For much of my life when I would stumble upon a confusing section in the Bible, I would rush through it to reach something else that made more sense. Lately, I’ve been doing the opposite. When I reach a confusing passage, I linger, seeking to dig deeper, contemplate more fully, and discover hidden truths. Such […]
The Bible writes that Mary became pregnant by the Holy Spirit and the result of this spiritual/physical union was Jesus—it was a virgin birth. This supernatural impregnation was the spiritual superseding the physical. And if God can do that, he can certainly heal our bodies and restore us to health. He has the power to […]
Although the terminology and even the timing vary between the various Christian traditions and perspectives, a generality is that first, someone decides to follow Jesus and then the Holy Spirit is given to guide and direct them. While each stream of Christian thought assigns different terms to these events and has a diversity of understanding […]
The Great Three in One The prophet Isaiah gives four descriptive names for Jesus. They are Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. However, I tend to think of Jesus as Savior, Healer, Redeemer, and so forth, but not so much the names Isaiah gives. In fact, to me, Wonderful Counselor seems […]
Why is He Important? I recently happened upon an interesting understanding of time from Joachim of Fiore, of the past, present, and future. It identifies three major eras of the God who is revealed in the Bible. From the perspective of medieval Christendom—as exemplified by Joachim of Fiore—history is prophetically divided into three eras, each […]
The Liberating Power of Trinitarian Faith By Christian A. Schwarz (reviewed by Peter DeHaan) The Threefold Art of Experiencing God is a short book (32 pages) that is packed with profundity. Author Christian Schwarz asserts that although most Christians believe in the Trinity (that God exists in three persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) […]
An Example of Obedience in the Life of Joseph Four times, Joseph received instructions from God: 1. An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and instructed him to go ahead and marry Mary (Matthew 1:20). 2. Later, an angel spoke to Joseph in a dream, warning him of the threat on Jesus’ life and […]