What follows is part 10 in a series by Dr. Ronn Johnson. – MSH I have been away from this blog for some time, though it has been constantly on my mind. Since my last post, I have written and presented a course at our church on the big story of the Bible. It was...
Ronn Johnson's Big Story of the Bible
What is the Bible’s Big Story? Part 9
This is Part 9 of a guest series by Dr. Ronn Johnson. My last post concluded with the recommendation that the primary effect of Jesus’ death when viewed in priestly terms (that is, when we speak of Jesus dying as a sacrifice) found him making an already-righteous...
The Bible’s Big Story, Part 8
This is Part 8 of the guest blog series by Dr. Ronn Johnson. The archive of previous installments is located here . I ended my last post by painting myself into a theological corner. In wondering what to do with the brick which says Jesus’ priestly work (atonement,...
What Is the Bible’s Big Story? Part 7
What is the Bible’s Big Story? Part 7 This is Part 7 of Dr. Ronn Johnson’s guest series. If you would like to catch up with any of the previous installments, the archive is located here . ————————- It was great to meet...
Dr. Johnson Responds to Questions on His Atonement Discussion
A little while ago I posted some passages for Dr. Johnson’s take that (obviously) were relevant to his discussion about atonement / substitution language. Turns out he had been discussing those with some of you. What follows are his answers, as well as email...
Some Focus Passages for a Discussion of Atonement and Substitution
I presume most of you have kept up with Dr. Johnson’s “thinking out loud” series on how we talk / should talk / might talk about the work of the cross as it relates (or not) to wrath and substitution. I have sent him a short list of verses for...
What is the Bible’s Big Story? Part 6
What is the Bible’s Big Story? Part 6 This is part 6 of Dr. Ronn Johnson’s blog series. Please see my own posted thoughts of a few days ago. It’s good to think about what words we use to describe what the cross (and subsequent resurrection) accomplished. It’s...
Some Random Thoughts About Substitutionary Atonement
I just want to post some short thoughts on Dr. Johnson’s series. He’s doing what he does best – making us think about things we take for granted. I’ve jotted down some notes and sharing them is overdue. Here are some thoughts… I believe in the concept of...
What is the Bible’s Big Story? Part 5
This is Part 5 of a guest series by Dr. Ronn Johnson. I’m planning on posting some thoughts of my own on his series (thus far) in the near future. I think Ronn’s presentation of the way the notion of substitution is put forth in evangelicalism is on...
What is the Bible’s Big Story? Part 4
This post is a continuation of Parts 1, 2, and 3 by Dr. Ronn Johnson. Dr. Johnson recommends listening to some of the Leviticus podcasts at one point, and that’s good advice (see the episodes on Lev 4 and 5). For those who might remember the series on Leviticus,...
What is the Bible’s Big Story? Part 3
Part 3 of a series by Dr. Ronn Johnson My thanks to many of you who have emailed me about Parts 1 and 2. Some have expressed concern about going down the road of challenging historic Christianity on this issue of the Big Story of the Bible. I agree that this should...
The Big Story of the Bible: Part 2
This is Part 2 of a guest series by Dr. Ronn Johnson. What is the Bible’s Big Story? Part 2 Dr. Ronn Johnson In my opening post I recommended that locating the Big Story of the Bible can be difficult, and that simply being more fluent in the Bible does not solve the...
What is the Bible’s Big Story? Part 1
A guest post by Dr. Ronn Johnson I recently heard that we see more images or pictures in one day (whether on our phone, on the TV, on a billboard, etc.) than a pre-Renaissance person would have seen over the course of their entire lifetime. Apparently our brains have...
Did Yahweh Demand Blood for a True Relationship with Him? Part 3: Bloodless Atonement and New Testament Justification
[MSH: When readers finish this essay, they will recognize its internal consistency with my argument in The Unseen Realm that salvation was the same across the board in both testaments. The issue was believing loyalty to Yahweh. Dr. Johnson raises the question of how...
Did Yahweh Demand Blood for a True Relationship with Him? Part 2
[Editor’s note: Ronn Johnson’s post will remind those who listened to the Naked Bible Podcast series on Leviticus of the discussion of kaphar, how it referred to purgation — not from moral sins, but from ritual impurity. Consequently, it’s...