Near Eastern religion VS OT

-
Old Testament religion is treated as essentially one more primitive religion among many, although slightly more advanced in the evolutionary stage of development.
But there are also substantial and significant differences between Israel’s religion and that of her neighbors.
Furthermore, the genuine similarities do not require literary dependence or borrowing.
This article will summarize the primary features of ancient Near Eastern religion, contrast them with the Old Testament, and offer another explanation for the similarities between the biblical and non-biblical religions.

Popular posts from this blog

The Divine Path of Preaching, Teaching and Learning

-
Image
July 7, 2026 — edited version This article is part of the "Vitalize" pack , also part of the "Our Living Word" collection. Teaching and learning is not a lecture. Is there a way back to the informal? In the tapestry of a believer's life, teaching and learning are threads woven closely together, yet profoundly distinct from mere lectures and rote memorization. In the teaching of Jesus Christ, the process of imparting knowledge transcends the mundane and becomes a sacred endeavor — or, more accurately, a sacred challenge. One Way, or Peer to Peer? Our postmodern life often emphasizes one-way communication: entertainers perform, audiences consume. This "lecture culture" — TED talks and the like — keeps us in passive, unilateral exchanges rather than the mutual, peer-to-peer dialogue that is essential to genuine teaching and to relationship. Unfortunately, this pulls our hearts toward a unilateral communication that is far fro...
Read more

The Abrahamic Base of Christianity

-
Two Covenants, One Promise A methodical construction supporting a seven-point teaching [Outline] I. The Root: Promise, Not Ethnicity Central Claim Christianity did not grow out of Judaism as its institutional predecessor. This popular assumption ( "Woozle effect" ) is contra­dicted by apostolic teaching. Key Argument The promises were given to Abraham and to his seed (Gal 3:16) — referring to Christ, not to a nation. The heir did not come by human effort (Ishmael / flesh) but by divine promise: Isaac. "We are children of promise, not children of flesh." (Gal 4:28) The Abrahamic line leads to the Messiah — not merely to Israel's national identity. Transition The human, family line is mainly Israelite, yes — but the covenant source and "logic" is Messianic, far before / far beyond the Mosaic period and that is what matters for what follows. II. The Two Covenants: Their Order and Purpose Central Claim Apostolic th...
Read more

The Covenant of Grace in the Old Testament

-
Image
A sermon by Martyn Lloyd-Jones Now, we continue this evening... with our consideration of the biblical doctrine of Redemption, (or the biblical doctrine of Salvation). We reminded one another last week that man, having failed to keep God's Law and Commandment, had fallen and had become the slave of Satan, and dead in trespasses and in sins. And that had he been left to himself, his condition would have been entirely hopeless. But God, in his infinite grace and love and mercy, had looked upon man in pity, and had informed him of this great plan and purpose of salvation and of redemption. And last Friday evening, we considered the characters and characteristics of this great plan of redemption in general. I ended by saying that God had revealed this plan of redemption and of salvation to men, in the form of a covenant that he had made with men. And this is commonly called the Covenant of Redemption, or the Covenant of Salvation. And that is to be our special theme th...
Read more