Showing results by author "Bill Creasy" in All Categories

A very short personal letter by John to “the lady chosen by God and her children”, 2 John may be addressed to a literal woman and her children, or perhaps to a specific church (the “lady”) and her members (her “children”). In either case, John emphasizes that love must be rooted in truth, a concept that we often ignore today. Amusingly, John ends his short epistle by saying: “I have much to write to you, but I don’t want to use paper and ink.” Instead, he says, I’ll be stopping by for visit soon!

For Paul, Corinth was nothing but trouble. In the winter of A.D. 54, a delegation from Corinth arrives in Ephesus to meet with Paul. They inform Paul that the church in Corinth has (1) developed factions and divisions among the believers, and that (2) believers are suing one another in the secular courts, and that (3) rampant sexual immorality is spreading throughout the church. In 1 Corinthians Paul addresses each of these issues.

Every good story has a conflict, and our conflict enters the story here: Sin. In our class we define sin, not as an action that we commit, but as a condition we are in: “Sin is a condition of alienation and separation from God, that manifests itself in outward, sinful action.” And that condition has several inevitable consequences. We explore the nature of sin in this lecture.

Logos Bible Study presents another masterful presentation of a how a divided kingdom will surely fall. Join Dr. Bill Creasy as he guides us across the landscape of a broken nation ruled by evil kings, the prophets who confront them, and the idolatrous worshippers who turn their backs on God. In the end, both Israel and Judah fall into captivity, and once again it seems that God’s plan of salvation has come to an end.

As we rebuild the temple in Ezra, so we rebuild Jerusalem in Nehemiah. Ezra and Nehemiah work together, priest and layman, to complete God’s work—and you will not find two more different characters in all of Scripture. When Ezra learns that the Israelite leaders have been unfaithful to God, he sits on the ground appalled and pulls out the hairs of his beard; when Nehemiah hears the same message, he gathers the leaders together, sits them on the ground, and he pulls out the hairs of their beards!

In Ezra we witness the exiles’ return to rebuild the temple. Destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C., the temple is rebuilt and dedicated in 516 B.C. But it is nothing like the fabulous temple Solomon built. In fact, when those who had seen Solomon’s temple see the second temple, they weep at its inadequacy!

Although remembered as a stunningly successful king, Solomon is the Bible’s greatest failure in the end. And in Ecclesiastes, he admits it. Join Logos Bible Study’s Dr. Bill Creasy as he explores Ecclesiastes, a study of Solomon in sharp contrast to his father, David.

James, the brother of the Lord and leader of the church in Jerusalem, writes this epistle, sometime before A.D. 70. Paul had been very clear that we are saved by grace through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. At the Council of Jerusalem in A.D. 50, Peter, Paul, James and the other Apostles concurred with Paul’s position, and it is James who, as leader of the church in Jerusalem, orders that a letter be written to all the churches explaining the Council’s decision. In his epistle, James does not contradict himself by arguing the contrary....

Paul never planned to go into Galatian territory, but midway into his second missionary journey Paul becomes ill and his companions take him north over the mountains to Galatia for medical care. While there, Paul forms several churches. Once Paul arrives in Corinth toward the end of A.D. 50, he writes a letter to the churches in Galatia, expressing great concern about them. Paul’s gospel message is quite simple: we are saved by grace through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

By 430 B.C. Israel is back in the land; the city of Jerusalem has been rebuilt; and the temple is operating once again. After the catastrophe of the Babylonian captivity one would think that Israel had learned its lessons. But, no. In Malachi, God levels eight accusations against his people, saying in effect: “I’ve got a number of bones to pick with you!”

Jonah is one of the great stories in the Bible. Join Logos Bible Study’s Dr. Bill Creasy as he tells this story as no one else can! When God commands Jonah to go to Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire, and preach against it, Jonah heads in the exact opposite direction—to Tarshish, in Spain! Follow the adventure as a huge storm tosses Jonah’s ship, the sailors hurl Jonah overboard and a huge fish swallows him!

If 1 & 2 Kings tell the story of the kings of Israel and Judah from man’s point of view, then 1 & 2 Chronicles tell the story of the kings of Israel and Judah from God’s point of view. From a literary perspective, 1 & 2 Chronicles form a recapitulation, a revisiting of familiar ground, offering new insights and new lessons. Join Logos Bible Study as Dr. Bill Creasy presents another masterful journey into one of the most compelling stories in human history.

As the Psalms take us into the heart of David, so do Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs take us into the heart of Solomon. The book of Proverbs fits squarely into the genre of “advice to a son” literature. In this book Solomon offers advice to his son, advice to a young man going out into the world for the first time.

In this book Zephaniah stands courageously and delivers a brutal message to the people: nothing will protect them from the day of God’s judgment. In this account, Dr. Bill Creasy of Logos Bible Study opens the text and explores the stark, dreadful dark side of God’s love.

Peter and Paul were close associates, and Peter had read many of Paul's writings, some of which, he says “are hard to understand”. Peter was a commercial fisherman, not a scholar like Paul. Nonetheless, Peter has in mind in the early 60s to write an epistle addressing a number of important issues - but he doesn’t feel rhetorically equipped to do so. Enter Paul’s associate, Silas. Peter says, “With the help of Silas I have written this letter.” And what a letter it is!

When the exiles return to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity in 538 B.C., they begin to rebuild the temple that was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. But very quickly resistance arises from the local population - not from military or mob attacks, but from an army of lawyers!

Abraham’s son, Isaac, plays a key role in God’s plan of salvation. But in Genesis 22, God says to Abraham: “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering…!

Isaac survives, and our story continues with tales of Isaac and his twin sons, Jacob and Esau.

In 2 Chronicles we continue the 1 Chronicles narrative, tracing the fall of the southern kingdom of Judah and its exile into Babylon captivity. As God observes in 1 Chronicles, “Israel went into captivity because of its unfaithfulness.” This is a harrowing story of man’s willful disobedience and God’s righteous judgment.

Timothy joins Paul and Silas at the beginning of the second missionary journey, A.D. 50-52. A young man from Lystra, Timothy is the “Macgiver” of the Bible—he can fix anything with duct tape and a can of WD-40! This very resourceful young man becomes Paul’s protégé, but on assignment to Ephesus, Timothy finds himself in deep water, well over his head. Paul writes 1 Timothy to offer Timothy guidance and encouragement.