John Mark Hicks

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 […]

An English version is available here. La ontología divina es Ser-en-Relación: la narrativa cristiana describe a Dios como uno y tres. El trinitarismo tiene una historia accidentada a nivel práctico. En la congregación promedio, en las reuniones ministeriales o en las aulas de seminario, el tema de la Trinidad se presenta como una mala noticia […]

The focus of Paul’s prayer is not that the Ephesians would be filled with information (though Paul does want them to understand the mystery of Christ and live with wisdom) but that they might be filled with the fullness of God. He prays that through the Spirit strengthening their inner persons and Christ dwelling in […]

This is the “key and high point of the whole epistle” (Barth, Ephesians, 1:275). Though the gentiles were once foreigners and aliens from the commonwealth and strangers to the covenants of promise, through the cross the Messiah has made peace and killed the hostility between Jew and gentile by abolishing the law of commandments in […]

Paul opens the letter with a long blessing or doxology that is a single sentence (from verse 3 to verse 14). While our English translations do not reflect this (because that would be bad English), the rhetorical flare of the single Greek sentence is magnificent, explosive, and comprehensive. Summary Opening the letter by blessing God […]

After the ascension of Jesus to the right hand of the Father, one hundred and twenty disciples, including the mother of Jesus, were gathered together in one place (ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ). They were all devoted (προσκαρτεροῦντες) to praying and waiting for the promised Holy Spirit (Acts 1:14-15). On the day of Pentecost, they were all […]

The Common Grounds Unity Podcast hosted Bobby Valentine and myself to discuss our book Kingdom Come: Embracing the Spiritual Legacy of David Lipscomb and James Harding. We discuss the theocentric dynamic nature of Lipscomb (d. 1917) and Harding’s (d. 1922) spirituality. The link for the podcast and the book are in the first comments. Listen […]

In this lesson, I discuss Titus 2:11-14 and Titus 3:3-8. What does one teach or stress in order to form a community of believers into a people zealous for good works? This was delivered at the Homewood Church of Christ in Birmingham, AL on May 19, 2024.

A Weightier Word than the Word through Angels For to which of the angels did God ever say,             “You are my Son;                         today I have begotten you”? [quoting Psalm 2:7] Or again,             “I will be his Father,                         and he will be my Son”? [2 Samuel 7:14] And again, when he brings […]

Texts: 2 Corinthians 3:17-18; 13:13; 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 Days 68-70 in Around the Bible in Eighty Days. For many the Holy Spirit is an impersonal, imperceptible, and indiscernible force.  Cloaked in mystery, many find it difficult to “get a handle” on the Spirit. The Spirit has no “face” like Jesus nor any personal metaphors, such as […]