In 1 Samuel 3:13, God explains to the boy Samuel that he will hold Eli to account, not for what he has done personally, but for what he has allowed to continue under his watch:

“And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them.” (ESV, my emphasis)

Abuse NDAs (Non-Disclosure Agreements) are an offence to God, and an assault on the dignity of his image bearers. Here are ten reasons why.

The sixth instalment in a series on Matthew 7:15-23, continuing to think about what it means to recognise wolves by their fruit (Matthew 7:16, 20). This post considers how the fruit test gets misapplied as a performance test.

The fifth instalment in a series on Matthew 7:15-23. This and the next post consider how in practice we can recognise wolves by their fruit (Matthew 7:16, 20). In this post I look at what doesn’t count as good fruit, and how to apply the fruit test as a paternity test.

The fourth instalment in a series on Matthew 7:15-23. This and the next two posts consider the meaning and application of Jesus’ words, “You will recognize them by their fruit.” It is easy to misunderstand and misapply Jesus’ words, because we treat the fruit test as a performance test, rather than a paternity test.

This is the third instalment in a series on Matthew 7:15-23. We turn our attention to the prophet-wolves’ activity, seeking to discern it from the metaphor itself, the OT background (see the previous post), and the context and concerns of the Sermon on the Mount.

Jesus presents the enemies of his kingdom from three perspectives: (1) with respect to their religious office or function, they are false prophets; (2) with respect to their inner nature, they are ravenous wolves; and (3) with respect to their outward appearance, they wear sheep’s clothing.

Sin is personified by God as a beast crouching at the door, seeking, presumably, to overpower Cain. Just as Adam was tasked with ruling over the beasts of the field, so Cain must rule over sin. In the very next verse it is Cain who rose up against his brother, himself acting with animalistic violence.

There’s a lot to ponder in this passage. And it touches on many present concerns in the church: abuse and safeguarding; truth and falsehood; identity and character. As such, I want to understand it better. And I’d love it if you joined me in my exploration over the next few weeks.