“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matt. 7:22-23, NIV). I have heard Christians say they
Category: Theology
Manipulation and Control: Matthew 7:1-12
Jesus makes a number of statements in Matthew 7:1-12 which at first glance seem to be unrelated. Yet on closer examination, I believe we can see how these tie together. Jesus begins this section by stating “do not judge…”. It is important to understand that the kind of judgement Jesus is talking about here is
Unforgiven? Matthew 6:14-15
“If you don’t forgive people, your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing.” (Matt. 6:25, HCSB). This is another passage that people wrestle with. However this is a good example of how individual passages need to be understood and interpreted in light of the whole bible. Is Jesus saying that our sins won’t be forgiven and
Matthew 5:48 Be Perfect?
“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (NIV). This is another challenging statement which Jesus makes in the “sermon on the mount”. However I think there are a few things which shed light on this statement. Often, words in other languages have different shades of meaning which can’t be exactly translated. As I
Understanding Matthew 5:31-32: Divorce
One passage of scripture that people struggle to understand is Matthew 5:31-32 where Jesus states: “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries
I’m Not Sure Evangelism Is The Point
An recent event reminded me of an outreach ministry I was involved in a number of years ago. This ministry was an attempt to reach out to the people who go out to one of our city’s main bar districts, Broad Ripple. (I definitely see this as a forerunner to Pub Theology, for those who
Needs vs. Idolatry vs. God’s General Provision
An interesting thought: It may be true that “man cannot live on bread alone”, however it is also certainly true that he cannot live very long without it. People like to say that Jesus provides for all our needs, but surely they can’t mean that this always happens directly. For example, it doesn’t seem reasonable
Book Review: The Divine Conspiracy
Reading “The Divine Conspiracy” by Dallas Willard was quite an undertaking. It is a fairly long book—400 pages—and the content is not light. That’s not to say it is difficult to read—it is written accessibly enough—but it does take some effort to understand what Willard is trying to communicate. While I thought it started off
Reasons for Faith
Last week I posted a list of some things which challenge my faith. To be fair and balanced, I also want to take a look at reasons why I do believe. To be honest, probably the top reason I’m a Christian is because that’s what I’ve grown up with and haven’t found reason to ditch
Things Which Challenge My Faith
I normally speak here as though I have Christianity all figured out. In reality, I have a lot of good theories which I believe fit with the bible and what I’ve heard from certain other followers of Christ. But I can’t vouch for everything from personal experience. I’ve heard debates on whether or not doubt