One of God’s most remarkable qualities is His power to foresee human events. In Isaiah 46:9-10, God says this power sets Him apart from all other gods:
Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure.’
I knew a man who was living with a debilitating, mortal disease for many years. In his own words, he stood on death’s doorstep for a long time. For over a decade, he was in and out of the hospital and in a number of instances he nearly died. Time and again he would return home, defying the odds defined by conventional human wisdom.
Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? (Acts 19:2).
Paul encountered in Ephesus a group of disciples who believed in Jesus, but they had not received the Holy Spirit. Today’s conventional teaching on the reception of the Holy Spirit and salvation in Jesus’s name rests on the assumption that both are bestowed when one believes in Jesus.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12).
“The devil” is known by various names in scripture — the tempter, the accuser, Belial, Beelzebub, the prince of this world, etc. All of these refer to the same being who is best known as the serpent or Devil or Satan (Revelation 12:9).
Two thousand years ago in the small village of Bethlehem, a baby boy was born contrary to nature. Nine months prior to her son’s birth, Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel who revealed something very special. Out of all the Israelite women from the tribe of Judah, Mary was chosen by God to bear His Son. Mary was confused by the announcement. She was currently betrothed to a righteous man named Joseph but was still a virgin.
Sigmund Freud theorized that human beings are internally comprised of three parts: the Id, Ego, and Superego. He depicted the Id as humanity’s primitive impulses or drives that seek expression. The Superego is humanity’s conscience and is socialized by external influences such as parents, religions, teachers, etc. In between the two stands the conscious self, the Ego, who serves as an arbiter between the Id and Superego. Internal conflict arises when the Id seeks expression in the conscious self, but is suppressed by the Superego. The Superego is seen as the source of conflict since it hinders the counselee from following their Id’s desires. Therefore the counselor sides with the counselee’s Id and attacks the various influences which bolster the Superego’s stand against the Id’s desires.
In Jesus’ trial before Pilate, the apostle John quotes the Roman governor, “What is truth?” Though uttered nearly two thousand years ago Pilate’s question resonates in contemporary Western culture. Previous generations considered truth absolute: “true for all people in all places for all times.”[1] Absolute truth is objective which means it stands apart from individual opinion or experience. However, contemporary culture believes truth is relative or subjective. The individual is empowered to define right and wrong as they see fit without any external influences such as the Bible. A culture that embraces relative truth leaves its participants asking, “What is truth?”
The conscience is the capacity to discern between good and evil. The conscience is found in the heart or what one might call our spiritual being. Solomon asks God, “Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil.” An understanding heart granted Solomon the capacity to discern between good and evil, thus the conscience is connected with the heart.
The Bible is filled with challenging topics. It is strange to me that one of its simplest – baptism in Jesus’ name for the remission of sins – is among its most misunderstood. The Scripture’s teaching on baptism is uncomplicated and unambiguous. We need not ascend into heaven to understand this doctrine. It is accessible and straightforward. The Bible Teaches Water Immersion