Bible and Theology on Bible Characters

illustration

Understanding the Bible is a Struggle

Author

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 22:1-19, Exodus 32:1-35, Ecclesiastes 1:1-18, Matthew 20:1-16 , John 6:53-66, Psalm 73:1-28

Thomas Merton’s words about the Bible in general apply to the Old Testament in particular: There is, in a word, nothing comfortable about the Bible — until we manage to get so used to it that we ...

Quote

Author

Eugene H. Peterson

Keywords

The biblical fondness for genealogical lists is not dull obscurantism, it is an insistence on the primacy and continuity of people. Each name is a burnished link connecting God’s promises to his fulfi...

liturgy

Holy God, we are inspired by the

Author

Cody Sandahl

Keywords

Holy God, we are inspired by the boldness of people in the Bible, but we confess that we are often too afraid to be so bold. Our hearts are moved by the love and grace Jesus shared while he walked thi...

Quote

Author

Craig L. Blomberg

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 13:, Mark 4:1-20, Luke 8:4-15

The key to interpreting most allegories [i.e., parables] lies in recognizing what a small handful of characters, actions or symbols correspond to and then fitting the rest of the story in with them.

illustration

Life in the Gaps

Author

Wayne Stiles

Keywords

Most of life is lived in the gaps between great moments. The peaks seem to protrude only after miles and miles of death valleys. While the Bible reveals its characters in terms of their high points, w...

illustration

The Dickensian Approach to Storytelling (Or, Rather, the Biblical Approach)

Author

Mark D. Roberts

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 1:, John 1:1-3

Sometimes great stories introduce the protagonist in the very first paragraph. In Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations, for example, we are immediately introduced to Pip, the central figure of the nov...

illustration

The Power of Four: Spiritual Transformation from Reading Scripture

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Does reading the Bible really change us? Does it have the ability, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to shape and form our characters? That's what The Center for Bible Engagement wanted to fin...

blog

Reading Genesis by Marilynne Robinson | A Review

Author

Paul Koptak

Keywords

Robinson's Winsome Faith I’ve been reading Marilynne Robinson's novels and essays for some time now. Of her fiction, I’ve read Gilead , reflections of a retired minister written for his ...

illustration

Understanding the Fear of God

Author

Timothy Keller

Keywords

What, then, should a Christian be afraid of regarding God? Think of it like this. Imagine that you suddenly are introduced to some person you have always admired enormously—perhaps someone you have he...

illustration

Subtraction Stew and Fulfillment: The Phantom Tollbooth

Author

Ryan Bundrick

Keywords

Scripture

John 6:26-27, John 6:35, Isaiah 55:1-2, Jeremiah 2:12-13, Proverbs 27:20, Amos 8:11

In The Phantom Tollbooth , there is a special kind of food called “subtraction stew.” Produced by a mathemagician, this stew makes you hungrier after you’ve eaten it. Our three main characters don’t ...

series

Road Trips: 2, Acts 9:1-19

Author

Allen Thompson

Keywords

Scripture

Acts 9:1-19, Luke 10:30-37, John 14:6

Saul's Confident Error Last week, we considered Abram and the way that God may send us out on a journey, waiting to see his will without knowing the destination. Today we move forward to Saul on...

blog

Five Types of Illustrations & Why They Matter

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Preaching

For most of us “seasoned preachers,” when we come to the conclusion that we need a sermon illustration, our minds instantly think “story.” Many preachers use the words interchangeably, but as we will ...

illustration

The Importance of Practice in Developing Virtue

Author

Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung

Keywords

Virtues

Very simply, a virtue (or vice) is acquired through practice— repeated activity that increases our proficiency at the activity and repeated activity that increases our proficiency at the activity and ...

illustration

Lowering His Price Based on Appearances

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Honoré de Balzac would eventually become a celebrated writer in post-Napoleanic France. He was renowned for his complex characters and realistic writing style. But like many young and aspiring writers...

Quote

Author

Orson F. Whitney

Keywords

No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and al...

illustration

Dreaming of a Better Future

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Honoré de Balzac would eventually become a celebrated writer in post-Napoleonic France. He was renowned for his complex characters and realistic writing style. Like most young artists, de Balzac lived...

illustration

The Ways of Power

Author

Jamin Goggin and Kyle Strobel

Keywords

Scripture

1 Corinthians 1:18-25, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Zechariah 4:6, Matthew 4:8-10, Matthew 20:25-28, Philippians 2:5-8

“You are so wise and powerful. Will you not take the Ring?” “No!” cried Gandalf, springing to his feet. “With that power I should have power too great and terrible. And over me the Ring would gain a p...

illustration

Villians Over Heroes

Author

Dante Alighieri

Keywords

In imaginary works it is difficult to make virtuous characters as believable and attractive as bad characters. The villains of literature and screen–Captain Ahab, the boys who go bad in Lord of the Fl...

illustration

The Sacramental “Act”

Author

Tim Chester

Keywords

The Sacraments

“Act” is a good word. Baptism and Communion are like mini-dramas. And we are not just in the audience; we are part of the cast. We do not look on from afar, merely learning information. We participate...

illustration

The Ring of Desire

Author

Timothy Keller

Keywords

The central plot device of The Lord of the Rings is the Dark Lord Sauron’s Ring of Power, which corrupts anyone who tries to use it, however good his or her intentions. The Ring is what Professor To...

Quote

Author

Anne Bogel

Keywords

Compared to our personality traits, character traits are more malleable. Our personalities can only be managed (or tamed, some might say). Our characters can be shaped, although this isn’t easy and ha...

Quote

Author

Timothy Keller

Keywords

Scripture

John 1:14, Colossians 1:15-16, Philippians 2:5-11, Hebrews 1:1-3, Acts 4:12

In the Christian view, the ultimate evidence for the existence of God is Jesus Christ. If there is a God, we characters in his play have to hope that he put some information about himself in the play....

Quote

Author

Henry Drummond

Keywords

Scripture

1 John 4:20, John 13:34-35, Matthew 5:16, 1 Corinthians 8:9, Romans 14:13, Matthew 23:13, Luke 15:11-32

How many prodigals are kept out of the kingdom of God by the unlovely characters of those who profess to be inside!

illustration

Dealing With Difficult Bible Passages

Author

Frederick Buechner

Keywords

Have you ever found yourself reading the Bible and you came across a scene that is horrific, filled with awful violence or scheming swindlers or ethical blunders, and you find yourself unsure what to ...

illustration

A Summary of Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress

Author

Christian George

Keywords

Pilgrim’s Progress smells of prison, for it was written in one. Thrown in jail for preaching the gospel without a license, Bunyan wrote a story in his cell. It is a story about life’s deepest question...

illustration

The Challenge of the Old Testament

Author

Phillip Yancey

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 137:9, 1 Corinthians 26:18, Exodus 3:1-12 , Jonah 1:4, Matthew 14:22-33, Acts 9:1-19

My brother, who attended a Bible College during a smart-alecky phase in his life, enjoyed shocking groups of believers by sharing his “life verse.” After listening to others quote pious phrases from P...

illustration

Scripture Filled with Non-Heroic Figures

Author

Eugene H. Peterson

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 12:1-13, Genesis 27:35, Exodus 2:12, 2 Samuel 11:, Matthew 26:74

One of the first things that strikes us about the men and women in Scripture is that they were disappointingly non- heroic. We do not find splendid moral examples. We do not find impeccably virtuous m...

illustration

The Old Testament: The Real World

Author

Phillip Yancey

Keywords

Scripture

Judges 16:1-31, Job 1:6-22, 2 Samuel 13:1-22, Matthew 14:1-12, Luke 23:13-25, Psalm 22:1-31

The Old Testament portrays the world as it is, no holds barred. In its pages you will find passionate stories of love and hate, blood-chilling stories of rape and dismemberment, matter-of-fact account...

illustration

The Bible has its Own Garden Path

Author

Murray Andrew Pura

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 2:8, Genesis 3:23-24, Exodus 15:27, Song of Solomon 4:12-15, John 18:1, Matthew 26:36

The Bible has its own garden path. It runs from Genesis to Revelation. In fact, some of the most important events in the Christian faith take place in Biblical gardens, evens around which Christianity...

illustration

The Two Main Barriers to Reading the Old Testament

Author

Keywords

Old Testament

Scripture

Psalm 137:9

My brother, who attended a Bible College during a smart-alecky phase in his life, enjoyed shocking groups of believers by sharing his “life verse.” After listening to others quote pious phrases from P...

bible and theology on Bible Characters

illustration

liturgy

illustration

illustration

illustration

blog

illustration

illustration

series

blog

illustration

illustration

illustration

illustration

illustration

illustration

illustration

illustration

illustration

illustration

illustration

illustration

illustration

illustration

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Y

Genesis

Exodus

Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

Joshua

Judges

Ruth

1 Samuel

2 Samuel

1 Kings

2 Kings

1 Chronicles

2 Chronicles

Ezra

Nehemiah

Esther

Job

Psalm

Proverbs

Ecclesiastes

Song of Solomon

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Lamentations

Ezekiel

Daniel

Hosea

Joel

Amos

Obadiah