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.

March 26, 2012

Christian Standard

Lesson for April 1, 2012: Jesus Testifies to the Truth (John 18, 19)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone Instead of continuing chronologically through the Gospel of John, this week we will consider events leading up to the cross. Then on Easter Sunday, we will study the resurrection. Jesus actually underwent not one trial, but three. Two high priests were involved in the trials (Luke 3:2). The three Synoptic Gospels explain what happened in those trials (Matthew 26:57-68; Mark 14:53-65; Luke 22:66-71). Jesus was taken first to the house of Annas (John 18:13), then to

March 24, 2012

Christian Standard

Unwelcome at the Table

By William Baker   The original Supper of the Lord took place at a table (Luke 22:21, 30). Devoted disciples ate with Jesus at this Passover meal. One, however, left before the meal was over. Judas ate the wine-soaked bread Jesus offered him but immediately left to do his dirty deed of informing on Jesus to the temple authorities (John 13:26-30). His pact to help them capture Jesus out of the public eye would be honored that night (Luke 22:1-6). In a few hours, Judas would lead the guard to Jesus and betray him with a kiss of death. Jesus

March 19, 2012

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Lesson for March 25, 2012: Nicodemus Learns of New Birth (John 3:1-25; Numbers 21:4-9)

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 his Gospel, John introduces the reader to a Pharisee named Nicodemus. He is mentioned only in John”s Gospel””but here he is seen on three occasions (3:1-10; 7:50-52; l9:39). The Pharisees tried to strictly observe the Law of Moses. Jesus referred to him as “Israel”s teacher” (3:10), suggesting the respect in which he was held by the people. In addition, he was a member of the Sanhedrin, the select group of priests, elders, and scribes

March 17, 2012

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The Family Reunion

By William Baker The original Supper of the Lord took place at a table (Luke 22:21, 30). It was a Passover meal. It was Jesus” last supper with his devoted disciples. In a matter of hours he would be arrested, beaten, and crucified. He treasured these last moments with them because they offered a foretaste of the greatest family festival reunion of all time. They would be back together again like this””at another table, at another time. Next time, gathered around the table would not just be this handful of solemn believers. Next time, every tribe, tongue, and nation would

March 16, 2012

Christian Standard

The Table

By William Baker The original Supper of the Lord took place at a table (Luke 22:21, 30; John 13:28; 1 Corinthians 10:21). Friends gathered together in a large second-story banquet room to share a meal. But they did more than eat; they talked and sang and celebrated. This was a Passover meal, a festival meal reliving God”s rescue of the Jewish people from slavery and infant genocide. They ate greens and bitter herbs dipped in a spicy sauce, along with flat, unleavened bread. They drank wine, sharing sips out of at least three passed cups. They ate meat, one of

March 12, 2012

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Lesson for March 18, 2012: Water Turned to Wine (John 2:1-12)

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 studied the introduction to the fourth Gospel, the Prologue. John told next how Jesus began his ministry by being baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River (John 1:19-34). Then he began choosing his disciples. Andrew and Peter were the first to follow Jesus (vv. 35-42). Next he called Philip and Nathanael (vv. 43-51). Today”s text immediately follows these events.   Hope for a Miracle John 2:1-6 On the third day a

March 10, 2012

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Creeds: A Slogan Reexamined

By C. Robert Wetzel I could remember only the words of the first line and the melody of the refrain. It was a hymn that we sang in my home church when I was a boy. I checked with my colleague Ted Thomas, who has an amazing knowledge of hymnology. I sang the first line of the chorus, and before I could hum the rest, he said, “We Saw Thee Not.” It was the hymn that kept running through my mind when I sat down to write this article. Let me explain.   Singing Creeds When asked, “Can women preach

March 5, 2012

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Lesson for March 11, 2012: The Word Became Flesh (John 1:1-18)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone Before the world was created, God existed. The first words of the first book in the Bible read, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). John”s Gospel starts by affirming this truth. Since his was the last of the four Gospels to be written, John took an approach different from the other three. In today”s text, he takes us from eternity past to eternity present.   The Word in Eternity John

February 27, 2012

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Lesson for March 4, 2012: Wisdom”s Origin (Proverbs 8)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone After today we will be studying the Gospel of John each week during this quarter. There Jesus is presented as the one who holds the answer to all of life”s questions. Today”s text from Proverbs provides the backdrop for our future study. In the book of Proverbs, Solomon describes wisdom as if it were a person. In this poetic way he explains both its characteristics and source. Using personal terms he sets forth the characteristics of

February 20, 2012

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Lesson for Feb. 26, 2012: Bearing the Fruit of Redemption (Galatians 5:2″“6:18)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone This week we conclude a four-week survey of the book of Galatians. This also is the final lesson under this quarter”s general topic, “God establishes a faithful people.” The Christians in Galatia had to contend with false teachers who insisted on the legalism of first-century Judaism. They taught that a person first had to become a Jew before he could become a Christian. Paul pointed out that this was never the case (Galatians 2:6-9; see Acts

February 14, 2012

Christian Standard

Works Without Grace Are Dead

By Todd Parmenter As the economy faltered and recession began in 2008, offerings began to shrink at the church I served. Some members lost jobs, some others relocated because their jobs moved, physical needs of people in the congregation increased, and a general malaise of uncertainty hung in the air. We cut expenses wherever possible, including some painful staff layoffs. We tightened our belts and ramped up efforts to teach the congregation good financial skills. But still we struggled to pay all the bills, and eventually we couldn”t. In September 2008, the church couldn”t pay both the mortgage and the payroll

February 13, 2012

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Lesson for Feb. 19, 2012: Inheriting Abraham”s Promise (Galatians 3:15″“5:1)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone Paul wrote his letter to the Galatians to correct false teaching that had influenced the church. Some insisted that Christians must observe everything in the Old Testament law. This month”s lessons refute this idea. No one can be justified by observing the law (Galatians 2:16). The law had an important purpose, however, although the law itself was not to be permanent. Even when God gave the Old Testament law to Israel, it is clear that it

February 7, 2012

Christian Standard

The Lodge and the Lord”s Supper

By Mark A. Taylor I”m not sure now why I attended the monthly meeting of the local lodge. I had been invited by someone, maybe to pray or see him installed into some office. I don”t recall who he was or any specifics about the evening. I only remember my reaction to being there. The whole service was meaningless to me, in spite of the sober demeanor of the lodge members who participated in it. They somberly went through the motions, careful to complete the program “decently and in order.” But none of it communicated anything to me. Many of

February 6, 2012

Christian Standard

More Than a Memorial

By Tom Lawson The language we use when talking about Communion has a great deal to do with our history. A quick review of any English Bible will demonstrate words like memorial or emblematic or symbolic are not found in any of the passages about Communion. So, where do they come from and why do we hear them so often? The flip side of that question might be: Why are there a number of biblical phrases and teachings about the Lord”s Supper we rarely hear? To understand why we hear what we hear, it is important we take a brief

February 6, 2012

Christian Standard

Lesson for Feb. 12, 2012: Blessed with Abraham (Galatians 3:1-14)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone Paul continues his warning to the Galatian Christians in today”s text. In last week”s lesson he asserted that “a man is not justified by observing the law” (Galatians 2:16). This by itself should have silenced the Judaizers who insisted that a Gentile must first become a Jew before he could become a Christian. It is self-defeating for a person to return to the Old Testament regulations while saying he trusts in Jesus and follows him.  

February 5, 2012

Christian Standard

Meeting and Meaning at the Lord’s Supper

By Lee Magness   Gathering is central to our identity. Worship is central to our gathering. And breaking bread is central to our worship.   Luke describes how, “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread” with the early Christians of Troas (Acts 20:7). So many centuries later, their practice is still instructive. The Lord’s people gathered for the Lord’s worship on the Lord’s Day to share the Lord’s Supper.   The church may gather for any number of reasons—for service, for prayer, for study. But there is no better reason for Christians to gather

January 31, 2012

Christian Standard

Seven Heavens

By Daniel Schantz Heaven is probably not the word my mother would use to describe the seven parsonages I lived in, growing up in the 1950s. But, being a child, I was utterly unaware of the things that drove my mother to the brink of breakdown: carpets the color of dried blood, a 10-by-10 kitchen with no windows, and one bathroom for eight people. I was much too busy having fun to notice details like that. Anywhere was Heaven to me, as long as we were all together. Thousands of stories have been written about parsonages because they are different

January 30, 2012

Christian Standard

Lesson for Feb. 5, 2012: Justified by Faith in Christ (Galatians 1, 2)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone During the first two months of this quarter, we studied how God established an everlasting covenant with his people. Lessons from Genesis and Exodus showed the Lord protecting the Israelites, just as he had promised. This month we will study Paul”s letter to the Galatians, showing that Gentile Christians are now a full-fledged part of God”s family also. The Galatians had been led astray from the original gospel. A group known as the Judaizers were telling

January 23, 2012

Christian Standard

Lesson for Jan. 29, 2012: Israel Is Delivered from Egypt (Exodus 1-15)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone For the past two months we have studied God”s covenant relationship with Abraham and his descendants. We have seen the Lord”s protection surrounding Joseph and his family as well. God”s chosen people ended up in Egypt after Jacob and his entire family moved there to escape a famine in Canaan. Time passed. The book of Exodus begins with an ominous note: “Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt”

January 16, 2012

Christian Standard

Lesson for Jan. 22, 2012: Joseph Transmits Abraham”s Promise (Genesis 50)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone Joseph is one of the most outstanding figures in the Old Testament. His life teaches us that the actions of evil people cannot really hurt us as long as we stay true to God and do what he wants us to do. Joseph experienced at least five major temptations during his life: favoritism in the home (Genesis 37:3, 4); bitterness as a slave (39:1); immorality in secret (39:6-12); discouragement at obstacles (39:13-20); and revenge at opportunity

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