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Learnings on the Path to Christlikeness
I once lived in a world similar to the world of Bethel, Elevation, and Hillsong United. Fortunately, God has delivered me from the heretical teachings of these groups. However, much of the music in the church today comes from these very organizations. While the music is often benign, I've grown to see it as the musical candy luring unsuspecting people into the van of heresy.
But if the music is benign, why does it matter? Does it matter where your church sources their music?
But if the music is benign, why does it matter? Does it matter where your church sources their music?
The Gospel of John is a great starting place when looking for confirmation of the Deity of Jesus, who, in a fashion beyond our understanding, is not only God, but is the one God along with the Father and the Holy Spirit. This essay looks at deity throughout John's gospel, and highlights places where the New World Translation has misconstrued the text to salvage their doctrines. In smaller part, the deity and personhood of the Holy Spirit is discovered as well.
From the time of Christ, the word "σταυρός" (transliteration "stauros") has meant a stake with the traditional cross-beam. However, in an effort to frighten followers away from the "pagan Christian Cross," the governing body of the Jehovah's Witnesses has gone through great lengths to hide the truth of this simple Greek word. This article explores why it is important to affirm that the Christian Cross was indeed made of two pieces of wood.
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought the "prophets of God" out of the woodwork, despite none of them seeming to have predicted the outbreak in the first place. What does the Bible say about prophecy, and does the New Testament teach that accuracy no longer matters? This article explores (and exposes) the modern prophecy movement found in many churches today, and looks to the Bible to see what God's word really says about the subject.
Some people in the Word of Faith movement try to "protect" the reputation of God by saying that anything "bad" we might see in the Bible is not a direct result of God doing something, but rather is a result of his "permissive will." In other words, they claim "God's hands are clean, as someone else carried out the deed." This same group teaches that "Jesus is perfect theology" and since Jesus only showed love, anything from the Bible that we would not consider "love" cannot be attributed to God directly. There is no biblical support for this false teaching. In fact, the movement has made up a completely nonexistent Hebrew verb tense to falsely support their theology. The danger of this theology is the preaching of a sinless gospel, which is no gospel at all, and offers no salvation to any.
Doctrines of healing range from "not today" to "everyone, instantly, all the time." This article reviews every instance of the Hebrew word rapha' in the old testament. The idea that every Christian should always be physically healed is discussed in light of how this word is used, and with that, Isaiah 53 is reviewed in detail.
This in-depth review of scripture will give us a better revelation of the true, deeper healing that is provided for all. Sometimes God does heal physically as well, but if we fail to receive that, it does not mean something is wrong with our faith or confession or giving, as many television and online "ministers" often claim.
This in-depth review of scripture will give us a better revelation of the true, deeper healing that is provided for all. Sometimes God does heal physically as well, but if we fail to receive that, it does not mean something is wrong with our faith or confession or giving, as many television and online "ministers" often claim.
It is popular in the modern church to go on and on about how lucky we are that we are friends of God, but was this the disciples' focus? There are actually very few scriptures that say we are friends of God, but there are many that point out our slavery to Christ. What is a bondservant (or servant), and how does this word represent the true nature of our position to Christ as God's children?
Many people think that they can simply live good lives and that will be enough of a witness to others, but the Bible doesn't agree with this. The Bible says that it is the gospel that is the power of God for salvation, even though it is an offense as well. We must be willing to share the full gospel with others, which includes acknowledging people's sin. If one doesn't know he has sinned against God, he will not realize that he needs to repent and turn from sin in receiving salvation.
Many false teachers use verses meant to describe the hope we have in Christ while we are on this side of heaven as "proof" texts about the abundant prosperity we are destined to have in this life if we "only believe." Read with me as we discuss some common false teachings and compared their deceptive use of scripture to the actual meanings of the biblical texts.
The Bible is very careful in how it describes Jesus. Jesus is the only begotten, and this word speaks to his uniqueness. From the Greek, it is clear that the who is begotten is exactly like the one who begot him. The word refers to Jesus' uniqueness, not his being a creation. A very different Greek word is used for "created" and this word is never applied to Jesus, unless describing Jesus as the creator. One has to purposefully ignore the meaning of the original texts to attempt to say Jesus is a created being.
This article discusses the similarities between the teaching of the Jehovah's Witnesses that Jesus is not God to the "little gods" heresy of some prosperity preachers today. These two derivations from scripture have similar roots, and both errors share some fundamental misunderstands from scripture.
William I. Cetnar's "wheel of deity" is reviewed regarding the biblical texts declarations that both God the Father and Jesus the Son are in fact, the one true God. The fullness of deity is applied to both in scripture, yet Christianity is a monotheistic religion. While difficult to explain, the clarity of scripture is absolute.
It's so easy to complain. It's human nature and prevalent in the world around us. God, however, has called us to a better way. We need to realize that the Bible says that when we grumble, we are really grumbling against the Lord. Would we still complain if we honestly believed that God was sovereign in all things?
I grew up in a world where it was commonly taught that after Jesus died on the cross, he had to suffer in hell at the hand of Satan. This teaching was everywhere in the 1980s TBN world, but is it true? Many have backed off from this obvious false teaching, but not everyone. What does the Bible say happened to Jesus between the cross and the resurrection?
Nothing we do outside of God's will and without his help is ultimately worthwhile. The Bible says, "We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away."
What does the term "polluted garment" ("filthy rags" in the KJV) mean, and what can we learn about the beauty of partnering with God in everything we do?
What does the term "polluted garment" ("filthy rags" in the KJV) mean, and what can we learn about the beauty of partnering with God in everything we do?
This is the second of a four-part series on prosperity. This entry deals with some New Testament Greek, Job, Elijah and the Abrahamic covenant. A review of the Bible tells us that God used people from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds. Prospering to these people meant being used by God, not becoming financially wealthy.
Several times throughout John, Jesus uses the phrase "I AM" when referencing himself. He's not simply replying, "I am" as if in answering a question. He's proclaiming his deity by using the very name of God that God proclaimed of himself in Exodus 3:14, when God said to Moses "I AM WHO I AM... Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
