Truth Triumphs

In  spite of the austere image portrayed by many of the characterizations of God, I believe that the God of the Bible  defies this stereotype through various techniques, such as the wording of certain verses. God employed human agency to present his infallible, inerrant, and eternal Word to mankind, allowing for them to use their idiosyncratic styles (2 Timothy 3:16). During my daily Bible reading today, I discovered a pertinent example of this drollery. In the  twenty-seventh chapter of Acts, as Paul and his entourage navigate the treacherous waters that Euroclydon had caused, Paul prophesied that they would all arrive safely to Rome and instructed those aboard the ship to eat meat for strength. Luke,  the author that penned this book that chronicles the history of the early church, humorously remarked in verse 38: "And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship." In other words, because they had eaten so much and had become portly, the captain of the ship expressed

After preparing himself upon the mountain, Jesus begins his famous Sermon on the Mount with a startling promise: "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Jesus teaches that the person who is "consciously dependent on God" and recognizes his abject condition in relation to God shall enjoy the endless blessings of  Christ (Walvoord, 1974, p. 46). But what does it truly mean to be poor in spirit? According to Strong's helpful Greek concordance, the Greek word used by Matthew is ptochos, which gives the impression of a beggar or a mendicant. In other words, in order to receive this sublime felicity and thereafter experience the privileges entailed a servant of Christ, an individual must exhibit an attitude of humility and submission to God, just as a beggar would in the natural sense (The Biblical Illustrator, p. 44). Once his abased approach has been accepted by the loving Father, he will encounter an extraordinary peace and display a

Have you ever complained about an unfair boss who promoted his relatives above their peers, regardless of mental and emotional intelligence? I once worked for a fast-food restaurant whose owner unapologetically advanced his daughter even though her perpetually acerbic attitude invoked angst and frustration among his employees. This unscrupulous preferment is known as nepotism, which is defined as favoritism shown to relatives. Nepotism is highly pernicious, and has been the cause for the demise of many powerful men, nations, and empires. While each individual should possess a natural proclivity to display familial love to his relatives, he should not be guilty of allowing this propensity to vitiate those decisions involving others' futures, families, and fortunes. To avoid exercising nepotism, a person should consult a disinterested party when deciding to select either a relative or another individual of equal ability.

In his classical lectures upon the topic of revivals, Charles Finney discusses the prevalence of mankind's lethargy and how God uses men's seldom demonstrations of excitability to produce a revival. He writes that " Men are so sluggish, there are so many things to lead their minds off from religion and to oppose the influence of the gospel, that it is necessary to raise an excitement among them, till the tide rises so high to sweep away the opposing obstacles." His pronouncement may have been accurate for his day, but his words are still pertinent and become exceedingly relevant in today's culture of technological dependence. A majority of American Christians carelessly squander the precious commodity of time through unnecessary internet usage or needless social media excursions. This results in complacent, lukewarm, and indolent congregations, which are satisfied with only a forty-five minute service on Sunday morning, and go weeks on end without considering the

It's interesting that God so inspired his Word to be written in a manner where important doctrines are reinforced seemingly accidentally. For example, a couple of weeks ago, I commenced upon a study of the book of Ephesians. This fascinating epistle is written by the apostle Paul and discusses powerful tenets of the faith, such as the armor of God and the unity of the body of Christ. In his typical fashion, Paul offers an effusive introduction: "Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 1:2). Without even attempting, he, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, writes the order of events in the Christian experience. Grace comes first, followed by peace. In other words, without the Grace of God, one cannot experience the peace of God. So many individuals in this day and age attempt to placate their inward fears by experimenting with drugs, maintaining a pernicious addiction, or working themselves to death. These futile eff

Throughout the Bible, God continually presents an objective law designed for each human to abide by. These commandments are not to be taken lightly and are deserving of immense reverence. Moreover, the Scriptures also instruct its readers that if an individual violates a known commandment of God, he will feel condemnation and suffer judgment. This breaking of God’s mandate is known as sin and permeates every nation, tongue, and people (Purkiser, 1972). Donald Metz defined sin as “a voluntary transgression of a known law of God by a morally responsible agent.” Certainly, sin does not attempt to negotiate with its prey. It desires to destroy the best and highest good of creation (Knudsen, 1947). Furthermore, sin alienates one from God and separates him from developing a relationship with the very God of the universe (Knudsen, 1947). Remarkably, some sects of people vehemently deny the existence of sin. Christian Scientists assert that sin is merely a figment of the imagination and does