Theology

The last question in Bible study

is often the first question on our minds:

“How do I put into practice what I’ve learned?”

Find out what it means to apply the Bible’s principles: watch our Truth in Two (2 min vid + text + Afterword).

In last week’s Truth in Two I showed original artwork that I had commissioned for my curriculum Timeless Truth. This week, another picture from that curriculum illustrates the Bible’s authority in the Christian’s life: the Bible sits as a judge, the Christian is to submit to God’s Word. If Christians believe the Bible to be from God, then Christians should be anxious to apply God’s Word to their lives. – “OICA” is the strange sounding word for Bible study I have taught students for years. OICA is an acronym standing for observation, interpretation, correlation, and application. The first steps in Bible study include identifying what the text says, then asking what it meant for the people to whom it was spoken and finally, what does the rest of the Bible say about the subject. It is the fourth step asking, “What does it mean for me today?” that may matter most to us.

Application of biblical truth is found in the simple phrase “It is written” from Romans 3.10. In the original Greek, the verb “written” is in a perfect tense with a passive voice; that means the Scripture was written by God and His Word is still speaking. Do you want to apply the still-speaking Word of God to your life? Begin reading in the book of Proverbs. Living a life of wisdom is found in the authority God embedded in His creation. Couple that reading with Jesus’ stories in the Gospel of Mark. Notice over and over how the people saw Jesus as one “having authority.” Read the book of Genesis. The phrase “and God said” in chapter one is followed throughout the rest of Scripture with “Thus says the Lord,” all markers of God’s authority. – As the picture from my Timeless Truth curriculum suggests, If we want to learn how to apply God’s Word to our everyday lives, we must first bow to its authority. For the Comenius Institute, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration at Liberty University, personally seeking truth wherever it’s found.

AFTERWORD

See one of our earliest Truth in Twos (from 2018) on “Authority” here and “Authority and Humanity” from 2023, here.

 

What would Christians do without the Holy Spirit?

As it turns out, not much!

Find out why by watching / reading our Truth in Two (full text and footnotes follow).

Dr. Mark Eckel is Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration at Liberty University. Support MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website) and interprets culture from a Christian vantage point (1 minute video).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Snappy Goat

FULL TEXT

Over the few weeks, our Truth in Twos have focused on The Bible: responses to unbelievers, the good the Bible has brought to the world, and the importance of The Bible’s original languages. This week I wanted to answer the question, “How do we begin to understand The Bible?” This drawing is original artwork that I had commissioned for my curriculum Timeless Truth to illustrate teaching about the illumination of The Spirit. Represented by the dove, The Spirit enlightens a Christian’s mind to the truth of God’s Word as he reads it. One of the key ingredients to Bible study is the concept of illumination.

1 Corinthians 2 gives us a snapshot of our understanding of God’s Word. “Illumination”* defined there is simply The Holy Spirit causes believers to understand the Scriptures. Unbelievers, who do not have The Spirit residing in them cannot understand spiritual things. Believers, however, can be inhibited in their thinking because of sin, spiritual apathy or false teaching. The Bible is peppered with statements about a believing person, indwelt by The Spirit being “enlightened” by God’s Spirit and Scriptures.

As a cultural understanding the word “spirituality”** suggests that some internal motivation moves people toward goodness. The focus is totally on the human self. The Hebraic-Christian view of internal change, however, begins with the work of The Holy Spirit in a believer. Christians believe Jesus’ words about The Spirit, that “He will guide you into all the truth.” The work of Christians should be dependent upon the authority of Jesus through the internal direction of The Spirit. Not only did The Spirit inspire the God-breathed words of Scripture, but The Spirit also helps to illumine the mind of the believer in Bible study to properly interpret God’s inspired Word. For the Comenius Institute, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration at Liberty University, personally seeking truth wherever it’s found.

AFTERWORD

* “illumination” 1 John 2:20-27; “unbelievers” (1 Cor 2.14); “sin” (Ps 66.18); “apathy” 1 Thess 5.19-22; “false teaching” 2 Peter 2.1; “indwelt” (Rom 8.5-9); “enlightened” (Ps 18.28; 19.8; 119.18; 2 Cor 4:6; Eph 1.18; 3.16). ** “guide” John 16.13; “inspired” 1 Cor 2.11-13).

 

Why are the Bible’s original languages are so important?

Watch our Truth in Two to understand the reason(s)!

[And don’t miss the Afterword!]

Dr. Mark Eckel is Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration at Liberty University. Support MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website) and interprets culture from a Christian vantage point (1 minute video).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Snappy Goat

FULL TEXT

The source of biblical theology comes from the biblical languages. So imperative is the study of the Bible’s original languages, that I will make this declaration: as soon as a Christian university or seminary gives up the necessary study of Hebrew and Greek, its theology will move from its foundations. The reason? If there is no original word from which our words come, then biblical theology can easily become a man-made theology. As I’ve argued in other Truth in Two episodes, languages, definitions, interpretation, and care for words are essential. Find these and other links at the end of this Truth in Two.

 

The Protestant reformer, Martin Luther knew the importance of language. In a letter to a friend he wrote, [Quote] “I am convinced that without knowledge of literature pure theology cannot at all endure. I see that there has never been a great revelation of the Word of God unless He has first prepared the way by the rise and prosperity of languages.” [End Quote] – And in one of Luther’s most famous statements about Christian education, he said, [Quote] “Let us thank God for this precious treasure, and guard it well. For though the Gospel has come through the Holy Spirit alone, we cannot deny that it has come by means of the languages, by which the gospel was spread and by which it must be preserved. As we prize the gospel, let us guard the languages. And let us be sure of this: we shall not long preserve the gospel without the languages. The languages are the sheath in which this sword of the Spirit is contained.” [End Quote]

 

So, we should thank God for scholars who study the original languages, words essential to the foundation of The Church. When Scripture says, “It is written,” remember: the original languages are the well from which we draw the living water of God’s Word. For the Comenius Institute, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration at Liberty University, personally seeking truth wherever it’s found.

AFTERWORD

References for Luther’s comments come from, first, Martin Luther, in a letter to Eoanus Hessus, quoted by Leland Ryken in Worldly Saints: The Puritans As They Really Were (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1986), p. 258, ftnt. 71; second, from Martin Luther, “To the Councilmen of All the Cities in Germany, That They Establish and Maintain Christian Schools,” quoted from Armin Panning, “Language Requirements for a Gospel Ministry,” Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, vol 80, no. 2 (Spring, 1983), pp. 116-17.

References to our Truth in Two include, “Book Burning,” “Language,” “Control,” “Definitions,” “Interpretation,” “Words,” “Words-2,” and “Caring for Words.”

If the Bible isn’t “bad”

(last week’s Truth in Two)

then, is it “good”?

This week’s Truth in Two has an answer (2 min vid + text + Afterword).

Dr. Mark Eckel is Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration at Liberty University. Support MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website) and interprets culture from a Christian vantage point (1 minute video).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Snappy Goat

FULL TEXT

In last week’s Truth in Two I responded to the claim that The Bible is ‘bad.’ In this Truth in Two I would like to suggest why I think the Bible is ‘good.’ I begin in Genesis which I would argue was a halogen headlight in the darkness of that ancient near eastern world.  In no other text is there a Personal, Eternal Creator. Transcendence and immanence both poured from the Hebrew’s God. He was at once separate and other-than while at the same time demonstrating caring compassion. Only from One whose authority was autonomous and absolute could spring the framework of a well ordered world. Creation worked.  Stability made life livable. Harmony flowed throughout every established system. Yahweh’s beneficence cascaded from His personal nurture. *Common grace was goodness shown through all creation.

The Hebrews had a sensible and sensitive outlook on life in contrast to other ancient attitudes. Neighbor cultures believed fickle, temperamental gods practiced heinous crimes against each other. Creation was the result of severed body parts. Humans were created out of blood spilt because of godlike territorial warfare. Indeed, tired of work, the gods’ sole purpose for human creation was slave labor. The awful results of pagan cultures is no match for the goodness brought by the Bible’s wisdom.

Many scholars have written books explaining why the great freedoms and benefits of Western culture come from the Bible. Historian Tom Holland wrote Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World. Vishal Mangalwadi wrote The Book that Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization. Links to these and other books appear at the end of this Truth in Two. The Bible is not only a ‘good Book’ it is a Book that has brought good to humanity. For the Comenius Institute, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration at Liberty University, personally seeking truth wherever it’s found.

* Gen 39:5; Ps 107; 145:9, 15-16; Matt 5:44-45; Luke 6:35-36; John 1:9; Acts 14:16-17; 1 Cor 7:12-14.

AFTERWORD This Truth in Two is based on an article first published at my website in 2009 “Genesis, A Halogen Headlight” and can be found at www.warpandwoof.org Another version can be found in my book I Just Need Time to Think. Books mentioned here can be further examined in the hyperlinks.

Oh, man. This isn’t gonna’ be pretty.

And it will make a lot of people mad.

Watch (or read below) our Truth in Two and find out why.

Dr. Mark Eckel is Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration at Liberty University. Support MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website) and interprets culture from a Christian vantage point (1 minute video).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Snappy Goat

FULL TEXT

“The Bible is a homophobic, racist, misogynist, violent document that suppresses minorities.” Statements such as this from adversaries of Christianity. Attacks against the Bible sometimes begin with such generalities. When public university students confronted me with assumed grievances against Scripture, I would respond with three questions. One, have you read the Bible within the context of the time it was written? Two, can you give me examples from your study of the Bible that would give evidence of what you claim? And three, by what standard do you evaluate ethics from the Bible or anything else? My questions were always greeted with silence; students had not thought to honestly assess the Bible.

So, is the Bible an anti-sex, anti-gender, anti-race, anti-love, anti-minority document? Nothing could be farther from the truth. Genesis 12 says that God’s intention is to bless all the peoples of the earth through Israel. Deuteronomy 10 declares that God loves the orphan, widow, or displaced stranger and expects His people to do the same. God is “no respecter of persons,” says Paul in Romans 2. God shows no partiality between people or people groups. So where do human problems come from?

What folks who attack the Bible do not want to acknowledge, is that all the problems in the world begin with us, not God. Seeds of hate and violence come from the human heart. And when anyone wants to declare something as ‘bad,’ my response is always the same, “By what standard are you declaring a standard? Where do you think standards come from?” The very Book that people want to attack is The Book that has given the world the concepts of freedom, individuality, rights, and protection from the powerful. Yes, the Bible outlines boundaries and limitations for human living. But the Bible also gives the very basis for equality between people. For the Comenius Institute, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration at Liberty University, personally seeking truth wherever it’s found.

 

80’s rock music gives us unity and completion

just like the Bible’s book of Genesis.

Watch our Truth in Two and find out why (2 min vid + text). And don’t miss the AFTERWORD!

Dr. Mark Eckel is Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration at Liberty University. Support MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website) and interprets culture from a Christian vantage point through Truth in Two videos (here).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Snappy Goat

80’s rock n’ roll exactly mirrors beginnings and endings. I love a strong, driving downbeat that repetitiously provides the rhythm, the baseline of the song.  Melody must grab my attention, giving my toe, tap-ability. Harmonic complements introduce variation, adding tension. The final musical moments make every part satisfying, tying them together with a concluding flourish. Once I asked my son why I liked 80’s music. “That’s easy Dad. You like unity and completion. Eighties’ Rock is a straight line from the beginning to the end.”

I like to think that 80’s Rock mirrors the book of Genesis which announces a beginning and an end. In Greek the words are “arche” and “telos,” the start and finish of something. According to John 1, Jesus is the original Word of God, an exact representation of Genesis 1. Not only that, Colossians declares that Jesus created all things by His very words. And, of course, Revelation declares Jesus is the “alpha and omega, the beginning and the end.” Jesus is the original intention of The Godhead; He will bring everything back to creation’s completion.

The application of beginning and end impacts every aspect of our being and living. Understanding our origins gives meaning to our physical world. Orientation to where we live and how we live allows us to create personal goals. Our world makes sense. Sensibility and meaning hold out a standard for right and wrong. Purpose gives a historical orientation. If there is a first thing, there must be a permanent thing. Eternal boundaries give us markers outside of ourselves, helping us to live uprightly. Everyone is looking for answers to the very issues Genesis presupposes.

I appreciate 80’s rock ‘n roll for the same reason I love Jesus, who is the unity and completion of all things. For the Comenius Institute, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration at Liberty University, personally seeking truth wherever it’s found.

AFTERWORD

Missionary scholar Lesslie Newbigin has said, “To have discovered the cause of something is to have explained it.  There is no need to invoke purpose or design as an explanation.” [Lesslie Newbigin. 1986. 1990. Foolishness of The Greeks: The Gospel and Western Culture. (Reprint, Eerdmans): 24.]

Some of you will note that even the construction of this paragraph reflects a structured order, a beginning and an end.  The explanatory lines about music have two complementary ideas, completed in each case by a gerund phrase.  Literature is about meaning seen through the method together giving a message. References for the quotes include: “License Plates,” I Just Need Time to Think; John 1.1-18;; Nehemiah 9:6; Note the strong genealogical connections of place and vocation in sections like Genesis 10; Psalms 147 and 148; 1 Timothy 6:10 where money is said to be “the root” or “origin,” “the very beginning of” evil; Matthew 19:4, 8; John 8:44; Psalm 119:91; Jeremiah 31:35-37; 33:2, 20-26.

This Truth in Two is taken verbatim from my own writing, first published at WarpandWoof.org, “License Plates,” 9 September 2009 https://warpandwoof.org/license-plates/ later included in my book I Just Need Time to Think: Reflective Study as Christian Practice.

 

 

 

 

What will you do with the extra day?

What will the extra day do to you?

A biblical take on wanting everything now, this week’s Truth in Two (full text below).

 

Support MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website) and interprets culture from a Christian vantage point (1 minute video). Consider becoming a Comenius patron, supporting Truth in Two (here).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Snappy Goat

FULL TEXT

All my life I’ve been impatient. When I was in junior high, I wanted to be in high school. When I was in high school, I wanted to be in college. When I was in college, I wanted to be in grad school. You get the idea. I have always been the kind of person who is looking twenty years into the future. “What’s next?” was the next question on my mind. Now that I’m older, my mindset has not changed. I’m still thinking about the future. But after sixty plus years of living, I have a little better understanding of what the prophet Habakkuk meant when he recorded The LORD’s words to him in chapter two and verse three, where God says, “If it seems slow, wait for it.”

Being told to wait does nothing for my impatience. But waiting does remind me of important truths about myself and God. (1) I want to be in control, but God is sovereign, He is in control. (2) I live in the moment, but God is everlasting. (3) If God is in control, if He is everlasting, then my responsibility is to fulfill my responsibilities and leave the results to God.

I am constantly reminded of Psalm 31.15, “My times are in His hands.” My time is not God’s time. My control of things yields to God’s control of everything. I have not always done a very good job of practicing these basic Bible beliefs. I may rebel against the slowness of God, against Habakkuk’s line “If it seems slow, wait for it.” But during February 2024 I am reminded of God’s faithfulness even in my estimation of His slowness. You see 2024 is a “leap year” meaning there is an extra day added to the calendar. I no longer ask, “What will I do with the extra day?” Now I ask, “What will the extra day do to me?” For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, personally seeking truth wherever it’s found.

 

You can say you aren’t dogmatic,

But you have dogmas just like everyone else.

Why do we say “everyone has dogma (doctrine)”? Watch our Truth in Two (don’t miss the Afterword!).

Support MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website). Dr. Eckel spends time with Christian young people in public university (1 minute video), teaching at Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis, and interprets culture from a Christian vantage point (1 minute video). Consider becoming a Comenius patron (here).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Snappy Goat

FULL TEXT

A recent article in the Religious News Service was titled, “A Church for Nones: Meet the Anti-Dogma Spiritual Collectives.” As I read the article, I couldn’t help but think those spiritual collectives are full of “dogma.” The word “dogma” simply means doctrine, a faith commitment, what someone believes. The article describes not only the dogma of what these groups are against but what they are for. As soon as someone makes an assertion about something, that person bases their thinking on an idea, a belief, a foundation upon which they stand. In that sense, everyone is a “fundamentalist,” a term found repugnant by these groups. The words “church” or “nones” – that is, N – O – N – E – S people who say they subscribe to no religious point of view – are full of doctrinal ideals. No one can live without dogma. Everyone subscribes to something.

Here is an example of dogma from these spiritual collectives. In the article a leader is quoted as saying, “Our motto is ‘love,’ period. We determine what texts are saying through the lens of love.” There are at least two dogmas, two doctrines in this statement. (1) The idea of ‘love’ is the stated commitment without examining the source or definition of love. The implication is a human-centered view of love. You see the problem. One person’s view of love may not be very loving to another person. (2) To say ‘we determine what the texts are saying’ leaves interpretation up to an individual or a group. But what happens if the interpretation goes against someone else’s interpretation? A link to this article and other writings is available at the end of this Truth in Two.

Now don’t get me wrong. I have great respect for people and the positions they hold. So, it is best to allow Scripture to speak for itself. 2 Timothy 2 says I am to biblically correct opposing dogmas “with gentleness.” For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, personally seeking truth wherever it’s found.

AFTERWORD

“Dogma” (doctrine) is mentioned throughout the article mentioned above, “Church for ‘Nones’ – Meet the Anti-Dogma Spiritual Collectives Emerging Across the US.” See my comment in our Truth in Two that “everyone everywhere commits themselves to something.” Certainly, universities have their own “dogma” and are themselves “fundamentalist” (TNT here). Christians should know the importance of “doctrine” (TNT here). I have had students in my classes over the years who want to “leave The Faith.” Their concern was the Church placed undue constraints upon them by a church’s doctrinal positions. Whenever the opportunity arises to say so, I ask them if what they just described about their own lives is not, in and of itself, “dogma.”

 

Where does change begin?

What examples do we follow?

Watch our Truth in Two to discover the answers are pretty clear (2 min vid + text + links)

Support MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website). Dr. Eckel spends time with Christian young people in public university (1 minute video), teaching at Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis, and interprets culture from a Christian vantage point (1 minute video). Consider becoming a Comenius patron (here).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Snappy Goat

FULL TEXT

Ayann Hirsi Ali has become a Christian. Ali grew up Muslim, became an atheist, and has just recently given her life to Jesus. Ali is a scholar at the Hoover Institute. About her conversion to Christianity she has said atheism does not have the intellectual capabilities of fighting, what she calls, a civilizational war. You can read all about Ali’s Christian conversion from the Unherd podcast, linked in this Truth in Two.

When I think of Ali’s conversion to Christianity, I immediately think of the Ethiopian court official in Acts 8. The Bible says he had come to Jerusalem to worship at Pentecost. Here is an African gentile who is interested in a statement from the prophet Isaiah, “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter.” Inquiring of whom this statement was made, the apostle Philip “told him the good news about Jesus.”

Ali’s conversion and the Ethiopian’s conversion both remind me of another African Christian. Confronted by a hostile crowd proposing Christianity is a “white man’s religion,” the African student responded, “Christianity was in Africa before it was in Europe.” I have also included the Instagram reel of the African student’s statement in this Truth in Two.

Why do I tell these stories from African Christians? Because the change that people seek, a true, lasting shift in one’s attitude toward life, begins with Jesus. You want peace? Jesus is The Prince of Peace. Are you seeking justice? Jesus is the only Just Judge. Do you want someone to care for you? Jesus said, “Come to me for I am gentle and lowly in heart.” You want change that will impact this world and the next? Jesus taught us to pray that the Father’s will “be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Three African Christians tell us change begins in each human heart by the salvation only Jesus brings. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, personally seeking Truth wherever it’s found in the changed hearts of people everywhere.

Ayann Hirsi Ali on the Unherd podcast: https://unherd.com/2023/11/why-i-am-now-a-christian/

Christianity was in Africa before Europe, Insta reel: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzvZoaTuvqU/

 

 

 

 

We preach Jesus.

Good news began in a manger.

Christmas is not possible without Jesus. Our Truth in Two explains why (full text below).

Support MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website). Dr. Eckel spends time with Christian young people in public university (1 minute video), teaching at Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis, and interprets culture from a Christian vantage point (1 minute video). Consider becoming a Comenius patron (here).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Pond5

FULL TEXT

Celsus was a harsh critic of Christian message in the second century. Being a man of high Roman status, he looked down on Christianity as an appeal to the common person. Celsus made these claims, [quote] “Let no cultured, wise or sensible person draw near [to Christ], only those who are ignorant or foolish, let them come boldly!” Celsus continues, “We see Christians in their own houses as the most uneducated and vulgar persons.” Celsus also said Christians were “like a swarm of bats, or ants in their nest, or frogs in a swamp, or worms in the mud.” [end quote]

Attacks on Christians and our belief have not changed from the first to the twenty-first century. But then I think of Paul’s line in 1 Corinthian 1:21, “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through its own wisdom, it pleased God to save those who believe in Jesus through the foolishness of preaching.” What is “preaching”? To preach the good news of the gospel of Christ means both the act of telling and the content of what is being told.

And what is the content of our preaching? Well, counter to the Roman viewpoint of the day, only Caesar could bring “good news,” the Roman perspective on peace and safety. So, when the Romans heard that Christians were preaching “good news,” they believed the message of the gospel was the message of insurrection against Rome. In one sense, Rome did have something to fear from Jesus. Isaiah did prophecy, “And the government shall be upon His shoulders.”

During the Christmas season, Christians do participate in the folly of preaching. We proclaim that there will come a day when the baby born in Bethlehem will return as The King of Glory. And remembering the words of Celsus, the critic of Christianity, all of us ‘worms’ will reign then, with our King, Jesus. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally wishing everyone a blessed Christmas, only made possible, by Jesus.