The Bible Lab

The Gospel in its Grand Cosmic and Redemptive Significance Galatians and Ephesians are both remarkable expositions on the beauty and importance of the Gospel of Jesus. While they ultimately have different focuses in mind, each contributes meaningfully to our understanding of what the Gospel means for you and me. In Galatians, the Gospel is the news that all men are justified by faith, and not by w...

God writes His best stories in our weakness As we make our way into Corinthians, we get into some messy territory. Paul's letters to this cosmopolitan church show that they were a church in disarray. Rivalries, wild living, and hedonism were all threatening their unity and their witness to the culture around them. Even though Corinth had been a place where many people came to faith, getting the cu...

Justified by Faith Alone. Period. Bible Lab is back in the new year and continuing our journey through the Bible as we handle the incredible content found in the book of Romans. This letter from Paul to the Roman Christians is the cornerstone of our understanding of the great doctrine of justification by faith alone. That is, it is only through faith in Jesus Christ that man can be justified in Go...

God can save anybody. The latter half of Luke is full of amazing stories of individuals whose stories were ever changed by their interactions with Jesus. From Zacchaeus the tax collected to the heckler turned convert on the adjacent cross, Luke's message is that there's no one God can't or won't save through Jesus.  This week, we wrap up Luke and make our way into John, where we read a full focus...

Mark's Messianic Secret and Luke's Good News to the Poor This week's reading took us through the end of Mark and lion's share of Luke. While both share some of the same material, they present complimentary pictures of Jesus' ministry. In Mark, Jesus reveals the secret of His identity first as Messiah, then as suffering servant. Luke presents detailed individual stories of unexpected characters who...

The Kingdom of Jesus and Establishment Religion Matthew's Gospel is unique because of the way it presents Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. His telling of the life and ministry of Jesus is full of references to the many predictions of the Old Testament that foretold the coming of Israel's Messiah.  He also presents large blocks of Jesus' sermons and teachings. Three such discours...

Turning the Page to the New Testament Zechariah and Malachi are rich with anticipation of the coming New Testament age. In fact, there are remarkable links between Matthew, the so-called "Jewish Gospel" and the Old Testament prophets. In this week's episode, Jake walks us through some of the vital New Testament connections in Zechariah and Malachi with some extended discussion on instructive princ...

The Day of the Lord and the Minor Prophets The latter minor prophets that we cover in this week's episode are wide-ranging in focus, but their themes are remarkably consistent. As they look forward to the coming Messiah, the prophets predict a coming "day of the Lord" in which God will judge the injustice of the nations and bring His righteous shepherd-king to reign. Far from describing the end of...

Learning To Discern Truth v. Lies The prophet Jeremiah finds no shortage of reasons to criticize and call out the people of Jerusalem. Their spiritual condition has deteriorated so dramatically that they have turned away from the Living God. Among their many problems is that they have tuned out God's voice by listening to false prophets and lying priests. Those who were tasked with speaking as rep...

God gets the final word: The final chapters of Isaiah are absolutely MUST READ chapters in the Bible. In chapters 58-59, Isaiah vividly describes the spiritual condition of Israel: "they grope for light" and walk in darkness even during the day! Their sins have made them blind to their dependence on God. Yet the following chapters set the stage for God's dramatic redemptive conclusion not only to...

The Turning Point of Isaiah: This week, we discover the turning point of Isaiah. The truth is that God's people fell so far away from Him. They chose rebellion, their idols, and their own selfish desires. Despite countless warnings and opportunities to repent, it took a "needed pain" for them to realize their dependence on the Lord their God. Fortunately, the Lord graciously offers forgiveness, an...

Resources   THE BIBLE LAB IS ON YOUTUBE: watch the full episode and find clips to share on the LIFE BRIDGE YOUTUBE CHANNEL ESV Illuminated Scripture journals from Crossway: https://www.crossway.org/bibles/esv-illuminated-scripture-journal-new-testame-tpb/   Mr. Pen highlighers (clutch for personal Bible Study): https://a.co/d/anBO91t   Special thanks to the band Least of These for use of their son...

Poets and Prophets Another milestone was hit in this week's episode! We turned the corner from the poetic cannon of the Bible into the prophetic canon.  Some key takeaways from this week: Song of Solomon is a book full of interesting poetic language. In short, it might not be recommended to use Hebrew poetry as a way to interact with your spouse in the 21st century. But here are to clear themes fr...

Resources   THE BIBLE LAB IS ON YOUTUBE: watch the full episode and find clips to share on the LIFE BRIDGE YOUTUBE CHANNEL ESV Illuminated Scripture journals from Crossway: https://www.crossway.org/bibles/esv-illuminated-scripture-journal-new-testame-tpb/   Mr. Pen highlighers (clutch for personal Bible Study): https://a.co/d/anBO91t   Special thanks to the band Least of These for use of their son...

The Way of Wisdom We all need someone to coach us through our daily decision making and give us advice from time to time. Think of Proverbs that way; like a coach, a mentor, or a wise old friend who's got enough salt in their beard to help you avoid the tough lessons that go along with growing up. Proverbs is a collection of "wise sayings" of King Solomon (with a couple cameos from other wisdom th...

On our way up to Zion The Psalms of Ascent are beautiful worship songs that Jewish pilgrims would traditionally sing on the way up to Jerusalem for their major festivals. Today, they are songs that point us to think about our own journey with Christ on the way to the heavenly city! Join Ryan and Jake for an exploration of book V of the Psalms! Resources How to Read and Understand the Psalms by Bru...

The Psalms as Fuel for our Fire The Psalms are a tough book to read if we approach them only for the sake of seeking information. They're not a textbook, and shouldn't be read like one. They are meant to fuel the passionate worship of God as Savior and King. This week's episode carries us into Book V of the Psalms, in which we read incredible meditations on God's Kingship and on His Word. Joel and...

Learning to find our identity as Sons and Daughters of the King Psalms 75-97 include powerful reflections on the exile and prayers for deliverance. Exile was a crushing experience that forced God's people to re-examine who they were and where their identity came from. Specifically, their identity didn't come from a temple and a city, but from God's choosing, memorialized and established at Mount S...