Posts by David Huffstutler
Hope in Romans 5:1-11
In Romans 5:1–11, Paul refers to hope three times (Romans 5:2, 4, 5) and speaks to the content of our hope as well (Romans 5:9–10). The following briefly examines these mentions of hope for our encouragement today. Hope in the Glory of God First, Paul sates, “We rejoice in hope of the glory of God”…
Read MoreIn and Out of the Tomb: The Resurrection of Jesus
What follows below is a moment-by-moment summary of what of the Gospels say about what happened at the tomb with a primary focus on Jesus. In the Tomb: Matthew 27:57–66; Mark 15:42–47; Luke 23:50–56; John 19:38–42 In the evening after the death of Jesus (Friday), Joseph of Arimathea took courage and secretly asked Pilate for…
Read MoreHistorical Fundamentalism: A Personal Word
My personal ecclesiastical heritage stems from what I would call historical fundamentalism. While those two words together may not be the first phrase out of my mouth to describe myself or my church’s history to a guest at my church, it can be a helpful phrase to use if one has the time to give…
Read MoreHezekiah: An Example in Character for the New Year
In one of the Bible’s “new years,” 2 Chronicles 29:3 records of Hezekiah, “In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them.” At first glance, this may seem like simple maintenance, but further study shows that opening and repairing these…
Read MoreFrom Sorrow to Salvation (Psalm 69)
From David to God Above: Psalm 69 in Its Original Setting Sorrows overwhelm us from time to time—so many, that they seem to be a sea. David was almost drowning in them when he wrote Psalm 69, his lifeline to heaven to pull him safely back up? (cf. Ps 69:29). He startles us with an…
Read MoreThanking God as a People; Thanking Him One by One
Thanksgiving comes every year, and giving thanks to God is a standard privilege of the Christian life. It is our obedience: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). It is also a way to glorify God—notice the parallelism in Psalm 86:12: “I…
Read MoreWhat the Bible Says about Premarital Sex
This post is my brief summary of “A Biblical Argument Against Premarital Sex” by Mark Snoeberger in Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal 20 (2015), pages 45–63. If you have time, I would encourage you to read the entire article. At the least, a quick consideration of the passages below is helpful as we seek to live…
Read MoreWhat Does It Mean to Be a Busybody?
Three verses in the New Testament refer to a busybody—2 Thessalonians 3:11, 1 Timothy 5:13, and 1 Peter 4:15. The following briefly explores the meaning of busybody in each verse. 2 Thessalonians 3:11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. “Busybodies” in this verse…
Read MoreContending Without Being Contentious
We must contend for the faith. Jude commands us, “Contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). But we must not be contentious. Speaking on head coverings, Paul gave a prohibition against contentiousness that applies to any situation: “If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no…
Read MoreToday, Yesterday, and Tomorrow
In his “last will and testament” in 2 Tim 4:6–8, Paul (1) sees his impending death, (2) looks back at his life, and (3) considers his future. In light of his words, we could ask ourselves the three questions that you find below. What is your “today”? While still alive, Paul realized his end was…
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