The Covenantal Context

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“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers… – Jeremiah 31:31-34 (ESV) We Christians today are experts at taking verses out of context. We do it almost as much as Hollywood or the Name-It-And-Claim-It crowd. We just don’t realize it. How many of us regularly quote Philippians 4:19 (“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.“), taking this verse as an unconditional promise that applies to all believers? Well, it’s not. Paul wrote this to those who, in spite of their poverty, were … Continue reading →

Identifying True Christians

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Once upon a time there was a great, big wolf, and he hadn’t eaten in days. His last meal was only a couple of small mice… not even enough for an appetizer. You can be sure he was on the lookout for some serious grub! Suddenly, a flock of sheep caught his eye. As he looked at them grazing peacefully in the distance, immediately his mouth started watering uncontrollably, and his stomach growled expectantly at the thought of fresh mutton. But he was so famished and weak from hunger, he didn’t have the strength to chase down even one small lamb. What was he to do? Then it came to him. “I know how I can get a plump, juicy … Continue reading →

Holistic Bible Study

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For I have not shrunk back from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. – Acts 20:27 (VW) Biblical illiteracy is epidemic in the church today. Unlike any other time in history, we swim in an ocean of Bibles, but we don’t make an effort to study them for ourselves. We prefer to trust others to tell us what the Bible says and means. As a result, we’re ignorant of even the basics, and we let every wind of strange and corrupt doctrine sway us. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the rudimentary principles of the Words of God; and you have come to need milk and not … Continue reading →

Know Your Bible For Yourself

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So, you want to know what the Bible really says: what it says about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, man, right and wrong, etc.? Then study the Bible. Don’t listen to what a church or some famous preacher or teacher says. Don’t listen to Hollywood, the History Channel, Time magazine, the Pope, Brigham Young, the Watchtower, Joel Olsteen, Billy Graham, Charles Wesley, Martin Luther, John Calvin. Don’t listen to the church fathers (Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Justin Martyr, etc.) Don’t listen to your pastor. Don’t listen to me. Especially, don’t assume you know it yourself. There is an incredible amount of Bible disinformation out in the world today, from verses taken out of context to outright lies. You may think … Continue reading →

“Say These Words…”

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During the terrorist incident in Mali this past week, many hostages died. But one hostage was let go after an Islamic attacker told him to recite verses from the Koran. This reminded me of an episode of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown where he was at the wailing wall in Jerusalem. Anthony said he didn’t believe in a higher power. But after finding out he was a Jew, a rabbi quickly grabbed him, strapped on a phylactory, and got him to recite the words of a bar-mitzvah blessing. I think it’s pretty obvious the freed hostage did not become a Muslim merely by reciting verses from the Koran, just as Anthony Bourdain did not become a practicing Jew and believer in … Continue reading →

What The Good Shepherd Doesn’t Do

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The Good Shepherd (Jesus) doesn’t… … Leave me hungry, … “Feed” himself at my expense, … Leave me unprotected from predators and robbers, … Leave me where I was driven to, … Abandon me when I stray away, … Let me stay “weak” or “sick”, … Consider me just a business burden (as the hired shepherd). (Ezekiel 34, John 10)

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Zombie Ants and the Flesh

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For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I do not wish to do, that I do; moreover, what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I do not wish to do, I agree with the Law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I doing it, but sin that dwells in me. – Romans 7:15-17 (VW) Paul struggled with sin, even after he was saved. He wanted to do good by obeying the Law, but he found he was not able to. No matter how hard he tried, he kept doing what he didn’t want to do. It was like he had two natures: one that rejoiced in God’s law, … Continue reading →

Personal Apologetic: Prophecies About Today

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When examined closely, modern-day prophecy fulfillment puts an end to the skeptic’s arguments against the existence of God and the inspiration of the Bible. (Perhaps for this reason, the skeptic won’t examine the evidence.) If only a few prophecies were fulfilled, one could say they happened by chance. If they were written obscurely or symbolicly, their fulfillment could be open to any number of interpretations. But we have already looked at multiple prophecies with recent specific fulfillments, and none have failed. Before moving on in this series, I want to look at one more area: what the Bible says about the conditions of the end times. How does today’s world match up with biblical prophecy? There are quite a few … Continue reading →

Personal Apologetic: The Restoral Of National Israel – Pt 2

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There is a difference between chance occurrence and faith in God. You can rely on what God has said, but you can’t rely on chance. One way to know God exists is seeing Him keep His promises, and one of the strongest examples of God’s promises being fulfilled has to do with the dispersion and latter-day restoral of Israel (Jeremiah 30). In past articles in this series, we’ve looked at how God foretold the history of His dealings with Israel. He promised blessings on them if they would obey Him, and cursings if they didn’t. Israel chose to rebel, and all of the cursings happened one by one. Israel was eventually scattered throughout the world. And yet they retained their … Continue reading →

Living For God’s Glory

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George was not happy with the way some churches in his area were supporting themselves. Some were renting pews to the wealthy and asking non-believers for money. George thought this was wrong. He felt the church should trust in God to supply its needs without having to ask the world for help, because he believed his heavenly Father could be trusted to support His people and His work. So in 1830, for the benefit of believers and unbelievers, George started an experiment in faith. He gave up his pastoral salary, sold all he possessed, and trusted in God alone for his support. He made it a point never to tell anyone else of his needs, because he believed that God … Continue reading →