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“Paul’s version of this guidance from Jesus is found in his deeply Trinitarian formula for prayer found in Ephesians 2:18: “Through him [Christ] we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” The word access was commonly used when an ancient king granted someone an audience. No one could simply walk into the presence of a powerful monarch. The consequences could be imprisonment or even death (cf. Esther 4:9–16). That, however, describes the power differential only between an ancient oriental king and a commoner. The gulf between a holy God and sinful human beings is infinitely greater (1 Sam 6:20; Ps 130:3; Na 1:6). No human being can look upon God and live (Ex 33:20). Paul’s claim that we now have access to God’s very presence “through him” is therefore quite astounding. We always have an audience because of what Jesus Christ has done. His death on the cross reconciled us to God (Eph 2:16) and made him our Father.”
― Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God
― Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God
“Here we are able to reach a major conclusion of this study. None of these major figures who constituted the inner circle of Jesus would have become or remained followers of Jesus after the crucifixion if there was no resurrection and no resurrection appearances of Jesus. The church, in the persons of its earliest major leaders, was constituted by the event of the resurrection, coupled with the Pentecost event! The stories of these figures, especially their post-Easter stories, are the validation of this fact. There would be no church without the risen and appearing Jesus.”
― What Have They Done with Jesus? Beyond Strange Theories & Bad History-Why We Can Trust the Bible
― What Have They Done with Jesus? Beyond Strange Theories & Bad History-Why We Can Trust the Bible
“Austin Phelps makes this point in a chapter in his volume on prayer. He tells of Ethelfrith, the pagan Saxon king of Northumbria, who had invaded Wales and was about to give battle. The Welsh were Christians, and as Ethelfrith was observing the army of his opponents spread out before him, he noticed a host of unarmed men. When he asked who they were, he was told that they were the Christian monks of Bangor, praying for the success of their army. Ethelfrith immediately realized the seriousness of the situation. “Attack them first,” he ordered.”
― Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God
― Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God
“If you recognize the genuineness of the testimony of Mary and Joanna, and realize that they became apostles, bearing witness to the risen Jesus, you have to recognize certain facts about the historical Jesus. He did not just present himself as a great teacher, a wise sage, a miracle worker, an exorcist. This inner circle knew better than that, and they were faithful to say so after the fact. The Jesus about whom the earliest disciples bore witness was and is the real Jesus of history and faith. The impact crater in the lives of these disciples, male and female, matches up with the impression Jesus deliberately left on these persons, as we will see in more detail as we turn now to Peter.”
― What Have They Done with Jesus? Beyond Strange Theories & Bad History-Why We Can Trust the Bible
― What Have They Done with Jesus? Beyond Strange Theories & Bad History-Why We Can Trust the Bible
“It is possible to merely assent that something is a sin without getting the new perspective on it and experiencing the new inward aversion to it that gives you the power and freedom to change. Put another way, there is a false kind of repentance that is really self-pity. You may admit your sin, but you aren’t really sorry for the sin itself. You are sorry about the painful consequences to you. You want that pain to stop, so you end the behavior. It may be, however, that there hasn’t been any real inward alteration of the false beliefs and hopes, the inordinate desires, and the mistaken self-perceptions that caused the sin. For example, this husband did not come to grips with his misplaced pride and insecurity, and his need for exaggerated deference and respect from women. His “repentance” was completely selfish, caring only about his pain and not about the grief he was causing his wife and God. He was only sorry about himself, not about the sin.”
― Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God
― Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God
Christian Theological/Philosophical Book Club
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— last activity Dec 16, 2025 03:48AM
The primary guidelines for this group are a sincere love for the true God of the Bible and a commitment to relying on the Word of God (the Bible) as t ...more
Nick’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Nick’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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181 books
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2,666 books
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172 books
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489 books
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545 books
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41 friends
752 books
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