Bible Study Archives - Page 5 of 13

16 Life Lessons From The Yes-No Dichotomy

October 18, 2016 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

The Beauty
Of Yes

In this post I want to focus on decision making or what we might call the dichotomy of yes and no. Like 1’s and 0’s in computer language, life is a combination of these two words.

When tested for diseases, we long to hear, “No, found nothing! All is clear!” But a No in that situation is really a Yes to life. It’s a new lease and we love to hear it.

In spite of No being the best response in some situations, we still like hearing Yes more.

When asking for help or a personal day or permission from parents, “Yes!” sounds like a million dollars. It’s like winning a mini lottery.

But we aren’t always subject to the judgments of others or unpredictable circumstances. Sometimes, in fact very often, we sit in the Yes/No driver’s seat. Every decision we make involves a yes or a no answer. Sometimes it’s a little of both.

Even Indecision eventually becomes No.

The point is, Yes and No are unavoidable. There’s no bench warming in life. Yes and No make us a part of the game and Jesus had something to say about this dichotomy.

You have heard that it was said by them of old time, you shall not forswear yourself, but shall perform unto the Lord your oaths. But I say unto you, swear not at all. Neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne, nor by the earth, for it is his footstool. Neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Neither shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, yea yea or nay nay, for whatsoever is more than these comes of evil. Matthew 5:33-37

First let me address the problematic words. There are two: forswear and swear. They are opposites. A dichotomy of sorts.

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Swearing is the strongest kind of promise you can make. If you swear to something, you have, in a sense, guaranteed it.

Forswearing, on the other hand, is what we call it when a person fails to follow through. They swear to do something and then fail to keep the promise. Or they swear something is true only to be found lying later. [Read more…] about 16 Life Lessons From The Yes-No Dichotomy

Two Responses To The Gospel – Love And Hate

March 2, 2016 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

The Gospel
Is The Same
For Everyone

The Bible says some things that are hard to accept, even for Christians.

Not so much hard to understand, but hard to live with. Believing the Bible isn’t the problem. Putting it into practise is. Let me explain.

The core message of the Bible is positive, not negative. We call it The Gospel, which translated means Good News.

But this Good News is difficult to accept because it is consistent. It doesn’t change, and it’s universal. The Gospel is good news for me and everyone else, the people I like and the people I don’t like.

“Universal” is what makes the Gospel unique. Not all news is equally good for everyone.

The person who wins the lottery is ecstatic. Everyone else can only wish.

The good news in the Bible, however, is unqualified. It’s good for everyone. It can’t get any better, but it can be viewed differently by different people depending on the situation.

Most people are very happy that the Gospel offers upliftment to the hopelessly downtrodden or liberation to the impossibly enslaved or enlightenment to the bewildered.

When that part of the penny drops, people are elated.

But it gets even better than that. [Read more…] about Two Responses To The Gospel – Love And Hate

10 Nonconventional Ideas About Faith

April 14, 2015 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

You Can’t
Stereotype Faith

In Luke 18 Jesus shared an interesting story about a widow.

The widow had been cheated and was attempting to get justice through the legal system, but things weren’t working out so well. Her appeals were being ignored by a judge whom Jesus referred to as unjust.

We aren’t given any more details. We don’t know who cheated her or how severe the offense was, but as it turns out that information isn’t important.

The point was, as a widow, she had about as much clout as a dead tree. Widows were on society’s bottom wrung, and the judge, who didn’t care about God or people, wasn’t interested in her problem. She was an inconvenience, a gnat to be swatted away.

But she never gave up. She knew the law and she knew her cause was just, so she did the only thing she could. She hounded the judge repeatedly.

And it worked.

He finally realized that processing her legal matter, though inconvenient, was far less bothersome than repeatedly listening to her complaint.

In spite of being marginalized by the system, she found a way to assert her cause.

And Jesus used her as an example. He shared her experience to teach the disciples persistence in prayer. But that explanation leaves us a bit curious. The parable never mentions this woman praying.

In the end of the parable Jesus referred to her as an example of faith and He wondered aloud if that kind of faith would still exist when He returns.

Since prayer and persistence and actions can all be expressions of faith, and that was at least a strong sub point of the parable, we can make several observations about faith. Several of these of these points don’t square with convention.

For example: [Read more…] about 10 Nonconventional Ideas About Faith

What Kind Of Savior Is Jesus? Ready!

February 8, 2015 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Jesus Saves At Any Time
In Any Place

Jesus isn’t a tardy Savior. He doesn’t wait. He is never late. He works immediately. His response is without hesitation.

We always talk about Jesus being a willing Savior, and He is, but that isn’t the entire message. He’s more than just willing. He is constantly ready.

He described Himself as seeking the lost, which means He doesn’t sit in one place and wait for people to come to Him.

Jesus wants to save. His desire never wanes.

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Even in His human state, dragging around a physical body, His need for rest never got in the way of ministry (Mark 6:31-44).

And now in His glorified state, He never tires. Jesus is ready to save 24/7/365.

There’s no afternoon slump. He’s never bored with the humdrum of life or put off by the unexpected. According to Him, He is always ready.

Truly, truly, I say unto you. He that hears my word and believes on Him that sent me has everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life.

In other words, [Read more…] about What Kind Of Savior Is Jesus? Ready!