The Brown Bible

Ken Brown | April 23, 2010

In our posting, “Is Death a Friend?” I asserted as per 1 Thessalonians 4 and 1 Corinthians 15 that the dead in Christ are dead and will remain so until Jesus Christ returns to raise them from the dead. I was asked to consider that the parable of Lazarus and the rich man indicates otherwise. I am going to address this, but first let me say that my heart goes out to those who wrestle with this topic emotionally. I know it is difficult. I empathize with this, but cannot fully relate, having never believed that those who have fallen asleep in Christ are really awake and are already enjoying eternal bliss. To me it is more comforting to know that my parents are not watching me, but for them the moment of Christ’s return will be as though it were the next moment after their deaths. It also strikes me as a matter of supreme justice that we all arrive at the same time. No one is advantaged more than anyone else. Here is the parable:

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Ken Brown | October 24, 2009

The parables of the Gospels are interesting from a number of perspectives. Many people have lauded the brilliance of the parables in so clearly and convincingly communicating Jesus’ message in a way easily related to by the masses. I have no doubt that Jesus used parables at times to communicate clearly, though the only recorded time he was ever asked about his purpose for using parables, his response was quite different.

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Edward Hardy | July 5, 2009

Reading through the Bible built up my confidence in God and enlightened my understanding of the overall scope of the Word from Genesis 1:1 through Revelations 22:21. After I’d finished, the joy of accomplishment was overshadowed by seeing the Word fit together from cover to cover. I also developed a deeper reverence for God and a clearer understanding for the manner in which each character played a part in the unfolding of the story of God’s love to and for man.

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Ken Brown | July 4, 2009

In our introduction to Biblical research, the first two principles given for approaching God’s Word were: (1) Believe what you read and (2) think and be reasonable: you can’t throw logic out the window just because you are reading the Bible. Those who can stare a clear scripture in the face and deny what it obviously says because it disagrees with a previously held belief have ceased learning. Likewise, those who can accept two or more contradictory views at the same time will never come to an accurate understanding of God’s Word (or of much of anything else for that matter). On the surface, this seems so obvious to most of you (I hope) that you are probably scratching your heads, wondering why I am making an issue of it. As it plays out in practical application, however, relatively few people are completely consistent about this as it pertains to Biblical exegesis.

As one example, let’s look at 2 Corinthians 5:20, a familiar verse for many of us, but have you ever considered the fundamental problem with how the King James and a number of other versions translate this verse?

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Ken Brown | June 15, 2009

“Biblical research” as the term is used on this blog simply means the study of the Scriptures to gain an accurate understanding of God’s Word and thus His will. It involves a lifetime of learning. No few articles on a web site can tell you all you need to know.

On the other hand, it isn’t rocket science. God never intended for his Word to be complicated, intelligible only to a gifted few. He gave His Word so that all men (and women) might know Him. It is supposed to make sense to you from what you can read for yourself. If you are confronted with a doctrine that seems like you would have to be Einstein to be able to understand or Mother Theresa to be able to relate, take a breath and another look. You are probably being fed a line that is not in the Bible. It isn’t supposed to be difficult.

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