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A question Christians often hear from non-Christians is, “Why do I have to go through Jesus to reach God?” More often than not this question come for a universalist who sees all religions as being the same. But anyone who has taken even a cursory look at different religions know this is not the case.…
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I just recently watched the mini-series Under the Banner of Heaven. It wasn’t very complementary to the Mormon church. But it did get me to thinking, mainly about Joseph Smith. I’m not going to take this time to deconstruct the man or speculate his sanity and morality. Instead, I’m going to give him the benefit…
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Lately I’ve been reading the Bible with a Greek Interlinear. (That’s the wonder of the internet. You have easy access to so many study aids.) And I was reading the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount. There were several that struck me reading it as a word for word translation. The first was “Blessed…
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I’ve heard many, both believers and nonbelievers ask, “How can a loving God send anyone to hell?” To which I respond, “He has to send people to hell because He is a loving God.” I know that surprises you, and it seems like an oxymoron, but let me explain. First let us consider what hell…
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In a previous post I said that I felt uncomfortable with the “Jesus Gets Us” commercial form the Super Bowl. Sence then I came across this video. It was titled “The commercial that should have been at the Super Bowl.” To which I say AMEN AND AMEN!!!
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Recently my Bible class at church attempted a chronological study of the life of Christ. By that I mean they are trying to take the events listed in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and as best could be surmised placing them in the historic order they happened. (I have a feeling this is a response…
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I was watching Melissa Dougherty’s YouTube video on the “Jesus Gets Us” campaign. She was rather scathing in her analysis, and I have to admit I was a little uneasy about those ads shown during Super Bowl LVIII. I had the feeling that the ads were just off, but I hadn’t yet found the explanation…
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There is a tendency by many in the West to judge Islam by the life of Mohammad rather than the words he gave in the Koran. Finally, someone asked, “Should we listen only to his words ignoring his weaknesses and foibles, or allow only his actions to speak?” The answer, like so many things, is…
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In the last post I mentioned three passages about our struggles with sin. There is a fourth passage we should also consider. It’s Matthew 12:43. This is the parable where Jesus tells how when a demon leaves it will wander in the waterless places and after a while will return to find his old house…
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Studying the Bible, we can often find distinct stand-alone passages that can be seen as interconnected. Each valuable in their own right but when forged together like different metals form a new and stronger alloy. Like carbon and iron making steel, or tin and copper making bronze. There are three passages I find that fit…
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The parable from Matthew 9:16-17 about using new material to patch an old garment and putting new wine in old wine skins always confused me. It was explained to me that Jesus was telling the Pharisees that he was here to bring forth a new way and that it was incompatible with their old ways.…
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As I said in my last post, I’ve was reading the Sermon on the Mount using the interlinear Greek available on BibleHub.com, and there were a few of the Beatitudes that seeing them in the Greek made me think. In this case the fourth one, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for…