Reflections and meditations about the Bible by Peter DeHaan, PhD.
Jesus Shocks His Audience Jesus said many things that surprised and even shocked his followers. One of his more appalling statements was that we needed to eat his body and drink his blood. That’s a hard thing to swallow—literally and figuratively. Gross. He asserted that those who ate his body and drank his blood would […]
Regardless of How God Speaks to Us, We Should Listen to What He Says The words of the Old Testament prophet Amos appear in the book of the Bible that bears his name. The words the God speaks come to Amos in a vision. But the Bible doesn’t tell us the circumstances surrounding the vision […]
Many People Like an Easy Jesus, But Not Everyone Accepts What He Says Jesus normally teaches the masses in parables. Though most don’t really understand what he means, they like his stories because they’re so countercultural. Inaddition, he sometimes gives them food and heals them. He’s a cool speaker who does nice things for them. […]
The Old Testament Law Talks about Offering Sacrifices to God, but What If He Wants More? King Solomon writes in the book of Ecclesiastes that we need to be careful when approaching God. “Guard your steps,” he says. This is wise advice. Then he adds something more: “Go near to listen.” He even places listening […]
Though God Doesn’t Change, but the Way He Relates to Us Has We divide the Bible in two sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament focuses on the relationship of Father God to his people and looks forward to the coming Savior. The New Testament centers on Jesus and the work […]
When Does Eternal Life Begin The phrase eternal life occurs forty-two times in the Bible. But what exactly does this mean? Do you know that eternal life begins now? Some think that it is a synonym for heaven. If we believe in Jesus, we will go to heaven when we die. That is what eternal […]
The Bible Teaches Us Leadership Principles The book of Proverbs overflows with wise advice and thought-provoking sayings. Often these one-liners produce the material for great soundbites or social media memes. Yet some parts require a bit more work before we can find value in their words. Such is the case with Proverbs 14:28. It says, […]
Our Worship verses God’s Work After God finishes with his amazing creation he takes time on the seventh day to rest. He declares the day holy. Later in the Old Testament, God reminds his people to keep the Sabbath holy and to not work. How should this inform our worship of our creator? Yea, a […]
The Bible Overflows With Praise to the Almighty The word praise occurs in more than 360 verses in the Bible. Most of these refer to praising God. They tell of people who praise God and their need to do so. Consider the short, six-verse Psalm 150. It’s filled with praise. The word occurs thirteen times. […]
Jesus Saves Perhaps the best-known verse in the Bible is John 3:16. It says that if we believe in Jesus we will experience life eternal. What could be simpler; we just need to believe. God does the hard part, providing a way for us to live forever with him. How cool is that? The verse […]