aBeLOG
Welcome to the aBeLOG, a series of (hopefully!) fortnightly posts on all matters homiletical. I intend to touch on whatever grabs my attention regarding preaching—issues contemporary and ancient, ideas hermeneutical and rhetorical, personalities conservative and liberal, publications antiquarian and avant-garde. Essentially, I’m going to follow my own homiletical olfactory instincts up rabbit trails and after red herrings. Comments are always invited and appreciated.
2 Timothy 3:1–17
God’s people follow godly models, trusting in divine deliverance from inevitable persecution, and continuing in Scripture that edifies, making them capable and fully equipped for good works.
In 3:1–5, Paul creates a worst-case scenario of the “last days” with the eighteen vices listed, making it one of the longest such lists in the NT. The items run together in a conjunction-free structure, to paint a general picture of evil in the future. If there is a theme to
Tough Question: Genesis 22
Here’s an “Answer to a Tough Question” that I did for The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary the other day: Why did God command Abraham to sacrifice Isaac? (On Genesis 22.)
[If you want to dig into the details, go here.]
Coming soon …
FYI, another tome from the pen of your faithful blogger!
Coming soon … (i.e., should be available for order/purchase in May 2025).
This is essentially a biblical theology of sanctification, setting all that I am doing with preaching and its hermeneutics (interpreting the biblical text for preaching, application, life change) within the larger arena of Christian growth and the development of Christlikeness. Even if you are not all that keen on preaching, this will,
2 Timothy 2:14–26
God’s people, his possession, obtain honor by pursuing righteousness and being beneficial for God, ready for good works, even correcting opponents by clearly and graciously expounding the word.
Dealing with the immediate need to counter false teachers, this passage is an explication of the Christian leader’s character in the face of opposition, particularly with regard to doctrine and grounding in Scripture. Yet there is hope for those apostates, for Timothy is to “remind
Devotional on Psalm 21
Here’s a devotional I did online for my church (Ninth and O Baptist Church: they call it a “Devotionable”) the other day. On Psalm 21.
2 Timothy 2:1–13
The servants of God, strengthened by God’s grace and entrusting the work of God to faithful people of God, face potential suffering, but seek only to please their faithful God and to further his cause—undistracted, upright, and industrious—thus gaining great eternal rewards.
This passage continues Paul’s appeal to Timothy that he be willing to suffer for God and for the gospel.
What Timothy has “heard” publicly from Paul, “in the presence of many witnesses”
2 Timothy 1:1–18
God’s call on his people involves a faithful, unashamed endurance of inevitable suffering as they undertake their divine commission, empowered graciously by God’s Spirit, confident of his seeing their work through, and anticipating rewards.
A single sentence makes up 1:3–5: Paul begins with his thanks to God in 1:3, but the reason for his gratitude is given only in 1:5. This sentence is bookended by the mention of ancestors: “forefathers” shows up in 1:3, and
Abe Kuruvilla is the Carl E. Bates Professor of Christian Preaching at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, KY), and a dermatologist in private practice. His passion is to explore, explain, and exemplify preaching.