Biblical Studies Archives - The Logos Blog

Why Did the “Strange” Fire in Leviticus 10 Earn a Death Sentence?

This post is excerpted from Problems in Bible Interpretation: Difficult Passages IV, available now from Logos Mobile Education.

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The Old Testament is filled with odd stories that take us by surprise. One of those stories is found in a book that is, to say the least, pretty foreign to our modern worldview. I’m talking about Leviticus and, for this topic, Leviticus 10 specifically: the story of Nadav and Avihu, or as we like to say, Nadab and Abihu. It’s is a short episode, and I am going to read the whole thing: [Read more…]

Who Wrote Hebrews? Why It May Not Be Paul . . .

Bible scroll, unrolled By Thomas Schreiner

Who wrote Hebrews? The short answer: only God knows. In the following excerpt adapted from Lexham Press’ new Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary volume: Hebrews by Thomas R. Schreiner,¹ we see whose names have been put forward—and why the author of Hebrews probably isn’t Paul.

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The authorship of Hebrews is a fascinating issue that continues to interest Christians today. [Read more…]

3 Things ‘Lead Us Not into Temptation’ Might Mean—and Which Fits Best

In Matthew 6:13 Jesus teaches his disciples to pray, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Wait a second—what’s God’s relationship to temptation we face?

In this excerpt adapted from Navigating Tough Texts: A Guide to Problem Passages in the New Testament, author Murray J. Harris explores this controversial petition of the Lord’s prayer. [Read more…]

From Sinai to Olivet: Cosmic Mountains in the Gospel of Matthew

By David B. Schreiner

A common word for “mountain” in the Greek New Testament is oros, and Matthew uses it more than any other book. Technically speaking, oros is an imprecise term that can refer to anything from a hill to tall mountain.¹ Of the four Gospels, Matthew leads the way with 16 occurrences of oros (Mark has 11, Luke 14, and John five). Clearly, the Gospel writers remember how mountains were an important backdrop for Jesus’ ministry. [Read more…]

Why Obedience to Jesus Trumps All: Thoughts on the Sermon on the Mount

By Craig S. Keener

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus summons us to stake our hearts on the reality of God. Both Matthew and Luke report much of this sermon, and James is among New Testament writers who echo it. In Matthew’s version, Jesus offers ethical instruction more radical than the law of Moses. We can see this in the opening section of Jesus’ teaching—especially Matthew 5:17–48—and it continues through the rest of the sermon (6:1–7:28). [Read more…]

December’s Free Book: Study Doctrine in Acts

Throughout December, you can download Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible: Acts for free. In Logos’ Free Book of the Month, Jaroslav Pelikan (a well-respected scholar on Christian history) offers an insightful, well-written commentary ideal for pastors and teachers. From the in-depth introduction and theological analysis of Scripture, you can gain new observations of Acts to share with your congregation, small group, or class. [Read more…]

Where’s Jesus in the Old Testament? Start with These 12 Verses.

We often read our Bibles as if Jesus made his first appearance in this world as a baby in the New Testament. Our story as Christians, we sometimes think, starts with the book of Matthew.

But the Bible’s witness to Jesus did not begin there. A common thread runs throughout the pages of our Bibles from the beginning of Genesis to the last page of Revelation: Christ.

Here are 12 New Testament verses that point to Jesus in the Old Testament. [Read more…]

Free Commentary on Mark, Plus Savings on Beth Moore, John Piper & More

Whether you’re asking deep, theological questions that would be Greek to most people, or you’re studying actual Greek, or you want to know “What’s God’s will for my life?”, you’ll find something for you in November’s deals. [Read more…]

Darrell Bock on Why We Need Cultural Scripts to Understand the Gospels

Can we properly interpret the Gospels without cultural scripts? That is, without knowing their historical and cultural background?

Dr. Darrell Bock says no.

Dr. Bock is the Executive Director of Cultural Engagement and Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. He’s a pillar of contemporary evangelical scholarship that students of the Word turn to for theological expertise on topics like Luke-Acts, Jewish studies, and dispensationalism. [Read more…]

I Didn’t Think I Could Learn Much from the Puritans. I Was Wrong.

In my senior year of Bible college, I had two electives to choose from for my final theology class. I saw the option for Puritan Theology but thought, “This will be a very boring class. What could I glean from the Puritans?” [Read more…]

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