Posted by …

Being a Daniel in a Nebuchadnezzar Type of World

Introduction This article concerns how to function as a believer among non-believers who are in control of our government and its agencies, our institutions of higher education, the news media, entertainment; and are slowly creeping into the church. This series is meant to be pragmatic, addressing specific characteristics, behaviors, and insights. I’ve going to break from … Continue reading »

The 4 Gospels ~ Why they are Meant to be Different

Introduction (Reprinting – 05/03/2013) What is amazing about the Gospels of Jesus Christ is that they are 4 different aspects or perspectives of Christ First Coming, and that they perfectly reflect the 4 ensigns (A flag with a symbol representing the tribe) of the 4 tribes as they were located around the tabernacle, which was a shadow (type) of … Continue reading »

To Forgive Someone, Must They Repent (Updated)

The question is: 1. To forgive others, must they ask for forgiveness first? 2. Must they admit that they have wronged us? 3. Must they repent (“to change their mind”) of having wronged us? 4. Must they say they will not do it again? To some, this may seem like ridiculous questions concerning how a Christian … Continue reading »

Saint – Bondslave (Updated)

Introduction I once had the following three questions posed to me in a class (This is a subject I am revisiting today, and all Believers need to remember periodically) I was taking. What is a “Saint,” what is a (Greek) “doulos,” (translated into the English word: “servant” literally rendered: “bond slave” ~ Romans 1:1; Titus 1:1) and … Continue reading »

Sheep and Wolves

Jesus’ Illusion Concerning Sheep & Wolves Jesus, in speaking about these false prophets used the illusion (an indirect reference to something or somebody by using symbolism) of them coming to the people as “wolves in sheep’s clothing” (see #1) in order to take advantage of them. We understand that Jesus used the illusion of sheep … Continue reading »

God’s Perspective vs. Man’s

Introduction (Major Rewrite) Man is so limited by the sin-nature that even the born-again believer is plagued with a sinful perception, wherein many times reality is beyond his comprehension.  We must remember:  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than … Continue reading »

The 4 Gospels ~ Why they are Meant to be Different

Introduction (Reprinting) What is amazing about the Gospels of Jesus Christ is that they are 4 different aspects or perspectives of Christ First Coming, and that they perfectly reflect the 4 ensigns (A flag with a symbol representing the tribe) of the 4 tribes as they were located around the tabernacle, which was a shadow (type) of God’s Thorne … Continue reading »

Does James Contradict Paul

Introduction Unfortunately, due to the fact that many of us do not understand koiné Greek we are  unaware of many grammatical principles which alter the understanding of some verses when translated into the English vernacular. In Koiné Greek, verbs ending in “oo” indicate that what is already on the inside is then displayed on the … Continue reading »

Self-Esteem & The Total Depravity of Man

Introduction The following excerpt is from John MacArthur’s book, Introduction To Biblical Counseling.  If it were lacking anything in presenting the Doctrine of the Total Depravity of man and how it relates to the self-esteem movement, we would have written our own paper, however it does not.  It is probably one of the best written … Continue reading »

Leadership & Authority

Introduction One of the things that people were astonished concerning Jesus was that He spoke having authority.  The point is that He spoke with authority, yet it was not that His speaking was authoritative, or He spoke in a commanding manner; it is that He seated authority in Himself. Display vs. Essence This has less … Continue reading »

Corinth’s Problems & Church Discipline

What were the main problems in Corinth?   1. Divisions – Contentions based upon ownership of Different Teachers:   “now I beseech you, brethren, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, they all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you but that ye be perfect fit together in the … Continue reading »

What is the Gospel – Specifically Defined by the Bible

 Introduction The English word gospel comes from the Greek word “Euangelizo” translated “good tidings” in certain passages, and “gospel” in others.  The general idea is that gospel literally meant “good news.”    Old Testament In the Old Testament, the Septuagint Greek translation, the word “gospel” could mean any kind of good news1, or even God’s … Continue reading »

Saint – Bondslave

Introduction I once had the following three questions posed to me in a class (This is a subject I am revisiting today, and all Believers need to remember periodically) I was taking. What is a “Saint,” what is a (Greek) “doulos,” (translated into the English word: “servant” literally rendered: “bond slave” ~ Romans 1:1; Titus 1:1) and … Continue reading »

The Question of the Ages Regarding the God of Christianity

Introduction The following list of words are used by God to describe the state of man.  Jeremiah 17:9 says, concerning the human heart (See Endnote #1), that “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?”  The Hebrew word translated “desperately,” means in the literal “incurable.”  With the human heart … Continue reading »

Biblical Anger Management

Introduction Without getting too far in the weeds, as I normally do, let me start by saying that there is a Biblical principle of “begetting“ (to “beget as seen in Gen. 17:20; Gen. 48:6; Deu. 4:25; Deu. 28:41; 2 King. 20:18; Pro. 17:21; Pro. 23:24; Ecc. 5:14; Ecc. 6:3; Isa. 39:7; Isa. 45:10; Jer. 29:6; Eze. 18:10; … Continue reading »

We are like the Things we Worship

Introduction Personally, I love expressions which display wisdom; especially those regarding God and his word, such as: “The Bible: in the old the new is concealed, in the new the old is revealed.” “The Bible: in the old the new is contained, in the new the old is explained.” “An apparent Biblical contradiction is the … Continue reading »

The Bride of Christ – Is Not the Church, Solely

Introduction For many years it has been commonly taught that the “Bride of Christ” is synonymous with the “Body of Christ,” which is the church (1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 4:12), and therefore the two references refer to the same thing.  We should remember Christ’s Words: “You make void the word of God by your traditions … Continue reading »

Note to Readers

I apologize for not producing articles on a weekly basis as I hope to, and wanted to explain a little bit about what is making it difficult.  My work load as a chaplain and a temporary pastoral director at the local hospital has increased exponentially and I have had the emotionally and physically challenging task … Continue reading »

The Beatitudes – How to Understand Them

Well I’m back.  During the last few months, I have been filling in as pastoral director in charge of chaplaincy at the hospital I work at.  During the last month there have been many deaths and traumas, and supervisory responsibilities which have kept me away from my writing. This assignment should be completed in a … Continue reading »

Doing the Right Thing, the Right Way

Introduction In human history (his-story) the most destructive rationale ever used to do mass murder and mayhem is, “the ends will justify the means.”  This justification has been used to start more wars, torture more people, and steal more plunder than any other excuse man conjures up.  This validation is seen in such verbiage as, … Continue reading »

Perspective

Introduction Noting that I have not written anything in the last 16 days, I am currently attempting to write 3 important articles, provocative; yet more important hopefully insightful concerning Biblical doctrine. At some future date I will write an article concerning November 6. I am glad to read what Rocky wrote (Thoughts after the election) concerning that which … Continue reading »

Figures of Speech ~ Part 2

Introduction In part one of “Figures of Speech” (LINK), we technically defined what “Figures of Speech” are and provided a few dozen examples of the different categories in regards to Figures of Speech. In part 2, we will give you specific examples of Figures of Speech, however we will start off with a very basic introduction … Continue reading »

“He comforts the afflicted, and afflicts the comforted” ~ A Prelude to the Article on Self-Esteem

Introduction (Updated – Bad voice recognition software, sorry) The previous article in regards to self-esteem and the depravity of man, while meant to be read by all; there is one particular group of individuals that needs it more than others. This group, wherein self-esteem is promoted (Such as Christian psychologists, secular psychologist, Christians in the … Continue reading »

Self-Esteem & The Total Depravity of Man

Introduction The following excerpt is from John MacArthur’s book, Introduction To Biblical Counseling.  If it were lacking anything in presenting the Doctrine of the “Total Depravity of Man” and how it relates to the self-esteem movement, we would have written our own paper, however it does not.  It is probably one of the best written … Continue reading »

The 4 Gospels ~ Reasons they are Different

Introduction (10/12/2012 ~ Expanded, Revised, Fixed, & Reformatted) Unfortunately, While this article has been one of the most viewed, due to the insertion of the table necessary to present it; it has been the most flawed due to the editor’s inability to present it properly.  Recently, I have not only reformatted it in attempting to deal with this … Continue reading »

Sheep and Wolves

Jesus’ Allusion Concerning Sheep & Wolves Jesus, in speaking about these false prophets used the allusion (an indirect reference to something or somebody by using symbolism) of them coming to the people as “wolves in sheep’s clothing” (see #1) in order to take advantage of them. We understand that Jesus used the allusion of sheep … Continue reading »

The Most Successful Enemy of the Best

Introduction The following is taken from the home page of our teaching website (as well as a page on this blog site), and greatly updated and repeated here because as Believers we all need to stand back every so often and examine our life style, our Christian walk (2 Corth. 13:5).  Because of the fast pace of our lives … Continue reading »

A Short Theological Dictionary

The following theological terms are actually much simpler than they appear; it is because many of the words are transliterated (see below) from other languages, that they sound intimidating. Angelology: Is the study of angels. Anthropology: Is the study of man. Anthropomorphism: Is describing human attributes to nonhuman things, such as using emotional type words … Continue reading »

The Leaven of the Pharisees?

Introduction  Before we address the leaven of the Pharisees, and the spiritual insights that can be achieved, wherein faith is grown; the following introduction, while somewhat long is necessary in order to gain a fruitful insight concerning one of the many ways that God’s Word validates itself, thus literally fulfilling Romans 10:17, which states: “Faith … Continue reading »

Does James Contradict Paul

Introduction Unfortunately, due to the fact that many of us do not understand koiné Greek we are  unaware of many grammatical principles which alter the understanding of some verses when translated into the English vernacular. In Koiné Greek, verbs ending in “oo” indicate that what is already on the inside is then displayed on the … Continue reading »

Judging ~ Church Discipline ~ Forgiveness & Turning the Cheek

Introduction (UPDATED – 08/27/2012)  Before addressing the necessary of Believer’s exercising proper Biblical judgment -  the Christian mandate to use discernment, we need to consider the subject of pacifism as it will come into play within this conversation. Pacifism Pacifism is one of the great tools of the enemy in order to douse the flames of evangelism … Continue reading »

Introduction to the Book of Romans

Introduction (update) The book of Romans is perhaps the greatest masterpiece on the Christian doctrine ever penned.  It is elegant, intricate, and concise yet thorough.  Paul systematically addresses salvation (1), starting at the beginning with sin and man’s fallen nature (2), and how that man is judged before God outside the law, the result of … Continue reading »

Eternal Security – Its About God

Introduction This author loves old expressions and adages which display wisdom and insights in a brief presentation.  However, if you remember the old story about how when it comes to communicating verbal information; that if you gathered a group of people in a circle, and start with one person and whisper something in their ear. And then they whisper in the … Continue reading »

Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

Introduction Of all the questions that I have been asked over almost 40 years, the most frequent and passionate inquiry has always been about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The greatest fear has been by those that were panicked that they had accidentally committed this unforgivable sin. In the following you will see that it … Continue reading »

Trials & Faith

It is very common to find a mindset within Christian circles that “bad things happen to bad people,” a type of Eastern mysticism which is not supported by the Bible.  This type of karma thinking may seem to make sense, while at the same time making us feel safer – because if we are good, then … Continue reading »

Faith & Trials

 Simply put, faith in God is cognitive belief based upon a track record of fidelity (trustworthiness), which creates confidence in God, what He has said, He can and will do, and as such it grows into a principle of life for the believer wherein God is trusted to take care of the person; this produces action … Continue reading »