This post will form part of many posts on the subject of receiving the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. Tongues has come under a lot of debate over the last 100 years mainly due to misunderstandings of what Jesus said and what Paul wrote on this subject mainly in the letter to … Continue reading Understanding Ministry and Spiritual Gifts using 1 Corinthians 12:30
In Acts, Paul differentiates between God and Jesus, emphasizing that God is a singular entity. He identifies Jesus solely as a man, reinforcing his argument with personal pronouns. Paul’s message asserts that God will judge the world through Jesus, contrasting with beliefs of a multi-person God.
There is an interesting regular introductory statement from Paul in all of his letters (except Hebrews) which has an obvious omission if your are a Trinitarian and believe that the Holy Spirit is a separate person. Paul writes in the beginning of each letter the statement “Grace to you (and sometimes mercy) and peace from … Continue reading The Holy Spirit is Missing from Paul’s Introductory statement in his Letters
Acts 24:21 unless it is for this one statement which I cried out, standing among them, 'Concerning the resurrection of the dead I am being judged by you this day.' Many verses in Paul's epistles are often cited to prove he taught that man has an immortal soul which would depart upon the death of … Continue reading Life, Death and Resurrection in the Pauline Epistles
Christian interpreters have long been puzzled by the brief mention of Melchizedek in Genesis 14, his one-sentence mention in Psalm 110:4, and by the interpretation of those two texts by Paul in Hebrews 5&7. Most Christian commentators hold that Melchizedek was just a man and that he merely prefigured Christ, being a type or comparative … Continue reading “Melchizedek” is the Son of God
September 11, 2015 by Dr. Alan Kurschner Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion (apostasia) comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction – 2 Thessalonians 2:3 ESV (some versions render “rebellion” as “apostasy” or “falling away”) Second Thessalonians chapter two has … Continue reading Does Apostasia in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 Refer to a ‘Physical Departure’ (i.e. the Rapture)?
Throughout the letters of the New Testament, Christians are called lots of things. They are the “elect” (1 Peter 1:1), “faithful brothers” (Colossians 1:2), “beloved” (1 John 2:7), “children of God” (1 John 3:2), a “holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9), and most of all they are called “saints.” Conspicuously absent from this list is the … Continue reading Saint or Sinner – What is Our Christian Identity?
One of our human frailties is our inability to hear the text of Scripture. More precisely, we have difficulty in hearing what the Bible says when we have been propagandized into a different opinion. We then start with a fixed notion and enter a kind of "denial" when we read verses which obviously conflict with … Continue reading Hearing the Text of the Bible and not something else
There are various beliefs about the two biblical resurrections mentioned in the bible based on what other doctrines the Christian believes. E.g. Pre-Tribulation or Post-Tribulation. About when they happen, who is involved in each one and why they happen. Even in Paul’s day the Greeks mocked him for his speech in Acts 17 in which … Continue reading What and When are the First and Second resurrections in the Bible?
By Mel C. Montgomery The Book of Acts and Paul's own epistles reveal the entire cycle of the Holy Spirit in Paul's life and ministry. There is no need for guesswork. Scriptures plainly tell us how Paul received the Spirit, that he spoke in tongues, and then how that late in his life he ministered … Continue reading Paul’s Experience With Speaking in Tongues
Living as a Christian in this World 