God stated in the 2nd commandment of the 10 commandments that His people were not to make any images to worship (Ex 20:4). The fact is, God had already created an image of Himself in Genesis 1:26-27 when He made mankind in His image and likeness. When we love others, we give God a true sacrifice (Heb 10:5-7, Psalms 50:14 & 23, Psalms 51:16-19), greater than any animal sacrifice offered by the Israelites in the Temple.
Continue readingCategory Archives: Spirituality
Essays discussing spirituality in Christianity.
Ask God in Faith
A prayer without faith is just a complaint. If we want something from God, all we have to do is ask (Matthew 7:7-11), but we must do so in faith (Mark 11:22-24).
Continue readingJohn the Baptist Reincarnated?
I recall seeing a social media post about an article that claimed the Bible promotes reincarnation. This is one of many attempts at Christian syncretism with Dharmic religions. Another example is from those who claim Jesus instructed people to “open their third eye chakra,” based on his statement about the eye being the entry point of light in the body in Matthew 6:22-23. This is clearly an allegory, with light representing righteousness, and Jesus warning people about the dangers of self-righteousness. Judaism did not teach reincarnation, so the Bible doesn’t endorse it. People who attempt to make it seem so are manipulating the text and redefining things that the Bible itself already defines..
Continue readingReincarnation vs Judgement
Is Christian theology, or Abrahamic theology for that matter, compatible with reincarnation? Is Christian theology, or Abrahamic theology, for that matter, compatible with reincarnation? What is reincarnation? Is it the same as a resurrection? In a resurrection, a person returns to the earth from the dead in a regenerated version of their original body. Reincarnation involves a return to the land of the living, but in a different body with a distinct identity entirely.
Continue readingThe Substance of Faith
Hebrews 11:1 says (KJV), “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” For it to be the “substance” of something hoped for, there must be something substantive (like a promise) that was given in the past, that we could have hope for the fulfillment of in the future. Since the future has not been seen yet, our evidence for the promise being fulfilled is based on our trust that God will do it because he promised to do it. Therefore, we must trust that God is faithful to his promises.
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