Ordinals and Cardinals

My previous post 'Charting 1 Peter and 2 Peter' inspired this one, 'Ordinals and Cardinals' due to the widespread confusion within the church regarding the proper pronunciation of multi-volume book titles in the Bible. 

However, this explanation clarifies that it doesn't have to be confusing:

Numbers are cardinal.

Order is ordinal, ironically enough.

Consider three birds on a podium, each in position numbers one, two and three. 

The birds are in finishing order as first, second and third. 

The red bird, in position one came first. 

The blue bird, in position two claimed second. 

The yellow bird in position three finished third.

First is the ordinal form of the cardinal number one.

Second is the ordinal form of the cardinal number two. 

1 Peter was the first letter written by Peter to the church and is pronounced as "First Peter", while 2 Peter is pronounced "Second Peter".

The same applies for 1, 2 and 3 John (that is, First, Second and Third John), and all other multi-volume books in both the Old and New Testaments:

1 Samuel and 2 Samuel

1 Kings and 2 Kings

1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles

1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians

1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians

1 Timothy and 2 Timothy

1 Peter and 2 Peter

1 John, 2 John, and 3 John 

The term ordinal refers to the position or order of sequential numbers, such as first, second, and third. Images like the birds on a podium, where each position reflects an order or specific placing, help us remember which are ordinal numbers. Cardinal numbers simply tell us how many or what number. The number of multi-volume books in the Bible are cardinal, but their order of writing is ordinal. 

Charting 1 Peter and 2 Peter

Charting 1 Peter and 2 Peter created by Toward the Goal. As always, you are welcome to share it (referencing this site), download it and/or improve it for your personal use.

Colossians 2 Chiasm

A chiasm or chiastic structure is a literary form used in scripture to point to a key verse or theme of a passage and uses a reflective structure in which concepts seen in the passage form pairs. These pairs are recorded below as A and A' through to I which is the key theme of the section. 

A chiasm is helpful for drawing out specific points or making an outline for teaching or preaching. Developing a chiasm generally occurs by following an expositional process and noting repeated, recurring, or reflected themes, and may not be limited to just a chapter of scripture. A chiasm may cross from one chapter to another, or be restricted to only a section of a chapter. When identifying and recording a chiasm, it is helpful to first study the chapter (asking the Holy Spirit for guidance and teaching) by recording observations and concepts. Refine the concepts of each verse, and create a statement for each concept.

Just like any dedicated study of scripture, identifying a chiasm is a slow and intentional process. The following chiasm from Colossians 2:4-23 took 3 weeks of study and numerous iterations. It points to the saving work of Christ, possible only through His preeminence (the big picture of Colossians; 1:15-20, 2:9) and His power and authority (key theme of chapter 2).

 

Colossians 2:4-23

 

A    v4                Take warning against deceptive teaching

    B    v5                Faith in Christ is a firm foundation

        C    vv6-7            Behave according to the faith you have been taught

            D    v8                Beware of humanistic philosophy leading you away from Christ

                E    v9                All truth is found in Christ Who is God Himself

                    F    v10            You have been made complete by Christ's authority

                        G    v11            The sin nature has been defeated through Christ by circumcision of the heart

                            H    v12            God's resurrection power reconciles us

                                I    v13                God made you alive, by grace, forgiving your sins

                            H'    v14            Our debt was removed by the cross

                        G'    v15            Spiritual opposition has been defeated through Christ's victory at the cross

                    F'    v16            New life in Christ brings new rules

                E'    v17            The old rules point to Christ, to whom the body belongs

            D'    v18            Beware deceptive philosophies imposing man's judgment

        C'    v19            Stop ignoring Christ who is the Head of the Church and the true growth source

    B'    v20            Humanistic decrees are worldly

A'    vv21-23    Manmade rules are worthless religion and pointless for Christian living

I trust that this small study in Colossians will help and encourage you in your Christian walk.

Jewish Feasts: Shadows into Sharpness

 

When you look closely, the Jewish Feasts have ongoing relevance for the future and are far more than simple tradition alone; they are feasts appointed by God Himself (Lev. 23:2, Ezek. 44:24). They all point to Jesus as Messiah in some context.

Hebrews to Revelation Key Themes

There are a number of overlapping themes from Hebrews to Revelation. I have charted them here as a study tool. I pray and trust it will be beneficial to you as you intently and intentionally study God's Word.

Each book presents a special theme of Christ. This painting represents Jesus speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4) when she acknowledges the Christ is coming, and Jesus declared Himself to be He (Jn. 4:25-26).

Photo credit: "The Samaritan Woman Speaking with Christ at the Well" by Professor He Qi, One Gospel - Many Cultures, Radopi B. V., Amsterdam - New York, NY 2003.

Hebrews to Revelation chart created by Toward the Goal. You are welcome to share it (referencing this site), download it and/or improve it for your personal use.

Esther - Book Analysis Chart

Crazy Love and Crazy People: What I'm Reading and Listening To

Crazy Love

When I told my wife that I was reading Francis Chan's Crazy Love, she was excited because she thought it was a book about marriage.  Her and me.  But in a way, it is a book about marriage (and her and me too), because it's about how we should live excitedly for Jesus and His Bride, the church.  

In his introduction, Chan sets the scene with the words,

This book is written for those who want more Jesus. It is for those who are bored with what American Christianity offers. It is for those who don’t want to plateau, those who would rather die before their convictions do.

These words gave me hope that we are not the only people disappointed with the complacency of the Western Church.

Although Chan refers to the "American Church" frequently, I believe that we could interchange that term for "the Western Church".

I haven't always felt this way either.  I was a solid young Christian who did the Christian things and lived the Christian life, but some years ago, I was fortunate to have a pastor-friend who challenged me to read God's Word enthusiastically, listen to the Holy Spirit, and seek to glorify Jesus. Some years later, a "crazy" guy visited our church and talked about the Acts model. It triggered a lot of thinking and studying of Acts (and other New Testament books) before I understood the church-proper as Jesus intended it to be. Our visitor was not so "crazy" but biblically minded!

A few more years on, then I did some formal tertiary studies at Bible College and found other like-minded people. And you don't have to go to Bible College to find them!

Chan makes it clear that this is not a church-bashing book.  It's more about our personal accountability to obey.

The majority of believers on this earth find it laughable that we could reduce the call to follow Jesus and make disciples to an invitation to sit in [a] church service.  (p. 180)

Crazy People

Casting Crowns sing a song titled "Crazy People" highlighting the life of a Christian walking by faith, trusting God and talking to Jesus.  Spoiler alert: just a few of my favourite lyrics following...

Who builds a boat with no clouds in sight...

Who brings a bible into a public school...

Who’s not afraid to go against the flow...

Who talks to Jesus like he’s real...

(These lines don't rhyme because I've just picked some lines from random verses - you'll have to listen to the entire song for proper lyric context!)

The link to Casting Crowns' Crazy People Official Lyric Video is here: Official Lyric Video

And Lead Singer Mark Hall's short story behind the song here: Story behind the song 

It appears the band has not released an official music video, but I found a live rendition here and here.

Be encouraged: there are other men and women out there who are on fire for Jesus. People might think they are crazy too, but they are wholeheartedly pursuing the work of Jesus.  This is what Crazy Love and Crazy People are about.

 

References:


Chan, Francis. Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God (p. 23). David C Cook. Kindle Edition.  (06/02/2020)

Casting Crowns YouTube Channel, Crazy People (Official Lyric Video), Provident Label Group LLC, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.

Essential Worship YouTube Channel, Casting Crowns - Crazy People: Song Session.

Huckabee's Jukebox YouTube Channel, Casting Crowns LIVE "Crazy People" | Jukebox | Huckabee.