John Dunkley

In this passage, Paul demolishes any lingering hope that we, out of our own effort and power, could overcome sin and obey God’s law. It shows clearly that no matter how much we want to do what is good we do not have, within ourselves, the power to carry it out. We will see how…

Philip’s request: ‘Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us’ reveals both his profound ignorance of what Jesus was doing all along but also the truth of the utter sufficiency of such a revelation to meet our deepest need even if Philip, at the time, had no understanding of the significance…

There are two errors that we can so easily fall into regarding spiritual conflict: one is to underestimate the relentless and fierce determination of the evil one to destroy us and our faith. The second error is to be ignorant of both the capacity and nature of Christ-empowered resistance to overcome the power of our…

None of us are beyond the need to be shepherded. Not even those who are entrusted with the care of God’s flock! In fact ‘elders’ are given special attention by Peter who recognizes both the blessing and the pitfalls of such ministry and so as a fellow elder he shepherds them! He knew from personal…

God’s uncompromising directive for Israel to completely destroy the inhabitants of Canaan seems cruel and unjust to many who see it as just another example of the terrible genocides that have plagued human history in the name of religious or racial purity. Is this another tragic account of so called ‘ethnic cleansing’ or was it…

The story of Jonah is more than the story of a prophet who has been swallowed by a big fish. It is the story of our struggle with God and the foolishness of thinking we can get away with it. It is the story of a love that will not let us go but instead…

As Paul comes to the end of his letter to the Corinthians he makes it clear that the holy jealousy he feels for their spiritual welfare is no light matter that can be ignored or pushed aside. He warns them that when he comes he will not spare those who are unrepentant. Some have wrongly…

It is not simply the fact of Christ’s resurrection that we are called to affirm but the power of His resurrection. It is true that to throw doubt on the reality of the bodily resurrection of Christ is to throw doubt on the whole claim of Christian faith. Biblical faith is grounded in real historical…

In 2 Corinthians as a whole and particularly in this passage we may be surprised by Paul’s frankness and forthrightness. He speaks openly about his opponents and their criticism of him and is not afraid to defend himself. Does this mean the apostle is absorbed in self vindication? Isn’t it better to ignore criticism and…

How free are we in the ‘grace of giving’? Paul calls giving an ‘act of God’s grace’ because he knows that behind giving that flows from a free and willing heart is the clear action of God’s grace. But God’s grace is never merely something that floats free in a sea of subjective emotion –…