Author Archives: St. John Studies

Christ, the Always Gift for All our Days…

[This post is a repeat from a December 2019 Christmas post: one of my favorites]. I have had the pleasure of reading the Bible through a few times, but as you know, it is a complex book.  The Word of … Continue reading

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“Getting to Know” God’s Perfect Self-sufficiency

Somewhere from my deep dark past I recall lyrics to a song entitled “Getting to Know You.”  I researched the tune and found it was from the musical “The King and I” starring Yul Brynner, which began its Broadway run … Continue reading

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Most Christians Salute the Sovereignty of God but Believe in the Sovereignty of Man*

“How deep is the wisdom and knowledge of God?” “God knows every word in every language in every sentence in every paragraph in every chapter of every book ever written.” “He knows every fact of history past and future, every … Continue reading

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Transcendent Creativity Hurts My Brain!

Matt Chandler* says that lack of mental effort causes problems for understanding God’s Word.  Christians “assume” they have knowledge of the Gospel but in reality, the “explicit” Gospel has not been taught, proclaimed or studied.  Consequently Christians actually don’t have … Continue reading

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Of First Importance

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” [First Corinthians 15: 3]. In my post of October 31, 2025 I ran the risk of offending … Continue reading

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His Work, Not Mine…

Matt Chandler has written a book called The Explicit Gospel.  It is important to probe his meaning of explicit which means “stated clearly and in detail, leaving no room for confusion or doubt.”  It is also important to probe the … Continue reading

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I Have Never Done This Before….

I have never done this before. When I began St. John Studies on December 30, 2014 I was “on fire” to write my thoughts on the blog. Now, in October 2025, things have happened.  I have found more significant priorities … Continue reading

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The Post You Don’t Want to Read: Hell Is Indeed a Part of The Explicit Gospel

These sermon topics can get a pastor fired.  After explaining all the Biblical reasons that we need to give glory to God in Chapter One of The Explicit Gospel, Matt Chandler spends Chapter Two on man’s woefully weak relationship with … Continue reading

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Admitting We are Sinners…

“When we consider the gospel from the ground, we see clearly the work of the cross in our lives and the lives of those around us, the capturing and resurrecting of dead hearts” [Matt Chandler, The Explicit Gospel, 16]. “We … Continue reading

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“The Severity of the Lion”

“God reigns supreme over every plot point in God’s plan for man.” Chandler, 16. That’s the way life should work for a Christian but does it? Does God really reign supreme? Do “we see clearly the work of the cross … Continue reading

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