When studying investing and the Bible simultaneously, some interesting metaphors for salvation came to mind. God’s order of salvation can be compared to a Cosmic Corporate Bond or a Heavenly ESO.
Category Archives: Theology
Different Topics concerning Theology like Spirituality, Ecclesia (The Church), Eschatalolgy (End of Days), Soteriology (Salvation), and Super Natural Beings
Wealth Transfer
Many have heard and quoted the second half of Proverbs 13:22, which says, “A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.” What does that look like when the wealth of the wicked is stored up for the just? Are there examples of this in the Bible? In the Old Testament, we can see a wealth transfer in the form of reparations given to the Israelites upon their departure from Egypt. There is also a long-promised wealth transfer of Canaan (the land of milk and honey) to Abraham’s descendants. This milk and honey clause from Ex 3:8 implies that the people in the land were rich, but throughout the Torah, we are also told of their sinfulness. And some of Jesus’ parables also allude to this transfer, such as the Parable of the 3 Servants (Matt 25:14-30) or the Parable of the 10 Servants (Luke 19:11-27).
Continue readingLanguage is Supernatural
Is language natural or spiritual/supernatural? Humans, who are uniquely made in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27), have complex linguistics and writing systems. Ever notice how a 2-year-old child can learn to repeat and use human words passively simply by hearing them? Even children of deaf adults (CODAs) learn to sign by watching their parents and only learn speech from hearing other humans talk. Babies don’t have to be taught how to say the sounds; they just instinctively speak what they hear and get better with practice.
Continue readingCherub and Noah’s Ark
I came across an interesting concept regarding the Cherubim that surround God’s throne and Noah’s Ark. It’s not a particularly important theological point, but I found it interesting either way. Noah had three categories of animals on his Ark along with his family. Unclean land animals (carnivores, scavengers, certain kinds of herbivores), clean land animals (herbivores, with specific anatomy), and flying creatures both clean and unclean (Genesis 7:2-3). This representation depicts the four cherubim.
Continue readingCan Demons possess Christians?
Can demons possess Christians? Believers have God’s Spirit within them because they were made pure through the sacrifice of Jesus. They don’t need to be in a ritually clean state to enter God’s presence in a building in Israel anymore, because we are the building (temple). Paul says our bodies are the new temple in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, and 2 Corinthians 6:15-18. And the Holy Spirit is only available to those who have received Jesus as Lord (John 14:15-17, Rom 8:5-11). So, how can an unclean spirit ever enter this “new temple,” which is the body of a believer?
Continue readingA Tale of Two Seeds
Who is Satan? Is Satan attacking people in the Old Testament, or is this God’s judgment? The Bible says God doesn’t tempt us (James 1:12-15), but rather is Satan is the tempter (Matthew 6:13). Yet oftentimes in the Old Testament when bad things happen scripture says that God was testing Israel (Deut 8:16, Deut 13:3, Judges 2:22). It seems that the revelation of Satan’s role is revealed more and more throughout scripture until the time of the Messiah (or Savior). The Gospel reveals him as the true enemy because he is the serpent whose head will be bruised by the Messiah (Gen 3:15). Satan is rarely mentioned in the Old Testament. Hence, some people believe that Satan either is a metaphor or is an agent of God to exact judgment, rather than a rebel. However, Jesus and the apostles define him as a real spiritual enemy of God seeking to devour us (1 Peter 5:8).
Continue readingManifesting Into Existence
God didn’t tell Abraham that he would conquer Canaan, so Abraham couldn’t have gone to Canaan and tried to destroy the promised land, because that was not God’s plan. Abraham couldn’t have “spoken it into existence” or “manifested victory” for something that God did not give him. Abraham was promised an heir and would only sojourn in the land of Canaan. God said that Abraham’s “seed” (descendants) would inherit the land of Canaan. In Genesis 15:13-16, God said Abraham would die before that would happen and that the promised land would be inherited over 400 years later, after enduring persecution and enslavement. No amount of “manifesting” would have changed God’s word. We can repeat God’s word in faith because he initiated the idea and does the work, but we cannot tell God what to do. Faith begins where the will of God is known.
Continue readingJesus vs The World’s Salvation
Many religions offer a promise of salvation from life’s challenges. Most beliefs teach that we must work for freedom. While others provide no hope of release from suffering for humanity, they simply accept life as it is. Various methods of salvation involve natural works to accumulate good karma or merit points with God. It’s like climbing a mountain to reach God or deliverance from life’s struggles. Still, while climbing, the climber faces an eruption, an avalanche, a thunderstorm, and mountain lions, making it humanly impossible. In contrast, in Christianity, Jesus (the Messiah) ascends the metaphorical mountain himself for us. He walks through fire and magma unburned (Dan 3:1-30), parts the wall of snow and ice (Ex 14:15-31, Josh 3:9-17), even walks on rushing water (Mark 6:45-56), quiets the storm (Mark 4:35-41), and shuts the lion’s mouth (Dan 6:1-28). He reaches the top for us and moves the mountain (Mark 11:22-24) by mediating a New Covenant relationship with God where his sacrifice covers our sin (failures to keep God’s law), so we are saved from sin’s eternal consequences. In other words, we can’t save ourselves, so we must trust God for it.
Continue readingOur Bodies Are The New Temple
It’s the Holy Spirit that was promised to circumcise hearts of the beleivers all back from the the time of Moses (Deut 30:6, Jer 4:4, Ez 36:25-27, Joel 2:28-32, Acts 2:16-21, Rom 2:29, and Col 2:11) and give bleeivers the power to overcome sin nature so that we can accomplish the task of keeping God’s commands.
Continue readingTrinity vs One God
Is God one person or three persons? The Bible says God is one (Deut 6:4). Yet the Gospels suggest Jesus claimed to be God in the flesh. John 1:1-14 says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and was God, and the Word became flesh as Jesus. Matthew 1:23 quotes from Isaiah 7:14 and Isaiah 8:8-10, stating that a virgin will conceive a child, and his name will be Immanuel (meaning “God with us”). Lastly, Daniel 7:13 alludes to a messianic king called the “Son of Man,” who descends from heaven and rules the world. Jesus refers to himself as the Son of Man in many places, such as in Luke 5:24, where he demonstrates that, like God the Father, he has the authority to forgive sins. The Holy Spirit that came upon Jesus (John 1:32-34) is given only to those who believe (John 14:16-17), and this “Holy Spirit” is the spirit of God. Yet, Jesus said that the Father will send the Spirit in John 14:16-17, but in John 16:7, He says He will send the Holy Spirit. Does this show that Jesus and the Father are “one,” as he says in John 10:30?
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