Well I was planning to complete a study of the letter of James by now, and I did get to chapter four, but then I got side-tracked by a study/revision that proved to be a bigger and more absorbing project than I intended. Indeed, it will be months before this project - a new book (or two!) - will be complete. I am afraid I don't have the time to do both of these projects so the James study is temporarily shelved for now, and any posts are for the moment at least, restricted to news of progress.
New studies coming soon
I am now engaged in preparing new studies of the letters of James and I and II Peter. The first draft of translations of the Greek text are now complete, and I am halfway through commentating on James's letter. I want to continue writing the commentary a little more to get a good overview of the letter before starting to post. I expect to begin posting here somewhere between mid December 2025 and early January 2026.
Revised book - In the beginning - A commentary on the early chapters of Genesis
Are you struggling with the traditional interpretation of the Genesis creation story?
Why is it that dinosaurs are not mentioned? Does Genesis present us with an accurate portrayal of the origins of humanity that stand up to scientific and historical evidence? What about talking snakes? And where did Cain’s wife come from? Did people like Adam really live for hundreds of years? Was the flood in Noah’s time a global event?
Many aspects of the early chapters of Genesis have come to be regarded as fables or metaphors devised by primitive people to explain their origins. Yet the Apostle Paul obviously regarded Adam and Eve as real people who existed in the past. Was he wrong?
‘In the beginning’ is a study that explores this early narrative from the opening verse of Genesis to the time of Abraham’s birth. It offers some radical, new, but coherent interpretations that nevertheless remain consistent with the text of Scripture. This study, originally written in 2020, has now been revised to remove some repetitive sections of text, amplify a few explanations and eliminate some grammatical errors. It is available from Amazon as a paperback book.
New book - A commentary on I Corinthians
The Corinthian Christian fellowship had its fair share of problems - division between the leaders as well as partisanship in the assembly, and one Christian was engaged in behaviour that was shocking even to outsiders and bringing the fellowship into disrepute. Some Christians were consulting non-Christian lawyers to settle their disputes, and ambition was causing division within the fellowship such that some Christians were being negated. There was also a degree of disorder when it came to celebrating the Lord’s Supper and to manifesting spiritual gifts. Some were even denying that resurrection existed.
In this verse-by-verse commentary, Rob Laynton explores how the Apostle approached these very practical problems. In the process he draws out principles for today’s Christians and their leaders as they seek to live a godly life day-by-day.
The study is available as a 400 page paperback from Amazon
Book - Against Christian Legalism
The recent posts that have been presented on this blog are also available in paperback book format. If, like me, you prefer to browse a book rather than scroll on a phone or computer, then this book is available to buy on Amazon.
From the very beginning of the Protestant Reformation, when it came to Christians living a clean, divinely approved life day-by-day - some Christian leaders directed Christians to ‘divine Law’ as a ‘spur’ to being set-apart from the values and principles of the world.
This became an ‘orthodox’ approach for many Protestant Christians, and a legacy of ‘Christian legalism’ that has come down to some Evangelical Christians today. Christian legalists divide Covenant law into ‘Ceremonial law’ – fulfilled in the Messiah, and ‘Moral law’ – that remains in force. Is a Christian stealing? Then Christian legalists direct them to the ‘Moral law’, like the Ten Commandments, which say ‘You shall not steal’, so as to drive such a Christian to the Lord in repentance. Christian legalists argue that to challenge this procedure is to challenge the word of God itself, to risk engaging in permissive ungodliness and excessive freedom, and they even cast doubt on the persistent challenger’s faith and loyalty to God.
But did the Apostles actually teach this approach? Is this how they exhorted Christians to live a godly life day-by-day? Remaining faithful to Scripture, this study by Rob Laynton explores some key New Testament passages that challenge ‘Christian legalism’, so as to set out the principles of holiness that the Apostles taught.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)