When we ask God for things we need, do we need to beg and plead with him? Or can we trust that He loves us and will hear and answer us, just because we call on Him? We don’t need to beg God to help us; instead, we can trust God to supply our needs because he promises to do so.
Continue readingIs Allah in the Quran the same God as YHWH in the Bible? God in the Bible is not the same character or personality as God in the Quran, and there are significant theological contradictions between them. However, Arab Christians call God Allah, not because they believe Islam has the same God theologically, but because Allah means the (one) God in Arabic. The Arabic-descended Maltese language of Malta, whose population is almost entirely Roman Catholic, uses Alla for “God”. The Aramaic word for “God” in the language of Assyrian Christians is Elaha, or Alaha. A German speaker wouldn’t say ‘God’ either; they would say ‘Gott,’ which is where the English word ‘God’ originates, as English is a Germanic language. Nor would a Spanish speaker say ‘God,’ they would say ‘Dios’ because that is the word for God in Spanish. They are merely the words used to classify a deity, similar to how words like El-Shaddai or Adonai (meaning “the Lord”) in Hebrew function as titles for God, or God Almighty. However, these are not necessarily the name of God, such as YHWH. Likewise, the New Testament is translated from Greek, which uses the word Theos (Θεός) for God. Paul didn’t make Greeks stop saying Theos and switch to Adonia, so I don’t believe Arab Christians must use something other than Allah.
Continue readingDoes God promise his people healing? Does the Holy Spirit provide healing power? Promises to Abraham are extended to Gentiles in the New Covenant (Gal 3:14). So we get all the same promises and more as believers. This includes all the blessings of the Old Covenant, such as prosperity, good health, and victory over enemies (Ex 23:25-26, Deut 7:12-15, Deut 28:1-14).
Continue readingIs 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?
Continue readingIn recent years, subliminal messaging in various media has promoted the idea that Satan works for God as an executioner of God’s judgment rather than against God’s will. It’s even accepted by some that Satan is a misunderstood victim of God’s wrath rather than an enemy that will receive punishment on Judgment Day. If that’s true, then why was Jesus sent to defeat him?
Continue readingSome Christians may believe that different categories of unbelievers (Muslim, Atheist, Wiccan, etc) get saved more easily than others, depending on what the barriers are. Still, it’s a heart issue, not a mind issue. Proof of God is not the problem; no amount of intellectual debate will win someone over. Many former atheists have testimonies about God simply revealing his love to them through a believer’s actions.
Continue readingWas Jephthah’s sacrifice of his daughter to God in Judges 11:29-40 legitimate? Isn’t child sacrifice forbidden? Why would God accept a sacrifice of a girl from a man if he is against child sacrifice?
Continue readingWhen asked by the Pharisees which is the greatest commandment, in Matt 22:34-40, Jesus replied, “Loving God with all of your heart, soul, and strength”. This is the “Shema” from Deuteronomy 6:4-5, which states, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Additionally, it is said, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18).
1 John 4:19 says we should love God because he first loved us. When did he first love us? John 3:16 says God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, the Messiah, and those who believe in him will inherit the blessing of eternal life. This eternal life is the fulfillment of the promise to restore humanity from our propensity to break God’s laws. This was made available because of God’s love for us.
Continue readingGod 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 readingMost people are familiar with the story of David and Goliath. When David went to face Goliath, he was very confident that Goliath would be defeated. However, we must notice that his confidence wasn’t in his ability to beat Goliath, but rather in God’s ability to do so.
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