We suffer for many reasons. I suppose you are suffering because of physical or mental ailments. But there are worthy ways we can suffer:
How much do you love your neighbor as yourself? Learning this will require we suffer by forgetting about ourselves and thinking of others.
How thankful are you? We will suffer as we learn to see the way the Lord does, and learn a new way of speaking that includes words of thanksgiving more often.
Continue readingThe New Testament book of Hebrews addresses this problem. Paul wanted to teach them some hard truths, but they were still too spiritually immature to receive them. Verses 13-14 get to the heart of the matter: “For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
Continue readingWhen something bad happens, whose fault is it? It depends, of course.
When Paul was preaching the gospel in several places, he was attacked by the nearby population for his message. Whose fault was it? The attackers’ fault (Acts 16:16-24).
When Jesus was betrayed by Judas, whose fault was it? Judas, though he was influenced by Satan (Luke 22:3; John 13:2).
Continue readingYes, all the demons know, in the same sense as an informed reader of the Bible knows. They don’t know in the same way God knows: with perfect understanding and infallible sight.
Continue readingGod told Joshua to meditate on the Book of the law of Moses day and night (Joshua 1:8). The rest of the population did not do this. Most people in church probably don’t read the Bible.
Instead of paying attention to the Book of the law, “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6). In the same way, many people in church prefer to figure things out on their own or follow the crowd rather than read the Bible.
Continue readingSometimes Jesus’ actions seem pointless but actually have a spiritual meaning behind them. Over and over, Jesus speaks against the empty religious outlook of the people, that their religion does not serve any purpose, and the Pharisees are upset hear Him talking like this.
Jesus and the fig tree: The Old Testament speaks of Israel when likening it to a fig tree. Jesus may be using the fig tree as a picture of Israel, that He came down hoping to find the fruit of faith and godliness among the Jews, but did not find any. You may remember His amazement at the Gentile Centurion soldier who had more faith than any Jew that He had come across. The Jews were clueless as to Jesus’ identity, even though He was fulfilling the OT Scriptures again and again before their eyes. Jesus cursing the fig tree was a picture of what was about to happen, that unbelieving Israel will receive judgment soon (in AD 70) for their lack of faith.
The short answer is yes. Here’s why.
The Bible tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). This sin has affected (corrupted) all of our body’s and soul’s faculties. For instance, “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” (Jer. 16:9). “Who can know it?” means that the deceit is so great that it is hidden from us. For instance, we may do a very good deed, but don’t realize that we are doing it to gain attention.
Continue readingOne passage that appears that a dead man is talking to the living is in the story of Saul at En-Dor (1 Samuel 28:8-19). Is Samuel really talking to Saul, or is the witch using suggestive language and mimicking to make it appear Samuel is speaking? Probably the latter. Or worse, a deceptive demon is speaking. There are several examples in the gospels and Acts of demons speaking through the bodies they inhabit.
Continue readingMatthew chapters 5–7 are a unit; they are treated as one long speech called the Sermon on the Mount. I believe the end of the speech is a unit consisting of 7:13-29. We’ll understand the question after we consider the flow of the chapter, and thus the flow of thought and how the 7:23 quote above fits in.
After everything Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount, He urges His hearers to enter the kingdom of heaven (the subject of the Sermon and of the gospel of Matthew) through the narrow way that is hard (vv. 13-14) and not the broad way that is popular. Then He tells them to beware of false prophets, which can be known by their fruit, whether of good or bad fruit (vv. 15-20). Then He tells them, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (vv. 21-23).
Continue readingWe become sick of many reasons, not for just one reason. The medical journals are full of examples. But can a spiritual issue make us sick? Let’s look at Scripture.
“No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities” (1 Timothy 5:23). In this case, local water seemed to be the issue, so Timothy was encouraged to drink wine instead. Sin had nothing to do with it.
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