Posts from 2017
The Canon of Scripture
The word canon means, “a measuring rod, or rule; a standard by which something may be evaluated.” In general the process of collecting the books of the Old Testament involved a four step process. God inspired the writers Throughout that time, Israel recognized the divine origin of writing inspired by God. Those scrolls so recognized were left in the care of the priest for safekeeping. Ultimately, the present 39 books of the Old Testament were accepted as Scripture. The Old…
Bible Manuscripts
Manuscripts from which our Bibles are Based In general terms a manuscript is a handwritten document (script something written, manus is Latin for hand). A little history quiz: when was the printing press invented? It was invented sometime between 1440 and 1450. It was out of necessary that the Scriptures were hand copied. These hand copied manuscripts were often copied into the language of the copyist. When applied to the Bible, only what was copied from the biblical…
Living Life According to the Attributes of God – Love
LOVE God cares about us and shows His compassion! Agapa is a self-sacrificing kind of love While we were wicked, depraved sinners Christ died for us. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 Absolutely nothing will separate us from the love of God! Read Romans 8:31-39. God saved us. No matter the sin – God loves me! “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived,…
Living Life According to the Attributes of God – Faithfulness
FAITHFULNESS God is trustworthy, reliable, sure, true, unfailing Many life situations are the result of someone’s unfaithfulness (not necessarily in marriage, though true, but a lack of faithfulness to a friendship, fulfilling personal responsibilities, or faithful to the Word, church, growth, etc. Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments.” Lamentations 3:23 “They…
Living Life According to the Attributes of God – Omniscience
OMNISCIENCE God knows everything God knows all things equally well and perfectly. This knowledge includes the past, the present, the future, the actual, and the possible, simultaneously in one simple and eternal act. God knows the future and the past. Isiah 46:9-10 “Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are…
Living Life According to the Attributes of God – Omnipresence
OMNIPRESENCE God is everywhere While we may be lonely, we are never alone. God is ever present at all times in his totality. Someone has said that God’s center is everywhere, while his circumference is nowhere. Proverbs 5:21 “For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD, and He watches all his paths.” Proverbs 15:3 “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, watching the evil and the good.” Hebrews 13:5 “I will never leave…
Living Life According to the Attributes of God – Omnipotence
OMNIPOTENCE God is all powerful Too many have an inaccurate view of God – God is so small (He’s just not big enough!!) Genesis 18:14 “Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” Ephesians 3:20 “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.”…
Living Life According to the Attributes of God – Grace
GRACE God giving to us what we do NOT deserve 2 Cor 12:9-10 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 1 Peter 5:10…
Living Life According to the Attributes of God – Just
God is JUST God will set the record straight! “God sees and God rewards” God is FAIR, and REASONABLE Genesis 18:25 “… Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” Romans 12:17-21 “ . . . vengeance is Mine, I will repay …” You don’t have the authority, or the ability – you are not JUST! Application to various life situations Gossip/slander Robbery Being wronged Communication problems Focus on God’s justice if you disagree. Who is the one…
Living Life According to the Attributes of God – Holiness
HOLINESS God is perfect, completely separate from sin His holiness is understood in two different ways: God is separated (apart) from all that is created – this is referred to as God’s transcendence. Exodus 15:11 “Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?” God is separated from all sin, anything that is wrong, or ethically unclean. God is morally pure. When many ask the question, “Why did God let this happen?…
Living Life According to the Attributes of God – Sovereignty
SOVEREIGNTY God is in control of all the events of our lives “The sovereignty of God, simply stated, refers to His undisputed authority and rule over every aspect of His creation” (Who is in Charge, Layton Talbert, p. 4). “The sovereignty of God is the ground of peace and confidence to all His people” (Lectures in Systematic Theology, Thiessen, p. 119). The sovereignty of God is seen in His power to bring the movement of the universe to its predetermined…
Practical Steps to Deal with Depression
How does one become depressed? Does it happen as quickly as one catching a cold (waking up not feeling well and by the end of the day coughing with a fever?) or is it a process? Depression creeps up on us and we continue to spiral down – it is a process and must be patiently reversed as a process. Attitudes: We must control our attitudes toward life: Starts in our mind. To get out from the stubborn darkness one…
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