In this series, I’m about to answer two questions I believe to be crucial to our understanding of Christianity: What is the Bible? How do we correctly grasp what we read in it? Why Should This Topic Concern Us? Tragically, some so-called Christians misuse the Bible to preach hate against various groups: racial minorities, interracial marriages, homosexuals, and… Read More »
In my previous article in this series, we explored what the Bible is, where it came from, and what it has to say about itself. In this installment, we’ll tackle the question posed in this article’s title. The answers I’m about to provide here are the principles I use whenever I examine the Scriptures and am seeking God… Read More »
Before digging into the Scriptures, I would like to establish my credentials on this topic. I was first exposed to the concept of being baptized in the Holy Spirit almost immediately after I became a Christ-follower. I submitted my life to Christ in November of 1973 while a soldier assigned to the US Army’s 3rd Armored Division in… Read More »
There is brief list of items we’re supposed to be majoring in as Christ-followers. Those items are God’s order of priorities established from the foundations of the world. Everything else can be neatly summed up under one of these four: Submit to God. Love one another. Control our flesh. Resist the devil. Simple isn’t it? But as one… Read More »
I’ve recently been making the case that God doesn’t go around killing Christ-followers, inflicting sickness and disease on them, and causing disasters. In this article, I want to address the issue of trials, temptations, and tribulations and their role in the lives of believers. God Uses Negative Circumstances to Develop Us Verses appear throughout the Bible stating how… Read More »
For several posts, I’ve been making the case that God doesn’t go around killing Christ-followers, causing them disasters, and the like. In this post we’ll tackle the subject of suffering for Jesus’ and/or righteousness’ sake. What is Suffering for Jesus’ Sake? To determine what “suffering for Jesus” is, we first have to figure out what it’s not. Basically,… Read More »
Over the last few posts, I’ve been making the case that God doesn’t go around killing Christ-followers, inflicting them with diseases, stealing their jobs or homes, etc., etc. In these, we’ve covered several aspects of this issue, such as our covenant with God, the believer’s authority on this earth, the promises of God, and the role of Satan… Read More »
Any time you start proclaiming to Christ-followers of certain doctrinal persuasions that God is not a cosmic child abuser inflicting disaster, death, and destruction upon His children to “teach them something,” almost always the first objection you will encounter is this challenge: “Well, what about Job?” This challenge is waved about as if some kind of a magic… Read More »
