Discover Why Paul Says This In his letter to the Philippians, Paul tells readers to follow his example and to the Corinthians he writes, “imitate me” (Philippians 3:17 and 1 Corinthians 4:16). This strikes me as bold and audacious, arrogant and presumptuous. This seemingly brash statement, however, is illuminated when he later instructs readers to […]
Are Grace and Mercy the Same Thing? Are grace and mercy the same thing? That might seem so, since they are both good things that God gives us. However, in some respects they are opposites. Consider these simple definitions: Grace is getting what you don’t deserve. Mercy is not getting what you do deserve. For […]
How Does Salvation “Work”? In one Paul’s letters, he says something that is quite curious and strange. He tells readers to “work out your salvation” (Philippians 2:12). Ugh? Didn’t Paul also write that we are saved through faith and not by our “works” (that is, not of our own doing or striving)? (Ephesians 2:8-9). So, […]
Reviewed by Peter DeHaan End of the Spear is the compelling true story of dedicated missionaries needlessly speared to death by the violent tribe they are seeking to help. This tragically occurs because one of the tribesmen lies about them in order to protect himself from deadly reprisals within his own clan. T he result […]
I did a word study on the usage of yeast in the Bible. Here is what I found: Yeast is used symbolically to represent influence, usually negatively. Just as a little bit of yeast, permeates dough and produces a noticeable result, so to does influence, be it good or bad. [Check out where these references […]
Do You Live by the Law or by Faith? In what initially seems to be shocking statement, Jesus says that if we want to have eternal life, we must follow the commandments in the Old Testament. [Matthew 19:17] Of course, this is impossible, because if we break even one law, one time, we are found […]
When Jesus died, many dead people came to life. This is a literal, physical event that Matthew documented. This can also be understood and applied on a figurative or symbolic basis, in that for all who follow Jesus: We came alive when Jesus died. This is a new, spiritual, eternal life. In short, Jesus died […]
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) […]
There is an account of Jesus, when a paralyzed man seeks to be healed. In a surprise move, Jesus confounds everybody by forgiving the man’s sins! Jesus had realized that this man’s greatest need was not physical, but spiritual, so he addressed that first. Knowing that it is much easier to say “your sins are […]
Reviewed by Peter DeHaan The Jesus Film (also known as Jesus) is a faithful telling of the life of Jesus as presented in the Gospel of Luke. It was shot on location, providing powerful visual support for the written account found in the Bible. Filmed in 1979, the production seems only somewhat dated, while the […]