Sermons and Biblical Studies

2 CORINTHIANS 4:7–18 … we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed (2 Cor. 4:8–9). One of the most common criticisms hurled at the divine inspiration and authority of Scripture is that it was written by mere men. The Gospel was not proclaimed directly from heaven but … Continue reading “TREASURE IN CLAY JARS”

JOHN 17:1–19 “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17). We live in a day of aberrant subjectivity in which objective standards for truth are stringently denied. At the top of the subjectivist hit list is the Bible, which claims to be the standard of objective truth for all human beings. When … Continue reading “SUBJECTIVITY AND SCRIPTURE”

2 PETER 1:12–21 For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). The origin of Scripture is God Himself, but the instruments were human authors inspired by the Holy Spirit. The writers of the Bible were not simply … Continue reading “INFALLIBLE AND INERRANT”

2 PETER 3:10–18 His [Paul’s] letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do other Scriptures, to their own destruction (2 Peter 3:16 niv). If the Bible was indeed written by men and compiled by men, how do we know that the books in the canon … Continue reading “THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE”

2 TIMOTHY 3:10–17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16). For the next few days, we will take a closer look at the authority of the Scripture. As we study this topic, remember John Calvin’s words, “It is … Continue reading “A DIVINE AUTHORITY”

HEBREWS 4:11–13 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4:12). Paul states in 2 Corinthians 4:2 that he has “renounced the … Continue reading “HATH GOD SAID?”

2 CORINTHIANS 4:1–6 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded.… (2 Cor. 4:3–4). Every Sunday people throughout the world stream into churches to hear the proclamation of God’s Word. In those churches that are faithful to the orthodox … Continue reading “A DEADLY BLINDNESS”

2 CORINTHIANS 3:12–18 Nevertheless, when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away (2 Cor. 3:16). Paul has already referred to the fading brightness of Moses’ face as a symbol of the passing glory of his ministry. In verses 12–18, he expounds on the function of the veil in covering Moses’ face. When … Continue reading “THE VEILING OF GLORY”

2 CORINTHIANS 3:7–11 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory (2 Cor. 3:9). The law in all its forms, whether the moral law as revealed in the Scriptures, as written in heart, or as the Mosaic law, was designed to bring men to knowledge of … Continue reading “GLORY OF THE NEW COVENANT”

2 CORINTHIANS 3:1–6 … for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Cor. 3:6b). Speaking of the old and new covenants, Paul says, “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” The Mosaic covenant was a “ministry of death” because the “law was not an inward principle or power,” Hodge explains. “It held … Continue reading “THE LETTER KILLS”