Thoughts on Theology (Page 3)
Bondservant
Of the designations Jude gave himself in Jude 1, he first and foremost said he was a bondservant of Jesus Christ. Jude 1 says, “Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James.” Many New Testament writers also called themselves bondservants. It happened in Romans 1:1, Galatians 1:10, Titus 1:1, James 1:1, 2 Peter 1:1, Revelation 1:1. The Greek word for bondservant is douvloß, or doulos. What is a bondservant? Is bondservant the same as slave? What do you…
Who is Jude?
Did you know there are some books in the Bible that receive less attention than others? We all know the Gospel of John and the Book of Romans. But have you heard of the Book of Jude? Did you even know there was a book in the Bible named Jude? There sure is. It is a short book so you might have missed it. Only 1 chapter, 25 verses. That’s all. Who is Jude? What kind of name is Jude?…
King for the Day
When our son was a toddler, my wife made up a song to make his bath time a little more fun. The song went something like this: “King for the day—I am the king for the day!” She would put a towel over his shoulders, which he felt for sure was a royal robe, and she would sing it loud and proud: “I am the king for the day!” It was quite cute and highly entertaining. (He’s a grown man now…
Clean and Unclean
Recently, I went hiking with two friends at Dash Point State Park. The weather was absolutely Northwest gorgeous. We had planned to hike together for a long time, and finally, I found the time to join them. I looked forward to having conversations with them during the hike about each of our favorite foods and vacation destinations. They, on the other hand, had something totally different in mind. They wanted to talk about God, and faith, and the Bible (they…
What to Do With Proverbs?
As we continue in our study of the Book of Proverbs together this Sunday, I wish to teach you a new word: Paremiologist. You and I are not Proverbians or Proverbers. You and I are paremiologists. Paremiology is the study of proverbs and a paremiologist is someone who dedicates himself to the study of proverbs. There, my work is done here. Please don’t be impressed. I just learned it recently myself. What would you say about the Book of Proverbs?…
The Word of God—How Does It Shape You?
Proverbs 30:5-6 (NIV) Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar. We are nearing the end of our summer series focused on Proverbs, and God’s wisdom merged with our real lives. This Sunday we are coming into what I consider one of the most important proverbs, all about the wisdom of God’s Word. To shape…
A Theology About Tithes
What if I were to tell you that you don’t need to tithe when you come to church, ever? There, I said it. It’s true. But allow me to explain. If you guessed that tithing is a teaching from God in the Old Testament, you have guessed correctly. God commanded the Israelites, through the requirement of the Mosaic Law, to give ten percent of the crops they grew and the livestock they raised to the tabernacle/temple. Leviticus 27:30 Thus all…
Making Plans: Does It Really Matter?
If we have learned anything over the last 17 months, it’s that when we make a plan of any kind, we’d better be prepared for the reality of needing to change those plans. Just about every plan you’ve made over the course of this year and half has probably needed to change. We’ve changed vacation plans, financial plans, school plans, work location plans, wedding venue plans, and more. Our summer study in Proverbs is all about learning to merge God’s…
Who is the Angel of the Lord?
Have you heard of the name, “Angel of the Lord,” in the Bible? I think you have. It appears a total of 64 times. It is always mentioned in the singular. You will not find the name mentioned in the plural anywhere. There are not “angels of the Lord” in the Bible. Written with the definite article before the name, “the angel of the Lord” appears a total of 53 times. That leaves “angel of the Lord,” without the definite…
Wisdom and Wealth
How impressed with money are you? Imagine for a moment that you are at a large gathering of people—a wedding, or some kind of party. Then a wealthy person walks into the room, someone famous and super-rich! (Insert a name here.) Would you notice? Would you be impressed? Most of us would. But why? I think it is because we are impressed with money and those who make lots and lots of it. Somehow we equate wisdom and success with the accumulation…
God’s Wisdom in My Parenting
We are continuing to study Proverbs all summer, which is a merging of God’s wisdom with our real lives. Many of the proverbs we have highlighted are not well known at all. I encourage you to continue to read through the book of Proverbs for the summer, and highlight some that stand out to you. Some you will find interesting—and a few you will even find odd-sounding. But this coming Sunday’s focus verse is actually one of the most famous…
We are Never Alone
One hot summer day, a friend gave me four free tickets to a New York Yankees baseball game. The year was 2008 and the Yankees were playing one of their very last games at the original Yankee Stadium, and I wanted to take one last look at the stadium, and to say goodbye. In addition, I wanted our three very young daughters to see this historic stadium in the Bronx. I planned out the trip in great detail so we…
Jubilee
Allow me to ask you a strange question. Do you know how to say the Hebrew word for “ram’s horn”? And you will tell me that you didn’t know Hebrew. But I will bet you know more Hebrew than you think. Because the Hebrew word for ram’s horn is where we get our word, “Jubilee”. For a long time, I heard pastors and Sunday School teachers make references to the Jubilee, but I am even embarrassed to say I didn’t…
Omnipresent
The Bible says God can see us in our inner room when we pray to him secretly. Matthew 6:6 says, “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” I have a secret room. Ask my wife or children about my secret room in the house, and they would know what you are asking…
Omniscient
Last week, our 11-year old son made a presentation for his homeschool co-op. Of all the famous people on whom he could have chosen to present, he chose Neil Armstrong, the first man who walked on the moon. We will never forget that moment. July 20, 1969, was a day that made us proud as Americans. Astronauts are some of the brightest people in our country. Already very bright, they sit through hours and hours of in-class learning, followed by…
Omnipotent
You probably know this already but there are some people in the world who can lift way more than their own body weight. Amazing. Are you one of them? In this world, there are those who can lift. Then there are those who can really lift. In the World’s Strongest Man competition, competitors lift five round stones in excess of over 350 pounds, onto high platforms. They pull buses, train cars, fire trucks, even airplanes, across a 100-foot course. A…
Let’s Talk About Biblical Inerrancy (Part 2)
Let’s Talk About Biblical Inerrancy (Part 1) Which brings me to my question: Must one uphold the Doctrine of Biblical Inerrancy in order to be saved? What do you think? This may surprise you but in my humble opinion, the answer is No. The Bible clearly says that salvation is through believing in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior from our sin (Romans 4). Therefore, it is not necessary for one to uphold the Doctrine of Biblical Inerrancy for…
Let’s Talk About Biblical Inerrancy (Part 1)
Have you heard of the Doctrine of Biblical Inerrancy before? The word, “inerrancy” simply means without error. Therefore, the basic idea of biblical inerrancy says that the Bible is without error. But this definition doesn’t quite help us very much because it still can mean so many different things to so many people. One says it means the Bible is pure. The Bible contains no impurities. Psalm 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words; As silver tried in…
Christmas or Easter?
Have you ever heard anyone say, “How many shopping days are there till Easter?” Do you buy gifts for your spouse, your family, or your siblings for Easter? Do you install lights on the roof of your house for Easter? Do you book your flight months ahead to be home for Easter? Does your workplace have an annual Easter party? How many Easter parties will you go to this year? Let’s be honest. To people of this world, Easter just…
Why Does a Church Membership Matter?
I was talking with Heather this week about how, when Christians think of church membership, many think it is necessary mainly because it gives them the right to vote on church matters. In most churches as in LifeWay, only ballots of members can be counted as legitimate. Church membership is necessary also for those who aspire to hold official church leadership positions. From this, many conclude that church membership is necessary mostly for organizational reasons. Other than that, Christians usually…
Speaking of Humility (Part 2)
Read Part 1 How will we know if we have true humility? How can we tell whether or not we are doing this right? We can tell a lot if we are heading in the right direction by looking at the results. If we are doing this right, having humility produces contentment, teachability, and godliness in us. CONTENTMENT Having humility means we won’t feel the need to draw attention to ourselves. It cancels our pride. It is okay with us…
Speaking of Humility (Part 1)
Do you have a friend whom you would call a humble person? Why do you think this way? If I asked you how would you define humility, what would you say? Sometimes, I feel it is easier to begin to define humility by saying what it is not. Humility is not thinking too highly of ourselves. Paul wrote, “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he…
Yet, with Gentleness and Reverence
“Always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you.” Even though 1 Peter 3:15 was not one of the first Bible verses I came to know after I became a Christian, it was one of the first Bible verses I came to know not long after I became a Christian. Peter exhorts Christians, any Christian, to have their “response” ready at all times. For the past…
How Am I Reacting to the National News Right Now?
I went to bed last night and then woke up this morning, like so many of you, pretty heavy-hearted about the state of our nation, state, region and world. Much like many of you, I certainly have reflected on the state of affairs and my reaction to them. These words reflect some of my sentiments: Frustration. Embarrassment. Shame. Anger. No surprise to most of you, I am a pretty conservative person, personally and politically. But having friends around the world…
A Conversation About Having Faith in God
If I were to ask you to define what is having faith in God, what would you say? If you were to make a new friend while shopping at Fred Meyer, and you were to say to him you are a Christian, how would you explain that to him? The Bible says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” What goes on…