What is “radical criticism” and how has this philosophy affected “Christian” colleges and universities? This theme is addressed in this week’s Penpoints.

An in-depth study of the interesting encounter between Jesus and an unnamed Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well recorded in John chapter four.

The prophet Zephaniah was the great, great-grandson of King Hezekiah (1:1). His prophetic ministry was conducted in the days of Judah’s good king, Josiah (ca. 639-09 B.C.). 

Josiah came to the thr...

Luke 17:31ff has been a confusing text to some Bible students. Does this section of Scripture refer to the destruction of Jerusalem (A.D. 70), or to the final Coming of Christ? This context is examined in this week’s Q&A segment.

Though the New Testament writer Luke was a Gentile, surprisingly his Gospel account reveals a significant knowledge of the Old Testament scriptures. Reflect upon this fact with us.

Zechariah was a companion prophet with Haggai. The latter sternly admonished the Hebrews to rid themselves of self-interest and to complete the work on the temple during the post-Babylonian captivi...

The name of the second book of the Old Testament means “departure” or “going out.” It contains Moses’ record of Israel’s departure from Egyptian bondage and the nation’s separation unto God as a ho...

Certain first-century Jews sought to persuade Christians (perhaps in the region of Jerusalem) to abandon the faith, return to Judaism, and wait for the real Messiah. The design of this letter, by a...

This phrase appears in Galatians 4:4, where Paul describes Christ’s birth and earthly ministry as occurring when “the fulness of time” had arrived. The expression highlights how, over the centuries...

Who was John the Baptist? What was his relationship to Jesus?

Paul commended Timothy for making “the good confession” before many witnesses (1 Tim. 6:12). 
The word “confession” comes from the Greek homologia, which means “to say the same thing.” It implies a...

Occasionally, while the preacher is presenting a lesson, someone in the audience will say, “Amen.” Is this practice in keeping with the Bible? If so, what does “Amen” mean?

In the Old Testament, anointing with oil was used ceremonially to set apart special roles, especially those of prophets (1 Kgs. 19:16), priests (Ex. 28:41), and kings (1 Sam. 9:16).

The most comm...

The imagery of a “lamb” is taken from the Old Testament to convey certain thoughts about the Messiah.

John the Baptizer introduced Jesus as the “lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (...

Matthew chapter twenty-four is a largely symbolic chapter of the New Testament that has been misinterpreted in two extreme directions.

The book of Hebrews is a marvelous treatise revealing the superiority of Christ and his New Covenant system over that of the preparatory Mosaic regime. The first chapter presents some fascinating portraits of the Lord Jesus.

The most common impression of Jesus is that of a loving, tender, compassionate Savior. But there is another side to that “coin” — the one portrayed in Revelation 19:11ff.

The book of Revelation ignites a confidence in the soul of every child of God — of any century. What a thrilling ray of hope this must have generated in the hearts of those early, suffering saints. Truly, it is the “gospel in miniature.”

There are many wonderful truths regarding God upon which the sincere soul should meditate. In this article we consider but three. Reflect upon these with us.

Jesus Christ is the most renowned person of human history? That being true, why are there so many false ideas circulating about him? Because people have biases and they “reinvent” a “Jesus” after their own presuppositions. In this article we review some of the bizarre theories.