For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18
(KJV)
We live in a time when many people are obsessed with divisions.
Ready to preach (Romans 1 v 15); Ready to give an answer (1Peter 3 v 15)
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18
(KJV)
We live in a time when many people are obsessed with divisions.
…as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing
2 Corinthians 6:10
A
little way off at the foot of a tree sat a merry party… “What is the meaning of
this?” asked the Witch Queen. Nobody answered.
“Speak,
vermin!” she said again. “Or do you want my dwarf to find you a tongue with his
whip? What is the meaning of all this gluttony, this waste, this
self-indulgence? Where did you get all these things?”
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Enemy-occupied
territory – that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the
rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us
all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.
Mere Christianity
Though
the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labour of
the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut
off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls – yet I will rejoice in
the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
Habakkuk 3:17-18
“Christmas” and “saving” aren’t words that we immediately link together. “Christmas” and “spending” or “Christmas” and “debt” seem to fit better, but really Christmas is all about saving.
Genesis 22 is a chapter that puzzles and offends many people. God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son, Abraham is about to do it, then God steps in and stops it. Why would God be so cruel to Abraham and Isaac? What does it say about a God who would ask for such a thing, or Abraham who would do it? What would a Christian do if God asked the same of them? Do Christians think it’s noble to kill your son if God says to? Can God command anything? If we isolate the chapter from its biblical and historical context then it understandably leads to these troubling questions, but that’s not because we’ve understood what’s going on, but rather we’ve misunderstood.
A previous blog post dealt with some moral issues Jesus didn’t mention directly. This one looks at a theological issue – why didn’t He say, “I am God”?
Sometimes
silence says a lot, and other times people read too much into it.
I have met challenges on four areas to do with Jesus' supposed failure to speak. Three of them are moral issues, which we will look at now, and one is theological, which we will look at in a later blog post.
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing… (Romans 15:13)
Some people dismiss it as an invention of the church, while others ignore it as a point of doctrine that theologians in ivory towers talk about because they have nothing useful to do.
But the truth of the Trinity is more important and relevant than you could imagine.