Posts filed under ‘Religious – Christian – Theology’
Life and Godliness, Part 1
God will do whatever He needs to do in the life of the believer to unhitch us from the world so that we learn to focus on Him and Him alone. He will “lift” or “take us up” from lying on the dirt so that we do not become thoroughly ensconced in the world’s ways so that we gain motivation from the world around us. God wants us to focus completely on Him, so He will remove us from those things that want to become our gods.
My New and True Identity
John says we are literally called the children of God (1 John 3:1). Peter tells us we are a holy nation, a special possession, a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). There is so much to being a child of God through salvation, that it requires us to contemplate it a good deal of the time. We need to study His Word to allow the Spirit to illuminate our thinking, which will transform the way we think and free us to live lives that please God without the struggles we often face when doing things in our own strength.
Continue Reading September 1, 2026 at 1:21 PM Leave a comment
Can You Know for Certain?
But then, you hear sermons that seem to create a tension within you. On one hand, yes you are saved. On the other, if you stop working, you may well either lose your salvation or learn you never really had it in the first place! The focus then is directed right back onto SELF. You begin constantly looking at your life, your motives, your words, your thoughts and your actions, always judging them by whether or not you think you are doing everything correctly. If not, then you are in serious danger of either losing your salvation or not ever having had it (depending on which theological camp you find yourself in). If this isn’t maddening enough, you are then, because of your focus, always looking inward trying to judge whether or not you are persevering in the faith, rather than focusing on God, His love for us sinners and just how great His grace is toward us.
Here’s Why It is So Difficult
Do we ever stop to consider what our approach to Jesus will be when we come face to face with Him in eternity?? It’s difficult for us to shape that thinking because He is invisible to us. We are separated by this physical life, though He is clearly here within us via the Holy Spirit. When I finally see Him, I hope I will prostrate myself before Him. I hope I will caress His nail scarred feet and hands. I hope I will give Him all the love I possess for Him. I hope out of all the wonderful things in eternity, Jesus will be my main focus.
Continue Reading August 25, 2026 at 12:31 PM Leave a comment
True Antidote for Vanity
It all boils down to Solomon’s final thoughts on the subject. That is, to fear God and keep His commandments, period. This is the be- all, end-all of everything related to humanity and our need to glorify God. The problem is that we too often go after things in life (even if they appear to be good), from a position of serving self. If/when we do this, we are essentially chasing vanity.
It Has Come Around Again
It has come around again and it’s here now. The Bible tells us that the people of Noah’s day were so extraordinarily evil that they didn’t know how to think a non-evil thought. Everything they thought, did and said was related to the intense evil in their hearts as it simply bubbled up out of them. They lived out what their hearts thought and intended. This tends to be a theme also of ancient Israel as far as Isaiah, Jeremiah and some of the other Old Testament prophets were concerned. It was very common for political leaders, kings, priests and even the average person in Israel to have hearts of evil while pretending they were not evil. They were fully duplicitous and did everything for their own gain. They would use and abuse people to increase their wealth and sphere of influence. The only love they had was love for self. It was over the top requiring God to seriously discipline them in many cases.
Third Chapter Coincidence?
Just as Genesis 3 actually occurred, we can know that Revelation 20 will also actually occur. They are connected. They both point to God’s favor, His mercy and His love for His Creation. While Genesis 3 introduced sin into the entirety of His Creation, Revelation 20 is the start of eliminating all of it in practical terms.
Covenants vs Dispensationalism
It seems to me the very plain teaching of Scripture includes a physical return of Jesus, where every eye will see Him of those living at the time (Daniel 7:13; Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62; Revelation 1:7; Revelation 14:14). Seeing Jesus is not in the mind’s eye or somehow spiritually. It is a literal event when He physically returns so that the entirety of the world will finally understand that God is in control. That much is clear and obvious. To attempt to turn this obvious meaning into a spiritual return is repugnant to me.
Birth Pains VS Tribulation Judgments
When we consider the 21 specific judgments that occur within the coming seven year Tribulation period (kicked off by the rider on the white horse’s appearance on the world’s stage; aka the Antichrist or Islam’s Final Mahdi), I see this whole period as Stage 1, 2, and 3 of the entire birth process (active labor), with the beginning of birth pains (wars, rumors of wars, famine and earthquakes), representing the time prior to the start of the actual three stage active labor process. The birth pains lead up to and introduce the coming Tribulation just as the mother who experiences intermittent birth pains and some contractions, but has not entered active labor.
Making Life Difficult for Us
…whatever is happening throughout global society now is simply foundational for the coming final mandate that forces people to take the mark. Age verification, if it comes to the USA will make things difficult for those who don’t comply, just like the mandates during CV created severe limitations for those who did not take the jab. However, like the difficulties during CV, anything mandated or instituted for our “safety” ultimately means making life more difficult, not easier. It means seceding control to authoritarian bodies.
StudyGrowKnow 