Roger Severino

Jesus is the Main Character of the Whole Bible: Reflections on Luke 24

October 15, 2015

Following the resurrection, Luke’s Gospel tells the account of Jesus walking alongside two travelers on the road to Emmaus. These two were, “Discussing everything that had taken place,” when Jesus came and joined them on their journey, “But they were prevented from recognizing him” (see vv. 14-16). When Jesus inquired of their dispute, the travelers told him, “The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene,” whom they had hoped, “was the One who was about to redeem Israel” (see vv. 19-21). They spoke of his crucifixion and recounted the rumors of his resurrection.

Jesus said to them: “How unwise and slow you are...more

What is the Redemptive-Historical Context?

October 6, 2015
Followers of Jesus cannot read the Bible without understanding that he is the climax of the Bible’s Story and that the Old Testament points ahead to Jesus as the fulfillment of all the types and promises of Scripture. Jesus himself instructed us to read the Bible this way (see Luke 24:25-27; 44-48). WHAT IS THE STORYLINE OF THE BIBLE?  If Jesus is the climax of the Bible’s storyline, what...more

Conclusion: Make Much of Jesus, Reflections on Revelation 1:4-8

October 2, 2015
For the past six months, almost every blog entry has been following our Foundations Bible study called Encountering Christ in Scripture. This series has been a study of the titles, teachings, actions, character, person, and work of Jesus. Most of these themes have been explored from the Gospels, but occasionally we have looked to other New Testament writings to get a full-orbed picture of Jesus. So, what is a...more

What You Need to Know (and Not Know) about Christ’s Return: Reflections on 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11

September 25, 2015
That Jesus will someday return in glory is a very important part of the Christian faith and the Bible’s storyline. Much of the biblical narrative is about what God has done in the past, but we must never forget that our faith is future oriented as well. One of the great encouragements and incentives of the Christian life is that this broken and sinful world will not always be...more

The Trinity: The Basis for Community, Love, and Intimacy with God

September 15, 2015
The Trinity is one of the most difficult teachings of the Christian faith and yet one of the most necessary to affirm. Often, one can detect whether a group or church is part of the historic faith based on whether they affirm or deny the teaching that God eternally exists in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Though the term “Trinity” is not found in the New Testament,...more

A Story Awaiting the Good Shepherd

September 11, 2015
Jeremiah and Ezekiel, Old Testament prophets, employ the metaphor of Israel’s leaders being shepherds and the people as being sheep. In both Jeremiah 23 and Ezekiel 34, the shepherds are condemned for how they treated the flock. They are accused of destroying and scattering the sheep and not attending to them (Jer. 23:1-2). The shepherds slaughtered the sheep, clothed themselves with their wool, but did not feed the sheep....more

Jesus: Preaching with Authority

September 4, 2015
In his Gospel, Matthew gives an occasional summary statement about Jesus’ itinerary. “Jesus was going all over Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.” This passage from Matthew 4:23 is practically repeated in Matthew 9:35 giving us a clue that this was typical on Jesus’ agenda. In the first instance, Matthew uses this description before...more

“As the Father Has Sent Me”: A Model and Mandate for Ministry

August 25, 2015
In Jesus’ High Priestly prayer in John 17:9-19, He prayed several things for His followers: That they be protected, unified, and joyful (vv. 9-13). That they be in the world but not of the world (vv. 14-17). That they be sent into the world to minister, even as the Father sent Jesus (vv. 18-19). In John 17:18, Jesus prayed to the Father: “As You sent Me into the world,...more

Jesus’ Favorite Way to Refer to Himself

August 18, 2015
“Son of Man” is the phrase used more frequently than any other to refer to Jesus in the Gospels. It is almost always a self-designation on the lips of Jesus. It is not a title used by his enemies or his followers. For many years, I assumed that the title “Son of God” referred to the deity of Christ, and that “Son of Man” referred to his humanity. Though...more

WWJD or WIJD?

August 12, 2015
Reflections on Ephesians 4:7-16  Do you remember that ol’ slogan, “What Would Jesus Do?” that became popular in the 1990’s and got slapped onto various wrist bands and t-shirts? The idea was for the Christian to face any given situation and ask what Jesus would have done and then to follow his example. Now, in some ways, that is very helpful and perfectly legitimate. Jesus is a model for...more
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