THE CURIOUS BELIEVERS

  They say that if you want a quiet and peaceful conversation, you should avoid the topics of politics and religion. Many believers try to avoid these controversial discussions in order to maintain a peace-loving environment with everyone. The intention may be good, but by constantly avoiding these matters, we end up not knowing how to talk about them properly. By playing safe too often, we compromise instead. Recently, social media has been very loud with political debates. (To think, I don’t even know the full details of that wedding issue about supposed witchcraft, and already there’s a new one!) Many of us Christians, unfortunately, do not know how to engage with opposing opinions. No matter what your position may be on certain issues, as believers, there are things we must not forget: 1. We are mandated to engage in political discussions. The faith we have cannot just be boxed inside the church or tucked into our personal lives. A genuine, living faith must be able to affect o...

  The writer of Hebrews gave a very encouraging and shocking invitation to his readers: “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Heb 4:16). His audience here were Jewish Christians who were struggling in ways similar to many of us today. Because of persecution, disappointment, and other pressures, they wanted to abandon their faith in Jesus and return to their former religion (Judaism) and lifestyle. These Christians were tempted to give up and go back to their past lives—the same temptation all of us face daily, though in different degrees. What the writer told them is also God’s message for us today: Approach God’s throne of grace with confidence! We can better understand how powerful and beautiful this invitation is when we place ourselves in the position of the Jews at that time. For the Jews, the throne of grace was a reference to the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. The Ar...

  When you hear the word “peace,” what image comes to your mind? Maybe a gentle white dove flying, or a quiet sea. It could also be a cup of coffee by the window, or the calming sound of rain. We may all imagine different things, but I’m sure we all think of something calming and gentle. Paul’s picture of peace from God is quite different. He describes it as a soldier that guards and protects. In Philippians 4:7 Paul said, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard (Gk: phrouréō ) your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” The Greek word phrouréō has a military sense, coming from the word phrourós which means “sentinel or soldier.” The word means “to guard (keep watch) like a military sentinel; (figuratively) to actively display whatever defensive and offensive means are necessary to guard.” (HELPS Word-Studies). It seems Paul used irony to emphasize how powerful the kind of peace God can provide really is. The Philippian church was facing many tria...

  No, this isn’t Marcionism —the idea that the God of the NT and the God of the OT are two different beings. Nor is it polytheism , which claims that there is more than one God. Today, let’s explore a less popular view that appears to be biblically supported (and interesting!). So before you judge this article just by its title, grab a cup of coffee and let’s begin, because this is going to be a long one. THE ANGEL OF THE LORD In many OT stories, we encounter a very special figure who acts and speaks as if He is the Lord/Yahweh Himself. This being is known as “The Angel of the Lord” or malak YHWH . The word malak , usually translated “angel,” literally means “messenger.” But when we examine the texts, we can see that He is not just another spiritual being on the same level as angels. In other words, He is not just an angel, but the Angel. He is the Messenger of Yahweh, appearing as a man (note: not a winged being), regarded as God Himself yet also distinct from God. In other word...

“ Jesus already bore your sicknesses on the cross—He has healed you! ” said a pastor to his listeners. Of course, the audience clapped, and some even said, “Thank You, Lord!” Preaching like this can be very inspiring! But the question is: Does God really promise physical healing through the death of Christ? Is there an assurance of healing from diseases in the gospel of salvation? The most reasonable answer is no , and it is with a heavy heart that we must correct this misinformation. The idea that the death of Christ offers perfect health comforts many people. Who wouldn’t want to be healed from sickness? But no matter how comforting an error may be, it will never become truth. And as believers, we are called to have a kind of love that rejoices in the truth. Today, let’s examine some of the passages often used to support the belief that Christ died to heal us from our physical diseases. ISAIAH 53:5 – BY HIS STRIPES, WE ARE HEALED, FROM WHAT? In Isaiah 53:5, a prophecy about the comi...

  For new Christians, the word “doctrine” can feel like a heavy and deep topic. For some, it can even be intimidating when the discussion turns to this. Some even say that doctrines should only be for pastors or Bible study leaders because they make the head ache! But wait—what exactly is doctrine? The word is often used in two ways. It may refer to the truth as “a whole, a system of truth,” or the overall teaching of God revealed in the Bible. It may also refer to one specific element of God’s truth revealed in the Bible. In other words, doctrine may refer either to all the teachings of the Bible, or to everything the Bible says about a particular subject. For example, the doctrine of Soteriology is about all that the Bible says about salvation. The doctrine of Christology , on the other hand, is about what the Bible teaches concerning Christ. In his book How to Understand Your Bible (1974), T. Norton Sterrett provides some guiding principles and convictions for those starting ...

When Moses asked what the name of the God who was sending him was, God answered that He was to be called YHWH , which we often translate as “I Am Who I Am” (Ex. 3:14–15). The Hebrew Bible or Old Testament was originally written without vowels, and so God’s Divine Name given to Moses was, at first, made up of just four consonants: y-h-w-h . This is what we now often call the Tetragrammaton (“four-letter word”). Some Bible translations use Yahweh in rendering this Name of God, while others prefer Jehovah . Some sects or groups have become accustomed to saying Yahweh , while others are even willing to debate just to prove that Jehovah is the proper name of God. So, which one is correct? Actually, I don’t know either. And in truth, no one today really knows how YHWH was actually pronounced by the ancient Israelites (though there are speculations). Nonetheless, both Yahweh and Jehovah have proven useful in pronouncing the Divine Name. YAHWEH During the time of the Divided Kingdom (92...