Love Truth Blog

I truly sense there is an unsettling fundamentalism circulating that robs the soul of a capacity to read and understand obvious metaphors. This becomes all too clear when it comes to the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus continually reminded the disciples that He would die and rise again after “three days and three nights” (Matt. 12:40; Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:34; John 2:19). He made many statements about dying and resurrecting on the “third day” (Matt. 16:21; 17:23; Luke 9:22; 18:33; 24:7, 21, and 46). The Scriptures also indicate that Christ burial took place prior to the start of the Sabbath (Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:31-42), and that the empty tomb was discovered after the Sabbath ended (Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:1) on the first day of the week (Matt. 28:1; Mark. 16:2, 9; Luke 24:1). Here comes then Mr. Fundamentalism on the Left. He will tell me, “Well, there you have it. “Three days and three nights” just does not work, since you never really get 72 hours from Friday evening to...

In Gethsemane the Christos prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will…My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done” (Matt. 26:39, 42). Here the Lord in His humanity expresses the overwhelming distress of the sufferings to come. He knew he betrayer had left to do his deed, the disciples would be scattered, and Peter would deny Him thrice. He moreover knew the agony of the cross would be His destiny. This was the cup of judgment set before Him. This is an epic moment as one witnesses the grandeur of the interpersonal relations within the Godhead. The subject/object distinctions of God the Son praying to and declaring His own will to be in submission to God the Heavenly Father. Jesus forsakes His own life in humble submission to do the will of the Father. What magnificence! Truly a fathomable mystery of the Almighty! It would be the cross that would secure the salvation of a great multitude of sinn...

“Whatever it is, we’re all infected.” I guess all the Waking Dead fans will get this. These chilling words were relayed by Rick Grimes to a group of survivors of a zombie apocalypse. Grimes first heard them from a Center for Disease Control worker named Dr. Edward Jenner. The most distressing element for these words, at least for the characters in the story, is that it brought them to realize that would eventually become a zombie walkers, save a fatal wound to the head. So the story goes... Human sinfulness in many ways is just that ominous. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:9-20, 23). Whether it is missing the mark in failing to do what is right or acting upon what is wrong, each one of us has incurred a debt of transgressions, and none can deny their own sinfulness. “Whatever it is, we’re all infected.” Death, the unnatural tearing apart of body and soul, is end to sinful humanity (Rom. 5:12; cf. Gen. 3). Far from being part of some positive “circle of li...