We’re Never Not Dying

Kirk E. Miller

Sometimes we describe someone as currently dying, meaning, they’re received a terminal diagnosis and are suffering its effects. (I don’t object.)

However, in reality, we would do well to remember that we are all in the process of dying. The difference is merely how delayed that end results seems to be for each of us. But no one is never not dying, not heading inevitably towards that final fate. Each day, each hour, each minute, we get a little closer. A terminal illness, for instance, is merely hastening what was already inevitable.

The danger lies in deceiving ourselves that we are not dying, that we are immortal—at least currently so unless otherwise interrupted.

Continue reading →

10 Single-Volume Commentaries

Kirk E. Miller

While more detailed, lengthy commentaries are often helpful, sometimes you may just need a quick, reliable guide to shed light on a difficult passage, sketch its interpretive options, or provide its basic historical and literary context. This is precisely what a single-volume commentary does well. Whether you are preparing to lead a small group, wanting to supplement your personal Bible reading, or simply need a quick reference on a difficult text, a single-volume commentary offers a concise yet informed survey of every book of Scripture, all within one manageable resource.

We asked the Logos community what their favorite single-volume commentaries are. I compiled a list of the top ten.

Read the article

All Things for Our Good (Romans 8:28)

Kirk E. Miller

Romans 8:28 is perhaps the most powerful promise in all of Scripture, yet it is also one of the most frequently misapplied. In the hands of a well-intentioned but shallow counselor, it can be used as a bludgeon, dismissing pain and rushing the broken toward a silver lining. But when rightly understood, this verse offers a hope that sustains rather than a theology that crushes. This sermon examines six common misconceptions about Romans 8:28 to clarify what God actually promises His people.

Podcast link.

Is It Wrong for Victims to Be Angry at Their Abusers?

Kirk E. Miller

In To Heal or Harm: Scripture’s Use as Poison or Medicine for Abuse Survivors, Steven R. Tracy asks the question, “Is it acceptable for abuse victims to be angry?”1

He observes, “Countless times, I have seen abuse survivors condemned by church leaders for being angry at their abusers or those who failed to protect them from their abusers.” They are indicted “for their ‘victim posturing’ and … ‘sinful anger and bitterness.'”

“Many argue that virtually all anger over what others have done to us is sinful.” As one author contends, “Ninety-nine percent of my anger is sinful; I don’t want to give tacit permission to my frustration by calling it righteous indignation. … If I am angry because of what someone did to me, I am always wrong.” Yet, while recognizing that we should be on guard against the potential dangers of anger—for instance, “Jesus condemned anger in Matthew 5:22;” likewise we are told to “refrain from anger (Ps 37:8), put it away (Col 3:8), and not make friends with someone given to anger (Prov 22:24)”—Tracy nonetheless poses the question, “Is it always sinful to be angry at injustices we suffer?” (emphasis mine). He answers,

Continue reading →