Posts filed under ‘Religious – Christian – Theology’
Can Christians Take God’s Grace for Granted?
But there is a huge difference between our position or standing before God and our daily walk. It is important to understand that though God imputes Christ’s righteousness to our account (Romans 4:24), the moment we receive salvation, it is still up to us to ensure that we are doing all that we can to walk continuously in fellowship with God. This is one of the reasons Paul tells readers to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). Paul is not saying that we need to work for our salvation. That is not his point at all. Paul is admonishing his readers (and us by extension), to do all that we can to ensure that we remain in fellowship with God! In short, remaining in fellowship with God is our responsibility, not God’s. God will always do everything needed to continue to fellowship with us, but will stop with that fellowship when we sin.
Continue Reading October 20, 2017 at 11:51 AM Leave a comment
Jonathan Cahn’s The Paradigm
Dominionism is the belief that if Christians work hard enough to spread the Gospel and turn people to Jesus, a domino effect will occur throughout society that will change America into a nation that glorifies God. I don’t see this in Scripture at all. I see things getting worse and worse until the Tribulation occurs wreaking the worst persecution on earth that has ever been or will ever be. This will be “cut short” by the physical return of Jesus, who will then set up His Millennial Kingdom where He will rule with a rod of iron for 1,000 years. He will literally show the world how it is done.
Author Dan Brown’s New Concept of God Isn’t New
Dan Brown’s assertion that God will become fully antiquated and outmoded due to science and the growing area of artificial intelligence is a comment made by a man who is offering absolutely nothing new. What he ultimately espouses – cosmic consciousness – is something that has been around since nearly the dawn of time. It is New Age, the belief that all human beings are interconnected and if we could simply understand this “truth,” we could then become “one” in spirit and ultimately, in consciousness. Once this is achieved, there is nothing that humanity could not do.
Fat, Rich Shepherds
Something is wrong with too many churches in America and it stems from those in leadership positions. For the average person, often, the choice of a church is determined by how much charisma the pastor has and/or how many exciting programs exist for the kids, or how upbeat the music. It may be that only when the specter of real persecution raises its ugly head (which is what God brought to the shepherds of Ezekiel’s day), that people will come to realize the importance of belonging to a church where only the truth is preached weekly without fail. It is the truth of Scripture that produces depth in our relationship with God. If that truth isn’t preached, there is no depth. Too many today have itching ears and want to hear what they want to hear solely because it makes them feel good but provides no true growth (2 Timothy 4:3). It’s pabulum.
Zechariah’s Near and Far Visions, Pt 2
Clearly, the angel’s words (who simply reiterated what the Lord was saying), point to the future when the Lord’s words will find fulfillment. If we look at Israel since the time of Zechariah, there has been no time during which the above texts has found fulfillment. Yes, we can look at Israel today and understand that there are many unwalled villages (kibbutz), where there appear to be communal gardens and vineyards shared by people living in homes nearby. However, if we take the two verses as a while, the full force of the meaning of these verses has not been, nor is in effect. There is a constant danger against the people living in Israel from outside forces who wish to see that nation destroyed.
Do You Want to Know God?
First, when we simply read the Bible each day, we are immersing ourselves in God’s Word, not as an exercise to gain knowledge, but with the intent of gaining a greater appreciation for God; who He is, how He interacts with His Creation, how He proves His love repeatedly for that Creation, how He continually provides evidence that He is sovereign over all things, etc. While yes, these things are also related to doctrine or theology, by simply reading God’s Word, it allows us to see things in context, which is extremely important, so that we can gain the big picture that God wants us to see.
Continue Reading October 9, 2017 at 11:18 AM Leave a comment
Zechariah’s Near and Far Visions, Pt 1
In the Bible, a “horn” is normally understood to mean “power,” whether from an individual, a group of people, or an empire. Commentators of course disagree on the exact meaning, with some believing the “four horns” represents all Gentile powers (v. 21), to the four corners of the earth, while others believe these horns are representative of Babylon, Medes-Persians, Greece, and Rome (from Daniel 2, 7). Regardless of the exact meaning, it likely refers to Gentile powers that God used to scatter the Israelites from their Land after continued rebellion. However, as is always the case, God holds these “horns” responsible for the way they treated His peculiar people.
Death in Las Vegas
We need to be prepared and the only way to be prepared is to know the Author of Life, God Himself through Christ our Lord. This life is so absolutely temporary. We need to come to terms with that. Some reading this could die before this day ends of natural causes, in an auto accident, or something else entirely. When it comes time for us to pass from this life to the next, we will do so and nothing will stop that. It is predetermined by God, who is Sovereign. We all live and die according to His will and good pleasure.
Habakkuk Comes to Terms with God’s Sovereignty
There are three chapters to Habakkuk. If you have not read the book in a while, please do so. We see the prophet go from frustrated, to confused, to understanding, to acceptance, to a greater awareness that God is fully sovereign. The prophet was humbled (which is the natural outcome of grasping the truth of God’s sovereignty), because God stooped to reveal to Habakkuk what he needed to know. That knowledge was not simply for Habakkuk alone or God would not have told him to write it down. It was for Habakkuk’s Jewish contemporaries, as well as Jews who came after them, and it is for us today.
Why Does God Use Other Nations to Oppose Israel?
Whether we’re dealing with a minor prophet like Micah, Nahum, Joel, or another, the truth is very clear. God will use whatever He chooses to use in order to purify and perfect the nation that He created and whose original leaders entered into an irrevocable covenant with Jehovah Himself. God originally dealt with Israel’s leaders who set things in motion. All who are born into that nation share the responsibility (and the guilt when falling), of carrying on that covenantal relationship. God is certainly very much aware of the fact that at some point, His promises to Israel will be completely fulfilled. All nations who seek Israel’s harm will be dealt with by God, in His way and in His time.
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