““I said, ‘You are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High.’” Psalms 82:6 NIV If you need a recap, you’ll have to re-read part one here… 😀 Applying the Psalm What sometimes saddens me about this Psalm is that the contention about whether “Christians are gods” distracts from the sober, emphatic lessons in the chapter. Notice I have still not identified the gods. This is intentional...
““I said, ‘You are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High.’” Psalms 82:6 NIV I remember the first time I heard a sermon on this verse. I was at the university at that time. “Christians are gods”, he said! I moved from utter shock to intrigued to happiness, I think, in the space of the 60 or so minutes of the sermon. Utter shock at the beginning because I had never heard anyone say those words...
Christmas is important, but Easter is decisive Arsene Wenger My guess is that Wenger’s context is completely different from mine, but the words are true nonetheless. It is as Paul put it in 1 Corinthians 15:17–19: And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins… we are of all people most to be pitied. (emphasis mine) Were it not for the death, burial, and...
We all love this psalm. Although we haven’t all interpreted it in the same way. Some say it is a declaration of material blessing and a proof that believers are entitled to visible prosperity. Others, like the church I attended in university, use it as a confession to claim wealth, success, and abundance. We were told to even apply it to our academics and claim good grades. Some others say it is...
Suffering can be a bit dicey to define. But I think seeing suffering as misfortune is very practical. Mis- is a prefix that means “bad” or “wrong,” and fortune means a “good outcome.” Outcome is the result or consequence of an action. So, whenever I do something and the result turns out wrong or bad, I am suffering. If I want to toast bread for breakfast and end up burning it, that is...
Recently, I heard a media personality say: “Dear God, you did this one. You have completely changed my life. You opened this door that nobody can shut. You make all things beautiful in your time, and this is just perfect… You truly are the God of time and chance. Listen, God is never late, and God can be trusted.” I want to believe these statements reflect her deep conviction that her...
The climactic point in the gospel narratives and the climactic moment of the ages is that Jesus died!1 His was the death of death! By His death, the redemption that He came to achieve had been accomplished once for all.2 Here, we learn that the cross is the one remedy for the sin that Adam brought on this world (Rom 5:12–21).3 In His death on the cross, we see the final act of a life of obedience...
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt 27:46) If you read Matthew’s gospel account chronologically and get to this verse, I bet you’ll pause. Never has Jesus talked like this. He was always in control. Always wowed with His words. In Matt 7: 28-29, everyone was amazed...
This is part two of my thoughts on what slander is and how a Church can biblically deal with slander and the slanderer. You can read part one here. Slander is a deeply harmful sin condemned throughout Scripture. It involves speaking false or malicious statements with the intent to harm someone’s reputation. This behavior is contrary to the gospel, undermines love and unity in the church, and...
In this article, I want to explain why slander is such a grievous and destructive sin in the Christian community. In part two of my thoughts on the subject, I will trace out the biblical response to slander when found within the leadership of a local church and how the church should discern its next steps. What is slander? Slander is depicted in five distinct ways in the Old Testament and five in...