Colossians 1:19-20a, ‘For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven…’ [This illustration is for pages 8-9 of the upcoming Colossians board book.] Two life-alteringly beautiful realities are bound up in these few words of the Apostle. […]
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Here is the one thousandth and thirty-fourth picture in the verse picture series, which is also the third and fourth pictures planned for inclusion in the upcoming Colossians Board Book. This picture will span two pages and the associated text will be Colossians 1:16. ‘For by Him, all things were created, in heaven and on
Colossians 1:15, ‘He is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of all creation, for by Him, all things were created…’ This is the artwork from the first two pages of a planned board-book based on Colossians 1:15-20. I’ve recited these verses over our son almost every night of his life as a way
The Paschal Trilogy – Part II/III – Holy Saturday Matthew 26:20, ‘When it was evening, He reclined at table…’ Considering Jesus’ final meal with His disciples, Irenaeus of Lyons makes the beautiful observation that ‘[Jesus] administered food to [His disciples] in a recumbent posture, indicating that those who were lying in the earth were they
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Matthew 2:2, ‘For we saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.’ John 12:12, ‘And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ The coming of the magi to worship the newborn Jesus is the first fruits of the eschatological in-gathering of the nations
In Colossians 2:2-3, Paul seeks for the Colossians to be “united in love, even unto all the riches of full assurance of understanding, unto the knowledge of the mystery of God, [which is] Christ, in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden.” Paul labors for the Colossians to be united to
Ephesians 3:18-9, [That you] may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Paul does not explain the dimensions that he mentions in this
John 13:3, ‘Jesus, [knew] that the Father had given all things into His hands…’ These same hands into which all things have been given are the hands that would be pierced by Roman nails. Yes, part of the ‘all things’ delivered into the Son’s hands is the suffering, sorrow, death, and damnation of His people,
Psalm 102: 24-26, [v.24] ‘Oh my God,’ I say, ‘take me not away in the midst of my days—you whose years endure throughout all generations!’ [v.25] Of old you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. [v.26] They will perish, but you will remain… Heb. 1:10 cites
Romans 10:18, “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” When faced with the question of whether the refusal to believe in Jesus as Lord is due to a lack of hearing the word about the Christ, Paul responds that it is certainly not
Ephesians 2:4-5, “But God…because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our sins…” On this Good Friday, as the world scrambles for answers, divides against itself, bows down to it’s own word as law, and numbs its mortal wounds with palliative distractions, may the Lord grant
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.” The Passage Explained: Paul’s words here echo his earlier call to
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Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of YHWH is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” The knowledge (intimate, personal knowledge—same word used for the way a husband and wife “know” one another in marital union) the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. By saying that knowledge of the Holy
1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “I delivered to you as of FIRST IMPORTANCE what I also received: that Christ died for our sins…that He was buried, [and] that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…” The Person and Work of Christ is the Sun of our theological solar system.
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Isaiah 13:13, “…the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the LORD of hosts in the day of His fierce anger.” Matthew 27:50-51, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up His spirit…And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.” If you are
Isaiah 13:13 + Matthew 27:50-51 Read More »
Hebrews 1:8, 10, “But of the Son He says…”You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands.” May the glories of the night sky always remind us that the hands of the Star-Kindler were pierced because of our sins and because of His
Colossians 1:19, “For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether in earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.” The death and resurrection of the God-Man is the note that harmonizes all of reality to the
Psalm 138:2, “I…give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.” Because of His steadfast love and faithfulness, YHWH exalts His Name and His Word above all else–and this exaltation climaxes in the crucified and risen Christ.
Isaiah 8:12-14, “..do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But YHWH of hosts, Him you shall honor as holy. Let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. And He will become a sanctuary…” When fear of running FROM God drives us TO God in reverential awe, we will
Psalm 19, The word of Creation and the word of Scripture point to, are illuminated by, and are summed up in the Word Incarnate.
