And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] explained to them what
was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.…
Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.
They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us
on the road andthe Scriptures to us?” …
Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.…
Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.
They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us
on the road andthe Scriptures to us?” …
Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
~ Luke 24.27, 31-32, 45 NIV
Expository preaching is the communication of a biblical concept, derived from and transmitted through a historical, grammatical, and literary study of a passage in its context, which the Holy Spirit first applies to the personality and experience of the preacher, then through him to his hearers.” ~ Haddon W. Robinson, Biblical Preaching: The Development and Delivery of Expository Messages, 20
I once heard a preacher addressing an assembly of 6th-12th graders refer to the meals his mother prepared for him from birth until he left home to illustrate the benefit of hearing so many Bible lessons over our lifetimes. He noted that, while he could remember only a few specific meals out of the thousands she prepared, all of them were important for his growth.
Although not the only way to study the Bible, exposition of the Scriptures is helpful for nurturing comparable long-term spiritual growth. As we work consecutively through a Bible book or section of text, deriving our direction from exegesis of the ideas presented in each text, we are led to think about and be convicted by truths we might not otherwise consider. And as we explore more of the biblical documents over time, the benefits accumulate to increase our growth in grace and knowledge (cf. 2 Peter 3:18).
Because the expositions presented here are essays, their format and length are necessarily different from oral presentations. But, also because they are written, they can potentially have a cumulative effect that differs from oral proclamations in the accumulation of separate studies over time and in the fact that they can be revisited and studied again.
My hope for Opening the Scriptures is that over time these smaller portions will become a helpful collection of background studies and explanations that will lead to better understanding and practice of the Bible's teachings.
Look for new issues twice a month from January through October and once a month in November & December. Each single-article issue will take about 5-8 minutes to read (based on average reading time).
Although not the only way to study the Bible, exposition of the Scriptures is helpful for nurturing comparable long-term spiritual growth. As we work consecutively through a Bible book or section of text, deriving our direction from exegesis of the ideas presented in each text, we are led to think about and be convicted by truths we might not otherwise consider. And as we explore more of the biblical documents over time, the benefits accumulate to increase our growth in grace and knowledge (cf. 2 Peter 3:18).
Because the expositions presented here are essays, their format and length are necessarily different from oral presentations. But, also because they are written, they can potentially have a cumulative effect that differs from oral proclamations in the accumulation of separate studies over time and in the fact that they can be revisited and studied again.
My hope for Opening the Scriptures is that over time these smaller portions will become a helpful collection of background studies and explanations that will lead to better understanding and practice of the Bible's teachings.
Look for new issues twice a month from January through October and once a month in November & December. Each single-article issue will take about 5-8 minutes to read (based on average reading time).
Most Recent Issue
Issue 1/20 - March 26, 2024 - Partiality in the Assembly - Building on his definition of authentic religion in 1.26–27, James continues to apply his exhortation to his readers to be doers of the word (1.19–25) by controlling their tongues, demonstrating God-imitating esteem for the marginalized, and remaining unstained from the world. He develops those ideas with specific applications in the succeeding sections, beginning with the matter of valuing people as God vales them (2.1–26), a section he begins by calling on his readers to "show no partiality.… (click title above to continue)
Previous Issues
Volume 1
Issue 1/1 - May 16, 2023 - James: Urgent and Uncompromising - While serving as the pulpit preacher for a church in Memphis, Tennessee, I was invited to teach a short class series on the letter of James at an event in Nashville. Since my wife had grown up in the area, we arranged to have dinner with the family of a woman she had known all her life. When our hostess learned my subject, she said, “Oh, I just love the book of James!” Carlynn’s emphatic reply surprised her: “I don’t!” . . . (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/2 - May 30, 2023 - Background: Deciding for God (1), The Theology of James - According to John Neuhaus, H. Richard Niebuhr once gave a “withering analysis of the gospel of liberal Christianity. He said it depicts a god that without wrath ‘brought men without sin, into a kingdom without judgment, through the ministrations of a Christ without a Cross’” (Neuhaus 2011, 115).… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/3 - June 13, 2023 - Background: Deciding for God (2), The Theology of James - Why did James write his letter? Unlike Paul’s declaration in Romans 1.16-17, there is no statement we can identify as a thesis. At first blush, we get the sense that the letter is simply a collected series of meditations (or homilies) on various subjects in response to his readers’ life experiences and behavior.… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/4 - June 27, 2023 - Who Was James? - The letter we are studying begins simply: “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” (Jas 1.1). The lack of elaboration suggests that whoever James was, he was well known to his readers and confident in his standing. We may compare his self-identification with Jude who used James’s name in his greeting in an apparent effort to authenticate his authority (Jude 1).… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/5 - July 11, 2023 - A Humble Servant - In an article on why so many young people are leaving the Christian faith, Drew Dyck included the explanation given by one young man to justify his departure to Wicca. "Ultimately why I left is that the Christian God demands that you submit to his will. In Wicca, it’s just the other way around. Your will is paramount. We believe in gods and goddesses, but the deities we choose to serve are based on our wills." In a world of double-speak and excuses, his candor is refreshing. And his assessment of what “the Christian God demands” is correct. Christian faith does call for submission to God’s will. Jesus said as much … (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/6 - July 25, 2023 - The Structure of James - I enjoy and follow some of our nation’s major sports, but typically watch very little, if any, of the pre-game shows for their championship events. Because I keep up with them as their seasons progress, I don’t feel the need to watch the extended programming to gain the perspective the productions purport to give; my sustained interest equips me with the essential context I need to knowledgably watch the big games.… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/7 - August 8, 2023 - Background: Thematic Cohesiveness in James 1 - As previously noted, at first glance, James 1.2-27 appears to be a random collection of short reflections on multiple topics. But when we read the chapter more closely, we notice repetitions that indicate the different sections are connected.… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/8 - August 22, 2023 - Is He Serious!? - On October 2, 2006, Charles Roberts took over the one-room Amish schoolhouse in West Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania. After releasing the teacher, other adults, and male students, he took hostage ten females from ages six to thirteen. Shortly after the police arrived, Roberts shot the girls, killing five of them, and then took his own life. After the preliminary reports on the horror of the event, many turned their attention to the reaction of the Amish community.… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/9 - September 12, 2023 - The Basis of Steadfastness - As we think about how James connects steadfast faith to perfection and completeness (1.2-4), we wonder what it should look like. Is it something we can exhibit from the beginning of our Christian walk, or does it develop over time? Is there room in steadfastness for failures? For hard questions? For occasionally wondering what God is doing in our lives and why? Are we still being steadfast when, despite our fierce determination to do right, we keep struggling with the same sins? It would help to have an example of steadfast faith, wouldn’t it? … (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/10 - September 26, 2023 - On Course for Victory - One of the most riveting images from the modern Olympics resulted from the determination of Swiss marathoner Gabriele Andersen-Scheiss in the 1984 Los Angeles games. Suffering from heat exhaustion, she entered the stadium fifteen minutes after the winner.… Andersen-Scheiss’s perseverance illustrates the steadfast attitude and determination to reach the finish line that James encouraged in James 1.2-4. Verses 6-12 show what is required to persevere.… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/11 - October 10, 2023 - Who's To Blame? - During the decade-plus I taught in a Christian secondary school, a few students ventured to suggest—without success—that if I had not given the test, they could not have failed it. Others complained that the test was not fair because they had been lured to give wrong answers by trick questions. When we read James 1.13-18, we might wonder if some of James’s readers were having similar thoughts about their moral failures.… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/12 - October 24, 2023 - The Trouble with Me Is … - According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the phrase “bait and switch” to describe “a sales tactic in which a customer is attracted by the advertisement of a low-priced item but is then encouraged to buy a higher-priced one” was first used in 1962. Of course, hunters and fishermen have known about the practice that gives rise to the expression for much longer. As he turned to the subject of temptation and personal responsibility in chapter 1.13-15, James used that general knowledge to describe what happens in the tragic steps from temptation to sin to death. He then shows how we can escape the trap and its deadly consequences.… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/13 - November 14, 2023 - "God Is Great, God Is Good" - On January 7, 1855, at the age of 20 (!), Charles Spurgeon began his sermon by declaring that the proper study for God’s people is God. He called such study “the mightiest philosophy which can ever engage the attention of a child of God” and noted that it both humbles the mind and expands it. He also said that in the deepening of our knowledge of God is found the greatest consolation.… Based on his letter, and especially what he wrote in James 1.13–18, James apparently had a similar view of the importance of knowing God deeply … (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/14 - December 12, 2023 - Take a Breath - The young daughter of a woman I knew several years ago would often become so excited that she would talk too rapidly to be understood. Both to calm the girl and so she could understand what she was saying, her mother would say, “Breathe, Susie.” I submit that the main difference between her and many of us are the specific things that got her so worked up. Most of us have times when we need to take a breath, calm down, and get the anxiety triggered by our circumstances under control.… When facing trials, James 1.19–21 in effect counsels us to stop. Breathe. Re-center. Remember where frustration and overreaction will lead.… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/15 - January 9, 2024 - So, You Say You Believe the Bible? - One of my teachers once told us a story related to him by his friend, a fellow-believer who taught psychiatry at a major university and also did clinical work. The therapist said he would ask his Christian clients how their faith influenced the way they dealt with their problems and that most responded as if the idea had never occurred to them. There was a disconnect between their profession of faith and its application to their lives. It’s not hard to imagine James had seen a similar disconnect.… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/16 - January 23, 2024 - Background: "Blessed Are the Poor" # 1: Applying the Teaching of Jesus - A characteristic of James noted by many scholars is how much the letter resembles the recorded teaching of Jesus, in particular the Sermons on the Mount and Plain (Matt 5–7; Luke 6). Our concern in this study is with the echo of Jesus' teaching heard in James's concern for the poor.… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/17 - February 13, 2024 - Background: "Blessed Are the Poor" # 2: James's Jewish Heritage - James’s warnings about wealth and emphasis on helping the poor must be understood in light of his Jewish heritage. The law had much to say about wealth and righteous treatment of the poor and oppressed, an emphasis that continued in Second Temple Judaism. The community in which James was a leader was expected to live according to the principles of the new covenant given in fulfillment of the old. Since wealth disparity and related abuses remained a problem among them (e.g., 1.9–11; 2.1–7, 14¬–17; 4.13–17; 5.1–11), he called on them to live up to God’s expectations regarding the rich and poor.… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/18 - February 27, 2024 - So, You Think You're Religious? - Derek Tidball observed, “Authentic Christian religion … is a far cry from contemporary popular understandings, or rather misunderstandings of religion” (Tidball, Wisdom from Heaven, 93). Many of us would agree. But before we get too involved in critiquing others, we should ask what authentic religion should be. James 1.26–27 should be a primary source for forming our response.… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/19 - March 12, 2024 - Worthless Religion — Jewish Context - James’s use of the word worthless (μάταιος, mataios) in James 1.26 echoes the Old Testament’s emphasis on the elevation of lesser things to a place alongside or above God. Study of its use in the LXX, extra-canonical writings, and other New Testament texts illuminates James’s reference to worthless religion.… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/2 - May 30, 2023 - Background: Deciding for God (1), The Theology of James - According to John Neuhaus, H. Richard Niebuhr once gave a “withering analysis of the gospel of liberal Christianity. He said it depicts a god that without wrath ‘brought men without sin, into a kingdom without judgment, through the ministrations of a Christ without a Cross’” (Neuhaus 2011, 115).… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/3 - June 13, 2023 - Background: Deciding for God (2), The Theology of James - Why did James write his letter? Unlike Paul’s declaration in Romans 1.16-17, there is no statement we can identify as a thesis. At first blush, we get the sense that the letter is simply a collected series of meditations (or homilies) on various subjects in response to his readers’ life experiences and behavior.… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/4 - June 27, 2023 - Who Was James? - The letter we are studying begins simply: “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” (Jas 1.1). The lack of elaboration suggests that whoever James was, he was well known to his readers and confident in his standing. We may compare his self-identification with Jude who used James’s name in his greeting in an apparent effort to authenticate his authority (Jude 1).… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/5 - July 11, 2023 - A Humble Servant - In an article on why so many young people are leaving the Christian faith, Drew Dyck included the explanation given by one young man to justify his departure to Wicca. "Ultimately why I left is that the Christian God demands that you submit to his will. In Wicca, it’s just the other way around. Your will is paramount. We believe in gods and goddesses, but the deities we choose to serve are based on our wills." In a world of double-speak and excuses, his candor is refreshing. And his assessment of what “the Christian God demands” is correct. Christian faith does call for submission to God’s will. Jesus said as much … (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/6 - July 25, 2023 - The Structure of James - I enjoy and follow some of our nation’s major sports, but typically watch very little, if any, of the pre-game shows for their championship events. Because I keep up with them as their seasons progress, I don’t feel the need to watch the extended programming to gain the perspective the productions purport to give; my sustained interest equips me with the essential context I need to knowledgably watch the big games.… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/7 - August 8, 2023 - Background: Thematic Cohesiveness in James 1 - As previously noted, at first glance, James 1.2-27 appears to be a random collection of short reflections on multiple topics. But when we read the chapter more closely, we notice repetitions that indicate the different sections are connected.… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/8 - August 22, 2023 - Is He Serious!? - On October 2, 2006, Charles Roberts took over the one-room Amish schoolhouse in West Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania. After releasing the teacher, other adults, and male students, he took hostage ten females from ages six to thirteen. Shortly after the police arrived, Roberts shot the girls, killing five of them, and then took his own life. After the preliminary reports on the horror of the event, many turned their attention to the reaction of the Amish community.… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/9 - September 12, 2023 - The Basis of Steadfastness - As we think about how James connects steadfast faith to perfection and completeness (1.2-4), we wonder what it should look like. Is it something we can exhibit from the beginning of our Christian walk, or does it develop over time? Is there room in steadfastness for failures? For hard questions? For occasionally wondering what God is doing in our lives and why? Are we still being steadfast when, despite our fierce determination to do right, we keep struggling with the same sins? It would help to have an example of steadfast faith, wouldn’t it? … (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/10 - September 26, 2023 - On Course for Victory - One of the most riveting images from the modern Olympics resulted from the determination of Swiss marathoner Gabriele Andersen-Scheiss in the 1984 Los Angeles games. Suffering from heat exhaustion, she entered the stadium fifteen minutes after the winner.… Andersen-Scheiss’s perseverance illustrates the steadfast attitude and determination to reach the finish line that James encouraged in James 1.2-4. Verses 6-12 show what is required to persevere.… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/11 - October 10, 2023 - Who's To Blame? - During the decade-plus I taught in a Christian secondary school, a few students ventured to suggest—without success—that if I had not given the test, they could not have failed it. Others complained that the test was not fair because they had been lured to give wrong answers by trick questions. When we read James 1.13-18, we might wonder if some of James’s readers were having similar thoughts about their moral failures.… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/12 - October 24, 2023 - The Trouble with Me Is … - According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the phrase “bait and switch” to describe “a sales tactic in which a customer is attracted by the advertisement of a low-priced item but is then encouraged to buy a higher-priced one” was first used in 1962. Of course, hunters and fishermen have known about the practice that gives rise to the expression for much longer. As he turned to the subject of temptation and personal responsibility in chapter 1.13-15, James used that general knowledge to describe what happens in the tragic steps from temptation to sin to death. He then shows how we can escape the trap and its deadly consequences.… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/13 - November 14, 2023 - "God Is Great, God Is Good" - On January 7, 1855, at the age of 20 (!), Charles Spurgeon began his sermon by declaring that the proper study for God’s people is God. He called such study “the mightiest philosophy which can ever engage the attention of a child of God” and noted that it both humbles the mind and expands it. He also said that in the deepening of our knowledge of God is found the greatest consolation.… Based on his letter, and especially what he wrote in James 1.13–18, James apparently had a similar view of the importance of knowing God deeply … (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/14 - December 12, 2023 - Take a Breath - The young daughter of a woman I knew several years ago would often become so excited that she would talk too rapidly to be understood. Both to calm the girl and so she could understand what she was saying, her mother would say, “Breathe, Susie.” I submit that the main difference between her and many of us are the specific things that got her so worked up. Most of us have times when we need to take a breath, calm down, and get the anxiety triggered by our circumstances under control.… When facing trials, James 1.19–21 in effect counsels us to stop. Breathe. Re-center. Remember where frustration and overreaction will lead.… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/15 - January 9, 2024 - So, You Say You Believe the Bible? - One of my teachers once told us a story related to him by his friend, a fellow-believer who taught psychiatry at a major university and also did clinical work. The therapist said he would ask his Christian clients how their faith influenced the way they dealt with their problems and that most responded as if the idea had never occurred to them. There was a disconnect between their profession of faith and its application to their lives. It’s not hard to imagine James had seen a similar disconnect.… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/16 - January 23, 2024 - Background: "Blessed Are the Poor" # 1: Applying the Teaching of Jesus - A characteristic of James noted by many scholars is how much the letter resembles the recorded teaching of Jesus, in particular the Sermons on the Mount and Plain (Matt 5–7; Luke 6). Our concern in this study is with the echo of Jesus' teaching heard in James's concern for the poor.… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/17 - February 13, 2024 - Background: "Blessed Are the Poor" # 2: James's Jewish Heritage - James’s warnings about wealth and emphasis on helping the poor must be understood in light of his Jewish heritage. The law had much to say about wealth and righteous treatment of the poor and oppressed, an emphasis that continued in Second Temple Judaism. The community in which James was a leader was expected to live according to the principles of the new covenant given in fulfillment of the old. Since wealth disparity and related abuses remained a problem among them (e.g., 1.9–11; 2.1–7, 14¬–17; 4.13–17; 5.1–11), he called on them to live up to God’s expectations regarding the rich and poor.… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/18 - February 27, 2024 - So, You Think You're Religious? - Derek Tidball observed, “Authentic Christian religion … is a far cry from contemporary popular understandings, or rather misunderstandings of religion” (Tidball, Wisdom from Heaven, 93). Many of us would agree. But before we get too involved in critiquing others, we should ask what authentic religion should be. James 1.26–27 should be a primary source for forming our response.… (click title above to continue)
Issue 1/19 - March 12, 2024 - Worthless Religion — Jewish Context - James’s use of the word worthless (μάταιος, mataios) in James 1.26 echoes the Old Testament’s emphasis on the elevation of lesser things to a place alongside or above God. Study of its use in the LXX, extra-canonical writings, and other New Testament texts illuminates James’s reference to worthless religion.… (click title above to continue)