The table was set, Bibles ready, for our first small group meeting. Since most of us had been Christians for almost our entire lives, I chose to start with the Gospel of Luke, my hope was to see the Holy Spirit in action from the very first page. But one woman in the group, a Christian since childhood, got stuck almost immediately. She understood that Jesus died for her sins, but the long process of redemption that culminated in his birth left her lost. The genealogies, the p

One of my favorite things to do when studying Scripture is to track the use of the Old Testament within the New. Some connections are evident when the author directly cites a portion of Scripture, but others are less apparent. Studying Scripture often feels like searching for buried treasure. Pearls are always concealed within a shell. Similarly, when we discuss less apparent methods of using Scripture within Scripture, we may encounter allusions or citations, which can be di

“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5–6). That's what the Lord said to the people of Israel when he graciously and powerfully delivered them from the hand of Egypt. When I look at this text, I am reminded that salvation has a purpose: we are redeemed to God so we can serve him as priests