Archive for September, 2016

How Do We Reconcile Science to the Bible?

Thursday, September 22nd, 2016

How Can We Reconcile Science to the Bible?

Below are some typical questions from those trying to reconcile science to the Bible.

Does the Bible Imply That the Earth is Flat?

Ezekiel 7:2 and Revelation 7:1 reference “the four corners of the earth.”  Similarly, Isaiah 11:12 references “the four quarters of the earth.”  The Oxford English Dictionary defines “corner” to mean “An extremity or end of the earth; a region, quarter; a direction or quarter from which the wind blows.”  The word “corner” comes from a Latin root “cornu,” meaning “horn,” as seen in words such as “cornet,” “corn,” and “cornucopia.”  So, the four corners of the earth can be interpreted as referring to the four cardinal directions–north, south, east and west.  In addition, the “four corners of the earth” can also be interpreted as four “horns” of the earth.  One obvious example of such a “horn” is Cape Horn, the southernmost tip of South America.  So the usage of the phrase “four corners of the earth” does not necessarily signify a flat, rectangular earth.

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Do Christians Sin (1 John 1:8 vs. 1 John 3:9)?

Thursday, September 22nd, 2016

Sinless Perfection

The issue of sinless perfection causes somewhat of a rift between evangelicals. Conservative fundamentalists argue that Christians are positionally sanctified since we’re indwelt with the Holy Spirit at salvation, but we won’t be experientially sanctified (made perfect) until we get to heaven. On the other hand, many charismatics believe that Christians can receive a “second blessing” whereby they receive the “filling” of the Spirit at some point following salvation at which they reach sinless perfection. (Conservatives also believe in repeated filling of the Spirit, but only as it applies to restoring temporal fellowship with God by confession of sin, as explained in 1 John 1:9.)

However, there is a concrete (yet subtle) answer to this question in the scriptures. Interestingly enough, this answer first appears in a form which seems to indicate that the scriptures are contradicting themselves.

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What is Prayer (and Does God Answer)?

Thursday, September 22nd, 2016

You may have heard of a man named George Mueller who once ran an orphanage. Though accustomed to lacking material things, one evening there was no food whatsoever available for dinner. When the children asked Mr. Mueller what to do, he said, “Prepare the table. God will provide.”

They set the table, prayed for food, and then heard a knock at the door. It was a bread delivery man whose cart had broken down. He said he would be unable to deliver the bread, and he wondered if Mr. Mueller could use it.

Prayer is a powerful tool. We cannot expect God to always answer as timely and as powerfully as He did for Mr. Mueller. However, the Bible commands us to pray.

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Pagan Influence upon Roman Catholicism

Thursday, September 22nd, 2016

This article illustrates some of the possible influences of ancient pagan cults upon Roman Catholicism. For a more general look at pagan influence upon Christianity in general, please see Pagan Influence in Christianity.

As shown in the article mentioned above, many facets of the pagan religions of ancient Babylon found their way into Christian traditions, and some even persist in Protestant churches today. However, according to Alexander Hislop, in “The Two Babylons,” these pagan practices have been more deeply engrained in Roman Catholicism throughout the centuries, with far more persistence. Revelation 17:5 refers to the “Mystery of Babylon the Great,” and some Bible scholars even interpret this to be a reference to the Catholic church in the last days. We will use Hislop’s writings examine Roman Catholicism in light of its origins.

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What are Spiritual Gifts?

Thursday, September 22nd, 2016

Spiritual gifts are talents and abilities that God bestows upon individual believers at the time of their salvation. These gifts enable believers to perform God’s work, and every believer has at least one spiritual gift. In order to recognize our own spiritual gifts, we must know what types of gifts exist. The following discussion addresses several categories of spiritual gifts, although other categorizations might be valid as well.

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Is the Bible Complete?

Thursday, September 22nd, 2016

Christians today may have many questions about where our Bible came from. How do we know that the Canon of Scriptures is complete? How do we know that all of those 66 books constitute God’s word? How do we know which books should be included as Scripture? How do we know that there are no other books which should have been included? How do we know which writings were divinely inspired? To begin to answer these questions, we will first examine the commonly accepted scholarly arguments for the Canon of scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments.

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What Do Evangelicals Believe?

Thursday, September 22nd, 2016

Since there is not universal agreement upon the definition of evangelicals, we must first make a definitive statement about evangelicals, as related in the following paragraphs. Here, the term “evangelicals” refers to that subset of believers who share the following attributes:

  • Conservative interpretation of the Bible, as well as a conservative world view
  • A belief in, and a desire for, sharing the gospel with others
  • Tolerance of other viewpoints, as opposed to those who might be categorized as “fundamentalists”

Evangelicals view the Bible in a literal and conservative sense. They do not constitute a denomination; rather, they can be found in evangelical Bible churches, non-denominational churches, independent churches, Baptist churches, and Methodist churches, as well as many others. Of course, all evangelicals do not agree on everything, but most will share a general agreement on the
core doctrines of Christianity, as outlined below.

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Who Were Our Best U. S. Presidents?

Thursday, September 22nd, 2016

This is an objective look at the presidents of the United States and how good of a president each one was.  Below is a ranking of the presidents from best to worst.  Considerations included effectiveness, leadership, and the challenges that each one faced (with little regard to their ideology or political party).  In many cases, their challenges weighed heavily in this ranking and some were just victims of the times and events.  It could be possible that one man was a better leader than another, but he ranks lower because his administration just didn’t happen to include larger challenges and obstacles that he was able to overcome.  However, it is also true that one man with few challenges could rank higher than one who was unable to overcome his obstacles.  Also, a president’s ability to be re-elected serves as a direct show of confidence by the people for that man’s proven leadership.  (Twelve presidents served eight years or more.)  History also shows a president’s effectiveness by what kind of impact he made upon the country and the presidency.  Finally, each man’s moral character was considered, including his honesty, his integrity, and the moral code by which he lived and led.

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The Role of Government – From the Constitution and the Bible

Thursday, September 22nd, 2016

Americans are blessed by God to live in a free republic with a government structured upon democratic principles at multiple levels, including local, state, and federal government bodies. We are privileged to be able to vote, elect our government representatives, and influence our decision-makers and lawmakers. Still, many Americans disagree on various public policies, so how can we discern when government should be involved, especially the federal government? For Christians, the ideal government would base its laws and policies upon God’s laws, and fortunately for Americans, history teaches that our founding fathers indeed structured our government upon biblical principles. However, have we strayed from God’s ideals as our government has evolved? Let’s examine the role of government, primarily the federal government, from a biblical and historical perspective.

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Should We Eat Pork?

Friday, September 9th, 2016

In Exodus 15:26 and Deuteronomy 28:58-61, God promised Israel that if they failed to obey him, he would inflict them with diseases, but he also made it known that he is master healer. In Proverbs 3:1-2, we see that obedience to God’s word yields long life, and in Proverbs 4:20-22, we see that obedience of God’s commands will yield good health. What is meant by this long life and health, and what commandments is he referencing? Is this just a superficial promise that we should do the best we can to please God, and He will in turn supernaturally provide us health and longevity?

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