“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13)

Today, here in the USA, is Valentine’s Day. It is the day we celebrate love: Children make Valentine's Day cards for their friends and give heart-shaped candies with little words on them that say things like, “Be Mine,” “Secret Love,” or just simply, “Love.” And at the local grocery store where cards and flowers are sold, you will see men nervously looking through rows of Valentine cards to find just the right one that will say to that special person at home, “I love you!”

So, what is love?

The best definition for love is found in the Bible. It is often referred to as the Bible’s “love chapter.” It is a great guide to follow.

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.” (1 Cor. 13:4-8 ESV)

The most powerful kind of love is described in the following verse

“There’s no greater love than this, that a man should lay down his life for a friend”

God demonstrated this kind of love to us

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 ESV)

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalms 103:11-12)

Therefore

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3:17b-19)

“Then the Lord said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail. So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand.” (Ex. 4:3)

Why did God tell Moses to do that?

The above passage seemed very odd to me the first time I read it. That’s because God told Moses to do something extremely dangerous—the very opposite way you should pick up a snake. Anyone who knows anything about handling poisonous snakes knows not to grab a snake by the tail because it will turn and bite you. The correct way to pick it up is by the head; then it will be completely under your control and cannot bite you.

An act of obedience and an act of faith

Remember that a snake’s power is in its head. Moses surely knew not to pick up a snake this way. When God told him to grab the snake’s tail, Moses had to put aside what he knew and trust God, having faith that God would control the snake's head.

It represented a transfer of power and authority

Remember that the snake started out as Moses’ staff, which represented Moses’ own power and authority—he leaned on it as he walked, and it was what he used to control his livestock. From now on, however, God was going to use his staff in a very different way: to free the Hebrew children from slavery and to perform many miracles like parting the waters so the entire group of Hebrew children could cross over on dry land. This was a big assignment, and now Moses needed to trust and obey God completely by faith, especially when things looked impossible from a human standpoint, like picking up a deadly snake by the tail, for instance.

Therefore

Learn from Moses’ example and trust and obey God with faith, especially when things look scary. And He will bless you and make your paths straight. He has great plans to give you hope and a future!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Prov. 3:5-6 ESV)

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” (Jer. 17:7-8 ESV)

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jer. 29:1)

“Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Eph. 5:21 ESV)

Marriage survival statistics in America are dismal! According to the American Psychological Association, approximately 40-50% of first marriages end in divorce.

Why is this so?

Even though couples may have many reasons for divorce, I want to talk here about the number one stated reason. According to the findings of a recent survey of CDFA professionals, as many as 43% of people list “basic incompatibility” as the cause of their divorce. This reason is often stated on divorce documents as irreconcilable differences. Webster’s dictionary defines irreconcilable differences as “inability to agree on most things or on important things.” But, basically, it’s that they had things in their lives they were unable to come to agreement about. And because they couldn’t agree, they just gave up. They quit. They ended their marriage.

Recently, I spoke with an older gentleman who told me he had been married and divorced several times, and it got easier to do each time. Each marriage was shorter than the previous one. He said he had grown children with his first wife, and sometimes he would see her at family gatherings. She had been remarried and divorced again, too. He said they had spoken recently and reflected on their marriage and divorce. He said to her, “Why didn’t we work harder to save our marriage?” “Our differences weren’t that bad.” She said, “I don’t know why we gave up so easily.” It just seemed right at the time. “But we could have figured it out if we had tried harder.”

Embrace differences

Why are differences considered bad? First, the concept of compatibility is taught and demonstrated broadly in many ways.You see it in movies, on television, and taught in marriage lectures by “marriage experts.” There are many dating websites that use questionnaires designed to help you find someone “most like you.” We are told that compatibility is the main ingredient for a strong marriage.

But is this really true?

I don’t think so. I heard someone say, “If two people agreed on everything, one of them would be unnecessary.” I think he had something there! It’s been my observation that the strongest marriages are when two opposites come together, embracing each other’s strengths and helping each other with their weaknesses. They both become stronger.

For instance

My wife, Susan, and I are very different in many ways. She likes girly things, and I like manly things. We like different music; she likes classical and I like country. She likes sappy love story movies, and I like shoot ‘em up John Wayne type movies. She is ultra introverted, and I’m as extroverted as you can get. We like different colors, different home types, different TV shows, and much more. It’s amazing that we ever got together in the first place. But we did, and both of our lives are much richer as a result. What do we agree on? We both love God, the Bible, our children, and each other—the important things. And we pray together and get into agreement with scripture as our guide. We find Bible promises that cover every issue and get into agreement about them (Matt. 18:19). And, finally, we have learned to not sweat the small stuff. And at this writing, we’ve been married 51 years. If we had filled out a compatibility questionnaire, we would have never gotten together.

Therefore

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.” (Eccles. 4:9 ESV)

“He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.” (Prov. 18:42 ESV)

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them” (1 John 2:15)

The above verse seems pretty clear about not loving the world doesn’t it? And we certainly do not want to do what God says not to do. But, what if we do love things in the world like beautiful sunsets, lovely landscapes, majestic mountains, lovely flowers, trees, animals, and the like? Aren’t we then “loving the world”? The answer is both yes and no. Let me explain.

Understanding what “world” means

There’s more than one Bible definition for the word world. In the passage above it refers to the world’s corrupt and evil value system. And God says to abhor evil of all kinds (Rom. 12:9). We are to reject the world’s value system, which includes things like status, selfishness, and sexual immorality. The following verse explains it.

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Rom. 12:2 NLT)

The other meaning

The the word “world” used in John 3:16, which says, “For God so loved the world” has a very different meaning. It means humanity (the people on the planet), and of course, the followers of Jesus are to love people just as God does.

 Don’t get it backwards

The problem is that we often love the value system and hate the people. Christians do this all the time. Instead of being different, we’re often just as materialistic and hedonistic as the culture we live in. But that’s backwards from how God calls us to live.

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but” let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2 NLT).

So, what about sunsets and trees?

The Bible tells us to think about beautiful and praiseworthy things.They can be things like sunsets, flowers, etc. But, the emphasis must be on what’s praiseworthy to God as the following verse says.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable— if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think on these things.” (Phil. 4:8).

Therefore, use what God has created to remind us to praise Him 

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (rev. 4:11)

And finally

Fill your mind with God’s truth, and let it transform your life by changing what you love.

“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (Col. 3:14 ESV)

“And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt. 22:37-39 ESV)

“Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.” (Prov. 21:5 NLT)

Many years ago, there was a popular selling trend sweeping across America called multi-level marketing, and it was used to sell everything from laundry soap to vitamins and even cookware. It was everywhere, and people kept inviting me and everyone else they could think of to their homes to hear a presentation. I remember being tricked into attending them a few times. Someone would invite me over without telling me it was to hear a sales pitch. But eventually I got suspicious of all invitations and would say, “What is this about? Is this a multilevel thing?

Other people were getting suspicious of the invitations too

I remember overhearing someone talking to my father-in-law about coming over to their house for the evening. And he asked them if it was to hear a presentation.They admitted it was, but proceeded to tell him how rich it would make him. But he said, “No thank you! I make my money the old-fashioned way; I work for it!” He obviously understood the proverb at the top: “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.” Benjamin Franklin obviously knew what the Bible taught, too, and wrote, “Haste makes waste,” in his Poor Richard’s Almanac. He understood that shortcuts are not the way to achieve success.

More proverbs on the subject

“Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.” (Prov. 10:4)

“The slacker craves yet has nothing, but the soul of the diligent is fully satisfied.” (Prov. 13:4)

“Even zeal is no good without knowledge, and he who hurries his footsteps misses the mark.” (Prov. 19:2)

Therefore

“He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.” (Prov. 10:4 KJV)

“The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.” (Prov. 13:4 KJV)

A series about critical doctrines you must not deny or change

“You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.” (1 John 3:5 ESV)

Over the past few days

I’ve been discussing doctrinal errors held by the many progressive churches around the world that have redefined many church doctrines to reflect their new unbiblical beliefs.

I have heard stories from people who said that they had attended one of these progressive churches for many years, and they said it didn’t start out with doctrinal errors. But it happened gradually as new leadership came in and bit by bit redefined the church’s doctrines and purposes. It’s like the old story about the frog in cool water that gets heated up so slowly, one degree at a time, that the frog doesn’t notice until it's too late and is cooked. A lot of times, these changes happen because people stop emphasizing Bible truths and instead focus on other things until the old essential doctrines are forgotten.

Most progressive Christians don’t openly say that Jesus was a sinner but their emphasis is often on Jesus' humanity. But the sinlessness of Jesus is crucial and must never be deemphasized. Here’s why.

Jesus Christ, who is God, cannot sin because He is God

The Bible makes it clear that even though Jesus Christ was tested in every manner, just like we are, He did not sin.

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb. 4:15 ESV)

“For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.” (Heb. 7:26 ESV)

Why it matters

There would be no atonement for sin if Jesus had committed sin. 

“You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.” (1John 3:5 ESV)

“He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.” (1 Peter 2:22 ESV)

(1 John 3:5). He committed no fault, and there was no dishonesty detected in His words, as the apostle Peter made abundantly clear (1 Peter 2:22).

We are separated from God by sin and need a savior

Sin entered the earth as a result of Adam and Eve's disobedience to God in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:6). Death resulted from their sin, as God had foretold (Genesis 2:17). As a result, sin is now a part of human nature from the moment of conception (Romans 5:12–19). (Psalm 51:5).

Our inherited sinful nature put a barrier between us and our Creator, condemning us to both physical and everlasting death because "the penalty of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). 

“In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Heb. 9:22 ESV)

Therefore

“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” (2 Cor. 5:21 NLT)

“So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” (Heb. 9:28 ESV)

A series about critical doctrines you must not deny or change

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” (Matt. 28:19 ESV)

Over the past few days

I’ve been discussing doctrinal errors held by the many Progressive Churches around the world who have redefined many church doctrines to reflect their new unbiblical beliefs.

The denial of the Trinity

The denial of the Trinity naturally follows the denial of the deity of Jesus, which we discussed yesterday. Progressive Christians often go even further by supporting a pantheistic worldview, which maintains that the universe itself is God. Some promote panentheism, which maintains that God and the world are intertwined and that God and all things are one. In every way, this is false, confusing, dangerous, and completely unbiblical.

So, what is The Trinity?

First of all, let me begin by saying that no human being will ever be able to fully comprehend or even articulate the concept. We cannot truly understand God because He is incomparably more powerful than us. But clearly, the Bible teaches that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God.

Metaphors aren’t adequate

I’ve heard pastors use different metaphors to explain the trinity. For example: Water has three forms—as liquid, ice, and steam; an egg has three parts—the outer shell, the white, and the yoke. There are others, but all metaphors fall short and cannot adequately explain it. The trinity is described by many Bible scholars as God’s mystery.

God exists as three distinct, simultaneous persons

The word “trinity” is not in the Bible but is a term used to denote the Christian doctrine that God exists as a unity of three distinct, simultaneous persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each of the persons is distinct from the other yet identical in essence. But, even though the word trinity is not in the Bible, the three-in-one concept is demonstrated from cover to cover.

The following are just a few of the many Bible passages about the Trinity

·      God referred to in plural

God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” (Gen. 1:26)

“Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil.” (Gen. 3:22 ESV)

“Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.” (Gen. 11:7 ESV)

·      The Father referred to as God

“One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Eph. 4:6 ESV)

“Our Father, Who art in heaven, 
Hallowed be Thy Name.” (Matt. 6:9)

·      The Son referred to as God

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).” (Matt. 1:23 ESV)

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isa. 9:6 ESV)

“Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9 ESV)

“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” (Heb. 1:3 ESV)

“Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,” (Titus 2:13 ESV)

“But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.” (Heb. 1:8 ESV)

“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” (1 John 5:20 ESV)

·      The Holy Spirit referred to as God

“But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” (Acts 5:3-4 ESV)

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Cor. 3:17 ESV)

·      Two or more referred to as God

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” (Matt. 28:19 ESV)

“I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30 ESV)

“And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” (2 Cor. 1:21-22 ESV)

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.” (1 Cor. 12:4-6 ESV)

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Phil. 2:5-8 ESV)

Therefore

“For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,” (Col. 2:9 ESV)

A series about critical doctrines you must not deny or change

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). (Matt. 1:23 ESV)

Over the past few days

I’ve been discussing doctrinal errors held by the many Progressive Churches around the world who have redefined many church doctrines to reflect their new unbiblical beliefs. Of course, any church, group, or person, who does this is promoting the doctrines of demons!

In the progressive church, the virgin birth and other miraculous occurrences are minimized, disregarded, or, like the resurrection, viewed as less significant than the lessons we may draw from them. But the Bible clearly teaches that Jesus’ mother was a virgin and Jesus’ birth was miraculous. And this is vital to understand.

Why the virgin birth matters

Those who deny the virgin birth contradict the clear teaching of Scripture, call into question other miracles recorded in the Bible, and open the door to a denial of Christ’s full deity or His full humanity.

This notion is not new

Jesus’ enemies among His contemporaries denied His virgin birth. They went so far as to publicly accuse Jesus of being a Samaritan, i.e., a person of mixed race and having a demon (John 8:48).

The virgin birth is important because it preserves the truth that Jesus is fully God and fully man at the same time. He received his physical body from his mother, Mary. But His eternal, holy nature was His from all eternity past (John 6:69). Joseph the carpenter did not pass on his sinful nature to Jesus because Joseph was not His father, God was. Therefore, Jesus had no sin nature (Hebrews 7:26).

What the Bible says about Christ’s virgin birth

Gabriel announces it to Mary

“Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you.”

Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:28-35 NLT) 

Gabriel later repeats it to Joseph

“Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.” (Matt. 1:20 NLT)

Joseph needed to know this information  because, “before they came together, Mary was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18). Joseph accepted God’s Word about this matter and proceeded to take Mary as his wife, but she remained a virgin until after Jesus was born: “He did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son” (Matthew 1:25).

More Bible verses about the virgin birth of Jesus

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isa. 7:14 ESV)

“To a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary.” (Luke 1:27 ESV)

Therefore

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” (Col. 1:15 ESV)

“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” (Heb. 1:3 ESV)

A series about critical doctrines you must not deny or change

“That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,” (Phil. 3:10 ESV) 

Over the past few days

I’ve been discussing doctrinal errors held by the many Progressive Churches around the world who have redefined many church doctrines to reflect their new unbiblical beliefs.

Not all progressives reject the concept that Jesus was physically risen from the dead, but they frequently view it as less vital or crucial and as less significant than the lessons we may draw from them. But the significance of the resurrection should never be minimized in any way, but must be emphasized!

The resurrection is a crucial doctrine!

According to the following passage it’s critical to our faith! Without it, our faith is futile, we’re  still in our sins, and our preaching is in vain! Read below.

“Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope[a] in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1Cor. 15:12-20)

·      The resurrection story

“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.” (Luke 24:1-10 ESV)

The resurrection causes us to be born again to a living hope!

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” (1 Peter 1:3 ESV)

“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” (Rom. 8:11 ESV)

 What you must do

 “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Rom. 10:9 ESV)

Therefore

“Who is to condemn? 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.” (Rom. 8:34 ESV)