As we mature in God He holds us to a higher standard (e.g. James 3:1, Hebrews 6:4-8), and His discipline for us may be uniquely different from what immature Christians go through. In 2 Corinthians 12:7, Paul recounts a unique discipline He received from the Lord: Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for […]
God’s Discipline Versus Satan’s Oppression – Part 2 Read More »
Hebrews 12: 5-6 says “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives”. Therefore, if you believe that you are loved by God, and indeed He surely loves you,
God’s Discipline Versus satan’s Oppression – Part 1. Read More »
Hell – a literal prison of fire and torment where the wicked are kept until they are cast into the lake of fire In Matthew 5:22 Jesus gave this admonition “…whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell”. This wasn’t a figurative or parabolic statement Jesus made, but an
The fires of hell and the Lake of Fire are Real and Literal – Part 3 Read More »
In the previous study, Part 1 of this series, we found in Matthew 13 that according to Jesus, those who practice lawlessness will be cast into a literal furnace of fire. The book of Revelation, which is a revelation of Jesus Christ given by Jesus Himself (Revelation 1:1), re-echoes the same words of Jesus, with
The fires of hell and the Lake of Fire are Real and Literal- Part 2 Read More »
Jesus Christ is the foundation of the Christian faith (1 Corinthians 3:11). Not only is He the foundation, but Jesus also testifies of Himself that His words or teachings constitute the foundation upon which we ought to build (Matthew 7:24-27). Therefore, to develop any doctrine that deviates from the words and teachings of Jesus Christ
The Fires of Hell and the Lake of Fire are Real and Literal Read More »
It is fairly common for some to pull the “thou shall not judge” card when wrong actions are duly addressed. By taking this route, they attempt to erroneously use the Bible to silence everyone who calls evil “evil”. But the problem is that you will also have to judge that someone is being judgemental in
The Wrong Use of “Thou Shall Not Judge”. Read More »
As covered in this study, our high calling is to conform to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29-30; Philippians 3:7-14). What does the image of Christ practically looks like? It is Love – for “God is love” (1 John 4:8). We are conformed to the image of Christ to the degree that we love God,
The High Calling of God – conclusion Read More »
The resurrection from the dead Paul’s aim in life was to forsake everything so that He may gain Christ, and know Him, the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering, being conformed to Him in His death. All these were to lead Him to attain this one thing: the resurrection from the
The High Calling of God – Part 8 Read More »
That I may know… the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death (Philippians 3:10). As we learned in our previous study, it has not only been granted to us to believe in Jesus but also to suffer for His sake (Philippians 1:29). This fellowship we have with Christ’s sufferings is for the purpose
The High Calling of God – Part 7 Read More »
That I may know… the fellowship of His sufferings (Philippians 3:10). So far we have been dealing with the steps laid out for us to fulfill our call to conform to the image of Jesus Christ. These are repenting from our sins and coming to God through faith in Jesus Christ, developing intimacy with Jesus
The High Calling of God – Part 6 Read More »