The Bible begins and ends the same way, namely, with God living with his people in a garden-temple. This is why the tabernacle and temple, the places where God’s presence dwelt with Israel, were filled with garden imagery, with things like palm branches and pomegranates and a golden lampstand that looked like a tree with almond blossoms. God made us to live with him in a garden. This plan reaches all the way back to before creation. Why is there something rather than nothing? Why are there creatures who [...]

Several years ago I taught a course on productivity at a local Bible college and the reading we did together as a class literally changed my life. In preparation for the course I found Matt Perman’s book What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done. There are thousands of books on productivity, but not many like this one. Perman approaches the topic theologically rather than pragmatically. The first part of the book is “First Things First: Making God Supreme in Our Productivity.” But there [...]

The law has many functions in the Bible. Protestants have historically noted three primary functions of the law. First, it prepares us for the gospel because it shows us that we are sinners who need a Savior (Rom. 7:7). Second, the law reveals God’s character, showing us what he values and what pleases him. And third, the law orders the lives of God’s people. This third purpose of the law teaches us at least three more things about the law. First, in the law, the Lord makes it clear [...]