Posts Tagged ‘Truth’
How Readest Thou? Part 6 Growing and Going: Knowing & Sharing God’s Word
As we wrap up our series on studying God’s Word, let us carefully consider several crucial points:
1. God’s Word: When considering God’s Word, an amazing chapter to read, reread, study, and study again is Psalm 119. It’s known as the “Word” Psalm for a reason. There are 22 Hebrew letters, and Psalm 119 is divided into 22 sections, each representing one letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each section contains eight verses. Psalm 119 an incredible chapter to study! It’s the largest chapter in the entire Bible. Almost every verse examines God’s Word directly, declaring the sufficiency…
Read MoreHow Readest Thou- Part 5: Loving God’s Word from Cover to Cover
Question 1: Upon being born again, how did your view of God’s Word change?
I grew up in a very dysfunctional home where my mother suffered from mental illness. My home life was filled with fighting and violence. My father, a Swiss immigrant, came from a Methodist background so we attended the Methodist Church. He was on the local church board. I can remember get togethers my parents would have with other Board members at our home where there was drinking, dancing, cigar smoking and well, stuff going on that even as a young kid I knew was not in line with “church.” I could hear them from my bedroom.
In the Methodist church they change the pastors every three years or so. I remember getting close to one pastor. He played softball with us in the church parking lot. A great guy. I remember him helping me through the confirmation process. Our two families got together, and he and his wife helped my dad with my mom. But then they were relocated, and the replacement was an old guy with no personality and a handshake like a dead fish. This led to my departure from the church due to disinterest.
I always believed in “God.” When my mother would
Read MoreHow Readest Thou? Part 4- Line Upon Line – Trusting in Jesus
Question: How did the Lord lead you to Him?
Answer: I was raised in a Lutheran minister’s home. My dad was a conservative Missouri Synod Lutheran pastor already for 20 plus years when I came along in 1959. He continued to preach into his eighties.
Though I was told otherwise, (in keeping with their Lutheran tradition of infant baptism), I do not count myself born again until I was 22. But being surrounded by God’s Word and sometimes listening on Sunday’s growing up, I was certainly familiar with Scripture, and I’m confident that it did not return void. Because of this, as I got older, I never doubted Jesus was the only begotten Son of God Who died for our sins and rose from the dead, ascending to the right hand of the Father. I never wrestled with the truth of the Triune God. I never doubted that Jesus is God with the Father and the Holy Spirit from all eternity. Even though I didn’t doubt, I definitely did not fully understand it either.
Read MoreThe Book of Hebrews vs The Roman Catholic Church
Did you know that the Roman Catholic Church only has an official stance on somewhere between five to ten sections of Scripture? And much of what they do have is found in the Council of Trent (1545–1563) and was a direct result of the influence of the Reformation. With that in mind, let’s take a little detour from the writings of the Roman Catholic Church and instead do a careful examination of Jesus as we read through the book of Hebrews below.
Read MoreWhat to Get and Where to Go
Over the years it’s truly been a blessing working with students of all ages. One of the many benefits is having many wonderful class discussions. Sometimes those discussions lead to simple and helpful sayings that can then be used as beneficial navigation tools. Over the years, some of these little phrases have helped keep things simple, clearing through some of the clutter that we call today’s Christianity.
Read MoreHow Readest Thou?
If simply going to the Bible is the answer, then why is it that so many different groups, denominations, and even cults make such a strong claim of going to God’s Word and yet, so often, come to such different and often unbiblical interpretations? Perhaps they only claim to go to the Bible? Perhaps that’s true for some. And yet, many can quote Bible verses up one side and down the other… inside and out.
How can so many who actually read and quote the Bible travel in so many different directions? And how do we keep ourselves from doing the same thing? This article will attempt to tackle this dilemma, providing several beneficial landmarks that can hopefully keep us on track. It’s our sincere hope that readers will be both challenged and encouraged in the Lord.
Read MoreTHREE MAJOR THINGS CALVINISM DESTROYS
In Calvinism, election, not the cross of Christ, is the ultimate decider of one’s salvation. If you don’t agree, then ask any Calvinist how he knows for sure that he’s saved. If he’s a consistent Calvinist, his answer has to be that he hopes he’s one of the elect. His salvation does not focus simply on believing in the life, death and resurrection of Christ according to the Scriptures.
His hope must go beyond, or rather before, the cross, to what he’s been taught by Calvinistic philosophy. His hope must be placed in…
Read MoreIS IT GOD’S WILL FOR MEN TO SIN?
Calvinism says that man does not have the power or ability to reject the Gospel of God. The T in T.U.L.I.P. stands for total inability. The “I” stands for irresistible grace.
Calvinism teaches only those to whom God gives irresistible grace will be saved. The thought here is that there are people in this world that obviously have rejected the Gospel. Calvinism sees God’s sovereignty in such a way that man cannot resist God’s will. So the assumption here is if man can say no to the Gospel, he must be more powerful than God. (Note: To assume that man is more powerful than God is ridiculous. That is something every believer agrees with.)
This, of course, is simply an assumption…
Read MoreDEATH, LIFE, & LOVE
“If you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For you are dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:1-3 Before accepting Christ, God’s Word is…
Read MoreExposing False Prophets: A Call to Vigilance and Discernment
False prophets are more prevalent in our society than many think, and their influence can be shocking. These individuals prey on the vulnerability of people, leading them astray with false teachings and promises. Uncovering their manipulation is essential to leading genuine seekers to the truth. These teachers cause significant harm by distorting teachings and leading…
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