Doctrines

John 17:3; 1 Cor 8:5-6

John 17:3 –

‘Now this is eternal life that they know you, the ONLY TRUE GOD, and Jesus Christ whom you sent.’

1 Cor 8:5-6 –

‘For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth – as indeed there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’, yet for us, there is ONE GOD, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and ONE LORD, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.’

Many religious leaders say that there are many roads to heaven; just like there are many roads to Rome. But the Bible has made it clear – that there is only ONE GOD and that belongs to the God of the Bible. 

Just like, for example, there can only be one Coca Cola brand, with all others a mere counterfeit of the real thing.

Christians, therefore, do not worship the God of the Bible while having the same relationship with other religious leaders.

In the Old Testament, Exodus 20:5, the relationship is explicit –

‘You shall not bow down to them or serve them (other gods), for I the Lord, your God am a jealous God.’

Like a marriage, God demands us to be faithful to Him and Him alone.

For believers who are interested in history, you might be keen to learn about the Council of Nicaea.

In AD 325, an Alexandrian priest, Arius, raised the issue of Jesus’ divinity because, unlike God (the Father), Jesus was born and hence had a beginning. This ambiguity threatened the church and Emperor Constantine I, who converted to Christianity in AD 312 and who ceased the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire, also became a patron of the Church,

As a result, he convened a meeting for all bishops of the region in discussing the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. By the end, the Council established the equality of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in the Holy Trinity and asserted that Jesus was the Son incarnate.

For more information, please go HERE.

For a copy of the Nicene Creed, please go HERE.

1 Peter 1:2; 2 Cor 13:14; 1 John 5:7-8; John 10:30; Matt 28:19

The Bible makes it quite unequivocal that God is three in one. In Matt 28:19, Jesus said this just before he ascended back to heaven,

‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.’

Consistently, throughout the Bible, it is always three persons but in one – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, with the Father as the final authority.

In Matt 24:36, when asked by his disciples when the end of the age will be, Jesus said that

‘But concerning that day and hour (precise timing of Jesus’ second coming) no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.’

It is one of the most difficult concepts to explain – how can there be three in one and yet they are God (in the singular)? It is indeed a mystery. In 1 Cor 13:12, Paul explained it,

‘For now we see in a mirror dimly but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.’

Eccl 11:5 (NLT) says,

‘Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.’

It is unusual and we will never know what it means. Our best shot on this side of heaven is that of a ‘perfect’ marriage between a man and his wife; and we know that most marriages are far from perfect. 

In a marriage, the two shall be one and it is more than about sex although God does use sex to illustrate that oneness. They are two separate personalities but yet the marriage can operate in perfect harmony where the husband loves his wife, and the wife submits to her husband.

In the case of the Trinity, we have three different personalities but yet one.

1 John 3:20

1 John 3:20 says,

‘If our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and he knows all things.’

If God is all knowing, then why should Christians pray? Again, we will not know everything except that God commanded us to do so. The Bible does not say, ‘If you pray’; in Matt 6:15, it says, ‘When you pray.’

Prayer is an expected part of us being Christians.

If God is all knowing, why did he create Lucifer, since he knew that Lucifer would ultimately rebel?

Again, we are not privileged to know everything but God did have a perfect solution ready and that came in the form of his plan in Christ. God’s sovereign plan did include Lucifer (or Satan) and Christ.

Heb 6:18

Heb 6:18 – ‘It is impossible for God to lie.’

The Bible is certain about this. Hence, repeatedly, Christians and Jews are told not to lie but to keep their words.

• Ex 20:16 laid out the ninth commandment as ‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.’
• Prov 30:5 says, ‘Every word of God proves true.’
• Jesus said of God the Father, ‘Your word is truth’ (John 17:17) and again
• In Matt 5:37, “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” 

Put it simply, God does not lie and if God says so, then it must be so. At the same time, if the Bible says so (as the Bible is his words), then it must happen.

For example, the Bible says that Jesus Christ will return into the world again. As believers, we can be certain that it will happen.

God fulfilled and, even now, is fulfilling his promises. Here are some examples:

The promises that God kept regarding Jesus:

• Isa 7:14 said that the Messiah would be born of a virgin – 
• Micah 5:2 said that he would be born in Bethlehem,
• Jer 23:5 mentioned that he would be from the lineage of David (Please see D27 – Jesus came from the bloodline of David for more details),
• Isa 40:3 proclaimed that a messenger would prepare his way. We know that John the Baptist met the requirements,
• Ps 16:10 declared that he would rise from the dead.

The promises that are even being fulfilled right now (PS: These predictions were made more than two thousand years ago):

• Isa 66:7-8 asked

‘Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor, she brought forth her children.’ –

The Nation of Israel, her people were dispersed worldwide for almost two thousand years, was literally formed in one day on 29 November 1947 when the United Nations (UN) voted to reconstitute the Jewish national home in the Jewish people’s ancient homeland in UN Resolution 181.

On 14 May 1948, David Ben-Gurion, Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization and Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, and soon to be the first Prime Minister of Israel, officially declared the establishment of the State of Israel which would come into effect on the termination of the British Mandate at midnight that day.

• Rev 11:9 said that at the end of times, two prophets will appear but will eventually be killed. Their bodies will lie in the street of Jerusalem and will be seen by ‘all peoples and tribes and tongues and nations’.Rev 11:9 foresaw the presence of television and the internet as a global communication media,
• Rev 13:16 spoke about the future of a cashless society where buying and selling transactions could take place with just a mark on one’s right hand or forehead. We can see how this verse is making sense especially if you are living in the developed world or China. Covid 19 has also placed pressure on the monetary authorities to get rid of paper money as diseases could be spread via them.

As a book of prophecies, and the Bible is a book of prophecies, it is exact and precise.

Please also see

• D269, Great Tribulation – The first glimpse of the 666 system is upon us, and
• D262, Believers will be hated by all nations.

It is important that God does not lie because it shows God operates within the rules that he has defined for himself in the Bible and his word is true. It is vital because we know his character to be holy and holiness means that there is no sin in him. It is quintessential because if God could lie, will we place our faith in the Bible and what it says? What if he goes back on his word?

In effect, if God lies, he will be no different from you and I – imperfect beings.

In the Old Testament, Num 23:19 says,

‘God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?’

This may not be true for some religions but not the God of the Bible. 

1 Tim 6:15

1 Tim 6:15 says,

‘He who is blessed and the only Sovereign One, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.’

The Greek word for ‘Sovereign’ is dunastes or a ruler. Here we are not talking just about any ruler – we are addressing Him as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. That means, He is the Supreme One  of the universe and He has no limitations.Consider this:

• God is above all things and before all things – He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end (Rev 1:8).
• God is, and was, and who is to come (Rev 1:8) – He is not limited within time.
• God created all things and holds them together (Col 1:16).
• God knows all things – past, present, and future (Rom 11:33). He is smarter than the smartest brains on earth.
• God can do all things. Nothing is too difficult for Him. He is beyond our creative abilities. (Luke 1:37).
• God is in control and rules over all things. He is the Supreme One of the universe.

It means He is the ultimate source of all power, authority and everything that exists. For more information, please go here.

Rev 4:8; Luke 1:49

Rev 4:8 says, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty’ and Luke 1:49 simply echoes, ‘Holy is his name.’

Heb 12:14 (NIV) goes further when it says that

‘without holiness, no one will see the Lord.’

What does being holy means?

In these instances, the Greek word is hagios or ‘set apart by God/ sacred.’ We are set apart by God for himself.

In order to understand ‘holiness’, it might be worthwhile to turn to the Old Testament. God chose Israel to be holy (set apart). Deut 14:2 says, 

‘For you (the nation of Israel) are a people holy to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the people who are on the face of the earth.’

And within the tribe of Israel, the Levites were selected to be set apart for services to God and his people. 

To be ‘set apart’ is a unique thing with special expectations. The Levites were ‘set apart’ because they were the only tribe that did not participate in the worship of the golden calf (Ex 32:25-29). In other words, they ‘earned’ their marks for their fervor for God.

In view of the holiness of God, a priest who must come from the tribe of Levites, had to follow very strict rituals including these:

• He must be a descendant of Aaron in the male line (Num 18:4-7),
• He was not allowed to defile himself by contact with any dead (Lev 21:1-3),
• He cannot marry a divorced woman (Lev 21:7),
• He was not allowed to enter the Sanctuary at all times (Lev 16:2),
• He cannot have any physical blemish if he was to serve (Lev 21:23).
• For more information, please go here.

The God of the Bible also said, ‘You cannot see my face for man shall not see me and live’ (Ex 33:20).

God’s moral holiness is so pure that men will not be able to view God’s glory and live. One of the few people with the unique experience of meeting God and coming back alive was Moses whose ‘skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God’ (Ex 34:29).

But Num 12:3 described him as someone who was ‘very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.’ To see God, Moses had to attain to God’s standard of holiness, or at least close to it.

God’s holiness also explains why He could never lie. All men are measured in accordance to His ‘immeasurable’ standard.

John 3:16; John 15:9-17; Rom 5:8; Gal 2:20; 1 John 4:8-9

1 John 4:8 makes it transparent,

‘Anyone who does not love does not know God because GOD is love.’ 

The Greek word for love here is agape.

The Greek has various words to describe love. Agape love is one that is faithful, committed and a decision of the will. It is beyond emotions and touchy feely; one moment you are loved and the next you are rejected. It is not dependent on the value or worth of the object of love. One can never be unloved.

2 Tim 2:13 describes this love best:

‘If we are faithless, he remains faithful – for he cannot deny himself.’ 

God does not just love. He is love itself. It is a decision of the will and a commitment no doubt. He chooses to love and that is the end of it.

Gal 2:20 explains that ‘the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.’ And then 1 John 4:9 says,

‘In this, the love of God was made manifest among us, that God (chose to) sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.’

The love of the Father caused Him to send his Son, Jesus Christ, to die and save everyone of us who believe in Him, even, and especially, those who do not deserve to be loved.

It is equally a reflection of Jesus

‘who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped but (chose to) emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form, he (chose to) humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even (the ultimate, unpleasant, and most cruel) death on the cross.’ (Phil 2:6-8).

To put into context of what agape love is, consider a young married couple who is in love. The love that they have is that of eros, a love that dwells on an appreciation of the beauty within the other person. It is an intimate love, of youthful beauty and of erotic desires.

But through the years, one of them, let us say the wife, may end up in a wheelchair because of sickness and that sickness may rob them of the vitality in the relationship.

When the wife  begins to drop in ‘value’ in terms of the normal day-to-day living, does it mean that the husband, who is still well, can walk away from that relationship? But the couple has made a vow – ‘for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.’

What should then take place? Can they still depend on eros love? 

The love that we know has evolved. It is now a love of choice and that is, despite the deteriorating condition of the weaker spouse, the husband, through a decision of the will, chooses to remain faithful, committed and loving. Now, we believe that is agape love.

Of course, it can work the other way around for the spouses; the traditional vow helps the couple to stay focus that love is more than eros and through the years, it can evolve into agape, a love of choice and of sacrifice. The vow is all about agape love.

The Bible says,

‘By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another’ (John 13:35).

It also says,

‘Greater love has no one than this, that someone (chooses to) lay down his life for his friends’ (John 15:13).

On a macro level, it was a choice of love for Mother Teresa to go to Calcutta and start the Order of the Missionaries of Charity. It is the same choice that got Bill Wilson to initiate the Metro World Child, a US ministry that focuses on serving the underprivileged inner-city children of the world – to love the unlovable and the less loved.

God is love. God chooses to love regardless of our condition. As his disciples, we are to show this agape love too.

John 4:24

John 4:24 –

‘God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.’

The Greek word for ‘spirit’ is pneuma. It means wind/ breath/ spirit.

The Trinity consists of God – the Father, God – the Son, and God – the Holy Spirit. 

The Holy Spirit is alive and a separate person from the other two persons in the Godhead. D75, The Holy Spirit is a person and NOT a force, explains further about the third person in the Godhead. More information of God the Spirit can be found from D74 to D84.

God’s Spirit was already in operation right at the beginning in Gen 1:2 when the verse says, ‘The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.’

The Spirit of God has a creative element.The Spirit is not limited by a physical body but can operate in all places at the same time.

Like God, we also have a spiritual element too. 1 Thes 5:23 says, ‘… may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.’.

Rev 11:16-18; Rev 16:1

God is a person; He has a personality. He makes decisions. In Luke 22:42, Jesus asked, ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me.’

He speaks. In Matt 3:17,

“a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’”

In Luke 18:1, Jesus told the parable of a persistent widow who kept bothering the judge for justice. Eventually, it wore him down to the extent that he gave her a hearing. In the same way, Jesus reminded his disciples to always pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1-8). That section reminded us that God can and does hear our prayers and they do influence him. If that is the case, then we know God is a person.

The Old Testament is peppered with incidents to demonstrate his personality. For example, He spoke to Moses face-to-face. Ex 33:11 says,

‘Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.’

When God was about to destroy Israel and transfer His blessings across to Moses, Moses could remind God about His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to which the Lord ‘relented from the disaster’ (Ex 32:14). He could feel and accept Moses’ logic.

In the same way, God also regretted making Saul the king of Israel. 1 Sam 15:10 says,

‘The word of the Lord came to Samuel: “I regret that I have made Saul king for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.”’ 

God is definitely not a robot. Neither is He cold, separated and unapproachable.

Hence, while God is holy, He is also a person with a personality, one whom we can talk to (pray) and have a conversation with.

Matt 4:10; Luke 4:8

In Matt 4:10, during the Temptation of Jesus, Satan challenged Jesus to worship him and promised him good rewards. Jesus responded, ‘For it is written: worship the Lord your God and serve Him ONLY.’

The Greek word for ‘only’ in Matt 4:10 is mono or alone, only, solitary. In other words, there is no other one.

The Greek word for ‘worship’ is proskuneo which means to go down on one’s knees/ do obeisance/ worship.

God does not compete for our attention; He wants our hearts to obey Him fully and to always recognize Him as the only One who can demand our complete obedience.

In the Old Testament, God explicitly says,

‘I the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me’ (Ex 20:5).

The Hebrew word for ‘jealous’ is qanna or jealous. It means that we are not to give of ourselves to any other except God. Hence, the Old Testament is full of imagery of a marital relationship when it talks about the nation of Israel and its relationship with God.

How do we demonstrate our worship on something?

1 Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 3:9; 2 Peter 2:4-6

1 Peter 3:20 says that

‘God’s patience waited in the days of Noah’

even as Noah was building his ark. He was hoping that the people would still repent. When they did not, the Lord acted and flooded the earth with water so much so that only eight people of the family of Noah were saved. In 2 Peter 2:4, the Apostle Peter said that God even send the sinful angels to hell.

In 2 Peter 3:9, Peter explained why it was taking so long for Christ to return. He said,

‘The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you (us), not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.’

In these verses, Peter demonstrated to us that while God is love and patient, it does not mean that God will not act to neutralize evil. That point is, what renowned author Malcolm Gladwell has termed as the ‘tipping point’, defined as ‘the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point.’

The tipping point for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was ten and less righteous people; God told Abraham that He could not even find ten righteous people in the two cities (Gen 18:32) and that was why acted..

God is longsuffering and then our sins reach the tipping point. That is when God’s judgment will set in. 

Ask yourself what implication does it have on the second coming of Jesus? See D298, Jesus returns because the sings of this world will be overflowing.

Matt 20:23; Matt 24:36; Mark 10:40; Mark 13:32; Rom 9:15-18, 25-26

God, the Father, is at the pinnacle of the Trinity.

In Matt 20:23, when the mother of the sons of Zebedee requested that James and John to sit on the right and left of Jesus in his kingdom, Jesus shared that those seats were to be decided by the Father. 

Again, in Matt 24:36, Jesus said that only the Father knows when he would return. He even ruled himself out of that privilege. 

In the Trinity, there is a decider and that privilege belongs to the Father. Our marriages represent an imperfect mirror image of the Trinity; God has vested the man as the main decision-maker.

See also B75, Honor the structure within a family.

Matt 24:36; Mark 13:32; Acts 1:7

God, the Father, decides when Jesus will return; not even Jesus is aware of it. The verses in Matthew and Mark made that clear.

In Matt 24:36, Jesus said that only the Father knows when he would return.

Acts 1:7 says,

‘It is not for you (the disciples) to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.’

The final decision and authority belongs to God, the Father.

Matt 10:28; Luke 12:5; Acts 9:31; Acts 10:2, 22;  2 Cor 5:10-11; Eph 5:21; Eph 6:5; 1 Peter 2:17

Jesus gave us a logical reason why we should all fear God – Because God holds the authority to decide who ends up in heaven or hell (Luke 12:5) and because God is ultimately the One ‘who can destroy both soul and body in hell’ (Matt 10:28).

The Apostle Paul explained his rationale for being God-fearing in 2 Cor 5:10-11,

‘For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.’ 

Rev 20:15 reads,

‘And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.’

In the story of the rich man and Lazarus, the beggar, Jesus revealed the chasm between heaven and hell as being so wide that

‘those who would pass from here (heaven) to you (in hell) may not be able, and none may cross from there (hell) to us (in heaven)’ (Luke 16:26).

The Greek word for ‘fear’ is phobeo or fear/ dread/ reverence/ terrified.

It is a fear borne out of the fact that in God’s presence, we cannot wiggle our way out using our intelligence and rationale as God knows every of our motive, thought, word, and action and will judge us accordingly.

It is because of this positive fear that many eschew evil.

Prov 23:17 says,

‘Let not your heart envy sinners but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day’

and Prov 14:27 says,

‘The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life that one may turn away from the snares of death.’

Eccl 11:9 (NLT) says,

‘Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.’

When a society lacks the fear of the Lord, sin increases and there is no limit to evilness. Gen 6:5 says,

‘The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.’

See also D31, Jesus is the only way to God the Father and D11 – God is patient (longsuffering) but to a point when judgement sets in.

Acts 4:24; Acts 17:24

Acts 4:24 was a prayer of thanks from believers when Peter and John were released from prison. The believers exclaimed,

‘Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them.’

Paul said the same in Acts 17:24.

The God of the Bible created all things. He is not a god or one of the gods as in Hinduism; He is the Lord of lords and the God of gods, the Supreme One (Deut 10:17).

Matt 11:25; Luke 10:21

In Matt 11:25, Jesus called God the Father,

‘Lord of heaven and earth.’

It was also reported in Luke 10:21.

What does it mean when it says that He is the Lord of heaven and earth?

It means that God, the Father has authority over everything – in heaven as well as on earth. It means that he is in control and nothing happens without his permission.

Satan, for example, could only act if God has given permission. Consider Job 1:6-12 when God lavished praises on Job and when Satan accused God of over-protecting Job. Even Satan required permission from God before he could unleash his fury on Job.

The same can be seen in Luke 22:31-32 when Jesus revealed that Satan had asked to test Peter but was countered by Jesus’ prayer for Peter’s faith not to fail. God apparently allowed Jesus’ disciples to be harassed but only within his purpose and intention.

In the Old Testament, you will find these verses to reaffirm that God is in control …

Psalm 115:3 says,

‘Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.’

Prov 16:4 –

‘The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.’

Dan 2:21 –

‘He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.’

And, of course, Gen 1:1 –

‘In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.’

1 Corinthians 14:26-33, Ephesians 5:22, 26, and 6:1, Genesis 3:1

The Bible advocates order.

The church is an orderly place.  Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 14:26-33:

“What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.”

Marriage is an orderly institution. Ephesians 5:22, 25, and 6:1 read:

“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord …. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.”

And we have to put our faith in Jesus Christ if we want to reconcile our relationship with God, the Father, in order to be saved. Acts 16:31 says,

 “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

God has always been one of order. Even in the creation of the world as found in Genesis 1-2, there was a pattern. Every time one stage was completed, God would end with, ‘And it was good.’

However, just like the case of the serpent and Eve, the devil had come into the garden and planted deception in all of us with these words as found in Genesis 3:1, ‘Did God really say?’

The issues that we are now facing, include:

• Did God really say that there are only two genders?
• Did God really say that women cannot lead the household?
• Did God really say that marriage should only be between a man and a woman?

God is a God of order and his instructions are spelled out in the Bible, his handbook of how we ought to live while we are in this world.

See also D57, Jesus believed in order.

John 1:1-5, 14; John 14:10-11

John 1 begins,

‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning’ (John 1:1-2).

Then, in John 1:14, the Apostle John clarified,

‘The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.’

In John 14:11, Jesus said,

‘Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me.’

John effectively confirmed that Jesus is God and at the same time, He is the Word of God. 

In the Old Testament in Gen 1:1-3, we could see the Triune God in operation –

”In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. …… And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters ….. And God said, ‘Let there be light.’”

There was God, the Spirit of God, and then there was the Word – ‘God said’.

No doubt, it is a difficult concept to grasp.

Matt 16:16; Luke 22:70; John 1:1, 14; John 4:26; John 5:18; John 5:31-40; John 10:30; John 14:1, 7, 9; Phil 2:5-8;

In Matt 16:16, when asked by Jesus, ‘Who do you say I am?’, Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.’ Jesus confirmed Peter’s observation in the next verse when He said, ‘For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father who is in heaven.’

In John 1:14, the Apostle John described as follows: ‘The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.’

So, we know that in John 1:1, John had established the Word was God. Effectively, John claimed that Jesus was God incarnate.

In John 4:26, when the Samaritan woman whom Jesus had given a word of knowledge, shared about the Messiah, Jesus was unabashed when he said,

‘I who speak to you am He.’

In other words, Jesus was confirming that he was the Messiah, the anointed one.

In John 10:30, when speaking to the Jews (the religious leaders of His days), he responded,

‘I and the Father are One.’

The Jews then picked up stones and threw them at Him. Jesus then said, ‘Even though you do not believe me, believe the works’ (John 10:38). Jesus could make that claim through the countless numbers of miracles that he did while he was on earth.

In John 14:11, Jesus reiterated,

‘Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, OR ELSE believe on account of the works themselves.’  The miracles that he performed testified what he claimed to be.’

See D55, Jesus’ supernatural actions in front of eye-witnesses established his uniqueness and credentials.

Jesus had consistently claimed to be the Son of God and a co-equal with God. He said it to his disciples. He announced it to the Pharisees. In John 8:58, Jesus told the religious leaders unequivocally, ‘Before Abraham was, I am.’

When He was approached by the disciples of John the Baptist with the question, ‘Are you the One who was to come?’, Jesus replied,

‘Go and tell John what you have seen and heard; the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them’ (Luke 7:22).

Muslims do not accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God but believe that He was a prophet of Allah and a human being. Jesus, however, left no one in doubt about his claims to be a co-equal with God.

The late CS Lewis, a novelist and a scholar best known for his ‘Chronicles of Narnia’ series, summarized it best when he said:

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him [that is, Christ]: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic–on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg–or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse…. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

Please see D2, God is three in One, for more information.

John 5:18; Col 1:15; Heb 1:6;

Col 1:15 describes Jesus as the

‘firstborn of all creation’.

The Greek word is prototokos or first-born/ eldest. Meanwhile, in Heb 1:6, it says,

‘ …. When he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.”’

The term used was ‘first-born’ and not ‘first created’. Firstborn is a matter of rank, that is, someone who possesses the inheritance and leadership. In fact, the firstborn receives a double portion of blessings (Deut 21:17).

We know that Christ is a co-equal of God. There is much that we do not know what this means; like, was Jesus a created being that was elevated to the status of God by God, the Father (although it was never mentioned that he was created)?

We do not know enough and we probably do not need to know.

We are aware, however, that he submitted himself to God, the Father. In his most difficult period just before his crucifixion, he prayed and yielded to the Father,

‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless not my will but yours be done’ (Luke 22:42).

In Matt 3:17, we hear a voice from heaven that declared,

‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’

And when queried by the chief priests and scribes as to whether he was the Son of God, Jesus replied, ‘You say that I am’ (Luke 22:70); in other words, he did not reject their statement.

In fact, Jesus was crucified because, as the Jewish leaders said,

‘He called himself the Son of God’ (John 19:7).

Please see D2, God is three in One, for more information.

Heb 2:17; Heb 4:14; Heb 7:26-28

Heb 2:17 –

‘So He had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.’

Heb 4:14 –

‘Since then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.’

Heb 7:26-28 –

‘For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.’

Because of our sin, God had created a system whereby a priest could mediate on our behalf with God. The high priest was the chief religious leader and he came from the tribe of Levites, more specifically via Aaron’s bloodline  that had been designated by God to do specific priestly duties (Num 3:12). Once a year on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the High Priest would be cleansed and enter the Holy of Holies to make a sacrifice on behalf of the people.

Jesus had since taken over the role of the High Priest (Heb 4:14) as well as became our perfect sacrifice (Heb 10:14) when he gave up his life for us on the cross. Heb 7:11-17 says that Jesus followed the order of Melchizedek; we know through Scripture that Melchizedek was both King and Priest (Gen 14:18).

The most significant impact to have Jesus as our High Priest is that we can now –

‘with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need’ (Heb 4:16).

There is no more an earthly mediator but rather that we can pray directly to God through Jesus Christ. Let that sink in.

Luke 24:25-27; John 5:39, 46-47; John 7:42; Heb 1:1-3

In John 5:30 (NLT), Jesus told his audience that

‘The Scriptures (Old Testament) point to me (Jesus)’.

He then went on and said that Moses wrote about him too.

There are many verses in the Old Testament that testify about Jesus’ first coming. Let us look at just a few within the Book of Isaiah, a book written about 700 years before the birth of Christ, with special emphasis on Isaiah 53. Here are the verses that point towards Jesus:

• Isa 7:14 – Jesus would be born of a virgin from the house of David (Luke 1:26-31 testifies to Jesus’ virgin birth),
• Isa 53:1 – He would be widely rejected (John 12:37-38 confirms that),
• Isa 53:4-5 – He would bear our sins and sorrows (Rom 4:25 speaks of it),
• Isa 53:5 – There would be our blood atonement (You can find that in John 19:34 and Rom 8:3),
• Isa 53:6 – He would be our substitute for that atonement (See Rom 5:6-8),
• Isa 53:7 – It would be a voluntary act (This is confirmed in Luke 23:9),
• Isa 53:9 – He would be buried in a rich man’s tomb (See Matt 27:57-60),
• Isa 53:12 – He would die for our sins (See John 3:16),
• Isa 53:12 – He would be numbered with transgressors (This is confirmed in Matt 27:38),

Some Non-Christians may argue that the Old Testament is not a reliable document and parts of it could have been written AFTER the birth of Christ in order to make it more authentic.  

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls provides a clear explanation of why the Old Testament is an accurate document that has stood the test of time.

The Dead Sea Scrolls

South of Jerusalem lies the Dead Sea, It is 420m below sea level or 1,378 feet and is the lowest point on the earth in terms of land not covered by water. It is also the world’s richest source of natural salts. On the way to the Dead Sea from Jerusalem, we will pass by Qumran caves.

In 1947, just a year before Israel became a nation, a handful of young Bedouin shepherds discovered some ancient manuscripts in a cave at Qumran. These manuscripts eventually found their way to Dr John C Trever, of the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR) who confirmed the value and authenticity of the discovery.

Subsequently, more excavations were carried out and about 15,000 fragments representing the remains of 800 to 900 original manuscripts were documented.

Most of the manuscripts provide experts with insights into how the community at Qumran lived during that time, reflecting ancient Jewish belief and practice. But about a quarter of the texts are biblical manuscripts.

Some are in complete sets, including:

• Five copies of Genesis,
• Eight copies of Exodus,
• One copy of Leviticus,
• Fourteen copies of Deuteronomy,
• Two copies of Joshua,
• Three copies of Samuel,
• One copy of Proverbs
• Twelve copies of Isaiah,
• Four copies of Jeremiah,
• Three copies of Daniel, and
• Eight copies of the minor prophets,

Several different scientific methods of testing concluded that these manuscripts are from the period of between third century BC (300 BC) and the first century AD (100 AD). For more information, click HERE.

The Dead Sea Scrolls and Biblical Significance

Before the discovery, the oldest Hebrew-language manuscripts of the Bible (Old Testament) were dated around AD 1000. These manuscripts were prepared by Jewish scholars, known as the Masoretes, between AD 500 and AD 950. Hence, they were called Masoretic Text. For more information, click HERE.  The Dead Sea Scrolls pushed the date back to 300 BC.

By having these various sets, experts were able to compare the older Dead Sea manuscripts with the ‘newer’ Masoretic Text. It was the moment of truth – the Dead Sea Scrolls would either affirm or repudiate the reliability of the Masoretic manuscripts.

What these experts discovered was the unusual accuracy of transmission. Despite the two sets being more than a thousand years apart, they are almost identical.

Our current Old Testament Bible was translated from the Masoretic text. As the Masoretic text are considered reliable copies of the original works, we can be assured that our current Bible bears the same value as well. For more information, click HERE and HERE.

Mathematically, here are the equations:

• Masoretic text (around AD 1000) = Our current Old Testament Bible,
• Dead Sea Scrolls (around 300 BC) = Masoretic text (Confirmation by scholars). Therefore,
• Dead Sea Scrolls = Our current Old Testament Bible.

Conclusion: The Dead Sea Scrolls and Isaiah

Twelve copies of Isaiah were found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. They ratify that the Book of Isaiah that we have today is the same as that written during the period of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Truly, the Prophet Isaiah did prophesied about Jesus when he wrote the Book of Isaiah – like chapters 53 and 61.

John 1:14; John 4:6; Phil 2:5-8

When sin came into the earth through Adam, God had a plan. That plan involved His son coming down from heaven to earth in order to go to the cross.

Imagine, the richest man in the world, a man who lives in immeasurable opulence where everything is within his grasp. Yet, a man who decides to give up all in order to move to the streets of Calcutta and minister among lepers and the untouchables. How many of us would do that?

Now, consider what the Son of God did. Phil 2:5-8 says, 

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

God could have chosen not to be on earth. After all, Jesus is co-equal with God. But Jesus, the Son, chose to become a man and that is part of the measure of salvation.

Luke 1:31-35

In Luke 1:31, it reads,

‘And behold you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus …’

It carries on in Luke 1:34 when Mary said to the angel,

‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’

Mary had conceived the baby without having sex with anyone; her egg was not fertilized by a sperm but rather through the ‘overshadowing’ of the Almighty (Luke 1:35). It was conceived supernaturally as God needed a conduit to allow himself to gain a passage into the world. It was not as if God had sex with Mary in order to create a baby. 

Ultimately, God is God and he could have chosen a spacecraft to deliver a baby on earth just like Superman. Yet, God decided for Jesus to come into the world in the most natural way in order to gain the complete experience of being human.

Heb 4:15 called Jesus our ‘high priest’ who could understand our weaknesses and have been

‘tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin.’

Matt 26:63-64; Mark 1:24; Mark 3:11; Mark 5:7; Mark 8:29; Mark 9:7; Luke 8:28; John 3:18; John 6:29; John 14:11-13; 1 John 5:10; Col 2:9; Col 1:15

Evil spirits acknowledged Jesus as the Son of God. Mark 3:11 echoes the words of these spirits, ‘You are the Son of God.’ It was repeated in Mark 5:7,

‘What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?’

At the Mount of Transfiguration, a voice from heaven boomed,

‘This is my beloved Son; listen to Him’ (Mark 9:7).

Peter, his disciple, after spending time and observing Jesus for a period of time, called him the Messiah (Mark 8:29).

Jesus testified that He was indeed God’s Son in John 3:18 and one who was sent by God (John 6:29).

Jesus had always claimed that He was God’s Son. When the High Priest asked him in Matt 26:63-64 (NIV),

‘I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God,’

Jesus responded, ‘You have said so.’ Jesus, in the flesh, made the ultimate claim – that He was indeed the Messiah, the Son of God.

So, we know He was 100% the Son of God. He was the ‘image of the invisible God’ (Col 1:15).

Yet, He was 100% man – Col 2:9 says,

‘For in him, the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.’ 

See D25, Jesus was human which explains his humanity.

Matt 21:18; Matt 26:39; Mark 11:12; John 4:7; John 19:28; Heb 4:15

How do we know that Jesus was human?

1. He was hungry. Matt 21:18 says, ‘In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry.’
2. He was wearied from his journey. John 4:6.
3. He was thirsty. John 4:7 says, ‘Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”’
4. He struggled emotionally just before going to the cross. Matt 26:39, ‘And going little farther and bowed with his face to the ground ….’
5. He cried. John 11:35 has the shortest verse in the entire Bible. It simply reads, ‘Jesus wept.’
6. He got angry with an unfruitful fig tree. Mark 11:14 said he cursed a fig tree that had leaves but not fruit.

Heb 4:15 says,

‘But one (Jesus) who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.’

Remember, Jesus was not exactly like one of the X-men or Superman. He was most ordinary in every way although there were sufficient demonstrations of his divinity. 

Matt 2:2; Matt 27:11; Mark 8:29; Mark 14:61-62; Mark 15:2, 26; John 5:18, 22-24; John 19:7, 19, 22

Even before Jesus was born, magi (wise men) from the east came to Jerusalem seeking the ‘King of the Jews’ (Matt 2:2); they were looking for Jesus.

Again, just before Jesus was crucified and at his trial, Pilate asked Him whether he was indeed King of the Jews. In Mark 15:2, Jesus replied, ‘You have said it.’ In other words, he acknowledged the title. And it was for that reason that Pilate sentenced Jesus to death on the crucifix after much pressure from the leading priests (John 19:7).

Yes, despite the heavy objection raised by leading priests, Pilate placed a sign above the crucifix that read, ‘Jesus of Narazeth, the King of the Jews’ (Mark 15:26) in three languages – Aramaic, Latin, and Greek – so that many people could read it (John 19:20).

The Old Testament has many prophecies projecting the arrival of Mashiach (in Hebrew), or the Messiah. These verses included Dan 9:25 as well as Isa 32:1. The prophecies also dictated that the Messiah would come from the line of David (2 Sam 7:12-16) and he would arrive with power as King of the forever kingdom (Jer 23:5-6). 

The Greek equivalent for the Hebrew term Mashiach is ‘Christ’ which basically means ‘anointed one’ or ‘chosen one.’ The Book of Matthew addresses Jesus as the Christ (the Messiah) even right from Matt 1:1 and the Apostle Peter declared in Matt 16:16 that Jesus was the Christ, the son of the Living God.

The Jews could never regard Jesus as Mashiach as they could not understand how a king would choose the path of the crucifix.

Hence, in John 19:15, the leading priests shouted back at Pilate, ‘We have no king but Caesar’; for these Jews, they had not been able to reconcile the prophecies of Isaiah 53 – a suffering King.

Jesus is first and foremost the king of the Jews. See also D300, Jesus returns to defeat Satan ….

Matt 1:6, 12; Luke 3:31; John 7:42; (Jer 15-30)

In Jer 33:15-26, 2 Sam 7:12, and Isa 11:1-3, these verses explain that the Messiah (or Mashiach, in Hebrew) would descend from the bloodline of David. In Jer 33:20, God made it clear that it was a covenant that cannot be broken. 

Micah 5:2 explains that Bethlelem had been chosen as the place where the Messiah would come forth. That was how King Herod knew after enquiring from his wise men that the male child would be born there and passed an order to kill off all the baby boys in Bethlehem (Matt 2:16). 

Both Matt 1 and Luke 3 publish the genealogy of Jesus. Both indicated that King David was indeed Jesus’ forefather. But there is one subtle difference –

• Matt 1:6 shows the kingly route of Solomon while
• Luke 3:31 reports that Jesus came via Nathan, a less prominent son of King David. 

Why so?

Because the kingly route via Solomon was cursed; Jeconiah, a king and a descendant of Solomon, was cursed in Jer 22:30 with these words,

‘Let the record show that this man, Jeconiah, was childless. He is a failure for none of his children will succeed him on the throne of David to rule over Judah.’

Here is the hypothesis because Scripture is unclear; there are two genealogies – one from the line of Joseph and another from the line of Mary. Matt 1 represents the line of Joseph and Luke 3 is that from the line of Mary. And because Jesus was born of a virgin, Matt 1 is not significant but given a mention.

Whichever, both represent a promise kept by God from Jer 33:20.

NB: Mary was undoubtedly a most godly lady to be selected as the conduit of God’s son. While Mary was the earthly mother of Jesus and Jesus submitted to her when he was young, in recognition of the earthly family structure (Luke 2:51),

Mary could never be described as ‘the Mother of God’, and therefore someone who was a co-equal or even more powerful than the God of the Trinity. Nor does she warrant our worship (See D109 – Man is not to be worshiped, for more information).

John 6:15; John 18:36

‘Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself’ – John 6:15.

D27 says that Jesus is the King of the Jews. Yet, he never wanted to be an earthly king. Jesus said in John 18:36 that His ‘Kingdom is not of this world.’ At least not until when He returns to earth a second time. Please see D303 – Jesus will rule peacefully and with an iron-hand rule for 1,000 years after his return.

Jesus came to become a king within our hearts and minds. Luke 17:21 says,

‘The kingdom of God is in the midst of you.’

The Greek word for ‘in the midst of you’ is entos and may also mean within or inside. And it cannot be detected by visible or observable signs (v20).

When we repent and become born-again, we move into his kingdom. Col 1:13 reads,

‘He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son.’

Jesus wants to be king in our lives. It is currently a spiritual one but eventually it will also be a physical kingdom.

John 19:4; Heb 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22; 1 John 1:5

Heb 4:15 describes Jesus as our sympathetic high priest who had ‘in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.’ This is reaffirmed in 1 Peter 2:22 which says,

‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.’

Why is it so important that Jesus was sinless?

This is a critical Christian doctrine.

In the Old Testament, animal sacrifices had to be made in order for men to be reconciled to a holy and perfect God. God had laid down certain rules that it was not just any ordinary animal.

Lev 9:2 says that the animal has to be perfect or one that is ‘without defect/ blemish.’ Lev 22:19 repeats that – ‘a male without defect from the cattle, the sheep, or the goats.’

This animal then had to be killed and the blood used to sprinkle on the front of the mercy seat (Lev 16:14). It was a serious, bloody, and solemn affair.

When Jesus died on the cross, He became our perfect sacrifice ‘once for all’ (Heb 7:27). We are, as in 1 Peter 1:18-20, redeemed by the ‘precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.’ 

It was the sinless blood of Christ alone that reconciled us back to God (Col 1:20).

John 1:29; 1 Cor 5:7; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 Peter 2:24; Heb 9:14; Heb 10:11-14

John the Baptist described Jesus as ‘the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29). Paul called Jesus ‘our Passover Lamb (that) has been sacrificed’ (1 Cor 5:7).

And 1 Peter 1:18-19 –

‘a lamb unblemished, and spotless, the blood of Christ.’ 

What is the Passover Lamb?

The Passover Lamb is an animal sacrifice instituted by God to the Jewish people to perform once a year on the evening of the Passover. It originated on the night of the Exodus from Egypt and is symbolical to demonstrate the need for a sacrifice in view of the condition of our hearts..

Exodus 12 has a complete description of the Passover Lamb. On the eve of the Passover, a lamb or goat was selected for sacrifice. There were specific criteria – that it should be a male, one year old, and without blemish. Each family would select an animal. The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel would slaughter these animals at twilight. Once done, they were to smear some of the blood on the two side posts and tops of the door frames of the houses.

On that night, the angel of death would pass through the land of Egypt striking and killing every firstborn male whose households did not have the blood on their doorposts.

D29 shows that Jesus was indeed sinless. D30 completes the picture how Jesus became our perfect Passover Lamb (1 Cor 5:7).

John 10:9; John 14:6; Matt 11:27

Someone said,

“Jesus must be selfish. Does he think he is God to make such a claim?” 

Jesus had always said that He was the Messiah; that He was God, and that He was the only way to the Father (God). 

In John 10:9, Jesus said,

‘I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.’

John 14:6 reads,

‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,’

and in Matt 11:27, Jesus reiterated,

‘No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son.’

He said in John 10:38,

‘Even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.’

He said that the miracles he did, testified of himself.

Jesus always said that he was God.

In fact, he is the only historical religious leader who claimed to be God (or the Son of God, a co-equal with God).

Not even the founder of Islam, Mohammad dared to lay such a claim. Quran 46:9 says, ‘I am not something original among the messengers; nor do I know what will be done with me, or with you. I only follow that which is revealed to me, and I am not but a clear warner.’ Neither did Buddha.

CS Lewis, the great philosopher, lecturer, and author of the Narnia series, said, 

‘I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.’

John 8:31-32; John 14:6; John 17:17, Eph 6:14;

Of all religious leaders, Jesus was the only one who unapologetically proclaimed himself to be ‘the Truth’. In John 14:6, he said,

‘I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father except through me.’

In John 8:31-32, he equated his word as ‘truth’ and said that his word will make a person free.

The Greek word for ‘truth’ is aletheia or truth/ truth of idea, reality, sincerity/ truth in the moral sphere/ divine truth revealed to man.

In John 18:37, Jesus said to Pilate,

‘I was born and have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’

To which Pilate, like many of us replied sarcastically, ‘What is truth?’ Jesus never deviated from his daring claim.

Here is what we know:

• Jesus called himself ‘the Truth’ (John 14:6),
• He was full of truth’ (John 1:14),
• Jesus spoke the truth (John 8:40-46); he kept/ keeps promises. That is why Christians are taught to keep promises . For more information, please read B262 – Make a promise, keep a promise,
• He taught about truth (John 8:31-32), and
• He ‘bear witness to the truth’ (John 18:37).

For every genuine Rolex watch, there exists alongside it fake ones.

Similarly, if there is truth, then there will be false, fake, untruth and deception (which is a major form of untruth);

NB: Deception is far more dangerous since a lie may be hidden within the truth.

Christians stand for (absolute) truth and do not celebrate shades of truths. It is unsurprising that Christians are mocked for standing up to absolute truth; please note that Christians are also ‘love’. See B117, Love our neighbor as ourselves.

‘I have given them your word and the world has hated them; for they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world’ (John 17:14).

See D224 – Jesus is Grace and Truth.

John 1:4; John 10:10; John 11:25; John 14:6

Jesus is the life and the opposite of death.

John 1:4 explains that

‘in him was life’ (Note: Not death). And not just life, ‘but to have it abundantly’ (John 10:10).

Jesus wanted us to have lots of life, or lively.

In John 5:24, he reiterated that those who believe in

‘him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment but has passed from death to life (at that very moment).’

In John 11:25, Jesus said to Martha,

‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.’ 

Jesus continues to give life.

He was unequivocal; he promised life after death.

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life – John 14:6.

The Greek word for ‘life’ is zoe or life – both physical (present) and spiritual (particularly future) existence. He impacts our present life and he had promised us our future existence to be with him.

When a believer faces a death/ life situation, a believer must not forget that Jesus holds the keys to our lives (both present and future).

Indeed, Jesus lives so that we can be assured we will live forever – 1 Cor 15:12-20.

Matt 11:27; Luke 10:22; John 1:18; John 3:16; John 8:19; John 10:30; John 12:49; John 14:7, 9-10, 20; John 17:25-26

Jesus said, in Matt 11:27,

‘All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’

Only Jesus knows the Father and it is He who can reveal the Father to us.

Again, in John 1:18, the Apostle John wrote,

‘No one has ever seen God: the only God, who is at the Father’s side, He (Jesus) has made Him (Father) known.’

And if we know Jesus, we would know the Father because he said in John 8:19,

‘If you knew me, you would know my Father also’’

It is also seen in John 10:30,

‘I and the Father are one.’

Finally, in John 17:26, Jesus explained,

‘I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known …’

The purpose of Jesus’ becoming a human  is to make known to us who God, the Father, truly is. When we know Jesus, we know the Father.

Jesus’ compassion and love for sinners had been shown repeatedly. Like the Samaritan woman at the well who had five husbands (John 4:18) or the thief who died next to him on the crucifix (Luke 23:43). He healed because he was compassionate (Matt 14:14). His advice remains the same, ‘Go, and from now on, sin no more.’

If Jesus was compassion, then compassion would also be an important part of God’s character.

His preserved word, the Bible, revealed who He was (and is). The Holy Spirit brings us into a relationship with Him.

If we have encountered Jesus, we would have met God.

Mark 5:17; Mark 6:48; Luke 15:12

After freeing a demon-possessed man from his torment by releasing the demons into a large herd of 2,000 pigs, the pigs then rushed down a steep slope into the lake and drowned. Instead of celebrating with this once-despised man, the villagers came out and begged Jesus to leave them alone (Mark 5:17).

Again, in Mark 6:47, it said that while the disciples were having trouble controlling their boat because of ‘the wind and waves’, Jesus came toward them walking on the water and ‘he intended to go past them’ (Mark 6:48). He only stopped and climbed into the boat when they cried out in terror.

One thing that we know, neither Jesus nor the Holy Spirit, will ever impose on us. He may gently remind us who He is. But if we ignore him, He will allow us to continue our path.

See also D78, The Holy Spirit never imposes

Matt 8:31; Mark 1:34; Mark 5:8; Mark 16:9; Luke 4:41; Luke 8:32; Luke 9:1; Luke 10:17; Luke 11:14; Luke 22:31; Phil 2:10

There is no doubt that Satan is powerful. In Matt 24:24, Jesus said that these false messiahs (workers of Satan) will

‘appear and perform great signs and wonders so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect (Christians).’

But Jesus is more powerful than Satan. Demons had to obey his voice and leave (Mark 5:8). In addition, in Matt 8:31, when Jesus was casting demons out of a man, they also had to seek permission from Jesus before entering into a large herd of pigs. Jesus could also prevent the demons from speaking (Mark 1:34, Luke 4:41). And under the voice of Jesus, they had to answer his queries (Mark 5:9).

Only with the permission of Jesus could Satan act. We see that in Luke 22:31 when Jesus said,

‘Simon, Simon, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.’

This is consistent relative to verses in the Old Testament. In Job 1:6-22, only with the permission of God could Satan harmed Job. Even that, God protected Job’s life (Job 1:11).

It is as if God is the owner of the property and Satan is the occupier with a specific tenancy period. While Satan can do many things within the property, he does not have permission over everything; for instance, he still requires God’s clearance before he can act like the case for Job and Peter.

Readers might want to note that Jesus’ disciples had the same delegated authority from Jesus and they could also cast out demons (Luke 9:1, Luke 10:17).

See also D92, Satan is the prince of this world.

Matt 18:11; Luke 19:10; John 11:50-52; Rom 4:25; 1 Cor 15:1-3; Heb 9:28

In Matt 18:11, Jesus declared in the parable of the lost sheep – that the

‘Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.’

What was ‘lost’?

We were once spiritually lost without knowing God personally. Our sins separated us from God. But God wanted to fellowship with us and that was only possible through a blood sacrifice.

Jesus became that permanent blood sacrifice through his death on the cross. See D30, Jesus became our perfect Passover Lamb.

Through his death and resurrection, we were reconciled to God; we were found and saved by Jesus Christ.

See also D34,  Jesus’ purpose on earth was to reveal to us God, the Father.

Matt 26:42; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42; John 10:17-18; John 12;24, 32; John 15:13; 1 John 3:16

Phil 2:6-8 (NLT) says,

‘Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he (chose to) gave up his divine privileges he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.’

Jesus chose to humble Himself to go to the cross. It was not exactly a situation that Jesus wanted to be in when he said in Mark 14:36,

‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will but what you will.’

Why did Jesus pray that prayer? Because dying on the cross was a most cruel death. On top of that, Jesus, the Son of God, was subject to additional punishment and demeaning insults before he finally died:

1. He was scourged (severely bitten with a multi-lashed whip consisting of embedded pieces of bone and metal) (Matt 27:26, Mark 15:15),
2. He was forced to wear a twisted crown of thorns on his head (Matt 27:29),
3. He was struck on his head with a reed and spat at by soldiers guarding him (Mark 15:19),
4. He was stripped of his robe (Matt 27:31),
5. He carried his own cross until when he could not manage anymore. Then, Simon of Cyrene was compelled by the Roman soldiers to take over (Matt 27:32),
6. He was nailed to the cross (John 19:23, Luke 24:39)
7. He was mocked by the chief priests, the scribes and elders as well as the watching public (Matt 27:41-43).

Yet, Jesus chose to obey the will and the eternal plan of God.

In John 10:18, Jesus explained,

‘No one can take my life from me, but I sacrifice it voluntarily.’

It was an act of Jesus’ will – his own choice and decision.

Mark 9:9-10; Luke 24:46; 1 Cor 15:4; Matt 12:40

This is by far, the most significant Christian doctrine that differentiates Jesus from all other religions – the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Of all religious leaders, Jesus is the only one who was dead but is now alive; His tomb is the only empty one. None can compare to him.

Prove that Jesus is dead and the fundamental basis of Christianity collapses.

Many people had attempted to do that. Among them, were prominent Christian authors like Frank Morrison, Lee Strobel, and Josh McDowell; both Strobel and McDowell are still ministering in our current times.

Here is the secret –

They were not Christians when they started on the journey; they wanted to disprove the resurrection in order to become famous. But they were genuine about the objectivity of the challenge. All ended up becoming born-again, passion-filled Christians and writing books on why they believed the resurrection to be true.

Strobel is exceptional because he is trained both as a lawyer and a journalist. McDowell’s challenge resulted in him writing an evergreen bestselling book acknowledging the resurrection of Jesus Christ – ‘Evidence that demands a verdict.’ 

Amazingly, both McDowell’s and Strobel’s children are continuing their legacies – McDowell’s son, Sean McDowell is an Assistant Professor on Historical Theology, and Strobel’s son, Kyle, is an Assistant Professor of Scripture and Theology.

1 Cor 15:4 says,

‘That He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.’ Paul then went on to reiterate, ‘If Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.’

Basically, it means that if the resurrection did not take place, all believers would have been doomed because we had believed in a lie; there would be no light at the end of the tunnel.

Paul then said in v18,

‘If our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.’ How true and how miserable will we be?

But then, the fact that if the resurrection is true means that it provides us with hope, encouragement and even the willingness to lay down our lives for the cause of Jesus Christ. It pushes men to do incredible and incredulous things.

Jesus was not a myth. His resurrection motivated his twelve disciples to die for him. In fact, Jesus prophesied the death of the Apostle Peter in John 21:18 –

‘Truly, truly I tell you, when you were young, you dressed yourself and walked where you wanted; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.’ 

The early church fathers were unanimous in claiming that Peter died in Rome, by crucifixion, during the persecution of Nero in AD 64. Some said that he was crucified upside down. The early church fathers also acknowledged that all the apostles were martyred except for John.

Why would all his disciples lay down their lives if Jesus was not God? What motivated them to do so? After all, they knew him intimately.

In addition, how did Christianity spread when it first started?

The Book of Acts provided us with examples – It was through preaching, healing, as well as signs and wonders. It was also through the willingness of his disciples to give up their own lives for the cause of Jesus; for example, James, the brother of John, became the first martyr of Christ (Acts 12:2).

How did the other religions spread their teaching when they first started?

Most, like Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, came from the endorsement of emperors of those days.

Islam’s early evangelism strategy involved conquests, negotiation, and the sword. And anyone who is born into a Muslim family is automatically a Muslim. Renunciation of the faith is considered an apostasy justifiable with ostracization as well as potentially the death penalty.

The resurrection of Jesus is the foremost foundation of Christianity. Destroy it and Christianity will be nothing but a myth.

Luke 24:39; John 20:14-17

Jesus came back in a resurrected body; it was not a spirit.

Luke 24:39 says,

‘See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’

Readers might like to note that it is not ‘flesh and blood’ but ‘flesh and bones’.

Then, in Luke 24:41-42, Jesus ate a broiled fish in front of them.

In John 20:14-17, it showed that people could touch and feel Jesus. Jesus’ resurrected body was a physical one.

Acts 1:3; 2 Peter 1:16; John 21:24; Acts 1:21-22; Acts 5:32; 1 Cor 15:5-8

Jesus’ resurrection was not a secret. Acts 1:3 says, ‘He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.’ Amazingly, He ministered with a resurrected body for more than a month and even ate with them (Acts 1:4).

In Acts 1:9 explains that he was then taken up to heaven watched by many of his disciples.

In 2 Peter 1:16, the Apostle Peter made it clear that they were ‘eyewitnesses of his majesty.’

The Apostle John wrote quite a similar line when he concluded in the Book of John (John 21:24) –

‘This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we KNOW that his testimony is true.’

Finally, in selecting a disciple to replace Judas Ischariot, the eleven disciples were so precise that they had to select ‘one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us’ (Acts 1:21). 

His disciples were not disillusioned nor did they gain financially from being associated with Jesus. The truth is, these were men were prepared to die for Jesus and many did.

More than that, 1 Cor 15:5 made it clear that Jesus

‘appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now (were still alive when the letter was written by Paul).’

Imagine – ‘appearing to them (disciples) during forty days’ (length of time) and ‘appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time’ (the number) – and these eye-witnesses were always ready to die for Jesus.

Matt 5:17; Rom 10:4; 1 Cor 15:20-23; Gal 3:13

Matt 5:17 –

‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.’

Rom 10:4 –

‘Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.’

And Gal 3:13 explains how Christ fulfilled the law –

‘Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.’

Jesus completes the redemption picture. Please see D29 and D30 to explain why Jesus became our Passover Lamb. The Old Testament provides us a picture of who we are – We are but sinners. It laid down the requirements that only a perfect blood sacrifice could help to reconcile us to God and during the old days such an offering had to be carried out on a regular basis.

But Jesus Christ became our perfect sacrifice (being sinless – D29) and his death on the cross thus fulfill the law once and for all (Heb 10:9-10). Hence, we are now no more under the law of Moses but under the law of Christ (Gal 3:23-25) which is grace. 

Gal 3:23-25 (NLT) –

‘Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed. Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.’

Imagine if a person has committed a crime, for example, bank robbery. Now consider the fact that the criminal has to go before a judge. The judge pronounces the criminal as guilty; the criminal must be punished because the law requires it. There is no way that the criminal can make restitution. But what if the judge decides to come to the rescue of the criminal? What if the judge steps down from the stand and takes the punishment on behalf of the defendant?

That is the story of how Jesus’ death on the cross fulfilled the law. That is the love of God on all humanity.

Luke 10:18-19; John 16:11; Rom 16:20; Heb 2:14; Col 1:13; Col 2:14-15

Interestingly, Scripture never says that Jesus defeated Satan completely on the cross although it is a quite a popular view among many churches. By dying on the cross, Jesus managed to ‘destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery (in other words, no more fear of death)’ (Heb 2:14-15).

Satan is the prince of this world. Jesus said so in John 16:11, calling Satan –

‘the ruler/ prince of this world is judged.’

The Greek word is archon or ruler/ governor/ leading man.

In 1 John 5:19, it says that

‘the (whole) world around us is under the control of the evil one.’

The Greek word for ‘world’ is cosmos, or the world/ universe/ inhabitants of the world.

Satan is definitely not powerless but he is far from being all powerful (See D36, Jesus is more powerful than Satan). 

For example, we are greater than Satan – ‘For he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world’ (1 John 4:4). The seventy-two followers of Jesus could testify, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name’ (Luke 10:17).

Rom 16:20 says,

‘The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.’

Satan is not yet completely crushed. That day will arrive with the second coming of Christ, the day of the Lord. 

Please see D300, Jesus returns to defeat Satan, and D301, Satan will be bound during Christ’s millennium rule.

Please also See D89 to D102 about Satan for a better understanding.

1 Cor 15:55-57

1 Cor 15:55-57 –

‘Death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’

Jesus said, in John 14:19,

‘Because I live, you also will live.’

Jesus also said in John 11:25-26 (NLT),

‘I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die.’

His resurrection, D39, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, is everything. It means Jesus had defeated death and we can be assured that we will rise with Him too.

In Ecclesiastes 9:5, the Preacher  lamented,

‘For the living know that they will die but the dead know nothing, and they have no reward for the memory of them is forgotten.’

It is a situation of hopelessness.

• For people who believe in reincarnation like Buddhism or Hinduism, death is the end of everything. 
• For Muslims who do not know where they are going at death. It is a sense of hopelessness and meaninglessness because death carries a certain dread of a big unknown. 

The good news is, Jesus defeated death although death has not yet been abolished (1 Cor 15:26). 

Hence, Christians can be encouraged by the words in Rev 12:11, ‘ …. For they loved not their lives even unto death.’ There is no fear in the face of death.

See D47, Jesus will destroy death at the end to complete the picture.

1 Cor 15:24

1 Cor 15:24 reads,

‘Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.’

The kingdom of God currently resides in the hearts of his believers.  See D28, Jesus never wanted to be an earthly king.

When Jesus returns, he will defeat Satan and establish a physical kingdom (See D300, Jesus returns to defeat Satan). It will be the start of the forever kingdom of our Lord Jesus (Rev 11:15).

1 Cor 15:24; Phil 2:9-11

1 Cor 15:24 reads, ‘Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.’

Phil 2:9-11 says –

‘Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name (because of that one defining moment – when Jesus chose obedience to go to the cross), so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth (universal ruler), and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’

At the end, Jesus will reign supreme as the eternal king of our universe. It is almost like a perfect movie. God wins, and Satan is forever defeated and banished to hell.

See D300, Jesus returns to defeat Satan.

1 Cor 15:26; Rev 20:14

The Bible lays down the sequence of events chronologically when it says in 1 Cor 15:25-26, ‘For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet (which implies that his enemies are still existing now).

The last enemy to be destroyed is death (in D44, Jesus defeated death, we know that death has not been defeated just yet).

That day will come at the very end of times when ‘Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire’ (Rev 20:14) – NB: Death is personified.

To understand where is Hades, please see this link.

Believers know we can all live again because Jesus has become the ‘first fruit’ of resurrection (1 Cor 15:23); that is, Jesus’ resurrection proved that believers will all be resurrected eventually.

Rom 4:13; Heb 11:6

We are made righteous by our faith in Jesus. Rom 4:13 declares –

‘For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith (in Jesus).’

See also D30, Jesus became our perfect Passover Lamb and D37, Jesus came to save that which was lost.

John 10:10; 2 Cor 5:17-19; Eph 2:16; Heb 8:6

2 Cor 5:17-19 says –

‘Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.’

Quite simply, Jesus reconciled us to God through the cross. See D30, Jesus became our perfect passover lamb, and D31, Jesus is the ONLY way to God, the Father.

Rom 8:34; 

Rom 8:34 says,

‘Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.’

Hebrews 7:25 says,

‘Therefore, He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him since He always lives to make intercession for them.’

The Greek word for intercession is entugchano or call upon, make a petition, or supplication.

In Luke 22:32, Jesus prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail. Apparently, Satan was also making his request to the Father to

‘sift each of you like wheat’ (Luke 22:31).

Jesus did the same in John 17 when in v10 he prayed, ‘Holy Father, protect them by Your name, the name You gave Me, …’

Just like in Job 1:6-12 when Satan was accusing Job and Luke 22:31, Satan also makes request to God for our souls.

But now, here lies the difference, we have Jesus interceding on our behalf. 1 Tim 2:5 says,

‘There is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.’

It is beyond our understanding of how intercession works but we can learn that it is powerful and that Jesus is interceding on our behalf to God just like He had interceded for Peter; Jesus is neutralizing the effects of Satan.

John 3:16; John 17:2-3; John 12:48;  Rom 8:1-4

The ever popular John 3:16 assures us that

‘Everyone who believes in him (Jesus) will not perish but have eternal life.’

John 17:2-3,

‘(Jesus may) give eternal life to all whom you (God the Father) have given him (Jesus). And this is eternal life, that they know you (God the Father), the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.’

The Greek word for ‘believes’ is pisteuo or believe/ have faith in/ trust in. It is more than a superficial belief but one that requires us to put our money where our mouth is. Jesus demands that we trust him totally and walk according to his instructions.

But by putting our faith (Yes, our trust) in Him, Jesus promised us eternal life (with the Father).

The flipside of not trusting in God is that

‘whoever does not believe (in Jesus) is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God’ (John 3:18).

What condemns us?

John 12:48 says that our rejection of the words spoken of by Jesus will be that which condemn us on the day of judgment.

Acts 9:5

In Acts 9:5, Jesus came and spoke directly to a persecuting zealot of Christians – the Pharisee Saul. When Saul asked the ‘voice’ who he was, the ‘voice’ said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.’  Jesus was speaking directly to someone who tortured Christians.

And Saul, unlike Cornelius in Acts 10, was not even praying to God.

Why does God speak to some people and not others? Why does God use some ‘ungodly men’ for his purpose?

We will never know, but God can and have spoken to non-believers directly. In recent times, we hear that God is speaking more and more to Muslims. 

We cannot and should never limit what God can do and who he uses. Otherwise, He is not God.

Matt 9:2; Mark 2:5-12; Luke 5:20; Luke 7:48-49; Gal 1:13 

Jesus was about to heal a paralyzed man but before He did, He told the man, ‘Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven’ (Matt 9:2). 

Again, in Luke 7:48, a woman came into the house with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume which she poured on his head. She carried on by wiping his feet with her hair with her tears. Jesus turned to her and said, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’

There were two things that Jesus was interested in doing –

• He always sought to forgive someone of his/ her sins, and then
• He would advise the person not to sin anymore.

Why did He do that?

In the case of the paralyzed man, it showed that he was indeed God because after he had uttered words of forgiveness, he carried on and healed the man.

Forgiveness released the burden of the guilty; sins can and do weigh us down.

Jesus forgives us our sins when we come to seek him, just like the woman with the alabaster box of perfume whom the Lord uttered those words of forgiveness.

Only God can forgive our sins, something which Jesus demonstrated again and again that he was capable of doing so.

Jesus also intimated that every time we return to him, he would forgive us as much as ‘seventy times seven’ (Matt 18:22). 

In the Old Testament, Lam 3:22-23 reads,

‘The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.’ 

O, how beautiful it is that ‘his (God’s) steadfast love and mercies are new every morning.’

Matt 8:16-17; Matt 9:5; Mark 1:32-39

Jesus healed. Throughout the New Testament, you see that all the time. People came to him to hear His words but many sought healing from Him.

Matt 8:16-17 says,

‘That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”’

But Jesus’ purpose on earth was not about healing although we are not denying that healing was important. When people were looking for him in Capernaum because ‘he healed many who were sick’ (Mark 1:34), he chose to leave for other towns that ‘I (Jesus) may preach there also, for that is why I came out’ (Mark 1:38).

His primary goal was to seek that which was lost (D37, Jesus came to save that which was lost).

His miracles, including healing, offered indisputable evidence that He was/ is indeed the Son of God.

John 10:25 says,

‘I told you and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me.’

Mark 1:21-28, 32, 45; Mark 2:3-12; Mark 5:11-12; Mark 7:37; Matt 8:26-27; Matt 9:25-26; Mark 4:39-41; Mark 6:48-52; Mark 11:14; Luke 4:36-37; Luke 5:9; Luke 7:12, 17; Luke 7:22; Luke 8:24-25; Luke 9:16; Luke 9:28-32; Luke 9:37-42; John 2:6-8; John 5:36; John 6:2; John 6:14; John 10:32-38, John 11:42-45; John 12:9-18; John 14:10-11

The books in the Gospel are full of the miracles of Jesus (his works). More importantly, these miracles were done in the presence of eye-witnesses; the most critical of which was that of the resurrection (D42, Jesus’ resurrection was witnessed by many, including his disciples). 

These miracles were not carried out in a room but done openly for everyone to see. They included:

• Casting out of unclean spirit(s) – Mark 1:26-28, Mark 5:11-12, Luke 4:36-37, Luke 9:37-43, 
• Healing the sick – Mark 1:30-34, Mark 2:3-12, John 6:2, 
• Restoring the deaf to hear and the mute to speak – Mark 7:37, 
• Calming a raging sea – Matt 8:26-27, Mark 4:39, Luke 8:24, 
• Resurrecting a dead person – Matt 9:25-26, Luke 7:12, John 11:43, 
• Walking on water – Mark 6:48, 
• Cursing an unproductive tree to wither – Mark 11:14, 
• Identifying where to catch the most fish – Luke 5:9,
• Multiplying the amount of food from limited resources  – Luke 9:16-17, John 2:6-8, John 6:14, 
• Meeting with Elijah and Moses – Luke 9:28-32,
• Giving a word of knowledge –  John 4:18, John 1:48-50,
• Finding tax money in a fish’s mouth (Matt 17:24-27), and
• Resurrecting His own body (D42, Jesus’ resurrection was witnessed by many).

His miracles enhanced his fame across the region. 

His miracles testified of who He was; that He was the Son of God (John 5:36). Nicodemus came to him because he saw the ‘works’ (John 3:2). A large crowd went to ‘see Lazarus whom He raised from the dead’ (John 12:9).

It was His miracles that condemned Him to death because the religious elites felt threatened that the ‘world has gone after Him’ – John 12:19.

It was also the same miracles that caused his disciples to believe in him so much so that they were all prepared to die for him, with James, the brother of John, being the first martyr (Acts 12:2). That event energized John instead of disheartening him. 

There was no money to be gained in following Christ but none of his disciples went back to their regular way of life; they gave that all up to follow Jesus. They could not deny him; they were eye-witnesses of these events.

The Apostle Peter echoed these words best when He said in John 6:68:

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.“

Matt 14:20; Matt 15:37; Mark 6:43; Mark 8:8; Luke 9:17; John 6:12-13

During the feeding of the multitude, whether there were four or five thousand, he would, without fail, ask his disciples to pick up the leftovers. In Luke 9:17, his disciples collected twelve basketfuls of broken pieces. In Mark 8:8, after feeding four thousand people, it was seven basketfuls.

In John 6:12, Jesus explained the rationale –

‘that nothing will be wasted.’

Jesus hated waste. He was always careful about gathering every bit that remained.

What does it say about God? What does it say about ourselves?

Matt 21:1-3; Matt 26:18; Matt 26:54; Mark 1:14-15; Mark 14:13-16; Luke 9:14; Luke 19:25-34; Luke 22:10-13; John 6:10; John 13:1-3; John 17:12; John 18:4; John 19:28; John 20:7; 1 Cor 11:3; 1 Cor 14:40

Jesus was an organizer. Everything followed a plan and was never out of order:

• Jesus started his ministry after the arrest of John the Baptist. Only then did he said that ‘the time is fulfilled’ (Mark 1:14).
• He arranged for people to be seated in groups of fifty when it came to feeding the multitude (Luke 9:14),
• Every disciple that was to be saved were saved (John 17:12),
• To celebrate the Passover feast almost at his ‘appointed time’, he had somehow miraculously arranged for a guest room for the occasion (Matt 26:18; Luke 22:10-13),
• When he was going into Jerusalem on the actual Palm Sunday, he had already prepared a donkey to bring him into the city (Matt 21;1-3, Luke 19:25-34),
• He knew that he would have to go to the cross. Hence, he did not activate the angels to rescue him. Everything had to happen the way that was written into the Scripture (Matt 26:53),
• He also knew when he had to die – when ‘everything had now been finished’ (John 19:28),
• When he finally was resurrected, he even folded up the cloth that covered his head (John 20:7),

There is always order in the kingdom of God – like the fact that the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God (1 Cor 11:3). Hence, 1 Cor 14:40 says, ‘But everything must be done in a proper and orderly manner.’

The God of the Bible is a God of order. See also D320, God is a God of order.

Matt 14:28; Matt 17:27; Matt 21:1-6; Matt 26:34, 69-74; Mark 11:2-6; John 19:28; 

God is in control. Jesus is in control. After all, even the waves and water had to obey him.

In Matt 14:28, Jesus invited Peter to come and walk with him on water. The water held firm even as Peter walked on it; until that was when Peter looked around and got worried.

When Jesus was asked to pay tax, he simply asked his disciples to go and catch a fish of which a large silver coin was already inside it (Matt 17:27).

And when Peter claimed that he would never deny the Lord, Jesus said, ‘this very night before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times’ (Matt 26:34). So, it was to be. Jesus knew everything.

Jesus not only had everything in order, he also had everything under his control. There was no rush, just in accordance to what is written in the Scripture.

Hence, his second coming will be just like what he told us in the Scripture. Nothing should therefore take us by surprise.

See D60, Jesus did not want to surprise his disciples.

John 17:2

John 17:2 says,

‘Since you (the Father) have given him (Jesus) authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.’

God, the Father, had handed the authorization to Jesus. Jesus is the authority in terms of who he grants to have eternal life.

His criteria is found in John 3:16 –

‘That whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.’

NB: ‘Believe’ being the Greek word, pisteuo, or have faith in/ I am entrusted with …

Matt 16:21-23; Matt 17:9; Matt 17:22-23; Matt 20:17-19; Matt 24:25; Matt 26:1-2, 32; Mark 4:11; Mark 8:31-32; Mark 9:9; Mark 9:31-32; Mark 10:32-34; Mark 13:23; Mark 14:18-20; Mark 14:27-31; Luke 9:21-22; Luke 9:44; Luke 18:31-34; Luke 22:21-22; John 11:14; John 13:21; John 14:29; John 16:4-5, 25-32; Rev 1:1

Repeatedly, during his first coming, Jesus told his disciples how he would eventually be killed. He said that

1. he would ‘suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law,
2. he would be killed and that on the third day, he would be raised again (Matt 16:21), He said it again in Matt 17:9, followed by Matt 17:22.

In Matt 20:17-19, he was even more specific, explaining that he would be ‘delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they would condemn him to death, and would hand him over to the Gentiles to (be) mocked and scourged, and crucified, and on the third day, he would be raised up.’

Yet, in Matt 26:1-2, he repeated it with words like,

‘After two days, the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man (Jesus) is to be handed over for crucifixion.’

Finally, just before being arrested by the soldiers, Jesus said,

‘You will all fall away because of me this night; for it is written, I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered. But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee’ (Matt 26:31-32).

He said it openly,

‘One of you will betray me’ (John 13:21).

Again, just before he was betrayed, he organized a farewell meal in the form of the Passover celebration. Jesus was exceptional in terms of instructions as seen in Mark 14:13-15:

1. Go into the city,
2. Meet a man carrying a pitcher of water,
3. Follow him,
4. Tell the master of that house that the Teacher needs a room for the Passover,
5. Check the room that you will be shown by the master of the house.

There were no surprises.

In talking about his second coming, Jesus wanted his followers to be aware regarding what would happen prior to his return. Hence, he shared his thoughts openly in the gospels. In Matt 24:25, Jesus explained,

‘See, I have told you in advance.’

Just like the first coming, Jesus treasured his church to know what events would precede his return.

The reason why we have the privilege of knowing this is because, as in Mark 4:11,

‘the secret of the Kingdom of God has been given to us while to those on the outside, everything is expressed in parables.’

Jesus always cherished his followers to know. It is the devil who muddied the waters by getting theologians to confuse believers. It is the devil who comes to ‘steal and kill and destroy’ (John 10:10). 

And it is us who fail to listen. Despite Jesus repeatedly telling his disciples in regard to his impending journey to the cross, his disciples only realized the full message after his resurrection –

‘Then, they remembered his words’ (Luke 24:8).

If we read the words of Jesus (NB: Not the Pauline’s epistles as a start), it would provide us with sufficient illumination to know his second advent. Jesus spoke plainly, chronologically, and without parables. He never intended to surprise us.

In John 11:14, Jesus told his disciples ‘plainly’ that Lazarus was dead. 

When questioned by the high priest just before his crucifixion in regard to his teaching, Jesus replied –

‘I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said NOTHING IN SECRET.’ (John 18:20)

Even the chief priests and Pharisees were aware of his resurrection claims. A day after Jesus’ death, they went to Pilate and said (Matt 27:63),

“Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’”

Of the three persons in the Trinity, Jesus shared as one in humanity. He was the most upfront, candid, and detailed.

If we want to study about his second coming, we must begin with the words of Jesus.

Mark 6:7-13; John 20:23

In 2 Cor 5:20, Paul reminded believers that ‘we are ambassadors for Christ’. The Greek word is presbeuo and it stands for an elder or an ambassador.

An ambassador is defined as ‘a diplomatic official of the highest rank appointed and accredited as representative in residence by one government or sovereign to another, usually for a specific length of time.’

According to the Congress of Vienna, 1815 – an ambassador has the full authority to represent the government.

In John 20:23, Jesus told his disciples,

‘If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.’

In Mark 6:7-13, the Lord summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He also instructed them to go to various places to preach the gospel of repentance. They were also to cast out demons and anoint the sick with oil for healing. That is still the same authority given to all believers by our Lord Jesus.

Matt 5:7; Matt 9:36; Matt 15:32; Matt 23:23; Mark 1:41; Mark 6:34; Mark 8:2; Luke 7:13; Luke 15:20; John 20:15-17; James 2:13; 

If there is one thing that we learn from reading the gospels, it is that Jesus who walked the earth two thousand years ago, was a totally compassionate person.

In the Beatitudes, Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy’ (Matt 5:7). In Matt 23:23, Jesus told the Pharisees that the Lord considered justice, mercy, and faithfulness as being more important than tithes.

Jesus had great compassion.

• Jesus healed a leper because he was compassionate (Mark 1:41),
• When he saw the crowds, he was moved with compassion, seeing that they were like ‘sheep without a shepherd’ (Matt 9:36),
• When he realized that a crowd of four thousand had been following him for three days and had hardly eaten, he multiplied food for them because ‘I have compassion on the crowd’ (Matt 15:32),
• When he met a widow whose son had died and was about to be buried, Jesus raised him from the dead because ‘he had compassion on her’ (Luke 7:13),
• When a woman caught in the act of adultery was handed over to Jesus, instead of condemning her like those suggested by the religious people, Jesus chose to encourage her not to sin anymore going forward (John 8:11). Jesus was guided by mercy rather than judgment,
• Even when he rose from the dead, he chose to comfort the women who were there to honor his burial even though he had ‘not yet ascended to the Father’ (John 20:17).

James said it well in James 2:13,

‘Mercy triumphs over judgment.’

As believers, we ought to learn from Jesus to show compassion before judgment although, at the end, God will still apply judgment (Rev 20:15).

Matt 14:13, Mark 6:31, Luke 5:16, John 6:15; John 4:6; Matt 23:33; John 11:35; Mark 7:18; Mark 4:40; Luke 22:44; Matt 26:39, John 13:21

To begin, Jesus showed great compassion (See D62, Jesus had great compassion). Compassion is an emotion. Jesus also demonstrated other emotions.

• Jesus was stressed. Jesus went away to rest because ‘so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat’ (Mark 6:31). In John 12:27, he cried out to God the Father to ‘save him from this hour’ (regarding facing the cross).
• Jesus suffered from physical exhaustion; he was no superman. Like when he met the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well in John 4:6.

• Jesus showed anger especially to the religious people who were more interested in religion than the truth. The religious people were guided by a form of God and were lost within their own religious system so much so that God cannot speak to them anymore. He called out the Pharisees as ‘brood of vipers’ (not exactly a complimentary term) in Matt 23:33.  
• Jesus was opened with his emotions. In John 11:35, we have the shortest verse in the Bible. It simply reads, ‘Jesus wept’. He cried because his good friend, Lazarus, had died and was buried.
• Other times, Jesus was frustrated at the inability of his disciples to discern the teaching. He called them ‘dull’ (Mark 7:18). Other times, Jesus marveled at their lack of faith (Mark 4:40).
• Finally, just before Jesus went to the cross, he exhibited his full emotions to the point of sweating blood (Luke 22:44) even as he asked God ‘to let this cup pass from me; yet not as I will but as you will’ (Matt 26:39).

His emotions showed that he was no superman but that he was 100 percent human.

Heb 4:15 describes him best as someone who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses as he had been tempted in every respect just as we are.

Hence, of all the three persons in the Godhead, Jesus was the most personable; he came and walked with us …. He became and was one of us ….

See also B301 – Learn to take rest

Mark 6:41-42; Matt 14:13-21; Mark 8:1-8

In feeding of the multitudes, Jesus multiplied the food resources that were given to him on his request. 

In feeding the four thousand, Jesus turned a few small fish into seven large baskets full of leftovers while in the feeding of the five thousand, he took five loaves and two fish and collected twelve basketfuls of broken pieces at the end.

As a principle, Jesus demonstrated that he could multiply that which we give to him on his request and we could still end up with plenty of leftovers.

Mark 6:46; Luke 6:12; Luke 9:18; Luke 19:46

Jesus taught his believers how to pray, the most basic of which was the Lord’s Prayer. But he also modeled prayer.

Despite the busyness of his schedule, he would consistently set aside time to pray. In Mark 6:46, it explained that after dismissing the crowd,

‘he went up on the mountain to pray.’

Jesus would spend the entire night praying to God (Luke 6:12). He also prayed with his disciples around him (Luke 9:18 and he declared to all that the temple (or we might say, our church) will be a house of prayer (Luke 19:46).

See also D50, Jesus intercedes on our behalf to God.

Matt 26:39; Mark 14:36; Luke 9:51; Luke 22:42-43; John 12:27-28

Most of us are distracted even if we are doing the will of God. Jesus showed us the efforts he took to stay focus.

He prayed and agonized but insisted on following God’s will.

‘Not as I will but as you will’ (Matt 26:39).

He did not flinch but was resolute in going to the cross (Luke 9:51).

He struggled internally but would submit himself to his destiny –

‘Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? But for this purpose I have come to this hour’ (John 12:27).

If we find the will of God and do it, will we show the same tenacity and determination to stay on course even if it was difficult and possibly deadly?

Luke 19:44; Luke 2:8; Luke 2:36-38; Luke 2:26; John 5:39, 46

Everyone of those Jewish religious people ‘did not know the time of your (first) visitation’ (Luke 19:44) despite them studying the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament).

Jesus said,

‘You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me’ (John 5:39).

After Jesus had walked the earth, only then did Christian theologians go about reconciling the Old Testament verses and concluding how Jesus matched precisely those prophecies that heralded his first arrival. Hindsight, as they say, is always 20-20.

Who were those in a small group who were made aware of his first coming?

1. There was a group of shepherds who were supernaturally shown the occasion. They did not study the word but simply had the privilege of knowing (Luke 2:8),
2. There was an old prophetess and widow, Anna who never left the temple and was always fasting and praying (Luke 2:37),
3. There was ‘righteous and devout’ Simeon who ‘had been revealed by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ’ (Luke 2:26), and finally
4. There were the wise men from the east who studied astrology   and paid attention to a special star and who journeyed to Jerusalem to worship him (Matt 2:1-12).

Despite all their theological training, while the chief priests and scribes were aware of the important verses, especially Bethlehem being the birthplace of Christ (Matt 2:4-6), they did not believe them enough in the truth of his birth to go there to worship him.

Were they caught up in their own theology so much so that they have failed to accept the observations of those wise men from the east? The nation of Israel and their wise men had all failed to ‘recognize the time of your visitation from God’ (Luke 19:44).

In other words, less than ten people knew or were given knowledge of the first arrival of Jesus.

If so many religious leaders could miss Jesus’ first arrival, is it possible that the same could happen for Jesus’ second coming despite the availability of more Scripture?

Matt 23:1-36; Luke 11:39-52; Luke 16:14-18

When we talk about Jesus, we talk about his love and compassion. However, there was one group that he particularly hated and those were the religious leaders of his days, the elites of the Jewish society.

Why did he abhor them? Here are some reasons:

• They were supposed to teach the people what right living was. Yet, Jesus told the crowd to ‘observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do’ (Matt 23:3). They were not walking the talk.
• They created extra rules and regulations over and beyond those in the Hebrew Bible and were more interested as to whether people were following them (Matt 23:4, John 9:22),
• They wanted to be seen as religious leaders through their external appearance – their ‘broad phylacteries and long fringes’ (Matt 23:5),
• They were proud and arrogant, loving ‘the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the marketplace and being called rabbi by others’ (Matt 23:6-7),
• They loved to be addressed with titles such as ‘Father’ or equivalent (Matt 23:9),
• They interpreted the commandments to fit their own lifestyle (Matt 23:16-22),
• They did not practice justice, mercy and faithfulness (Matt 23:23),
• They were hypocrites (Matt 23:28),
• They killed (despised) real men of God (Matt 23:29),
• They were lovers of money (Luke 16:14),
• They justified themselves in the sight of men (without carefully reflecting on their own behaviors) – Luke 16:14
• They ‘loved the praise of men more than the praise of God’ (John 12:43).

Jesus hated religion, religiosity, and religious leaders who failed to walk-the-talk. 

John 10:32-37

Jesus did the works of the Father. In John 10:37, Jesus said,

‘If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe me but if I do them, though you do not believe me, believe the works.’

He fulfilled that which was prophesied in the Old Testament. And miracles were happening in their sight. 

He could answer the disciples of John the Baptist with these words,

‘Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard. The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor’ (Luke 7:22).

Jesus was indicating that he fulfilled the prophecies found in Isa 61:1 –

‘The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor ….’

He was also meeting the words of Isa 35:5-6 –

‘Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.’

Yet, despite his good works carried out with ‘many signs before them, they did not believe in him’ (John 12:37).

John 11:47-48; John 12:10, 19; John 19:12-18

Jesus’ words had always been strong and they irked the Pharisees. In Matt 15:12, the disciples came and told him,

‘Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying (Jesus’ criticism of the Pharisees).’

But according to the Gospel of John, it took on added significance when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. That event sent shivers down the spine of the chief priests and Pharisees (the elites of those days). 

John 11:47-48 echoed the words of these elites –

‘What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.’

Jesus’ death had to happen in accordance to God’s redemptive plan (see D37, Jesus came to save that which was lost). It was even predicted by High Priest Caiphas who said in John 11:50-52,

‘Do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.’ Now, he did not say this on his own initiative but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation and not for the nation only but in order that he might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.’

However, on a non-spiritual level, the motivation to kill Jesus was political – the fear of the elites that people might gather around Jesus to make him a Jewish political champion (although Jesus never intended for that. Please see D28, Jesus never wanted to be an earthly king) and the Romans might come and remove their privileges and to impose more restrictions on Israel. Hence, from then onward, the elites conspired to destroy Jesus (Matt 26:3-4).

In his judgment, Pilate ‘knew it was out of envy that they (the Jewish elites) had delivered him (Jesus) up’ (Matt 27:18). Nevertheless, he chose to be swerved by the elites and the mob and took the easy route out by washing his hands before the crowd (Matt 27:24) while delivering Jesus to be crucified.

NB: Many things revolve around politics and the judiciary as the judiciary is responsible for issuing judgment. Judges are powerful and it is difficult for them to remain impartial. Paul’s trial (Acts 23-25; Acts 24:27; Acts 25:9) is another case in point.

How can a Christian judge stay impartial when reviewing a politically sensitive case while staying impartial?

Matt 10:22; Mark 13:13; Luke 21:17; John 15:23

If there is one promise that the Lord has given us, it is that we ‘will be hated by all for my name’s sake (that is, for being Christians)’ (Matt 10:22) and we are instructed to ‘endure to the end’.

That hatred will come from ‘everyone’ including parents, brothers, relatives, and friends (Matt 10:21, Luke 21:16).

We are beginning to see it more and more now and it is becoming a global phenomenon.This hatred of anyone associated with the name of Jesus will grown into an unexplainable frenzy.

Jesus said in John 15:25,

‘But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: “They hated me without a cause.”’

Jesus said that ‘whoever hates me (Jesus) hates my Father also’ (John 15:23); the hatred is primarily borne out of a hatred for God the Father.

Hence, it should not surprise Christians at all. Christians must be ready to ‘endure to the end.’

John 14:15-18; John 16:7; John 20:22

We will never fully grasp why Jesus’ first coming was only for a designated short time span. But he had not left us alone.

In John 16:7, Jesus said,

‘Unless I (Jesus) go away, the Advocate (Helper/Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.’

Then, in John 20:22, he breathed on them and said,

‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’

One argument suggested Jesus had to leave so that the Holy Spirit can indwell in believers and allow them to do greater things through him. It is empowering believers to carry out his mandate as ‘ambassadors for Christ’ not limited by the physical presence of a person in one particular spot (See D61, Jesus commissioned his followers to be his ambassadors). 

Of course we could argue that Jesus could remain on earth to do the same but Jesus is now at the right hand of God advocating on our behalf (Acts 7:55).

See also D50, Jesus intercedes on our behalf to God.

We will never fully understand the rationale of God’s plan.

Matt 17:19; Luke 6:13; Luke 10:1; Mark 6:7

Jesus was not so much into church planting as he was into disciple making; if we make disciples, we will naturally plant churches but the opposite may not be true.

Jesus coached his disciples by allowing them to walk alongside him. They asked him questions and saw his behavior at close quarters.

In the parable of the sower, his disciples wanted to know what it meant. And Jesus explained to them the meaning (Matt 13:36). Of course, there were times when even Jesus got frustrated with them like when he explained that ‘it is not what goes into our body that defiles us; we are defiled by what comes from our heart’ (Mark 7:14).

Jesus even exclaimed in Mark 7:18 and called out the disciples with the Greek word, asunetos, or unintelligent/ unwise/ undiscerning – quite heavy words really. Is it the same as calling out someone as being dumb?

Jesus showed them how to do a tough deliverance. And later his disciples wanted to learn. So, Jesus explained to them in Matt 17:19 the importance of having faith. Jesus had ‘been there and done that.’

They saw his healing and witnessed him cursing a fig tree in Matt 21:20 which withered quickly away. They were with him when he calmed the raging storm (Mark 4:35-40).

Then, Jesus got them to practice what they have learned from him. In Mark 6:7, he sent them out ‘two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits.’

Even after his resurrection, Jesus continued to disciple, this time using Scriptures to illuminate his purpose (Luke 24:27).

Jesus showed us the art of discipling while he was on earth.

Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor 13:14; John 4:24

In John 3:5, Jesus made it clear to Nicodemus that to be born of God is to be born ‘of the Spirit.’ The Holy Spirit is his own person.

When we lied to the Holy Spirit, we lied to God. That was what happened in the case of Ananias, who declared that he had released all the money he got from the sale of the land when he actually held back a portion of it (Acts 5:3-4). Peter equated the holy Spirit with God.

The significance of the Holy Spirit is found in Rom 8:9 which says,

‘If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him (Jesus).’

In the doxology, all three members of the Godhead are mentioned. 2 Cor 13:14 says it as such, ‘The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God (the Father), and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.’

Acts 13:2; John 14:26; Eph 4:30; Acts 11:12; 1 Cor 2:10; Rom 8:26-27

Just like God the Father (D10, God is a person),  and Jesus (D63, Jesus demonstrated a range of emotions), the Holy Spirit is a person with a personality.

In John 14:26, the Holy Spirit teaches and reminds us. The Holy Spirit speaks as in Acts 13:2, Acts 11:12.

The Holy Spirit helps us to pray and intercedes for us (Rom 8:26-27).

And the Holy Spirit can grieve within us (Eph 4:30). 

The Holy Spirit is a person and not a force.

John 14:17; 1 Cor 6:19; Eph 1:13; 1 John 2:27

In John 14:17, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit

‘abides with us and will be in us.’

Hence, when we become believers, we have the Holy Spirit within us.

1 Cor 6:19 says that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

In Eph 1:13, stronger words are used to describe our relationship with the Holy Spirit – believers are ‘sealed in him with the Holy Spirit of promise.’

The Greek word for ‘seal’ is sphargizo and it is indeed translated appropriately as seal/ set a seal upon.

It is a critical legal term of belonging to someone, in this case, belonging to God. As in 2 Cor 1:22, it is a guarantee (a pledge) until the ‘day of redemption’ (Eph 4:30).

The concept of how a believer can be ‘unsealed’ is something which is beyond the scope of explanation here. Please also see the following:

• S139 – Continuous sinning deliberately and wilfully even after knowing Jesus,
• S140 – Sell off our birthrights by disassociating with Jesus permanently,
• S141- Take on the mark of the beast (666).

John 14:16; John 15:26; John 16:7; John 16:13; Rom 8:26; 2 Cor 3:17

The Holy Spirit has many names and they indicate his roles.

• He is our helper and advocate (John 14:16).
• He speaks on our behalf. He is the Spirit of Truth (John 14:17).
• He is our guide. He intercedes for us while he is in us (Rom 8:26).
• He is called the Spirit of the Lord’ (2 Cor 3:17).
• He is also called called ‘the Spirit of Christ’ (Rom 8:9).

Matt 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32; Eph 4:30; Acts 20:22-23; Acts 21:4-11

In all four gospels, they spoke about the experience of Jesus – as he was coming out of the water after being baptized, the Holy Spirit descended on him in a bodily form like a dove and rested on him. 

The Holy Spirit is often described as a dove. Doves are used as a symbol of love, peace and harmony. They are pure, white, and harmless. They are gentle, faithful (they mate for life) and friendly. They raise their young ones with great care.

Because of the gentle nature of the Holy Spirit, just like Jesus, he will never impose. The Apostle Paul, for example, was told through the Spirit not to go to Jerusalem (Acts:20:22-23; Acts 21:4). Yet, he insisted. The Holy Spirit may direct but we decide the final move.

In addition, the Holy Spirit can be grieved (Eph 4:30) – the Greek word for ‘grieve’ is lupeo – that is, he can be pained/ grieved/ hurt/ made severely sorrowful. And it will affect the Holy Spirit’s ability to speak to us as well as to flow through us.

How can we grieve the Holy Spirit? Eph 4:17-31 provided us ways in which we can grieve the Holy Spirit – like

• practicing ‘impurity’,
• lying, and falsehood
• having uncontrollable anger,
• stealing, and
• having corrupt conversation.

Basically, we grieve the Holy Spirit when we choose to sin.

John 14:26; John 16:23

John 14:26 says, ‘But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.’

• It is the Holy Spirit that directs our path and teaches us.
• It is the Holy Spirit that brings into remembrance regarding the lessons taught in the Scripture.
• It is the Holy Spirit that helps to shape the way we think and respond as long as we allow the Holy Spirit to operate freely and not grieve him through our sinful lives

See D78, The Holy Spirit never imposes, for some information.

We learn by being sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 13:2; Acts 20:23

In Acts 13:2, while the church was fasting and praying to the Lord, the Holy Spirit said to them to separate Barnabas and Saul (now Paul) for the works of the Kingdom.

Then, in Acts 20:23, the Holy Spirit warned Paul ‘that imprisonment and afflictions await him’ in Jerusalem.

The Bible used the words,

‘The Holy Spirit said.’

There is not much explanation as to how does the Holy Spirit speak to us in the Bible but it is probably an inner witness within our spirit or possibly through the Word of God. It could be a combination of things, including dreams and prophecies.

But if we seek the Lord, he does speak to us – sometimes through coincidences like the case of Peter and the household of Cornelius. (Acts 10:9-19).

See also B244 to B252 under Decision-Making.

John 15:26; John 16:14; 

John 15:26 says that

‘the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness (testify) about Jesus.’

John 16:14 reiterates that the Holy Spirit

‘will glorify me (Jesus) for he will take what is mine (Jesus) and declare it to you.’

Jesus said in Matt 12:30,

‘Whoever is not with me is against me.’

The Holy Spirit will never contradict Jesus but will recognize Jesus as God.

John 16:13; Matt 4:1; Luke 4:1; Mark 13:11; Acts 8:29; Acts 13:2

It was the Holy Spirit who guided Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil – Matt 4:1. We will never completely  understand the rationale for it but this is in the Bible and it is part of God’s sovereign plan. Jesus had to pass that test.

See D84 – The Holy Spirit can lead us to be tested.

The Holy Spirit will ‘guide you (us) into all the truth’ – John 16:13

In Acts 8:29, the Holy Spirit guided Philip to go and meet a Ethiopian eunuch who was searching for the truth. And in Acts 13:2, he guided the church to lead Paul and Barnabas for missions.

In Mark 13:11, Jesus provided assurance to believers that should we be arrested and had to stand trial because of our beliefs, we are to

‘say what God tells you (us) at that time, for it is not you (us) who will be speaking but the Holy Spirit.’

Which means in difficult times, the Holy Spirit takes over and guides us.

Throughout our lives, the Holy Spirit guides us. The key to our Christian living is the ability to discover the voice of the Holy Spirit and to obey that voice.

Matt 28:20; John 14:18-23; John 16:7-8

Jesus promised in Matt 28:20 that ‘surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.’ That promise is found in the provision of the Holy Spirit.

In John 14:18, Jesus promised,

‘I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.’

It is the Holy Spirit that

‘convict(s) the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgement’ (John 16:7-8).

Jesus’ presence is now in the form of the Holy Spirit.

Matt 4:1; Luke 4:1

In D82 – The Holy Spirit guides us, it was mentioned that the Holy Spirit guided Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil – Matt 4:1.

It continued,

‘We will never completely  understand the rationale for it but this is in the Bible and it is part of God’s sovereign plan. Jesus had to pass that test.’

If the Holy Spirit led Jesus to be tested, surely he can lead us to be tested too. In fact, to be examined by God is part and parcel of being a Christian. 

Jesus tested his disciples constantly.

In John 6:5, he asked Philip to provide the crowd with something to eat themselves despite knowing that he would work a feeding miracle. John 6:6 explained as follows:

‘He was asking this to test him.’

In his newly resurrected body, Jesus chose to walk alongside with Cleopas and Simon, who did not recognize him and he got them talking by asking

‘What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?’ (Luke 24:17).

He already knew that they were talking about the unbelievable resurrection of Jesus but he wanted to hear it from them directly.

Trials are part of learning about the other person as much as allowing the other person to learn about himself/ herself.

In manufacturing, quality checks are carried out as part of a normal process in order to ensure that customers are getting quality products. So, it appears to be the same with God.

Even the great matriarch, Abraham, was tested to find his level of trust in God when he was asked to sacrifice his son of promise, Isaac, on Mt Moriah (Gen 22:1-12).

For more information, please see D128 – Believers will be tested by the Lord.

Matt 1:20

Angels are for real. They are supernatural beings found in the Bible.

In Matt 1:20, it explains how an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream to encourage him to take Mary as his wife. Then, he was also told by angels on how to protect the baby Jesus from King Herod (Matt 2:12-21).

Zacharias, father of John the Baptist, encountered the Angel Gabriel while serving in the temple (Luke 1:11-20).

They are mentioned repeatedly throughout the New Testament.

Col 2:18; 1 Cor 6:3

We should never worship angels.

Like us, angels are created beings who have different functions from us. In fact, Paul explained that one day, believers will judge angels (1 Cor 6:3):

‘Do you not know that we are to judge angels?’

When John fell down at the feet of an angel and worshiped him in the Book of Revelation, the angel’s reply was,

‘Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God’ (Rev 22:8-9).

Believers do not worship angels.

Luke 1:26-38; Rev 5:2; Rev 7:1-3

It was the archangel Gabriel who announced to Mary that she was to bear a son, and not just any son but the Son of God. And it was also Gabriel who met Zechariah, the High Priest, earlier to announce the conception of John the Baptist by Elizabeth, the wife of Zechariah (Luke 1:19).

The archangel Gabriel seemed to be the official angel of announcements for key events.

Then, there are also other angels in Revelation. In Rev 5:2, a mighty angel made a proclamation and so did the four angels in Rev 7:1-3.

An angel also appeared before Mary, Mary Magdalene and others to announce that the Lord had already risen from the dead and he would meet them in Galilee (Matt 28:1-7; Mark 16:5-6).

It was an angel that directed Philip the Evangelist to travel to Gaza (Acts 8:26-38). It was another angel that appeared to Cornelius informing him to seek out the Apostle Peter (Acts 10:3-7).

Angels also comfort. Like the case of Jesus after his temptation by the devil when they came to ‘minister to him’ (Matt 4:11).

Rev 12:7; Jude 1:9

In Rev 12:7, it speaks about a war in heaven in which Michael, the archangel, was stronger and prevailed against Satan whom he dumped to earth together with Satan’s fallen angels.

In Jude 1:9, it talks about a time when archangel Michael disputed with the devil about the body of Moses. What exactly was the discussion, we do not know as this was not highlighted.

Angels have different functions and the Archangel Michael is the one that seemed to be involved in warfare with Satan.

Rev 12:4

In Luke 10:18, Jesus described the scene:

‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.’ 

Rev 12:4 says,

‘His (Satan’s) tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth.’

Effectively, Satan rebelled and took one third of the angels with him to earth..

Satan did not want to worship God but to be worshiped (Matt 4:9)

Luke 4:1-13; Matt 4:1-11; (Tempter); John 10:10 (Deceiver); John 8:44 (Father of lies)

Like God, Satan also has a personality. He is crafty, knows the Scripture  and uses deception. In the Temptation of Jesus, it showed him speaking to Jesus in half-truths. 

NB: If believers do not know their Scripture well, they will be tripped by the same half-truths from Satan.

In John 10:10, Satan is described as a ‘thief’ that comes ‘to steal, and kill, and destroy.’ He thrives on being evil.

In John 8:44, Jesus addressed him out as a murderer and a father of lies; he lies without guilt.

Satan has many names, each listing his attributes. He is called:

• Satan – Mark 4:15 – or in Greek, satanas, that is an adversary, Satan,
• The tempter (Matt 4:3, 1 Thes 3:5),
• The prince of the power of the air (Eph 2:2),
• The god of this age (2 Cor 4:4),
• The prince of this world (John 12:31),
• The ruler of darkness (Eph 6:12),
• A roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8),
• The dragon (Rev 12:7),
• The deceiver (Rev 20:10),
• Apollyon – The destroyer (Rev 9:11),
• Beelzebub – Chief of evil spirits (Matt 12:24),
• Belial – Demon (2 Cor 6:15),
• The evil one (Matt 13:38),
• The accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10),
• An angel of light (disguised) (2 Cor 11:14-15),
• A father of lies (John 8:44),
• A murderer (John 8:44),
• The enemy (Matt 13:39).

He holds onto evil characteristics. His names describes who he is.

Eph 6:11; 2 Thes 2:9; Matt 24:24; 2 Cor 4:4; 1 John 5:19

Satan is powerful. Paul, in 2 Thes 2:9, made it clear that the coming lawless one (the Antichrist)

‘by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders.’

Matt 24:24 confirms that at the end of times,

‘false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect (that is, Christians).’

NB: Astonishingly, even Christians can be deceived by these false messiahs.

Rev 13:12-15 talks about a second beast at the end times who ‘performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people’, and who could ‘give breath to the image of the (first) beast, so that the image of the (first) beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the (first) beast to be slain.’

In many parts of the world, we can witness the actual manifestation of demonic power. But God is more powerful. Here are some reasons:

1. Satan is a created being. God is the Creator – Acts 4:24,
2. Satan had to seek God for permission to test Job and even Peter – Job 1:6-22, Luke 22:31. See also D36, Jesus is more powerful than Satan,
3. We can resist the devil and he will flee from us – James 4:7,

Satan will ultimately be thrown into the lake of fire – Rev 20:10 –

See also D102, Satan will be defeated for good and forever.

Matt 4:8; Luke 4:6; John 12:31; John 14:30; John 16:11; 2 Cor 4:4; Eph 2:2; 1 John 5:19; Matt 28:18

The devil rules the earth. Matt 4:8 and Luke 4:6 show that he could give Jesus

‘all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.’

In John 12:31, John 14:30, and John 16:11, Jesus called Satan the prince of this world. The Greek word is archon and may also be translated as governor/ leader/ leading man.

In 2 Cor 4:4, Satan is called the ‘god of the age’. The Greek word for ‘god’ is theos or a god and the word for ‘age’ is aion or an age/ a cycle of time especially of the present age as contrasted with the future age.

In Eph 2:2, Satan is addressed as the prince of the power of the air. Again, the Greek word for ‘prince’ is archon and ‘air’ is aer or the lower air we breathe/ air.

1 John 5:19 says that

‘the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.’

Yet, we discover that after Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus said in Matt 28:18 that ‘all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him (Jesus).’

How do we reconcile these verses? Who rules the world?

Consider this imperfect analogy – 

1. Satan has a leasehold on earth and its atmosphere (1 John 5:19). That is why 2 Cor 4:4 called him the god of the age and Eph 2:2 addressed him as the prince of the power of the air. 
2. He is powerful (See D91, Satan is powerful but not more powerful than God) although not as powerful as God; see 2 Thes 2:9, Matt 24:24, Job 1:6-22, Luke 22:31-32 . 
3. Eventually, Satan’s lease will expire and he will have to surrender the earth to Jesus; see Rev 19:11-16.
4. But do not expect him to go quietly. He will throw a great outrage on the earth before being forced to exist. Read Rev 12:7-12 (D272 – The Great Tribulation begins when Satan is kicked out of God’s presence). 
5. Meanwhile, Christians are mighty as the owner (God) has given us ambassadorial recognition (2 Cor 5:20) to operate great things on earth (John 14:12). 

Nonetheless, because he is still the prince of this world, children of God are not immune from the harm by Satan.

The Apostle James, the brother of John and one of Jesus’ three closest disciples, for example, became the first Christian martyr when he was killed by a sword under the instruction of King Herod (Acts 12:2).

Satan still has a lease on the earth.

Matt 12:27; Matt 4:3; John 8:44

The term that Jesus used in Matt 12:27 is ‘Beelzebul’ or the Greek word Beelzebul which stands for the chief of evil spirits or Satan.

In Matt 4:3, Satan is called the Tempter while in John 8:44, Jesus called out Satan as ‘a murderer’, and then ‘a liar and the father of lies.’ The names of Satan describe who he is.

One of Satan’s popular tools is deception. Please see D95, Satan’s key weapon is to cause us to doubt.

Luke 4:13

Jesus had just endured an intense time of temptation from the devil. It is termed as ‘The Temptation of Jesus’. And Jesus had not caved in despite Satan’s best effort.

Yet, in Luke 4:13, Scripture reports that

‘When the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.’

Satan was not yet done. 

The same is with us. Satan will tempt us continuously, devouring the weak. Hence, the Apostle Peter could say,

‘Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour’ (1 Peter 5:8). 

That was why Paul, in Eph 6:11 reminded us to

‘put on the full armor of God that you (we) may be able to sand against the schemes of the devil.’

Matt 4:3-11

Just like the passage in Genesis during the days of Adam and Eve, one of Satan’s most powerful weapons is doubt. In Gen 3:1, the serpent (the devil) said to the woman,

“Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?’”

In Matt 4:3-11, at the Temptation of Jesus, the devil (also called the tempter) did a similar take when he said,

‘If you are the Son of God ….’

He started by putting in a doubt for Jesus.

If we observe Matt 4, you would have seen a negotiation pattern taken by Satan. Doubts shake our faith.

2 Cor 11:14

In 2 Cor 11:14, Paul explained that Satan could masquerade/ disguise himself as ‘an angel of light’, describing some of these people as false apostles.

In Matt 24:24, it describes how these false christs may even mislead the elect (Christians/ God’s chosen ones).

D96 describes a group of religious leaders whose mission is to deceive us. Can it also include perceived ‘Christian’ leaders?

Matt 4:9

In Matt 4:9, the temptation of Jesus, Satan sought even Jesus to worship him, promising him a great reward.

The Bible has made it clear – Believers only worship God and no one else; not an angel, not a man, not a sport, not a car, not a spouse, and definitely not the devil.

Within the Ten Commandments, Commandment #1 states – ‘You shall have no other gods before me’ (Ex 20:3).

Matt 4:8-9; Luke 4:6-7

During the Temptation of Jesus, Satan showed his hands that he was prepared to grant his followers great powers. 

Satan told Jesus, ‘All these (the kingdoms of the world and their glory) I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me’ (Matt 4:9). Satan could grant Jesus all that he was promised without the need for blood, sweat and tears of the cross.

Satan is powerful. See D91, Satan is powerful but not more powerful than God. It is therefore unsurprising that we see such powers manifested on earth.

As believers, discernment is required to distinguish good and evil power. The occult is very real.

See also S11, Practice sorcery and witchcraft.

Rev 12:10

In Rev 12:10, Satan is described as ‘the accuser of our brothers’.

The Greek word is kategoreo or accuser/ someone who brings a charge against.

See D50, Jesus intercedes on our behalf with God.

Rev 12:8

Rev 12:8 –

‘But he was defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.’

Satan lost his battle and in v9, it says that he was hurled to earth together with his (fallen) angels. In v12, it says that ‘the devil has come down to you (the earth) in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short.’

That is the time of Satan’s wrath which we will discuss further under the section on Second Coming.

What it does imply from Rev 12:8 is that Satan still has access to heaven although one day, that will cease. And it will not be a comfortable scenario for us on the earth when that happens.

This explains why in Job 1:6, it describes a time when ‘the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord’ and how Satan belittled God’s praise of Job. And it accounts for why Jesus had to intercede on our behalf – D50, Jesus intercedes on our behalf with God.

One day, Satan will be kicked out of heaven completely but that day has not yet arrived.

We will never understand why it is possible for Satan to present himself to God but could only share what the Bible shows.

Luke 22:32, Job 1:6-12

In Luke 22:32, Jesus prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail. Apparently, Satan was also making his request to the Father to ‘sift each of you like wheat’ (Luke 22:31).

In Matt 8:31, when Jesus was casting demons out of a man, they had to seek permission from Jesus before entering into a large herd of pigs. Jesus could also prevent the demons from speaking (Mark 1:34, Luke 4:41). And in the Old Testament, Job 1:6-12, when Satan was accusing Job, Satan had to make a request to God.

Satan can ONLY act with God’s permission.

See also D50 – Jesus intercedes on our behalf with God, for more information.

Rev 20:7-10; 1 John 3:8; Heb 2:14

The day when Jesus was born was the beginning of the end for the devil. 1 John 3:8 explains that the Son of God came to

‘destroy the works of the devil.’

The resurrection of Christ also spelled the beginning of the end of death and the devil. Heb 2:14 says that

‘by his (Jesus) death, Jesus might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.’

Eventually, Satan and his subjects will be destroyed. In the distant future and at the end of the age, God promises us that

‘the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur’ (Rev 20:9).

Mark 5:9; Matt 12:22; Matt 10:1; Rev 12:4

Demons are fallen angels who follow Satan. They are a big number since Rev 12:4 revealed that one-third of God’s angels followed Satan in rebellion.

The Greek word for demons is daimonion or an evil spirit/ demon/ heathen deity. Here are some of their characteristics:

• They can make their abode in a person like the possessed man in Mark 5 who had many demons Mark 5:9. 
• They can have many names Mark 5:9,
• They can prevent a person from seeing or speaking – Matt 12:22. They can torment a person (Luke 8:27).
• They can cause sicknesses Luke 13:10-13,
• They can induce convulsions – Luke 9:42,
• They can oppress (or overpower) a person – Acts 10:38,
• They can speak through a possessed person – Luke 4:34

They are real and we can still see some of their manifestations today.

Matt 9:32; Luke 11:14; Matt 12:22; Matt 17:15; Luke 8:27; Luke 9:42

They can cause many sicknesses including:

• Muteness (Matt 9:32, Luke 11:14),
• Blindness (Matt 12:22),
• Seizures (Matt 17:15),
• Convulsion (Luke 9:42),
• Mental conditions (Luke 8:27),

Mark 5:12; Mark 6:13

Demons are subject to the voice of Jesus. Mark 5:12 sees the demons entering a herd of pigs after receiving permission from Jesus.

That included the disciples of Jesus. Mark 6:13 says that

‘they (Jesus’ disciples) drove out many demons and healed many of the sick.’

Believers have the presence and authorization of the Holy Spirit to drive out demons.

Matt 19:4; Mark 10:6

In Matt 19:4, Jesus said,

‘Have you not read that he (God) who created them from the beginning made them male and female.’

Man was created by God.

Rom 3:23; Rom 5:12; 1 John 1:8

Rom 3:23 makes it clear that all of us are sinners and therefore fall short of the glory of God and it came through one man (Rom 5:12), the man Adam.

Some religions believe that we are tainted by the environment; that is, we were born without sin. The Bible makes it clear – Like a hereditary medical condition, we inherited the element of sin from our forefather, Adam.

Rom 5:12-15; 1 Cor 15:56

Rom 5:12 says,

‘Just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.’

Again, like a terminal medical condition, sin gives us a terminal existence; we will eventually die. We assume death as a given but if sin was not brought into the world, we could have lived forever.

Like the bit from a deadly and venomous snake, 1 Cor 15:56 describes sin as the ‘sting of death.’

See also D204, All men will be judged on the Day of Judgment.

Acts 10:25-26; Col 2:18

In Acts 10:25-26, Cornelius fell down and worshiped Peter when the latter arrived. Yet, Peter made it clear,

‘Stand up; I too am a man.’

It was not as if Peter did not deserve that acknowledgement; he was after all an apostle who moved in the supernatural, but Peter knew that only God was to be worshiped.

Even Mary, the mother of Jesus, is not to be worshiped; Mary was but a conduit to allow God’s son into the world although she was obviously a very godly and special person. See D27, Jesus came from the bloodline of David.

Christians do not worship angels, the mother of Jesus (Mary), the apostles, as well as other great men (women) even if they are the most humble people on earth. Of course, we can respect and honor them.

Matt 11:28; Mark 8:34; John 7:17; Rom 10:9-10; Gal 5:13; Heb 3:15; Heb 11:25

All men have the free will to choose. God has not created us as robots. Our decision decides our eternal future.

• We have a freedom to accept or reject Jesus Christ.

In Matt 11:28, Jesus said,

‘Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’

It is an invitation to all of us.

The popular John 3:16 has this to say,

‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only (begotten) Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.’

It is our action under the ‘whoever believes in him.’

• Even when we become Christians, we still have choices. That was why the Apostle Paul reminded believers not to ‘use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.’

All of us are given the option to accept or reject the voice of God and in Heb 3:15, the verse encourages us not to harden our hearts if we do hear God’s voice.

Matt 10:30-31; Luke 12:6-7; Luke 15:1-10; Luke 15:24

Jesus made it explicit when he told us not to fear as we are ‘more valuable than many sparrows’ (Matt 10:31).

In the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus described the love of the Father when he said that he was prepared to leave the ninety-nine sheep in the open pasture just to search for one that was lost (Luke 15:1-10).

We may not know or even feel it but the Lord’s love for all mankind is best exemplified by his willingness to sacrifice his only begotten Son (and the willingness of the Son to lay down his life for mankind) on the cross so that in doing so, Jesus could reconcile us back to God the Father (John 3:16).

Rom 2:15; Rom 13:5

Many people give excuses about God not being ‘obvious’ enough to be known. But Scripture makes it clear that we already have the requirements of the law written on our hearts. Rom 2:15 says that

our ‘conscience also bears witness’ so that we are without excuse (Rom 2:1).

The Greek word for ‘conscience’ is suneidesis or a persisting notion/ conscience.

Rom 1:20 said that God’s invisible attributes could be seen so that we are ‘without excuse.’ The Greek word for ‘invisible’ is aoratos and it means that which is invisible to the naked eye.

Our conscience (our inside voice) is a reminder that God exists and we are held accountable.

2 Thes 3:10, 1 Thes 2:9, Ex 20:9

We are ordained to work. It is a natural part of who we are in God.

2 Thes 3:10 tells us,

‘For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat either.’

In fact, as a missionary, the Apostle Paul never slacked and continued to put in his hours of work. He did not lord it over them even as he was ministering the word. 1 Thes 2:9 says,

‘For your recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.’

There are many verses in the Old Testament that explains the requirements as well as the joy of working.

Ex 20:9 says, ‘Six days you shall labor and do all your work.’

Ps 104:23 reads, ‘Man goes forth to his work, and to his labor until evening.’

Or consider Ps 128:2 –

‘When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands, you will be happy and it will be well with you.’

And the sayings of Proverbs in Prov 6:6 –

‘Go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise.’

We are ordained for work. In fact, laziness is a sin. Please see S146 – Choose not to work/ Not to use our talents – slothful and lazy.

At the same time, we are also created for rest. Please B301 – Learn to take rest.

Overwork and unwillingness to rest are also sins. In Mark 2:27, Jesus declared –

‘And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”‘

The ability to work while being at peace in God’s rest is the secret to walking as a Christian. Heb 4:13 tells us to,

‘Strive to enter that rest (of God).’

Matthew 19:4-5, Mark 10:6-7, Romans 1:26-27

When even the newly crowned US Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson refused to define the word, ‘woman’, when questioned at her Senate’s hearing, we have therefore to clarify what the views of the Bible is.

The issue of transgenderism is likely to become more prominent and accepted in our society as it gets entrenched into our education, entertainment, and legal systems.

When challenged by the Pharisees on the issue of divorce, Jesus said,

“Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?” (Matthew 19:4-5, Mark 10:6-7).

Jesus did not go into the number of sexes as we do. He simply reinforced the original verses in Genesis 1:27,

‘So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.’

Romans 1:26-27 talks about the depravity of human of exchanging a normal sexual relationship with an abnormal one –

‘For this reason, God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature, and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.’

There are no multiple genders. It is just two – male and female – and it does not matter whether we are talking about humans or animals. It might sound politically correct in our worldly conversations but the Bible has made it clear.

Matt 11:27b; John 1:13; John 10:4, 16, 27; John 15:16; Eph 1:4-5; 2 Thes 2:13; John 6:44; John 17:2; Rom 8:29

John 6:44 says,

‘No one can come to me (Jesus) unless the Father who sent me draws him.’ 

John 15:16 says,

‘You did not choose me, but I chose you.’

Rom 8:29 (NLT) reads,

‘For God knew his people in advance and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.’

This is confirmed in Eph 1:4 which said that God ‘chose us in him before the foundation of the world.’

This is a tough question because it touches on pre-destination, that is, our eternal fate had already been sealed even before we were born.

It raises the issue that if God has already chosen us, why do we need to go out and do outreach? And why do we need to pray?

It is also asking the same question as to why God chose Israel and not, for example, China, to be his chosen people? Some race finds it abhorrent that God should choose the Jews and not their race in order to carry out his task.

But who are we to question God’s wisdom? God chooses some and ignores others. God grants favor to a few and rejects the rest. 

In Rom 9:10-13, the verses read,

‘when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”’

Here, God favored Jacob and rejected Esau. Why so? We know, of course, later in the story that Esau was a weak character who sold his birthright to his brother, Jacob, for a good bowl of porridge (Gen 25:33). But was God aware of Esau’s character even before he was born? Even so, Jacob, being a perpetual schemer, was no saint either.

Further down in Rom 9:15, God says to Moses,

‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ Those words are rather heavy duty.

It is one of those mysteries mentioned in 1 Cor 13:12,

‘For now we see in a mirror dimly but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.’

What we do know is that there are some people who are more pliable to the message of God than others. What we also realize is that prayers can shift God’s hands and draw people to him.God encourages us to pray without ceasing. See also B197 to B206 on prayers.

Our final outcome is in the hands of God. Hence, always know our position in the greater scheme of things, seek God and ask for his favor. See D14, God is to be feared.

Matthew 7:15-17; Luke 6:43-45; Luke 7:22; Luke 8:15; John 15:8; 

Jesus told us to recognize false prophets by their fruits.

‘Every good tree bears good fruit but the bad tree bears bad fruit’ (Matthew 7:15-17).

Luke 6:45 reiterates that a

‘good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good ….. For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.’

When John the Baptist sent his disciples to check out Jesus, Jesus said,

‘Go back and report to John what you have seen and heart: The blind receive sight, the lame walk ….’ (Luke 7:22).

Jesus was speaking about his good fruits and what they testified of him.

What is good fruit?

Is it not our character and what we do on a day-to-day basis? Does it not show whether we are obeying God’s words based on our actions? 

And is good fruit also not related to what comes out of our mouth?

Ephesians 4:29, ‘Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.’

Believers are known by our good fruits.

Believers are saved for good works and are not saved by good works. 

In Matthew 6:21, it says,

‘For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’.

The Greek word for ‘treasure’ is thesauros or storehouse for precious things like a safe. Our heart is guided by where we store our treasure. If we look toward heaven as our storehouse, will we store gold? Or will it be souls of men and women? Will it be silver? Or will it be to live one’s life according to God’s purpose for us?

Other than our character, could the fruits highlighted represent that of souls won for Jesus?

‘Some men’s passion is for gold. Some men’s passion is for art. Some men’s passion is for fame. My passion is for souls.’ 

– William Booth, Founder of Salvation Army

For more information on how Christians ought to live, please turn to the tab on Behaviors. Click here.

Rom 7:15-20; Luke 13:6-9; 1 John 1:9; 1 John 2:1; 

Rom 7:15-20 shows the struggle that the Apostle Paul faced even as he tried to do good:

‘For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.’ 

Paul acknowledged in Rom 7:24 his own struggle and called himself out as a ‘wretched man’. Yet, he concluded on a positive note in Rom 7:25 and Rom 8:1 (NLT) –

‘Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ or Lord. So, you see how it is: In my mind, I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. So now, there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.’

That is, despite our struggle with sin, we are not condemned because we belong to Christ Jesus. See D30 – Jesus became our perfect passover lamb

Effectively, Christians are sinners saved by grace and we are far from perfect. Those heroes of faith  found in Heb 11, including Samson, were very imperfect

That is why in the Lord’s prayer, we continue to seek God’s forgiveness for our own sins,

‘Forgive us our debts (sins), as we also have forgiven our debtors (people who sinned against us)’ (Matt 6:12).

God forgives us as long as we repent and turns back to him; even if it is seventy times seven times (Matt 18:22, Luke 17:4). 

1 John 1:9 –

‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’

Christians must seek to obey God’s words and purposes in our lives and repent of sins every time the Lord reveals them to us or if we fail because of our human frailties. Thankfully, we are not beyond God’s forgiveness.

We see this even in the Apostle John’s letters to the seven churches in Rev 2 and 3 where the consistent theme that the Lord used to those five sinning churches was repentance. 

Here is one example of the Lord’s message to the Church of Ephesus – Rev 2:5 reads –

‘Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.’ (Read also Rev 2:16, Rev 2:19; Rev 3:3, Rev 3:19).

Rev 2:5 shows that   repentance is continuous.

Every time we sin or we are brought to an awareness of our sins, we are to confess and repent of them before our Lord.

James 5:16 which was written in the context of an ailment, suggests –

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.

By confessing our sins to one another (very close friends/ family – Note: Not a priest nor a shrink [psychiatrist]), it has the powerful effect of releasing us from self condemnation and guilt as well as gaining forgiveness of sins from our Lord (see James 5:15).

See also S138 to S145, Unpardonable sins.

John 16:2; 2 Tim 2:9

When Jesus was on the earth, the elites hated him. That was why they crucified him on the cross.

Good Christians may be hated by the elites and possibly even their fellow Christians. In fact, John 16:2 says,

‘They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.’

The Apostle Paul suffered tremendously and in the end he was treated as a criminal and martyred. 2 Tim 2:9 says,

‘For which I (Paul) am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal.’

Martin Luther, often acknowledged as the father of Christian reformation, was another hated Christian of the elites. He avoided execution because he had a protector, in the form of Frederick the Wise, the Elector of Saxony (An ‘elector’ was a German prince who could take part in choosing the Holy Roman Emperor).

So was John Wycliffe, the man credited with translating the Bible from Latin into English, was another such man. He challenged the Catholic Church of his days which was demanding more money from its followers. He argued that the church was already very rich. In addition, he questioned their doctrines, including the proposition that the pope and the church were second in authority to Scripture. For that and more, he was severely criticized. Even though he died peacefully at home in bed because of a stroke, the Catholic Church exhumed his body some forty-four years later, burned his bones, and scattered the ashes in a nearby river.

Matt 13:11; Matt 16:2-3; Mark 4:11, 34; Luke 8:10; 1 Thes 5:4-5

Following his sharing of the parable of the sower, Jesus’ disciples came to him because they were perplexed; they wanted to know why Jesus spoke only in parables. Jesus expounded in Matt 13:11,

‘To you, it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them, it has not been given.’ This was reiterated in Mark 4:11, Luke 8:10, and Mark 4:34. 

As believers, we have special privileges – we have the Holy Spirit in us and we have the Lord who will reveal future truths to us that the world will not understand.

When it comes to the end-times, many believers claim that no one could possibly know when Day of the Lord would be as 1 Thes 5:2 says,

‘For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.’

But these believers fail to also read on in 1 Thes 5:4-5 which says, 

‘But you, brothers, are not in the darkness so that this day (the Day of the Lord) should overtake you like a thief. For you are all sons of the light and sons of the day, we do not belong to the night or to the darkness.’

Membership does have its privileges.

Believers do hold the privilege of knowing the mysteries of God’s kingdom.

1 Cor 5:9-10; Matt 28:19-20; Acts 1:8

In 1 Cor 5:9-10, Paul was giving instructions to believers in Corinth ‘not to associate with immoral people’ but he made it clear that he was not asking the people to ‘go out of the world.’

A Christian is not to be a hermit but to be able to mix and mingle with people in order to bring the good news to them.

The mandate in Matt 28:19-20 was to ‘go therefore and make disciples of all the nations’ and not to stay at home.

The same is found in Acts 1:8 which is for followers of Jesus to go to ‘all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth’ to proclaim the good news of Jesus.

The Gospel is not a private message but one that is to be shared with people around us.

John 1:12; Galatians 4:6-7; Ephesians 2:19; 1 John 3:1

John 1:12 says,

‘To all who did receive him (Jesus), who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.’

Galatians 4:7 says,

‘Therefore, you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.’

Ephesians 2:19 describes Christians as ‘fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God’ and 1 John 3:1 reads,

‘See what kind of love the Father has given to us that we should be called children of God.’

Romans 11:24 explains that we have been ‘cut from a wild olive tree and grafted into a cultivated olive tree.’

When we become Christians, we get adopted into the household of God and have become heirs through Christ with all the rights of children of God.

We change allegiance when we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.

That assurance has given all believers an eternal hope, a hope which ‘we eagerly await for it with perseverance.’ (Romans 8:25).

John 15:19; John 17:6-8; Heb 11:13

Jesus said in John 15:19,

‘If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.’

In John 17:6, Jesus called his followers as those

‘whom you gave me out of the world’.’

In other words, we have been ‘removed’ from the world to belong to Jesus.

Heb 11:13 reported how the Patriarchs felt, calling them out as

‘foreigners and strangers on earth.’

When we become Christians, we become aliens to the world. See also D141, Believers are hated because we become ‘aliens’ when we follow Jesus Christ.