Modern Baal Worship or Calf Worship
Chart of Modern Baal Worship or Calf Worship
Thus, much of modern Christianity includes Baal Worship or Calf Worship.
Healing Miracles – What Does the Bible Say?
“Lord, Lord, did we not . . . in your name perform many miracles”—Matthew 7:22 NIV. Healing miracles were given by God on occasion in the Bible as a demonstration of his Almighty power (Job 37:23). But can miracles come from a bad source? In the book of Exodus, the priests of Egypt were able to perform miracles similar to those performed through Moses and Aaron (Exodus 7:8-12). In Deuteronomy, God’s people were warned about those who practice divination and sorcery (Deuteronomy 18:10-12).
Are People Divinely Healed Today?
God can do all things that are good! But are people divinely healed today?
“With God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) Just because God CAN do all things does not mean he actually DOES all things, at all times.
“Large crowds came to Him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet, and He healed them. So the crowd marveled as they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing, and the glorified the God of Israel” (Matthew 15:30,31 NASB). There is no doubt that many were miraculously healed by Jesus and his apostles. Does this mean that people are miraculously healed today? Well, do we see ‘the mute being made to speak, the crippled healed, the lame enabled to walk, blind people’s sight restored, etc.’? — No, we don’t!
Overpopulation – a justified excuse to murder the unborn?
Is “overpopulation” an excuse to murder the unborn?
The short answer is “no!” Murder is never justified by God.
“For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come – sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” (Mark 7:21-23)
Using “overpopulation” as an excuse to murder the unborn is no more valid an excuse than starting a war to reduce population. Why not start fires to kill people to reduce population? Why bother with putting older and disabled people in long term care homes? Why not just execute them to reduce population?
Salvation Through Faith – What About Christian Works?
“Faith without works is dead”—James 2:26
In our previous article on salvation, we established that the Bible does not support the eternal salvation (or “once saved, always saved”) doctrine. So how is a Christian saved? Is it by doing good deeds and refraining from doing bad things? Is salvation attained by Christian works? Or is it by faith alone? If by faith alone, then where do Christian works fit in? Let’s see what the Bible has to say on this matter.
“Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done.” (Ephesians 2:8 NLT) The same verse in the NIV says that salvation is “not by works.” So obviously, the Bible says our own works cannot save us. It is not saying that as Christians, we should not be doing good works. Rather, it is saying that salvation is not attained simply by doing good works.
Eternal Security: Once Saved, Always Saved?
Some modern-day Christians have been taught to believe in the doctrine known as “eternal security” (commonly known as “once saved, always saved”). But is this belief scriptural? Let’s allow the scriptures to speak for themselves.
“I mention it that you may be saved” (John 5:34 NIV). Notice Jesus says, “you may be saved”, not ‘you are saved, case closed, period’, as some would have us believe”. Salvation is not guaranteed to everyone, or anyone. See Matthew 7:21-23.
Is Nationalism Idolatry?
Nationalism can be defined as loyalty and devotion to a nation, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Nationalism often involves exalting one’s own nation above all others, and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations. There is nothing wrong with loving the area in which one lives. Respecting and obeying the laws of the land is required by Almighty God himself (Romans 13:1-7). But is nationalism for Christians? When we examine the Bible carefully, do we find that nationalism could be considered idolatry?
Christians, Pollution, and Climate Change
With soaring, record high global temperatures, floods, fires, droughts, melting ice, sea level rise, and other climate extremes and disruptions in the news every day, should Christians be concerned about pollution and climate change? Some Christians feel that they are definitely saved, and bound for heaven, and that God will destroy the earth with fire, wrongly interpreting “fire” in 2 Peter 3:7,10 literally. Therefore, they feel no sense of responsibility to take care of the earth. Others feel so strongly about the climate change problem that they become climate activists, and protest about climate change in various ways, even going to extremes in some cases, even to the point of risking their lives for the climate. Is this how God wants us to think and act? While the Bible does not use the terms “climate change,” “pollution,” “global warming,” etc., we can gain insight into God’s thinking by examining various Bible statements and principles.
Origin of the New Testament Canon
The New Testament canon was established early, by Holy Spirit
The New Testament canon was established in the first century by holy Spirit. Let’s examine some scriptures which confirm this fact:
2 Peter 1:16-21 – Peter affirms Old Testament prophets wrote God’s word. He puts himself and other apostles in the same category.
2 Peter 3:15-16 – Paul’s letters were on the same level as all the “rest of the scriptures.” That is, inspired of God. Early Greek manuscripts show Paul writing 14 letters.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 – The rest of the scriptures (the Old Testament) are inspired of God. We can broaden this now, and apply the principle to all 66 canonical books as shown below:
Are People Predestined, or Do They Have Free Will?
Are humans predestined, or do they have free will?
‘Predestination’ is a word often used to signify God’s foreordaining of all events of world history — past, present, and future. This usage is quite appropriate. In Scripture and historic Protestant theology, ‘predestination’ refers specifically to God’s decision, made in eternity before the world existed, regarding the final destinies of individual persons . . . it is usual in Protestant theology to define predestination as including both God’s decision to save some from sin (election) and the corresponding decision not to save others (reprobation)”—The Reformation Study Bible, page 1345