Reenacting the Way
Join the BOOK conversation on Facebook
  • Book
  • Video
  • Author
  • Reviews
  • B.IQ Test
  • Seminar
    • Watch Bible Seminar
  • Contact
  • Blog

"I wish you were cold or hot, not lukewarm" doesn't mean Jesus prefers you hate him instead of "live on the fence"

6/17/2016

141 Comments

 
Picture
Mental associations direct the way we interpret what people mean with their words. If the first place your mind goes is to the same meaning someone intends, communication works. But if you associate the words with the wrong meaning, you will misrepresent what someone means to say. That's a big deal when it's the Word of God.

A question that should push us all to study more carefully is: Are we mistaking the echo of our own assumptions for the meaning of God's Word?

If you haven't read it yet, Reenacting the Way (of Jesus) unwraps the commonly misunderstood messages of the Gospels. Jesus' healing miracles, turning water into wine, feeding the 5,000 and calming a storm all lose their meaning when we reduce them to miraculous moments that revealed Jesus' divinity. They had very specific meanings for their original audience not just some generic meaning for everyone.

​The same miscommunication happens when we chase the futuristic relevance of the book of Revelation rather than the reason John recorded it for his ancient audience. We miss Jesus'
personalized message for his first century audience in Asia Minor. Let’s stop doing this. Flattening the Bible's first meaning loosens the anchor that holds it from floating down the river of your imagination.

So let's talk about a specific example: being lukewarm. In the popular passage of Revelation 3:15-16, Jesus says, “I wish you were cold or hot, but because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth.” Why does Jesus want people made of extreme temperatures, like hot or cold, or else he will discard them?


Read More
141 Comments

    BUY the BOOK


    Author

    Paul Penley's training as a Bible scholar, life as a human being, and work as a philanthropic advisor overflows into this blog

    View my profile on LinkedIn
    Picture

    Top 5 Blogs

    1. Women Should Not Teach Men What?
    2. John Calvin Killed Rival Theologians
    3. Turning the Other Cheek
    4. I Wish You Were Cold or Hot, not Lukewarm
    5. When Heaven and Earth Passed Away
    Picture
    Picture

    Enter email address to receive monthly blogs:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Picture

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Bible Interpretation Gone Wrong
    Faith Isn't Knowing Everything
    How To Follow Jesus
    How To Study The Bible
    Ministries Gone Wrong
    Narrative Theology
    The Character Life Demands

    Archives

    January 2021
    May 2020
    March 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.