Making Christmas about Jesus Christ

By Carole

Does it seem that the Christmas trees, Santa Clauses, elves, snow flake stickers, and all the stuff is hitting the shelves earlier this year? Or maybe I'm just growing tired of the continuous commercialization of this sacred holiday. One thing is obvious Christmas is no longer about Jesus Christ. It's about hedonism and idolatry, worshiping material possessions while paying homage to the jolly red-suited man.

We need to reclaim this holiday for ourselves, and not give into the cultural pressure that so easily entangles us.

I'm not suggesting we protest. Nor am I even suggesting that we voice ourselves among the secular community. They cannot and will not celebrate Christ, why should we make them? They do not know Him, but we know Him. I think we should quietly follow what we know to be true, teaching our children to believe in Christ, not in Santa Claus; learning to love giving rather than receiving, singing praise instead of jingle-bell carols.

Let us do the one thing that is needful this Christmas and sit at the feet of our Lord, rather than the base of the tree. Let us open His word, rather than dozens of presents, and let us worship Him and Him alone.

Merry Christmas in Christ!! May the Lord show you every spiritual blessing you have in the heavenly places with Christ, that is greater than any earthly gift.

Biblical Submission in Marriage

by Carole

I confess that submission is a truth for me to embrace in scripture. At least in the marriage context. While submitting to Christ carries it’s own difficulty, I don’t have trouble admitting that I need to submit to Him. But recognizing the need to submit to my husband is half the battle. Christ is perfect, Christ is God, etc. But my husband, as wonderful as he is and as much as I love him, is not God. However, this perfect God commands me to submit to my husband, as to Him. As much as I hate to admit it, I am not submitting to God if I don’t follow this command. I’ve done this study to learn the importance in following the Lord in this area.

Why is submission so difficult in marriage?

Pride. I think that I would do a better job. In reality, I could never do a better job because it is not my job to do. It is the husband's job to lead. My sister shared this thought with me: self-worth in our society is wrongly associated with the one who is in charge and commanding. But did not our Lord Himself submit? Christ Himself washes the disciples feet, saying: a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. (Luke 13:16) Here is the truth- we are all nothing apart from Christ.

Our war is not flesh and blood, but with spiritual evil. Marriage is God’s picture of Himself, His love for us. He uses the marriage union to represent His relationship with us His Bride. Marriage is the core of society, healthy marriages means healthy families, which in turn means a healthy society. I think this is the reason it is so difficult- it’s so important. Aside from our own misguided will, the spiritual attack comes in to destroy the family, adding an additional challenge in this area.

Why should I submit to my husband?

The first reason is that God commands me to. Jesus says: “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.” (John 14:21). God’s commandments on submission: “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as also Christ is the head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.” (Ephesians 5:22-24) “Let a woman learn silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.” (1 Timothy 2:11-12). Instead of qualifying these verses, let’s understand what they mean.

Rebellion is as witchcraft. I am speaking from experience. When I refused to submit to my husband, we argued about everything. It was not my husband who wrote these commandments, but the Lord. By disobeying Him in this area, I could not enter in to the fullness of His joy. He did not create marriage to be a burden and difficulty, but to be a wonderful blessing. Well, I was allowing the Devil a foothold by rebelling, and our marriage was not pleasing to the Lord. This will slowly deteriorate the marriage until things you never thought possible- things that only happen to “other” people- can come in.

What is biblical submission?

The attitude of submission is more than just following directions. It’s a lifestyle of meekness and gentleness, and reverence.

Let's look at the Ephesians 5:22-24 verse in depth:

Submit to your own husbands - unique within the marriage bond; we do not submit to all men as we submit to our husbands.

As to the Lord- when we submit to our husbands, we are doing it for the Lord to honor His commandment.So we must do it from a heart of gladness and cheerfulness, not grudgingly (how would we feel if our husbands grudgingly loved us as Christ loves the church? I have found that this happens more when I’m not respecting and submitting to him. We make it easier for our husbands when we submit as to the Lord.)

The husband is head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church. This is a statement of fact. He does not need to earn this position or be elected to the office. He is head because he is a husband. This is simply the role and the order that the Lord establishes. We must respect his office and position. Remember that he is accountable for the family before the Lord, and he will be judged accordingly. While all men have different gifts and abilities, their wives can either encourage them in their role or be their greatest hindrance to biblical leadership.

Just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. How is the church subject to Christ? Let’s meditate on this a bit. The church is to do what Christ says, to follow Him. We as wives, likewise, are to do what our husbands say, and to follow them. They are the leaders in our home, which means we are their followers. In what? In everything. The Lord knows that this is the key to an amazing marriage. We are to deny ourselves anyways, what better place to start than in marriage?

How Do We Arrive at Truth?

By Melissa

On the day of Jesus' crucifixion, in John chapter 18, we see an interesting exchange. Pilate is questioning Jesus' about His identity because he is trying to determine if Jesus is worthy of death. After Jesus reveals to Pilate that he is a King, He tells Pilate why He came into the world. John 18:37 reads: "You say correctly that I am a king For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." Pilate responds with a question that I think that we all have asked at one time or another in our lives. In verse 38 when he responds: "What is truth"?

Many today are still on the hunt trying to define what truth really is. There are three main approaches that people tend to employ when dealing with the subjects of knowledge and how we can arrive at the truth (epistemology). For the sake of argument, I am not including relativism. Relativism is the belief that there is no absolute truth and that truth is relative to each individual person. So for instance, what is true for me, may not be true for you. Not to go down a rabbit trail, but this is a self refuting statement because in order to impose that there is no absolute truth is to affirm an absolute truth, namely that there is no absolute truth (if that makes any sense). The point is that I as a person have no bearing on what is & what is not. We merely discover truth & do not determine truth. For instance, someone may not want to believe that I am married, but that has no bearing on the fact that I am married. For the purpose of this discussion however, we will focus on the three perspectives that do point to the fact that there is absolute truth and that truth is knowable.

The first method that people employ when dealing with the subjects of knowledge and truth is rationalism. Rationalism holds to the view that knowledge starts in the human mind. There is an emphasis on thinking and ideas because after all, our minds are the source of all truth. Rationalism falls apart; however, because there is a built in assumption that our minds have the capacity to know everything. In other words, if we can't think it with our minds, then it can't really be. Therefore, there is no such thing as the unknown. The unknown simply represents those things that we have not explored with our minds yet. This view fails miserably because things don't exist merely because we can invent them with our mind. For example, gravity was not discovered by Sir Isaac Newton until the 1600's, but does that mean that gravity did not exist before then? Certainly not. Rationalism is a valuable tool for daily living, but are we willing to ultimately say that no truth exists outside of us? Truth and natural laws exists regardless of our awareness of them or lack thereof.

The second method that people employ when dealing with truth and knowledge is empiricism. Empiricism can be summed up with the phrase "seeing is believing". In other words, all that we can know is what can be determined by the use of our senses- what we see, hear, feel, taste and touch. Scientific experiments start from this perspective. However, this method is also limited because we can't reproduce events from the past. Neither can we see these events occurring. For example, none of us were around to see the Revolutionary War take place, but no one would question its' occurrence because of the historical evidence. But if I was applying the empirical method in this case, then I couldn't be certain that the Revolutionary War actually occurred because I wasn't actually there to see it happen. As I stated earlier, scientists approach experiments from an empirical perspective. Don't get me wrong, this is highly effective in dealing with observational subject matter (things that we can observe today in nature or in a laboratory). However, when dealing with forensic science (when scientists try to determine what happened in the past), empiricism falls short. Not to get off on another rabbit trail, but it's amazing how some scientists, who hold strongly to the empirical model, try to make dogmatic claims about the theory of evolution, when they were not around the supposed billions of years ago to see these supposed chemicals supposedly randomly arrange themselves together into a self-replicating molecule that supposedly was the spark of all life. There is a bit of hypocrisy there. Anyway, empiricism is useful, but ultimately it falls short, because truth then is limited to what we can see, hear, touch, taste and smell. Again, this leaves no room for the unknown or the past.



The third perspective is what is known of as revelatory knowledge. This would describe the Christian view of knowledge. This view holds that truth does exist outside us and is revealed by Someone also on the outside. You see, God is a transcendent Being, which means that He exists above and beyond His creation. However, rather than remain outside, He has penetrated within His creation to reveal truth to us. There are two clear ways that God has revealed Himself to mankind. The first is through general revelation, which is through nature. Romans 1:20 declares: "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse". So through His creation, we can clearly see that there is a Creator. Nature would include all of the created world so this would include our minds and our conscious, which point us to truth as well. Secondly, God also reveals Himself more specifically in His Word, the Holy Bible. Ultimately, we can know things about God from nature such as the fact that God is all-powerful, eternal and immaterial, but there are some truths that one will only ascertain by reading the Bible such as the Doctrine of the Trinity. When I say this, I am not saying that people can't know anything apart from God's Word. For instance, even atheists know that 2+2=4. So one can know particular truths even if they do not read God's Word. However, to know ultimate truth, the foundation on which to build one's life, you must come to realization of who Jesus Christ is & be in His Word. We use both Rationalism and Empiricism in our daily lives so they are not completely wrong, but rather are just incomplete because they are dismissing how knowledge works as a whole in the context of revelatory knowledge. To hold that all that we can know is what we can see and/or what starts in the mind is limiting and inconsistent. In the counter-examples that I pointed out earlier, there are things that we can know that can not be ascertained through Rationalism or Empiricism, yet it is only when we approach the subject of God that these views are leveled as the ultimate standard of knowledge.

The reason it is so essential to believe in God as the Source of knowledge is because as an all- knowing Being, God’s knowledge is comprehensive and exhaustive. He alone is aware of the breadth and depth of His own knowledge which equates to all knowledge. “Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has informed Him? With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge, And informed Him of the way of understanding?” (Isa. 40:13-14; cf. 1 Cor. 2:16; Rom. 11:34).

So what was the answer to Pilate's question. What is truth? Jesus tells in John 14:6 that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life and that no one can come to the Father, but through Him. This is not a passage that we want to glance over abruptly. You see, Jesus was telling us that how we approach the subject of truth holds eternal consequences. It determines where we will spend eternity. My prayer for you is that you may know the truth and that the truth will set you free. I would like to close with words of one of Jesus' last prayers recorded in John chapter 17. He is praying on behalf of his disciples because He is about to be arrested, murdered and they will be alone, but He had been faithful to teach them the words of Scripture during their three year journey together. Verse 17 reads: "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth". His Word is truth. If you've never studied God's Word, I challenge you to do so. As you read the pages of Holy Scripture and as the Holy Spirit illuminates your understanding, you'll come face to face with the real Jesus.

If God is so good, why is there evil?

By Carole

This is a real question in the midst of the human struggle. I think as Christians, we sometimes feel embarrassed to admit that we ask questions like this. It’s easy to live intellectually satisfied by the knowledge that God is good, and yet experience some emotional uncertainty when something tragic happens, like a family member dies. I admit I’ve questioned God’s intentions at much less than the death of a family member. Sadly, it is the problem of evil and suffering that causes many to walk away from God. The argument from a non-christian goes something like this (paraphrased from the book God’s Problem, by Bart Ehrman, who himself left Christ because of the problem of evil):

If God is sovereign, this means he is in complete control. If God is good, that means he does not cause evil. A good and sovereign being cannot exist if there is evil in the world. There is evil in the world, so either God is not sovereign, God is not good, or God does not exist.

Here’s the problem with Ehrman’s argument. It’s not just that there is evil in the world, there is evil in me. If God deals with the evil in the world, the way Bart Ehrman wants- get rid of it, destroy it- He would have to destroy every person. He would have to destroy me and you, for the evil in us. The fact that God allows the evil in the world is to give us time to repent and turn to Him so He can cleanse us, before He ultimately judges the world.

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

Personhood of the Holy Spirit

By Melissa

Since we have been discussing the Trinity, I would like to discuss a common misconception about the nature of the Holy Spirit. For a standard definition of the Trinity, I like to use the definition given by Dr. James White in his book The Forgotten Trinity: "Within the one Being that is God, there exists eternally three coequal persons, namely, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." (p. 26).

Many are thrown off by the term “persons” and do not understand the meaning of this term. The definition of what constitutes a person is one who possesses mind, will and emotion. Most of the time, when we think of a person, we think of a person as only one having flesh and bone- a physical being. While physical persons do possess flesh and bone, it is not necessary for one to possess flesh and bone in order to be a person. That defines humanity, but not personhood. There are also metaphysical persons, such as angels and demons, who also qualify as being persons- just in a different sense- because they likewise possess mind, will and emotion. As humans, we are a hylomorphic composition of matter and spirit (material and immaterial) whereas spirit persons are just immaterial as Jesus teaches in Luke 24:39 that a spirit does not have flesh and bone.

The cults do not usually contest that the Father or the Son are Persons. They don’t even contest that Satan is a person because though He is a spiritual being, he possesses mind, will and emotion. However, they do contest the Personhood of the Holy Spirit. The Jehovah’s Witnesses hold the position that the Holy Spirit is merely God’s active force similar to electricity. However, we know that biblically this is not the case from Scripture. He is a Person and He is also God. If it can be shown, from Scripture, that the Holy Spirit possesses mind, will and emotion, then this shreds the Jehovah’ Witness position. Please study these Scriptures in context and hopefully you can see how Scripture supports the position that the Holy Spirit is a Person, possessing mind, will and emotion and not merely an active force: Once we establish that the Holy Spirit is infact a Person, we are able to then look at Him as not just some active force, but as a personal Being with certain attributes. Upon studying His attributes in Scripture, it is clear that the Holy Spirit possesses the attributes of God, such as eternality, holiness, omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence- which means ultimately that He is God as only God can possess divine attributes.

1.) He has a mind:
- 1 Corinthians 2:10- The Spirit searches all things.
- 1 Corinthians 2:11- He knows the thoughts of God.
- Romans 8:25-27- He knows our minds and searches our hearts.
- John 14:26- He will teach you all things and brings the teachings of
Christ to our remembrance.
- John 16:13- He guides us into all truth.

2.) He has emotions:-
- Ephesians 4:30- He can be grieved.
- Hebrews 10:29- He can be insulted.
- Acts 5:3-4: He was lied to by Ananias.
- Matthew 12:30-32- He can be blasphemed.
- Acts 5:9- The Spirit can be tested.


3.) He has a will:
- 1 Corinthians 12:11- He distributes gifts at His will.
- 2 Timothy 3:16 & 2 Peter 1:21- He gives Scripture.
- Acts 11:7-12- The Spirit speaks and gives commands.
- John 14:3- He brings Scripture to our remembrance.
- Acts 8:29- The Spirit spoke and lead Philip.

Once we establish that the Holy Spirit is infact a Person, we are able to then look at Him as not just some active force, but as a personal Being who possesses particular attributes. Upon further studying His attributes in Scripture, a clear case is made that the Holy Spirit possesses the attributes of God, such as eternality, holiness, omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence- which means ultimately that He is God as only God can possess divine attributes. In conclusion, we can see how important it is to establish the Personhood of the Holy Spirit in making the case for the Deity of the Holy Spirit, which is a fundamental aspect of the Doctrine of the Trinity.

God-centered faith versus Me-centered faith

by Carole

Possibly the most notable shift in Christianity over the centuries is the introduction of “my” and “me” to our vocabulary. While it may seem harmless, the addition of “my” alters not only our focus but also the cultural response. Let me show you how destructive the “my” doctrine is and how it so insidiously ensnares us.

Me-centered faith is entirely unbiblical. It shifts the attention from Christ to me.

Jesus says that we must deny ourselves take up our cross and follow Him. He also tells us that if we save our lives we will lose them. Paul says, it is no longer I who live, but Christ in me. (Matt 16:24-25, Gal 2:20 paraphrased) Clearly, after His Spirit is birthed within us, and we become new creatures, our life is it is not about us but about Him. Let’s become He-centered rather than me-centered.

Faith in faith is idolatry. This promotes faith in us rather than faith in God.

When I say “my faith“ or “my belief“, I’m unintentionally suggesting an end rather than a means. Yes, I have faith. But faith and belief are only as good as their object. I may have faith in a broken chair, but that does not alter reality when I sit down and come crashing to the floor. When someone says “my faith” I’m always inclined to ask, “your faith in what?” If we suggest that it is about “our faith” rather than about the God in who we place that faith, we are making ourselves the author and finisher of faith, rather than the Lord of glory.

The addition of my opens the door to subjectivity. I have my faith, you have yours.

In our pluralistic culture, “my faith” and “my belief” and “my God” are perfectly acceptable and noble phrases to use. It suggests that truth is relative and subjective, and while I have my faith, you have yours. It removes the uncomfortable and disturbing notion of reality, and pushes Christianity into the confines of the personal realm. Try saying that you "know God exists” rather than you “believe in God.” It will be shocking how uncomfortable everyone will be. But isn’t this what you mean when you say you “believe in God?” We must use definitive, uncompromising statements when we discuss the truth. Don’t expect to be well-received.

The one true God verses "my" God.

While there is nothing wrong with saying “my God”, we must again be sensitive to the cultural assumptions built in. When I’m among Christians, its easy and comfortable to say“our God” and this is right and good. God Himself says, “I will be your God, and you will be My people…” Ezekiel 36:28. But in public, among those who don’t know Him, we must clarify. What God? Who is God? The one true God. The God of the Bible. The God who is there.

The Truth Project

We highly recommend this series by Focus on the Family as it has helped to shape us in developing a biblical worldview. What is Truth? Who is God? Who is Man? What is a worldview? Do you really believe that what you believe is really real? The Truth Project is a DVD-based small group curriculum and is taught by Dr. Del Tackett and includes valuable insights from a host of Bible scholars and theologians, including Os Guinness, R.C. Sproul, and Ravi Zacharias. This series will change your life!

A Philosophical Defense of the Trinity

By Melissa

To many cultists and skeptics, the doctrine of the Trinity may appear to be a contradiction. The first thing to establish when discussing this possibility is what is meant by “contradiction”. Ignorance to what the doctrine of Trinity really involves is what leads people to this assumption. The best way to address this is by the Law of Non-contradiction, which states that two opposite statements can not be both true and false at the same time and in the same sense. In relation to the Trinity, there would definitely be a contradiction if we were to claim that there is one God and that there is not one God, but actually three Gods. Also, if we were to claim that in the Trinity, there is one Person and at the same time and in the same sense, there is not one Person, but there are actually three Persons, then we would be presenting a contradiction. However, we can philosophically refute the claim that the Trinity is a contradiction by actually breaking down what the doctrine of the Trinity consists of.

Christians do not hold the view that there are three Gods in the one God or three Persons in the one Person. Deuteronomy 6:4 (paraphrased) teaches us that there is one God, yet in Scripture, there are three Persons who are referred to as God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The conclusion, therefore, is that there are three distinct Persons (the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit) in the one God, which is were we get the term “Trinity” or “Tri-unity”.

To many theists, such as the Jehovah Witnesses and Muslims, this may be considered incomprehensible. However, these same groups believe that God created the universe out of nothing (ex-nihilo). This is also an incomprehensible thought. Also, the notion that God is eternal and had no beginning is incomprehensible. Consequently, just because something is incomprehensible to the finite mind does not mean that it is impossible for an infinite God or that it never happened.

Another argument that theists will use when disputing the doctrine of the Trinity is that the Trinity somehow violates the immutability of God. The immutability of God one of the attributes of God, that describes the fact that He never changes. In Malachi 3:6 (paraphrased), the Lord clearly states that He does not change and those within orthodox Christianity hold to that view. Jehovah Witnesses, however, will say that during the Incarnation, when the Word became flesh, that violates God’s immutability because He does not change. They will therefore conclude erroneously that Jesus is not divine because of that apparent contradiction. In this case, we have to go back to the Law of Non-Contradiction. Upon first glance, this appears to be a contradiction. How did God become flesh yet He said that He does not change? The answer to this question lies in the understanding of the difference between the attributes and activities of God. Malachi 3:6 refers to the attributes of God so God is saying that His nature never changes. He has always and will always be eternal, infinite, loving, just, etc. However, this Scripture does not apply to God’s activities. For instance, in Scripture we see God creating and ruling and healing and pouring out His wrath. We also see Him becoming a man so that He could become that Lamb, who would take away the sins of the world. None of these violate God’s immutability because while His activities changed, His nature did not. According to the Jehovah Witness and Muslim definition of immutability, when God created, He violated His immutability, which doesn’t comply with the biblical definition. The first place to start in this discussion would be the definition of immutability. These are just three philosophical arguments for the doctrine of the Trinity.

Being verses Doing

By Carole

I am a Christian.

This phrase refers to a state of being. When we came to know Christ as our Lord and Savior, we entered into a new state of life- you can say we entered true life. This is what being "born again" entails. Once His Spirit is born within us, what we do changes because who we are has changed.


Religion is defined by what you do, while Christianity is defined by who you are.


However, what we do is still important. Christ tells us that "You will know a tree by it's fruit." If we bear good fruit, that is evidence that God has truly put His Spirit within us. Works are the evidence of salvation, but not the initiators. We should do things that please the Lord because of who we are.

Is Jesus God?

By Carole

I can't tell you how much, I've struggled with this very basic concept. How is Jesus God, when God is God? I'm choosing to post this study first because I think it is the primary aspect of Christianity that is under attack, and one that many of us (like me) have trouble accurately defending.


God is Creator and Redeemer. There is only one true God. But God has a triune nature- meaning three Persons (mind, will, emotion) in one Being. This is a doctrine that is easy to gloss over because it is so hard to explain. But let's discover how Jesus is God in Scripture:

“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…” (Genesis 1:26)

“Us” is plural, while “image” and “likeness” is singular. The phrasing God uses here suggests there is one image and one likeness- ONE essence, but a “we” relationship.

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“I am the Lord, who makes all things, who stretches out the heavens all alone who spreads abroad the earth by Myself” (Isaiah 44:24)

Compare this verse to the above verse in Genesis. If God is referring to more than one (separate beings), then He would not be able to say this.

“For by Him (Jesus) all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible…” (Colossians 1:16)

“All things were made through Him (Jesus), and without Him nothing was made that was made.” (John 1:3)

“… His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds.” (Hebrews 1:2)

Here we clearly see that Jesus made the worlds, if He were not God the verse in Isaiah would again be a contradiction. Also, if Jesus were a created being, then all things could not have been made through Him- He could not have created Himself.

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“And God said to Moses: ‘I AM WHO I AM’” (Exodus 3:13-14)

“Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:58)

Jesus is taking the proper name of God, Yahweh, and using it to describe Himself. This is why the Jews want to kill Him. They recognize that He is calling Himself God.

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“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God.” (Isaiah 44:6)

“Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore.” (Revelation 1:18)- Jesus speaking.

The First and the Last is a claim that only ONE God can make. Jesus cannot be separate from God and also be the First and the Last. The article "the" signifies unique and only in this case.

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But to the Son He says: ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever…” (Hebrews 1:8)

Here the Son is called God directly.

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“Jesus said to him, “Away with you Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” (Matt 4:10)

“And Thomas answered and said to Him (Jesus), ‘My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28)

If Jesus is not God, Thomas is directly disobeying Him in worshiping Him and calling Him God. Jesus does not scold Him for this as He did Satan. This is how Jesus responds to Thomas:

“Thomas because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:28

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[Jesus] said to them, ‘How then does David in the Spirit call Him [the Messiah] ‘Lord,’ saying: The Lord said to my Lord ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool’?” If David calls Him ‘Lord’ how is He his Son?” (Matthew 22:43-45)

Jesus has many titles: Son of God, Son of David, Son of Man- these are all representing His unique role in relation to the Father in the Trinity, and how He fulfills the Jewish prophecies. (If we take son of God literally to mean God birthed a son, then what does “Son of Man” mean? Jesus used this title for Himself most often.)

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[When accused of working on the Sabbath] Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

When Jesus suggests God is His father, this does not mean that God literally birthed a child and reared him as a son (you would also have to assume that there is a mother- such blasphemy should be avoided). The Jews recognized that this is a title (see above) referring to His role in the Trinity, His role as God. (Critical Thinking: a son is not his father’s equal, so how do the Jews suggest that this claim should make Jesus equal with God?)

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The Jews answered Him saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You being a Man, make Yourself God.” John 10:33

The Jews recognized that Jesus was calling Himself God. Here’s how Christ responds:

Jesus answered them, “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me, but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” (John 10:37)

The Father is God. The Son is God. Therefore, the Father is in the Son and the Son is in the Father, for they are one God.

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“In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.”(John 1:1)

God here is Theos in Greek. The Strongs concordence definition: Theos is God, usually refers to the one true God; in very few contexts it refers to a pagan god or goddess.

The translation of Theos as “a god” suggests that Jesus is a pagan god, or a false god. This is not true.

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“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim… and one cried to another and said: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” … So I said “Woe is me for I am undone! …For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts.” (Isaiah 6:1-3, 5)

Isaiah says “I saw the LORD” - LORD (donay) in Hebrew means: “A title of the one true God, with a focus on His majesty and authority .”

“But although He (Jesus) had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: ‘Lord who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the lord been revealed?”… these things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.” (John 12:41)

John tells us that Isaiah saw Jesus in this vision. This is what it means in Colossians 1:15 that Jesus is “The image of the invisible God” and in Hebrews 1:3 “the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person.”

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"Behold , the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, "God with us." (Matt 1:23)

Jesus is God.

Welcome!

We're so glad you're joining us on this tour, as we learn of Christ together, and recognize ways we have been decieved by the culture. The primary goal of this site is to encourage women who know the Lord to start living in a way that is counter-cultural. If you don't know Him, then we encourage you to repent and believe* (see below)

Here are the goals:

Study the Scripture

We need to study the scriptures diligently (no this is not just a man's job!) so we can know the Lord who made us, and so we can teach our children and other women accurate biblical truths. We must declare the whole counsel of God to those close to us. (We should be able to say that we have taught the entire bible to our children, verse by verse.)

Counter the world's philosophy

We need to fight just as fiercely as the men to keep the unbiblical presuppositions of our society from entering our homes, we must counter the lies with the truth. (Primarily by prayer and fasting, secondarily by accurately defending the faith)

Be Informed thinkers

We need to be informed of what the latest fads are in the world, and so we can recognize new dangers that face our kids. (We must watch the news, read papers, understand what's going on- remember we are in the world, but not of it.)

All insights are welcome for discussion. I will be posting a new topic weekly.

*For all those who don't know Jesus as their Lord and Savior:

God is holy, which means He is set apart and completely against all that is sinful, which includes you. He is pure and perfect, which means He is also just and cannot embrace the sinner because He cannot embrace sin. He is your Creator, Elohim, but you are in complete and utter rebellion against Him. Though you know He exists, somewhere in the back of your mind, you have ignored Him. What can you do to be accepted by Him, to be embraced by Him, to be saved from Hell? Be completely perfect and sinless, exactly as He is. The problem is you need to start over, you're life is already dead in sin, you need a new life.

This is the good news! God can give you a new life, He can cause His Spirit to be born within you (being born again), and He will give you the ability to walk perfectly before Him. How? God entered this world as the Messiah, Jesus Christ, to pay for our sins. Christ's death on the cross was literally Him becoming sin for us, and recieving the judgement for the sin of the world. In that moment, God was able to justly free all who repent and believe in Jesus. Repenting is a turning to Christ from sin. Believing in Christ means putting your trust in Him, that He freed you from your sins and will birth a new Spirit within you, His Spirit. The evidence that you have truly believed in Him is in your changed desires and lifestyle. Our prayer is that you will trust in Him; we have never been the same since He gave us a new life. If you have any questions, please feel free to email us: soloscripture@gmail.com, or post a comment.

Key scripture verses to read:

Ezekial 36:26-27- Old testament

John 3 (whole chapter)