Summary of How Biblical Languages Work – Chapter Seven

             In chapter of seven of How Biblical Languages Work, we see the need to consider dialects and change. It must be understood that a language is more than just words and grammatical structures. When studying the scriptures and Biblical languages, we must also consider the fact that the way something is said and the…

Summary of How Biblical Languages Work – Chapter Six

         Often times we will hear people say in an argument that, ‘it’s just semantics.’ In other words, we think that arguing over the meaning of words is really no big deal. However, in Biblical studies it is a very big deal. It is vital that we understand the meaning of the Biblical languages and…

Summary of How Biblical Languages Work – Chapter Five

         Chapter five of How Biblical Languages Work very appropriately begins with this verse found in Luke 1:3, “It seemed fitting for me…to write out for you in consecutive order.” In considering Biblical languages there must not only be consideration for the phrases and clause but also for a much broader picture of understanding discourse.…

Summary of How Biblical Languages Work – Chapter Four

        In studying Biblical languages it is important that we understand that words occur in groups and not just in isolation. In the book, How Biblical Languages Work, authors Peter Silzer and Thomas Finley show how words are put into groups. Two terms are indentified here: grammar and syntax. Grammar is the overall patterns of…

The development of the Old Testament canon: A short overview

              Have you ever wondered how the Bible came about? Have you ever been curious to know why certain books were included in the Bible while others were not? In this article, we seek to address these questions as we look at the development of the Old Testament Canon. It is the thesis of this…

The Road to Damascus

            In the ninth chapter of Acts we find the conversion experience of the greatest missionary that ever lived, the Apostle Paul. Before his name was changed to Paul, he was known as Saul of Tarsus. The account of this conversion experience teaches us some very valuable lessons concerning salvation and God’s call on our…

The authority of Christ and canonicity

        “The first link in the chain of revelation ‘From God to Us’ is inspiration, which concerns what God did, namely, that He breathed out (spirated) the scriptures.”[1] Norman Geisler and William Nix were very clear in emphasizing the importance of the inspiration of scriptures. It is through inspiration that the Bible receives its authority.…

Spreading the Word – Acts 8:26-39

             Even in the midst of persecution, the early church grew mightily. The Gospel has now spread throughout the region and even to the Samaritans. In the account of the Ethiopian, we find what could be the first Gentile to accept Christ as Savior. Ethiopia was considered by the Romans and the Greeks as the…

Responding to Opposition – Acts 6:8-7:60

           The Lord has taught me a great deal over the many years that I have been involved in local church ministry. One of those things is the fact that there is always opposition. Sometimes that opposition will come from those from outside the church. People who are oppose the Gospel that come against the…

Summary of the Canon of Scriptures p. 253-297

       Pages 253-297 of the Canon of Scriptures by F.F. Bruce, begins the fourth and final section of the book. This final section is a basic conclusion of the material covered throughout the book. It begins with a chapter on the criteria of canonicity. The author covers such criteria such as: the tests in the…