Author Archives: Jay F Guin

And so we need to discuss Jesus some more. John Howard Yoder, in The Politics of Jesus, points out that, when Jesus is held up as an example in the New Testament, it’s always about the cross. He’s never held … Continue reading →

Some readers appear to see no distinction between an individual Christian being like Jesus and a congregation of Christians being like Jesus, but teams of people working in concert can accomplish things that individuals cannot do. I have a son who … Continue reading →

When we read in the scriptures that we are to become like Jesus, we tend to interpret “like Jesus” based on our own personalities and religious upbringing. For example, many take “like Jesus” to mean “sinless,” which is true but … Continue reading →

Let’s see. We assemble to edify one another. (1Co 14:4 NIV) Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. (1Co 14:5 NIV) I would like every one of you to speak in … Continue reading →

There’s a pretty good argument from 1 Corinthians 14 that the purpose of the assembly is for us to “edify” one another. Paul also speaks in terms of encouragement, strengthening, and comfort, but edification is the recurring theme that holds … Continue reading →

Does God care at all about the quality of the singing during the Sunday morning assembly? I’ve often heard the platitude that God cares nothing about the quality of the singing, and so I wonder if that actually holds true on … Continue reading →

So in the last post I asked why God teaches us to sing as Christians. It’s not a test of our faithfulness. God teaches us to sing for a reason. And until we grasp the purpose of singing, we really … Continue reading →

The New Testament is clear that the early church sang in their assemblies. And contemporary scholars struggle to determine why that is. Beginning sometime in the 19th Century, historians of the early church once thought that the early church adopted … Continue reading →