May 6, 2012: The Bread of Life (John 6)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone An entire year elapsed between the healing of the lame man (John 5) and the feeding of the 5,000 (John 6). This would be two years after the first cleansing of the temple and one year before the crucifixion. John explains that his Gospel contains only a limited number of the many miracles and teachings of the Lord (John 20:30, 31; 21:25). Seth Wilson observes that the feeding of the 5,000 was a “turning-point in Jesus”

April 28, 2012

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Born into His Family

By Bryce Jessup One of my most memorable Communion times was sitting with my family circled in our campsite at Yosemite National Park. The day before, a number of us had caught our limits of trout. Half Dome was visible, the morning sun was warming us up, and we were rejoicing in our family vacation time on the Lord”s Day. Before we communed, my father invited each of us to share a verse of Scripture or some event wherein we had felt the touch of a loving God. Each of our children shared briefly, as did my wife and I.

April 23, 2012

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Lesson for April 29, 2012: Blind Man Receives Sight (John 9)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone The miracle that we study today took place later in Jesus” earthly ministry, probably four or five months before his final Passover. Once more the scene is Jerusalem. Jesus chose to demonstrate his authority by another miracle of healing. Giving sight to the blind had been prophesied as an example of the Messiah”s work (see Isaiah 35:5; 42:7).   The Healing John 9:1-7 When the disciples encountered a man who had been blind from birth, it

April 16, 2012

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Lesson for April 22, 2012: Samaritan Woman Finds Living Water (John 4:1-42)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone Early in Jesus” ministry he reached out to those ignored or snubbed by others. The Samaritans were such a group. Considered “half-breeds,” these were the children of Jews who had intermarried with pagans. Many from the Northern Kingdom were exiled years before, but some remained in the land. They married Gentiles brought to live there by the conquering Assyrians, and became known as Samaritans. Today”s lesson takes place early in Jesus” ministry in Samaria””the central part

April 13, 2012

Christian Standard

What”s Missing?

By Ron Downs Something seems to be missing in many churches today when it comes to the issue of salvation. There is strong emphasis on believing in Jesus. There also seem to be strong emphases on confessing Jesus and baptism. But it seems there is little or almost no emphasis on repentance. Repentance has been dropped from the church”s vocabulary. John the Baptist came preaching repentance. Jesus preached repentance. Both John and Jesus made repentance the heart of their message. The message on Pentecost was not to accept Jesus and be baptized, nor was it to ask Jesus into your

April 9, 2012

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Lesson for April 15, 2012: Temple Is Cleansed (John 2:13-25)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone John”s Gospel clarifies the length of Jesus” earthly ministry. Because he mentions the various Passovers celebrated by our Lord, we are able to determine that his entire ministry was a little over three years. Christ did what was expected of all Jewish men””he came to Jerusalem each year in observance of Passover (Deuteronomy 16:16). Today”s text describes his first visit there after beginning his earthly ministry. It was true to the spirit of Malachi”s prophecy (3:1-3).

April 7, 2012

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The Host of the Table

By William Baker The original Lord”s Supper took place at a table (Luke 22:21, 30). The host was Jesus. He sent Peter and John ahead of the group to make the necessary arrangements with the owner of the house to eat at his large table of his second-floor room. However, the disciples being led to the house by a man carrying a jar of water on his head, as Jesus predicted (Luke 22:10), reveals that Jesus himself had already set this up ahead of them. After arriving at the room, Jesus functioned as the host. As he reclined around a

April 2, 2012

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Lesson for April 8, 2012: Jesus Lives! (John 20:1-23)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone Good Friday looked anything but “good” to Jesus” disciples that day. Saturday was no better. Sunday began with the same feelings of despair, disappointment, and desperation in the hearts of all his followers. As one of them explained later, “We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:21).   Empty Tomb John 20:1-10 Just after sunrise Sunday morning (Mark 16:2), the women made their way to the tomb where

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