Why are things the way they are today? Why do we see so much madness around us? Why do we see man intent on hurting and killing? What happened to God's good creation? We happened. Mankind fell. We sinned before a holy God and we are reaping the consequences.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
What does God Say about Family?: Genesis Part 4
What does God say about the family? Is homosexual marriage wrong? What does God have to say about all of this?
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Genesis Part 3: Made In God's Image
God made man in his image. What does that statement mean to you? Does it give you hope that you really do have some form of dignity and are not just a really smart monkey? Does it change the way you treat other human beings who may be mentally disabled?
Monday, August 6, 2012
God's Creation: Genesis parts 1 & 2
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
The Bible starts with a very simple statement of the existence of God and his work as the Creator of all things. This account has some similarities to the creation accounts of the cultures surrounding Israel but the differences are much greater. In fact, this account is a polemic against the other creation accounts. There is not war between gods which results in creation. Instead we see the all-powerful Creator speaking and giving function to creation. Verse one should be taken as a summary statement of the account instead of the first act of creation. Since it is taken this way, creatio ex nihilo of matter is not proclaimed in this account. The origin of matter was not as important to the people in the Ancient Near East as it was to the Greeks or to us. They were concerned more with who gave everything its function. Now, I am not denying creatio ex nihilo but just that it is supported in this account. It is supported in the New Testament in Colossians 1:16-17, John 1:3, and Hebrews 11:3.
The Bible starts with a very simple statement of the existence of God and his work as the Creator of all things. This account has some similarities to the creation accounts of the cultures surrounding Israel but the differences are much greater. In fact, this account is a polemic against the other creation accounts. There is not war between gods which results in creation. Instead we see the all-powerful Creator speaking and giving function to creation. Verse one should be taken as a summary statement of the account instead of the first act of creation. Since it is taken this way, creatio ex nihilo of matter is not proclaimed in this account. The origin of matter was not as important to the people in the Ancient Near East as it was to the Greeks or to us. They were concerned more with who gave everything its function. Now, I am not denying creatio ex nihilo but just that it is supported in this account. It is supported in the New Testament in Colossians 1:16-17, John 1:3, and Hebrews 11:3.
How Not to Worship
Matthew 6:1-18
Is there a wrong way to worship? I believe that there is and it is all about attitude. In this passage Jesus is instructing his hearers about how they should worship God. He addressed three of the prominent forms of Jewish piety: alms, prayer, and fasting.
Is there a wrong way to worship? I believe that there is and it is all about attitude. In this passage Jesus is instructing his hearers about how they should worship God. He addressed three of the prominent forms of Jewish piety: alms, prayer, and fasting.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Worship Together
Why can we even worship? How do we have access to God? Do we even need other people? The writer to Hebrews answers these questions in Hebrews 10:19-25. His argument has been building that Jesus Christ is much better than anything in the old Mosaic Covenant. He, in fact, fulfills this covenant and initiates the New Covenant. Let's see where he goes with this argument.
Book Review: Reinventing Jesus
Reinventing Jesus by J. Ed Komoszewski, M. James Sawyer, and Daniel B. Wallace. Kregel Publications, 2006.
Have you been exposed to those who are teaching that the Bible is not reliable and that we have no idea who the Jesus of history really was? There are those who would tell us as much. Two that come to mind that the popular culture might know are the Jesus Seminar and Bart Ehrman. There was even the big controversy surrounding The Da Vinci Code in recent years. The book, Reinventing Jesus, shows the reliability of Scripture especially as it regards Jesus Christ.
Have you been exposed to those who are teaching that the Bible is not reliable and that we have no idea who the Jesus of history really was? There are those who would tell us as much. Two that come to mind that the popular culture might know are the Jesus Seminar and Bart Ehrman. There was even the big controversy surrounding The Da Vinci Code in recent years. The book, Reinventing Jesus, shows the reliability of Scripture especially as it regards Jesus Christ.
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