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My Metanoia
Learnings on the Path to Christlikeness
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.
Many people teach that God's power ended with the completion of the New Testament. But does the Bible give it's own self-expiration date? Is there biblical support for the cessationist view? Read this letter to a Jehovah's Witness friend where I discuss these issues, and show the biblical truth regarding the continuing power of God.
Also discussed is the Christian's adoption into the Jewish promise as Abraham's seed.
Also discussed is the Christian's adoption into the Jewish promise as Abraham's seed.
The Bible says a lot about healing - so much so that to simply dismiss healing as not for today is a grave error and a disservice to God. This entry tells of my personal journey in healing, but my testimony is not the Word of God, so after my story, we look into the Word of God to see what it has to say on the subject.
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?
Inspired by a Jack Hayford podcast, this entry discusses the importance of recognizing our weaknesses within ourselves and our dependence on Christ. It's too easy to substitute true growth and trust in Jesus with confidence in our formulas/programs or faith in our self-perceived knowledge of the Word. It's also possible to simply give up with a defeatist view regarding our circumstances, or to avoid the truth of things with an unfounded positive view of what could possibly happen to us as Christians.
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?
Having previously looked at promises of healing in the Bible, in this entry, we review examples where healing was not granted in New Testament scripture. Sometimes, God even seems to allow sickness or suffering for our own good. Sometimes, Jesus healed one of many and then walked away. Maybe we are not meant to be dogmatic regarding God's promises of healing, and maybe we're to trust his sovereignty.
This entry is my first entry on healing, and looking back, it must be considered in light of the others. This writing discusses Paul's thorn in the flesh, healing in the atonement, and the correct interpretation of Proverbs 23:7, from which comes the common phrase, "as man thinks in his heart, so is he."
Many in the church today are trying to follow worldly self-improvement teachings and ideologies. But is this what the Bible calls us to do, or is this man's thinking? Having recently taken a Ministry by Strengths course based on Tom Rath's book, Strengths Finder 2.0, I question the wisdom of this model. Following a leadership pattern set out by someone who doesn't even claim to be a Christian may result in a well-run, prosperous church, but will it be God's Church, or man's facsimile?
Do the warnings of Jesus regarding forgiveness not count because he was speaking during the time of the old covenant? Do we not need to worry about sinning because it's covered? Are we expected to fully follow the law, perfectly, because we are Christians? We look at these questions in this study of Jesus' words regarding forgiveness in Matthew 6 ("but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses").
Many Christians see the Bible as a list of things not to do. While this is an aspect of Christianity, not doing things can leave us empty, doing nothing. This is not profitable to our faith. True Christianity calls us to do the righteous works of God, replacing the "NOTs" we used to do with the good works we are called to do.
"If Bush is not reelected, the world will end as we know it, and if God is in control, he will win!" -When he was not reelected, "God is still in control, and this isn't the end of the world."
At a prayer meeting when Clinton was president, hearing "If Clinton doesn't immediately turn and do (something), strike him dead to remove him from office."
Hearing of a native Russian in 1993 speaking about removing Lenin's statues in Russia, "I don't think they should take him down... Because he's a part of our history... The Bible says we are to respect the government, and he was our government too."
What are the circumstances that should drive our voting? Our protesting? Our going to war? Our fighting against other humans who are made in God's image? Or is our battle a spiritual one, and are we doing it all wrong?
At a prayer meeting when Clinton was president, hearing "If Clinton doesn't immediately turn and do (something), strike him dead to remove him from office."
Hearing of a native Russian in 1993 speaking about removing Lenin's statues in Russia, "I don't think they should take him down... Because he's a part of our history... The Bible says we are to respect the government, and he was our government too."
What are the circumstances that should drive our voting? Our protesting? Our going to war? Our fighting against other humans who are made in God's image? Or is our battle a spiritual one, and are we doing it all wrong?
Watch this amazing pro-life speech by Gianna Jessen at Queen's Hall Parliament House in Victoria, Australia, on the eve of the debate to decriminalize abortion in Victoria. In the face of the lying cry "my body, my choice," Gianna speaks for the many innocent boys and girls who are never given a say about what is done to their bodies.
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?
