John Mark Hicks

The Hebrew Bible’s word for the theological idea of “grace” in the New Testament is hesed (steadfast love). Psalm 136 celebrates God’s initiative and commitment, God’s grace, by reciting the line “because his steadfast love endures forever” 26 times. Israel, gathered in assembly in Psalm 135 and Psalm 136 to bless, praise, and give thanks […]

An English version is available here. El Padre elige, redime y salva en Cristo mediante el poder del Espíritu Santo. La unión con Cristo es la expresión general de la totalidad de nuestra salvación. Esta unión abarca todos los aspectos de nuestra salvación. La sabiduría de Dios —Jesucristo en quien Dios está reconciliando al mundo— […]

The language of peace, grace, and faith connects the benediction of Ephesians with its salutation. These are dominant topics in Ephesians: the peace the cross as effected through overcoming hostility in the world, the grace God gave to humanity in Jesus the Messiah, and the faith the people of God have in God’s work through […]

PDF version of the Review available here. Beyond the Salvation Wars: Why Both Protestants and Catholics Must Reimagine How We Are Saved, authored by Matthew W. Bates, is a provocative contribution to the “salvation wars.” It not only explores common ground among disputants but also invites them to embrace a holistic perspective “beyond the salvation […]

Psalm 123 finds pilgrims standing in the gates of Jerusalem and looking up to the God who is enthroned in the heavens and between the Cherubim of the ark of the covenant. The only petition is: “be gracious to us” (a word used three times in the space of four words). It is a communal […]

Dead in our sins we walked in the passions of the flesh and were enslaved by the powers that rule and work disobedience in humanity. But God–rich in mercy–loved us by making us alive with Christ, raising us up with Christ, and seating us with Christ in the heavenlies so that God might display his […]

Reading the scroll of Jeremiah during the first year of the new Persian regime in Babylon, Daniel anticipates that the 70 years of Israel’s Babylonian exile are over. He prays that God will release Israel from exile and send them back home. He offers a corporate confession of sin–Daniel himself confesses the sins of Israel […]

Presentado en la HUGSR Foro Anual de Predicadores Abril 14, 1992 [Publicado en   Grace, Faith, Works: How Do They Relate, ed. by C. Philip Slate (Huntsville, AL: Publishing Designs, Inc.,, 1992), 5-28. The English original is available here.] El peregrino es un extraño en busca de un hogar. Es un extraño en un país hostil […]

Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks discuss one of the most important Psalms in Judaism. It is prayed three times a day by devout worshippers. It is a grand picture of God’s mighty works rooted in the divine identity as gracious, merciful, and ever present steadfast love. It is the praise song that concludes the […]

Perhaps Psalm 25 is the “Lord’s Prayer” of the Psalms–it teaches us to pray, pursue the way (derek) of the Lord, and rest in God’s overwhelming mercy, love, and grace. Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks discuss Psalm 25 as a kind of model prayer for the covenant people of God. Petitions are grounded in […]