Living Theology

God’s title of “Abba Father” is only found referenced in the Bible three separate times, in the passages of Romans 8:15, Mark 14:36, and Galatians 4:6, which are all in the New Testament. Only two speakers utter these words in these passages: Jesus and the apostle Paul.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34

So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself! Mark 15:29–30

You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is. 11 And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of...

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity. Hebrews 2:14

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son. Hebrews 1:1–2

Evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you [Timothy], continue in what you have learned. 2 Timothy 3:13–14

There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call” (Eph. 4:4). Throughout Ephesians, Paul is concerned to unfold God’s plan to “unite all things” in Christ (Eph. 1:10), a design to bring together people from every tribe and tongue in submission to the Lord Jesus. Until this plan is consummated at the return of Christ, this unity will not be a full...

(ESV) 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes throug...

My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks...

At first glance, conformed and transformed look like the same thing, but they contain very different ideas. When something is conformed it outwardly takes the shape or form of whatever has exerted pressure on it without changing the substance of the thing conformed. Pour water into a container and it conforms to the shape of the container, but it remains water. But when something is transformed, i...

(ESV) 1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might...

(ESV) 1 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of...

(ESV) 12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do n...

From the garden on, God continued to show mercy to his guilty image bearers. As we have seen, God provided the first sacrifice for sin by making skins to cloth Adam and Eve’s nakedness, and he promised that a redeemer would come from the offspring of the woman. In the law of Moses especially, God made provision for the sacrificial system in order to repair the breach created by human guilt.

(ESV) 1 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of...

The biblical authors actually aren’t as concerned with “freedom” as we are in contemporary society. In fact, depending on the Bible translation you search, you might even find the word “freedom” less than 10 times in the Bible. More importantly, the apostle Paul does not shy away from referring to himself as a “servant” or “slave” of Christ (the Greek word doulos).

20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumb...

(ESV) 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fi...

God lets people become what they worship. The only question now is: who will we as human beings worship?

Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonouring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the C...

The Lord’s anger burns against his people; his hand is raised and he strikes them down. The mountains shake, and the dead bodies are like refuse in the streets. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised. (Isaiah 5:25)

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been...