According To Luke

According to Luke is the official blog of Kingstone Press.

—Who can be saved?— In an objective and absolute sense, the answer is: nobody. Nobody can be saved, because with men it is impossible. When the disciples asked the Lord this exact question, He said: “When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible;…” —Matthew 19:25-26a. On this level of analysis, mankind is utterly hopeless and incapable of achieving any true sense

Saul and David Prefigure Transferred Israel. ​To better understand how Israel became saved/spiritual, we will use an outline to assist in recognizing similarities between this people and two kings of the united monarchy of Israel, Saul and David. We will here compare the true historical narrative of Saul to Israel after the flesh while David will represent spiritual Israel. 1. God chose [ _____ ] for a specific purpose. 2. [ _____ ] would have been established by God for

Can morality be grounded solely in maximizing happiness? In this brief reflection, I examine the central weakness of utilitarianism: if the greatest good for the greatest number is the ultimate standard, then morality can change whenever the majority benefits from injustice. True morality requires an objective and unchanging foundation, not merely the calculation of consequences. https://youtube.com/shorts/bFAKXdWciXU?is=3sgknf8rpW2olxCG

What does Philippians 2:5–11 teach us about the person and work of Jesus Christ? In this passage, the Apostle Paul presents one of the most profound statements about Christ’s identity and mission in all of Scripture. Paul describes Christ as existing “in the form of God,” yet willingly humbling Himself by taking “the form of a servant” and becoming obedient unto death—even the death of the cross. https://youtu.be/9M9bq1eq81Q?is=9H4EyGV3-1CTuxbD

In this lecture, we explore the connection between Plato’s epistemological journey from darkness to truth and the biblical transformation of the sinner through the new birth. https://youtu.be/K_J3USbl-sc?is=kWzqminr9s_2KyO5

For nearly two thousand years, God dealt uniquely with one nation. Almost 4,000 years ago there lived a man named Jacob, whom God called Israel. Centuries later, Israel’s descendants entered into covenant with God and became His people. All of His prophets were of Israel (also known as Jews and Hebrews). All of the priests were Hebrews. God raised up kings from the tribes of Israel. The thirty-nine books we commonly call the Old Testament were inspired by God through this peo

Blood Covenants And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people. Zechariah 11:10 It is my opinion that the proper understanding of Biblical covenants is key to unlocking the mysteries of the people of God and other primary doctrines, which is why there is a necessity for transparent descriptions. There are many covenants mentioned in the Bible (Noahic Covenant, Davidic Covenant, etc..), as well as

Mind your own business. “And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands.” — 1 Thessalonians 4:11 “But let none of you suffer… as a busybody in other men’s matters.” — 1 Peter 4:15 Don’t try to listen to everything people say about you. “Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee.” — Ecclesiastes 7:21 Stop withholding praise to avoid boosting an ego or worrying about someone e

Notes on The Gospel According to Luke Chapter 1: Lesson #1 God is the one infinite, eternal, self-existent, and self-sufficient Being; the uncaused cause of all things, possessing all perfections in absolute fullness and unity. He is pure spirit (John 4:24), without body, parts, or passions, and immutable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. God exists as a Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—three distinct persons of one indivisible essence—

38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord (humble self-identification; literally “female slave” — total submission): be it unto me according to thy word (acceptance of the divine will; faith-filled response — contrast with Zacharias): And the angel departed from her. 39 And Mary arose in those days (soon after the angelic visit; immediate obedience), and went into the hill country (region of Judea), with haste (eagerness; urgency), into a city of Juda (possibly Hebron

1 What shall we say then (rhetorical question; continuing from preceding chapter) that Abraham (first Old Testament example; lived before the giving of the Mosaic Law) our father (physical father of the Jewish nation and spiritual father of all believers; cf. vv. 11-12), as pertaining to the flesh (from a human perspective; according to natural descent), hath found (discovered; obtained concerning justification)? (Paul deliberately begins with Abraham and then proceeds to Dav

There is an entire generation of young girls watching. Observing. Imitating. A role model will form them one way or another; the only question is who will influence them the most. This is not a preventative warning about some mystical evil hovering on the horizon. The evil is already operating and already shaping countless lives. The question under consideration is not whether these girls will be discipled by someone. They will be. The question is whether the women of God wil

The transition from the Gospel According to Luke chapter 3 into chapter 4 is not merely chronological narrative movement. Luke presents it as a deliberate theological progression in which ethical instruction and Messianic testing are arranged in a recurring triadic structure. The same moral domains appear in both chapters—first in the preaching of John the Baptist, then in the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. —————————— Read together, Luke 3–4 forms a unified literary u

After creation and the fall, the first sons of Adam, Cain and Abel, appear at the appointed place of worship, where the pattern of acceptable and rejected offering is first revealed. In Genesis 4:7, God’s words to Cain are often interpreted as a warning of imminent danger: “Sin lieth at the door.” Under the traditional reading, sin is portrayed as a crouching beast waiting to devour Cain. The language would function as zoomorphic imagery rather than a literal depiction. Yet t

34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be (not doubting like Zacharias, but asking for understanding), seeing I know not a man? (euphemism for virginity; confirms her purity). 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost (third Person of the Trinity) shall come upon thee (divine overshadowing; power of God initiates conception), and the power of the Highest (God Himself) shall overshadow thee (language of God’s presence — cf. Ex. 40:35; Ps. 91:1): the

The Problem of Evil Has Already Been Answered For millennia, skeptics and biblical thinkers alike have debated what is known as “The Problem of Evil.” Libraries have been filled with philosophical systems attempting to reconcile suffering, death, calamity, and judgment with the existence of God. Yet after centuries of debate, no universal consensus has been reached. But perhaps the reason is simple: the debate often begins with false presuppositions and either ignores the ans

What If the Man You’ve Been Calling a Heretic Was Bought by the Blood of Christ? An examination into the orthodoxy of Novatian “But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment… but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.” — Matthew 5:22 Christ does not treat words as trivial. Even careless speech against a brother places a man in danger of judgment (Matt. 5:22; cf. Matt. 12:36). To call a

An Ecclesiastical Succession Argument Featuring the Tewkesbury Baptist-Minded Congregation 1.) The Waldenses were also called Lollards because of the Waldensian preacher Walter Raynard Lollard (this is undisputed until the late 19th century). Lollard was a Baptist-Minded missionary to England: •14th Century. Concerning the Waldenses, ”In England they were called Lollards, of the name of one Lollard who taught there.” —Jean Paul Perrin, The bloody rage of that great Antichrist

A widely debated term in modern religious and political discourse is the Arabic word jihād. Popular discussions often flatten its meaning into either purely spiritual striving or past militant actions. A careful examination of standard Arabic lexicons alongside primary Islamic texts, however, reveals a more complex picture. —————————— I. Lexical and Qur’anic Foundations 1. What Arabic Dictionaries Actually Say The triliteral root j-h-d etymologically means: to strive, to exer