Olive Tree Blog
Category

New Testament

Category

New Testament

Wanting to learn more about the New Testament? Here are some posts on topics, scholarly questions, and more on New Testament passages. Some are our own thoughts and some are the thoughts of prominent Christian scholars.

Historical

The Biblical Genre of Consolation

ancient genre consolation

The church in Thessalonica faced a crisis of faith, which has generally been reconstructed as being precipitated by the interaction between their existing teaching on death and the reality of losing beloved church members. Therefore, Paul saw fit to provide encouragement through proper teaching to the church. Interestingly, Paul uses…

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st Andrews expository commentary
New Testament

Romans 8 and the Problem of Evil

Why would a loving God allow evil in the world? This is a common (and necessary) question often asked of Christians, often called the “problem of evil”. R.C. Sproul briefly explores this topic in his expositional commentary of Romans 8:18-27. The following is an abridged excerpt from Sproul’s Expositional Commentary…

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mark three act drama
New Testament

A Structural Discussion of the Drama of Mark

The Gospel of Mark is a beautifully-written masterpiece. It is generally believed to be the first written and organized account of Jesus; it’s dramatic and encapsulating, carrying the listener or reader along an emotional journey through the ministry of Christ. The exciting nature of this book has led many scholars…

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healing Jesus
New Testament

Healing & the Power of Our God

Many of us have come to Christ because we needed healing. Some days, it feels like our whole life needs fixing. If you’re looking for a cure for your troubled mind or broken body, look no further than Jesus. In this abbreviated excerpt from the Cecil Sherman Formations Commentary Set,…

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witness for christ
New Testament

What Does it Mean to be Christ’s Witness?

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”Acts 1:8, NKJV You’ve probably heard this famous verse before. Many Christian organizations and para-church ministries…

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Bible Study Tips

How to do an Inductive Bible Study

what is inductive bible study

If you’re like me, then you have one major roadblock keeping you from studying the Bible: disorganization. Whether you’re overwhelmed by the massive amounts of Bible study tools or you just feel like there’s a more efficient way, you can use this simple framework to get the most out of…

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taming the tongue bible verse
New Testament

Taming the Tongue

It can be really hard to control what you say. Saying the wrong thing (or even the right thing) at the wrong time can be all it takes to damage relationships or get into trouble. Maybe you suffer from foot-in-mouth disorder, where it feels like you can never say the…

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Jesus woman with the issue of blood
New Testament

Encountering Jesus in Faith

It’s human nature to want to connect with God. Even before you came to know Jesus, maybe you prayed into the void, hoping for a response from anyone. This visceral desire has existed for thousands of years, and during Jesus’ ministry on earth, He attracted huge crowds who felt that…

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New Testament

John 3:16 – More Than Meets the Eye?

John 3 16 meaning

You probably know John 3:16 by heart. It’s a pretty basic Bible verse, and for good reason! It’s such a beautifully concise way of summing up Christ’s mission on earth and humanity’s hope for salvation. Sometimes, we tend to gloss over verses like this one because we think we’ve learned…

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