Tag: Matthew 25
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Calvin on sheep and goats
Naming His Grace (Viola Larson): Calvin on sheep and goats John Calvin in his commentary on the parable of the judgement of the sheep and the goats writes this: "As a shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats. When our Lord says that the separation of the sheep from the goats is delayed till that…
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Living Simply in Abundance (9)
What was Jesus' view of wealth? I want to begin in what may not seem to be the most obvious place for discussion: The discourse on the Mount of Olives (Matthew 24-25), especially the stories of the talents and the story of the sheep and goats in chapter 25. Matthew presents the Mount of Olives…
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Some Reflections on Dr. Mouw’s “Economic Decisions”
What model should Christians use for economic decision-making in the 21st Century? Wednesday, Samuel Gregg posted an excellent article called Self Interest, Rightly Understood. I almost linked it yesterday but opted not to. Then, yesterday evening, I found that Dr. Richard Mouw, President of Fuller Seminary, had written a short post on his blog about…
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Theology and Economics: Two Ecos
The word "Economy" is laden with meaning for Christians. It comes from the Greek word oikonomia, meaning "household management." (oikos = household or home; nomia =management) Related to it is the word oikonomos, which means "household manager or steward." The household in mind here is the large villa of the Greco-Roman world. These were self-sufficient…
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Theology and Economics: Having the Mind and Heart of God. (Part 2)
Jesus gave vivid images in Matthew 25 to describe what he expects of his followers between his ascension and his return: We are to have the mind and heart of God in everything we do. We are to care passionately about the things God cares about and act on those passions. Paul wrote regularly about…
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Theology and Economics: Having the Mind and Heart of God. (Part 1)
We live in the era between Jesus' resurrection and Jesus' return. He left us with a vision of the future and told us to anticipate a future of shalom. However, Jesus did not leave us with an instructional manual for creating a government, an economy, or even a congregation. This presents a real challenge. Indeed,…
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Parable of the Talents
The Parable of the Talents is one of the most controversial parables in the bible. Three slaves are given talents. One receives five, another two, and another one. The master leaves for a time and then returns to settle accounts. The first two have earned extra talents, but the last hid his for safekeeping. The…
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Distributive Justice
Reading the legal codes in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, private property was taken for granted. One of the Ten Commandments was "Thou shall not steal." Numerous references exist about appropriate restitution when someone's property has been taken or damaged. Private property was central to Old Testament economic life. However, ownership of private property was…