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November 20, 2025

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ANOTHER WEAPON OF DESTRUCTION

The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences. [Proverbs 18:21 (NLT)]

With their words, the godless destroy their friends, but knowledge will rescue the righteous. … Upright citizens are good for a city and make it prosper, but the talk of the wicked tears it apart. [Proverbs 11:9,11 (NLT)]

When writing about nitroglycerin recently, I realized there’s something else in our lives much like this strange chemical that is both helpful and harmful. Like nitroglycerin, man’s capabilities are a dichotomy between good and evil, constructive and destructive, and beneficial or detrimental. The same mind capable of creating a vaccine that saves thousands of lives is capable of creating a nuclear bomb that can take those lives. James speaks of this incongruity when writing about the way we use our words, “We use our tongues to praise our Lord and Father, but then we curse people, whom God made like himself. Praises and curses come from the same mouth! My brothers and sisters, this should not happen.” [3:9-10]

While most of us have nothing to do with weapons of mass destruction and can’t annihilate a city with the push of a button, we can destroy one life at a time with our words! Like dynamite, our words can cause an explosion that produces major destruction. We can quash ambition with disparaging and demeaning remarks. We can shoot down someone with censure, condemnation, and blame. While we’d never think of physically harming a person, with a few words, we can wound an ego and tear open old wounds. We’d never murder anyone but we certainly can manage to kill someone’s hopes and dreams. We wouldn’t think of destroying a person’s home, yet we can demolish their reputation and even their career with just a few words! Ridicule and shaming can collapse self-esteem faster than an arrow can deflate a helium balloon. Our words, like nitroglycerin, can be devastating weapons.

Nevertheless, like medical nitroglycerin, our words also can help. Words of love, comfort, forgiveness, encouragement, respect, or sympathy can lift burdens and defuse situations better than any bomb squad. It is our choice as to whether we crush or nurture, rend or mend, stifle or encourage. My mother used to tell me, “If you can’t say something nice, say nothing at all!” Sometimes that’s easier said than done! There are times my prayer is simply that God will put his arm around my shoulder and place His hand across my mouth!

Father, forgive us for our thoughtless and often cruel words. Guide us to use our tongues with wisdom and love; show us how to heal, not harm. Let our words be ones of encouragement and support. Rather than destroyers, show us how to be builders; rather than combatants, let us be peacemakers; and rather than adversaries, let us be advocates.

Only speak words that make a heart grow stronger. [Ann Voskamp]

The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you. [Matthew 12:37 (NLT)]

Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips. [Psalm 141:3 (NLT)]

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November 13, 2025

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Bible Stories, God's Word: The Bible, Sharing Our Faith, Trusting God, Wisdom & Guidance

KNOWING IT’S TRUE

As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. He explained the prophecies and proved that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He said, “This Jesus I’m telling you about is the Messiah.” … they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men. [Acts 17:2-3, 11b-12 (NLT)]

St. Matthew Proof of the truth is no substitute for our faith; nevertheless, it is important to know the truth of what we believe. At some point, we will ask ourselves how we can believe the validity of what we’re reading in our Bibles. Fortunately, we have Christian apologists to help us see its truth. Rather than offering apologies for the wrongs committed by evil people in the name of Jesus, apologists share the objective reasons and evidence that Christianity is true and should be believed. The Apostle Paul was probably the first apologist when he showed that Jesus’ fulfillment of Scripture’s prophecies proved He was the Messiah. Paul knew that the truth could stand up to scrutiny and it still does today. As for those prophecies: by conservative estimate, Jesus fulfilled at least 300 prophecies while on earth.

Most ancient works were written on perishable papyrus so we don’t have the originals of any ancient secular or sacred manuscript. But, with the New Testament, we do have more than 25,000 manuscript copies and fragments with a gap of less than 25 years between the time of the original manuscripts and the first existing copies! About 5,800 of these ancient copies were written in Greek and over 19,000 copies are in Latin and other languages. Running a distant second to the New Testament is Homer’s Iliad with fewer than 1,800 copies and a 500-year gap between the original manuscript and the first existing copy.

Unlike the Iliad copies, the New Testament’s manuscripts are remarkably alike. When those 25,000 plus copies and fragments are compared, they agree 99.5% of the time! As you’d expect with handwritten copies, there are some minor variations, most of which can be attributed to scribal error. Out of the 8,000 verses in the New Testament, only about two dozen (.3%) are in dispute and none of them affect doctrine. Moreover, even though we don’t have the original manuscripts or even the first copies, 2^nd century church fathers, like Ignatius of Antioch, Clement of Rome, and Polycarp quoted from scripture so frequently that we could piece together about 95% of the New Testament just from their writings! We can be sure that the gospels and epistles we read today are nearly identical to those being circulated by the end of the 1^st century AD.

How can we know Christianity isn’t more myth than reality? We can trust the writers because none of them had any motivation for perpetuating a lie. Rather than getting rich and powerful, they were persecuted and punished. They abandoned their long-held beliefs and practices, were banished from their synagogues, and (like the Apostles) suffered and died for their faith! Their words were written and circulated where Christ’s miracles occurred when witnesses to the events were still alive; they wouldn’t have succeeded if they were passing along a lie! Unlike the authors, liars wouldn’t put themselves in a bad-light by writing of denials, doubt, disagreements, and failures. Moreover, we have plenty of extra-Biblical documentation for Jesus in the ancient writings of Roman historian Tacitus, Roman governor Pliny the Younger, 1^st century Jewish historian Josephus, Greek satirist Lucian, and even the Babylonian Talmud! In all, 39 ancient secular sources corroborate more than 100 facts concerning Jesus.

I’m not a religious scholar, historian, or an archeologist and I haven’t examined the Dead Sea scrolls or ancient papyri. Nevertheless, I do read the work of those who have. The more I study Scripture and the work of Christian apologists, the more certain I am that there is nothing unreasonable, irrational, or unfounded about my belief. The Bible can stand up to intense archeological and historical investigation so we have nothing to fear (and much to gain) when we look closely at God’s word.

As thinking Christians, we must never be afraid to ask questions and seek answers. When we seek the truth, as did Lee Strobel, we’ll be able to make a case for Christ. Like Josh McDowell, we’ll discover that Jesus was more than a carpenter and, like Tim Keller, we’ll know the reason for God. After atheist turned apologist C.S. Lewis examined the faith, he made the case for Christianity. After their research, Norman Geisler and Frank Turek didn’t have enough faith to be atheists! When forensic scientist J. Warner Wallace examined the claims of the Gospel as he would a cold case and lawyer David Limbaugh put Jesus on trial, our Lord withstood their intense scrutiny and cross examination. The closer we examine Scripture, the more we’ll believe that Jesus really is the way, the truth, and the life!

Socrates once said that the unexamined life is not worth having. We believe that the unexamined faith is not worth believing. [Norman Geisler & Frank Turek]

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. [2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT)]

Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. [1 Peter 3:15 (NLT)]

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November 10, 2025

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WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. [1 Corinthians 15:1-5 (NIV)]

I came across an article questioning whether we have to believe certain things to be a Christian or is it enough just to trust God. The author believed that Christians don’t have to “assent intellectually” to the facts of traditional Christian teaching or agree with the Christian creeds. “Faith” to the author is simply placing one’s confidence in “Spirit” (not the Holy Spirit) and following Jesus’ teaching is more important than believing certain things about Him. Having nothing to do with dogma or creeds, Christianity was seen as a wisdom tradition and way of life rather than a belief. Claiming they were “man-made” and date from the 4^th century and Emperor Constantine, the author believed Christianity’s creeds should be disregarded.

A creed (or confession of faith) is simply a statement of what we believe; every time we share what we believe with others, we are confessing a creed. The first creed predates Constantine by at least 1,600 years and was given to us by God. The Hebrew Shema, found in Deuteronomy, declares the fundamental belief of Judaism: “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.” [6:4] To be recited every morning and night, this declaration of belief remains the cornerstone of the Jewish faith. Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, we find worshippers recalling the Lord’s faithfulness with confessions of faith like that in 1 Kings 18:39 that, “The Lord—he is God! Yes, the Lord is God!” The belief that, “The Lord is our God, the Lord alone,” is a cornerstone of Christianity, as well!

In the New Testament, we also find confessions of faith or creeds. Christianity’s fundamental belief was confessed by Peter when he stated that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” [Mat 16:16] and again when Nathaneal acknowledged Jesus as “the Son of God…the King of Israel!” [John 1:49] When other followers deserted Jesus, the Lord asked the twelve if they would leave. Peter responded, “You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” [John 7:68-69] Although short, these confessions of faith were creeds.

The earliest creeds of the church can be found in the epistles of Paul. His words in today’s verse from 1 Corinthians 15 appear to be an early creed. That he “received it,” means Paul wasn’t the original author and, since he’s reminding them, it predates Paul’s first trip to Corinth (49-50 AD)! In his first letter to Timothy, Paul emphasized the importance of preserving and proclaiming the truth and includes what historians believe to be an early hymn summarizing the theology of the incarnation.[3:16] In Philippians 2:5-11, we find another early hymn explaining the dual nature of Jesus. It’s believed that Ephesians 4:4-6, “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all,” were an early creed that was recited by new converts when they were baptized. If we believe Scripture is God-breathed, those words of belief aren’t man’s—they’re God’s!

The article’s author contends that belief and faith are two different things and that belief is not essential for faith. I think the Apostle Paul would disagree. Belief is intellectual acceptance that something is true and faith is trusting in the promise of that belief and they seem to be two sides of the same coin. If I believe the boat is sea-worthy, it’s my faith in it that gets me to sail it out to sea. On the other hand, if I don’t believe it’s sea-worthy, I wouldn’t have faith enough to take it sailing. Faith involves trust, commitment, and action and, without knowing and believing the promises of God, how will we have faith enough to trust them? Our creeds are the foundation of Christianity and help us know exactly what it is in which we have faith! It’s that knowledge that keeps us from falling for the false “feel-good-anything-goes” theology we find in the world today!

Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. [Timothy 3:16 (ESV)]

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October 27, 2025

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NEPHILIM

When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. [Genesis 6:1-4 (ESV)]

Beach sunflower Those four verses are some of the most confusing ones in Scripture. Who are the sons of God, the daughters of men, the Nephilim, and how did they come to be mighty men (or as some translations say giants)? The Nephilim appear to be a race of formidable beings associated with extraordinary physical stature and fearful reputation. Mentioned briefly twice in Scripture, we find them in Genesis, just before the flood, and again in Numbers (post flood). Nephilim comes from naphal, meaning to fall. One school of thought holds that the “sons of God” were fallen angels who mated with human women (the daughters of man) and produced a hybrid race of giants called Nephilim. The apocryphal book of Enoch claims these offspring were giants standing thee hundred cubits (450 feet) tall. They had such insatiable hunger that they ate humans as well as one another. Having taught humans medicinal magic, astrology, divination, and other sinful practices, it was their evil ways that caused the flood! Written around 300-100 BC, the book of Enoch never was accepted as part the Hebrew Scriptures and never has been in the Christian canon.

Let’s look at the context of these confusing verses. The previous chapters are about man’s fall into sin and the genealogy of Adam’s line rather than fallen angels and their giant offspring. Moreover, describing the Nephilim as “the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown” hardly seems an apt description of evil beings. When Genesis 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,” there’s no mention of fallen angels or giant angel/men. Moreover, while they can take on human form, angels are spirit and Matthew 22:30 tells us they “neither marry nor are given in marriage.” Finally, Nephilim are mentioned again in Numbers. If this race of angel/humans existed post-flood, we must ask how they survived the great deluge. God vowed to “destroy every living thing” not on the ark with the flood and they weren’t on it!

Who were “the sons of God”? While angels are called the “sons of God” in the book of Job, Moses calls the men of Israel the “sons of the Lord your God” in Deuteronomy [14:1,32:8]. In Isaiah 43:6, God calls for the return of both His sons and daughters (meaning Israel). Indeed, Adam (meaning man) is the “son” of the one who formed him and gave him breath: God. On the other hand, woman is the “daughter” of man since she came from Adam!

While some posit that the “sons of God” descend from the godly line of Seth and the “daughters of men” come from the godless line of Cain, there really is no indication that Seth’s descendants were more godly or Cain’s more evil than anyone else. Nowhere else in Scripture are the terms “sons of God” or “daughters of man” used to indicate someone’s spiritual state. While there’s no evidence of them elsewhere, others believe the “sons of God” were early rulers who established royal dynasties. More likely, they were men of large stature and prowess who took women as their wives. Like their fathers, their sons (known as Nephilim) were people of considerable size who became “mighty men” because of their size and power. The Nephilim reappear in Numbers 13:33, when the scouts reported back to Moses. Seeing men of remarkable physical stature in the Promised Land, they called these descendants of Anak “Nephilim.” Elsewhere in Scripture, these descendants of Anak are called “a people great and tall.”

We don’t know the exact identity of the Nephilim and never will on this side of heaven. While I believe they were mortal men of extraordinary physical stature and military skill, you may disagree. Fortunately, our different interpretations do not impact our faith in Christ. Non-believers, however, love to take isolated verses like these as evidence that Scripture is filled with errors and ancient myths. The Bible, however, is inerrant which means it’s free from all falsehood, fraud, or deceit. But, that doesn’t mean the Bible is without difficulties and the Nephilim are just one of many. It’s our job to defend our faith. We can’t do that, however, without digging into those challenging verses and finding a rational and articulate defense of God’s voice as heard in Scripture.

“And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.” [Numbers 13:33 (ESV)]

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October 23, 2025

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Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, God's Plan, Sharing Our Faith, Today: Make it Count, Trusting God

COINCIDENCE

By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. [Luke 10:31 (NLT)]

deptford pink

Was it just a coincidence that Pharaoh’s daughter was at water’s edge to hear the cry of Moses? Was it just a lucky break that, the night before Haman planned to have Mordecai impaled on a pole, King Xerxes couldn’t sleep and read about Mordecai saving his life? Was it by chance that Rebekah was the one who watered the camels of Abraham’s servant? Was it just a coincidence that Jesus was at the well when the unnamed woman came to fill her jug? No! They were God-ordained encounters. The God who keeps track of every sparrow is not about the leave anything up to chance! The apparent randomness of life is under sovereign rule and Scripture affirms divine governance over all events.

Recently, my husband and I were in aisle seats across from one another in the crowded airplane. It so happened that the man stuck in the middle seat next to me was married to the woman in the middle seat by my husband. When she started chatting with my husband, her husband warned me, “She’ll probably talk his ear off!” I reassured him, “It won’t bother my husband; he’s nearly deaf.” Laughing, he replied, “So is she!” That opened our conversation about the trials of living with a partner who has gone from being merely “hard of hearing” to profoundly deaf, even with hearing aids.

Commiserating with one another, we spoke of our shared challenges, concerns, and frustration with an unhearing partner. But then God intervened and we put ourselves in our partner’s spots. We seriously considered the distress, frustration, and sense of isolation they have daily. During this chance encounter, our hearts grew a little bigger as our empathy toward our spouses increased and we realized the need for more patience and understanding. As it turned out, on their side of the plane, my husband and his wife were having a conversation about the challenges of living with a partner who assumes they’ve heard everything that’s been said! Was it merely coincidence that those middle seats were the only ones open when that couple booked their tickets? I think not. We often experience God’s providence through what seem like accidental encounters.

New to her church, my daughter didn’t know the other team members when she responded to God’s call to go on a mission trip in July. Once there, she immediately hit it off with her roommate Cara, a woman close to her age. Twenty years ago, Cara’s husband was killed by a crazed gunman when their baby was only 11-days old. Oddly, about half of those on the mission team were widows or widowers. It was during that mission trip that my daughter received the heartbreaking news that she, too, had become a widow when her husband died unexpectedly back home.

Just because we didn’t know our son-in-law was going to die doesn’t mean God was taken by surprise. He knew exactly what kind of support our daughter would need and, with that mission team, God laid out a support network for her before she knew she needed one! From barely knowing anyone in her church, the trip gave my daughter the opportunity to become one with her church family. Having suffered traumatic loss herself, Cara was there to help her grasp the shocking news. When my daughter returned home, she had the support of a group of people who truly had “been there and done that.” During these last several months, her new church family have been advisors, encouragers, friends, and prayer warriors for her.

In Scripture, the only occurrence of the Greek word sugkuria (meaning coincidence, chance, or circumstance) is found in Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan. The traveler lies half-dead by the side of the road when a priest “by chance” comes along and sees him. The priest ignores the man and seemingly random events follow. A Levite happens along but passes by the traveler before a Samaritan coming along stops and helps him. In Jesus’ story, however, what seem to be coincidences turn out to be significant events. Although coming upon the injured man seems by chance, they were God-ordained and each person’s response was deliberate.

God’s orchestration of events—His sovereignty—doesn’t negate our moral responsibility. Their encounters with someone in need provided the priest, Levite, and Samaritan an opportunity to be a conduit of God’s mercy. Although the priest and Levite ignored the man’s cries, like the Samaritan, they freely chose how they would respond. Their sin was not diminished just because the Samaritan showed compassion and helped the dying man.

While all things happen for a reason, the reason is not necessarily a message from God. We shouldn’t get carried away trying to find divine meaning for every coincidence or chance encounter. Nevertheless, let us remember that life is filled with moments that appear accidental but carry eternal weight. How will we treat the unplanned encounters of life? Trusting that God’s hand is behind them, will we see these coincidences as a call to be the hands and feet of Jesus or, like the priest and Levite, will we go on our merry way?

Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous. [Albert Einstein]

We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall. … You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail. [Proverbs 16:33,19:21 (NLT)]

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. [Romans 8:28 (NLT)]

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September 18, 2025

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IT’S NOT THAT DIFFICULT

When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law. [Matthew 7:28-29 (NLT)]

The gospel is so simple that small children can understand it, and it is so profound that studies by the wisest theologians will never exhaust its riches. [Charles Hodge]

Great Blue Heron As much as I enjoy reading the works of authors like C.S. Lewis, A.W. Tozer, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and N.T. Wright, I admit to not always understanding exactly what they’re saying. Nevertheless, thinking me an expert, a friend sent me an article written by a well-known Christian theologian and asked for my thoughts. Unfortunately, I had none because I couldn’t make sense of it. When I reluctantly admitted my bewilderment, my friend admitted the same. Although we both tried to understand the author, neither of us could discern his point. He appeared to have used a great many fancy words to say very little. While another scholar might make sense of his words, we two reasonably intelligent believers couldn’t. Unfortunately, some pastors, theologians, Christian writers, and fellow believers unnecessarily complicate faith and our relationship with God.

When I couldn’t comprehend a sermon or a Christian writer’s words, I used to think I wasn’t smart enough or my faith wasn’t deep enough. But, just because we’re not as theologically learned, philosophical, or contemplative as others, doesn’t mean we’re mentally deficient or have less faith. Being a follower of Christ doesn’t require some secret knowledge and there’s nothing wrong with us if we don’t always understand what a pastor says or a theologian writes. The Holy Spirit will help us understand all that we need to understand.

God didn’t make all of us deep thinkers; He didn’t have to! His message isn’t intended for a select few religious scholars and intellectuals. When Jesus gave His “Sermon on the Mount,” He wasn’t speaking to the religious elite; He was speaking to a crowd of ordinary people like you and me. His message was simple, straightforward, heartfelt, and God-breathed.

While we never will be able to fully understand God’s plan of salvation through Jesus, there is nothing mysterious, hidden, or cryptic about it. After years of listening to sermons in church, it was a simple pamphlet with stick figures from Campus Crusade that finally explained the gospel message for me! Before Holy Communion at our liturgical church, we proclaim the “mystery of our faith” by saying: “Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.” It’s really that simple!

During Saturday evening worship last week, the soloist sang “Yes, my Jesus Loves Me,” a beautiful song based on the well-known children’s hymn. Before starting her sermon, our pastor thanked the singer. She then told the congregation that if we took nothing more away from the service than the knowledge that Jesus loves us, we will have taken away all that we needed to know! Now, there’s a preacher who knows how to put her message in words we all can understand!

We should never disparage our faith or apologize because we’re not scholars or academically trained. Moreover, let us never allow our amateur status keep us from sharing the gospel message. Jesus spent His time with common people, not theologians and academics. Peter, the rock on which the Christian church is built, was a fisherman, as were most of the disciples. The Apostle Paul, as a Pharisee, was the only theologian in the group! What mattered was that they loved Jesus and spread His message far and wide. If all anyone knows after speaking with us is that Jesus loves them, they’ve taken away a powerful message, indeed!

As well might a gnat seek to drink in the ocean, as a finite creature to comprehend the Eternal God. A God whom we could understand would be no God. If we could grasp Him, He could not be infinite. If we could understand Him, He could not be divine. [Charles Spurgeon]

For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. [John 3:16-17 (NLT)]