Category Archives: Uncategorized

Scripture has a rather unique definition of fulfillment.  While it does follow the usual definition of looking forward to something, it can also refer to looking backward to something as well. The passage of Hosea, fulfilled in Matthew says “[w]hen Israel was a child I loved him, out of Egypt I called my son. The more IContinue reading “Mar 3”

Based off of the excerpts from Numbers that we read, I would say that Israel’s distrust of and dissatisfaction with God and His plan for them is what leads to the wilderness generation’s condemnation.  This dissatisfaction can be seen in Numbers 11 as the Israelites complain about the manna God has given them, despite the ratherContinue reading “Feb 20”

The difference between purity and impurity has to do with order and disorder. By trying to remove those things which are impure, an effort is being made to remove those things which are disorderly and destructive and instead focus on what brings us order and life. God requires the maintenance of purity because His ultimate goal isContinue reading “Feb 18”

The whole concept of who God is can never be fully grasped, as He is beyond our full knowing.  However, Ratzinger proposes three ways for us to consider who God is. He claims that God is a personal god, a powerful god, and a god of promise.  He first lays out the idea of a personal god saying, “theContinue reading “Feb 11”

As Anderson explained in the article, Joseph planted the silver cup in Benjamin’s bag to determine if his brothers had truly changed.  By planting the cup and threatening to imprison Benjamin, Joseph is replicating the situation his brothers put him in years earlier.  Once again, their father’s beloved son will be taken away from him and willContinue reading “Feb 6”

In the scene of Jacob’s wrestling, it is not fully clear who he is wrestling or who might have won the altercation.  I think Jacob’s opponent is some kind of divine being meant to a representation of God Himself.  However, I think that Jacob’s struggle with this figure is also meant to recognize his struggle with hisContinue reading “Feb 3”

When I think about what religion is, my first reaction is to give examples of the traditional ideas of religion such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and so on.  However, I found Marty’s five features of religion that he laid out very thought provoking, especially the first one which is that religion focuses on ourContinue reading “Jan 30”

Faith is unavoidable because it is only through faith that we pursue knowledge.  St. Augustine said, “no one believes anything unless one first though it believable.” Here, Augustine is arguing that unless we have some sort of faith that something is believable there would be no reason for us to use reason to examine it and tryContinue reading “Jan 28”

Abraham agrees to God’s request, because he trusts God fully.  God has promised Abraham that he will have many descendants, and Abraham trusts God that this promise will still be fulfilled even if he does sacrifice Isaac to God.  He so fully trusts and loves God that, even though he loves Isaac, he is willing to sacrificeContinue reading “Jan 23”

In Genesis 3, it is not the fruit itself that is objectively bad, as is commonly believed, but it is instead how Adam and Eve use that fruit.  Instead of waiting until they have developed the necessary virtues needed to possess the knowledge it gives, they eat the fruit of their own accord.  Therefore, they have takenContinue reading “Jan 21”