“Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” (Matt 19:16) Here are some things to consider as you meditate on this scripture: First, notice that the Rich Young Ruler’s question to Jesus was “What good thing must I do to get eternal life?” (v.16)In response to that question, Jesus says, “Sell all that you have and give it to the poor and then come and follow me.”... Read more
[Guest Post by Steve Kline] “I love them enough to tell them the truth.” I put these words in quotes because they were spoken by Anita Bryant in a television interview in the 1970s. I had never heard of Ms. Bryant until I saw a clip of her interview in a movie. Ms. Bryant was a Christian political activist known for opposing gay rights. The “them” that Ms. Bryant loved enough to tell the truth to were homosexuals. The truth... Read more
There are at least 10 different verses in the New Testament that very specifically identify Jesus as the one and only example for what the Father is really like. Before I share those verses with you here, let me ask you to notice a few things: First, notice that in nearly every case Jesus is either explicitly contrasted with the Old Testament Prophets, or it is implicitly suggested that He is the superior source for information about who God is... Read more
Many Christians are more interested in making lists of all the ways that Islam is wrong and Christianity is right than they are in finding common ground with Muslims. Is this because Christians are really unable to set aside their religious differences to embrace someone of another faith? Not exactly. For example, most Christians I know fully embrace Judaism. They love the Jewish faith. They use Jewish terms for Jesus and Messiah [“Yeshua”, “Mashiac”, etc.]. They wear the Star of... Read more
If I were to ask you, “What is it that all Creation is awaiting eagerly?” You would most likely say, “The return of Jesus!” And you would be wrong. No, instead, what Paul says is that all Creation is waiting eagerly for those who are in Christ to awaken and rise up. “For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by... Read more
Why do you say the Old Covenant is “obsolete”? Because in Hebrews 8:13 we read: “By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.” But, how can the OT be obsolete if Jesus said he did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it? Jesus said: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them... Read more
“But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.” (2 Peter 3:10) There’s a lot of bad theology out there that frames scriptures like this one in a futurist light, as if what is being described here is some event that has never happened and still needs to occur before Christ returns. But this... Read more
Remember when our nation’s leaders commissioned a giant fresco painting in the dome of the U.S. Capitol building which depicts George Washington becoming a god and sitting next to other pagan Roman gods like Minerva, Neptune, Vulcan and Mercury? Wait…what? Yes. It’s true. America – supposedly a “Christian Nation” – hired an Italian Greek artist in 1865 to paint the inside of the rotunda at the United States Capitol Building. It’s still there today. Most Americans – and certainly most American... Read more
Here are 10 very good reasons to stop tithing your 10% every week: The command to tithe was given only to the Jewish people. It was intended to provide for the upkeep of the Temple in Jerusalem and to support the Priesthood who owned no land and did not work to support themselves. The Temple in Jerusalem is gone now and has been for over 2,000 years, since its destruction by the Romans in AD 70. There is no longer... Read more
God’s love for mankind is an incredible thing. The scriptures are replete with example after example of God’s endless declarations of love for every single person on the planet. Usually, these statements are about nations, or about general populations of people, but Jesus goes even further with this idea and affirms that God actually loves each of us individually. This is why Jesus urges us to call God our “Abba” or “Daddy” when we pray. It’s why Jesus says that “God... Read more
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