The Holy Spirit: Why Do So Many Prefer a Spirit Who No Longer Acts? Part 2

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Jay F Guin

I grew up in a Church of Christ that denied the effective personal indwelling of the Spirit.

We accepted those who denied a personal indwelling (“word only”), and we accepted those who believed in a personal indwelling — so long as this indwelling only did “safe” things — such as bringing forgiveness and helping us in our prayers. But nothing more was allowed.

I was in high school from 1968 to ’72 and at Lipscomb from 1972-1975, which was the height of the charismatic movement in the Churches of Christ. Continue reading →

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The Holy Spirit: Why Do So Many Prefer a Spirit Who No Longer Acts? Part 1

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Jay F Guin

I get emails —

Thank you for oneinjesus.info; never enough said.

My Bible class is viewing Francis Chan’s Basic Series. Last week’s lesson was on the Holy Spirit.

Soon came the statement of some that the Holy Spirit acts  in / through/ by the Word and not in/ through/ in relation to the person in the physical  plane. Continue reading →

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John’s Gospel: Reflections on Chapter 20

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Jay F Guin

We know that the resurrection of Jesus is good news. After all, death is bad news. Resurrection is kind of the opposite of death. Hence: good news!

But Jesus had already raised Lazarus. He’d proven that God could bring the dead back to life. Why did Jesus need to die and be resurrected to defeat death? He’d already beaten death!

Well, Lazarus was resuscitated — restored to life — but would die again. Death was merely postponed, not defeated. Continue reading →

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John’s Gospel: Chapter 20:21-31 (“My Lord and my God!”)

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Jay F Guin

(John 20:21 ESV)  21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

The disciples were commissioned by Jesus to continue his mission. “Peace be with you” is not merely a polite greeting. Coming from the lips of Jesus, it’s a blessing and a promise of his protection. Continue reading →

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John’s Gospel: John 6 and Drinking the Blood of Jesus

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Jay F Guin

I have this confession to make. I struggle to make sense of the passages in John 6 where Jesus announces that his followers must drink his blood and eat his flesh.

Obviously, many of his followers have the same problem, since they abandoned him after this sermon.

It’s not surprising. Taken literally, he was speaking of cannibalism and drinking blood — which the Law of Moses repeatedly condemns in the strongest terms. Continue reading →

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John’s Gospel: Chapter 20:1-20 (“why are you weeping?”)

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Jay F Guin

(When it comes to the resurrection, no one can top Handel. The best I can tell, the vocal part is a song by Mary Magdalene, celebrating the good news she learns at the empty tomb.)

(John 20:1-4 ESV) Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.  2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”  3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb.  4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.

Can you imagine how they felt? Surely, the disciples’ first reaction was the same as Mary’s — the grave’s been robbed! After the brutalization Jesus has suffered at the hands of the Romans, could they not at least leave his body alone?! Continue reading →

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John’s Gospel: Reflections on Chapter 19

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Jay F Guin

There are, of course, a number of errors in the way Tim Rice has Jesus respond to Pilate. The portrayal of Jesus is not satisfactory at all. Nonetheless, there are several elements of this scene I find compelling. Continue reading →

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In re The Holy Trinity

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Jay F Guin

It seems that every conversation lately turns into a debate over the doctrine of the Trinity.

And so I’ve created this post to give those interested in that discussion a place to chat.

Enjoy.

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John’s Gospel: Chapter 19:19-42 (“It is finished!”)

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Jay F Guin

(John 19:19-22 ESV) 19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. 21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.'” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

From John’s perspective, Pilate wrote the truth by calling Jesus the “King of the Jews.” From Pilate’s perspective, he was mocking a people he apparently despised. To the Jews, Pilate was actually giving credence to Jesus’ claim — making it appear that the Jews were committing regicide — killing their own king. And, of course, despite his cynicism, Pilate actually got this one right. Continue reading →

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John’s Gospel: Chapter 19:1-18 (“We have no king but Caesar!”)

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Jay F Guin

(John 19:1 ESV) Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him.

“Flogged” doesn’t really care the sense of the Greek. Jesus was whipped so severely that he nearly died.

The translators of the NET Bible explain — Continue reading →

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