John Mark Hicks

Psalm 35 is a passionate lament that contains a strong contrast between human injustice and divine righteousness. Though the Psalmist empathetically prayed and fasted for those who seek to do the Psalmist harm when they were weak and needy, now they devise evil and hate him without cause. The Psalmist prays for justice according to […]

“The Lord is near the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34 reminds us that when we cry out to God in the midst of our suffering, the Lord hears and acts because God is good and gives good things. The righteous sufferer is protected and endures by pursuing peace, doing good, and […]

Don’t trust in rulers; they are but dust. Trust in the God of Jacob who is our help and hope. Follower the way of the Lord which seeks justice, heals the sick, liberates the oppressed, cares for the stranger, widow, and orphan, and feeds the hungry. The way of the wicked does not pay attention […]

[I also recommend reading this assessment of Heiser’s work by Dr. Rick Wadholm Jr., “Revealing the Unseen Realm: A Critical Assessment of the Hermeneutical and Textual Foundations of Michael Heiser’s The Unseen Realm.”] Since I am sometimes asked to offer an opinion about the “Deuteronomy 32 Worldview” (or “The Divine Council Worldview”) unpacked by Dr. […]

Jesus, through the Spirit, addresses the church in Ephesus through John’s literary work. The church is commended for their endurance and good works as well as their discernment with regard to false apostles and the Nicolaitans. However, though outwardly conforming to the way of Jesus, they had abandoned the orienting and grounding practice of love, […]

John is in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day (1:9-11) John Sees the Risen, Exalted, and Enthroned Messiah (1:12-16) The Risen Messiah Speaks (1:17-20) A Domitian coin with seven stars depicts the deified infant son of Emperor Domitian, Flavius Caesar, seated on a globe surrounded by seven stars. Minted in Rome between 82 and 83 CE, […]

An English version is available here. El Espíritu Santo, como presencia personal de Dios, es el agente activo y la garantía de nuestra salvación. El Espíritu de Dios está presente desde el principio (Gén. 1:2), a lo largo de todo el desarrollo orgánico de la narración y en el clímax: «El Espíritu y la Esposa […]

A PDF is available here. For a 2016 class, I prepared a statement of the gospel. I believe it is has a longer history but I am uncertain. Since I will soon begin reading Five Views on the Gospel (due out in June), I thought I would share my own thinking (at least as it […]

An English version is available here. Jesús cumple la misión divina de hacer nuevas todas las cosas revirtiendo la maldición. La expiación identifica el acto reconciliador de Dios que restaura la paz entre Dios y la humanidad. Si bien existen muchas teorías sobre la expiación en la historia de la teología, a continuación presento mi […]

An English version is available here. El Verbo, el Hijo, se hizo carne y vivió una auténtica vida humana como imagen de Dios. La cristología es la esencia del cristianismo, ya que la fe cristiana cree que Dios está en Cristo restaurando el mundo a la comunión con el Dios de la Trinidad. El cristianismo […]