This is a question many Christians ask. Throughout the Bible, we see numerous examples of God speaking audibly and directly to people. He spoke to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:8-19), to Noah giving him instructions about building the ark (Genesis 6:13-21), and to Abraham telling him to sacrifice his son Isaac (Genesis 22:1-2). God spoke to Moses from the burning bush (Exodus 3:4-15) and gave him the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:17-20:21). In the New Testament, God spoke from heaven at Jesus’ baptism saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am…
Author: Kerry Baysinger
The words of Jesus in Matthew 7:21 provide an important warning: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” This verse makes it clear that just professing Jesus as Lord is not enough to guarantee salvation. There must be sincere obedience and a lifestyle that aligns with God’s will. To properly understand this verse, it is helpful to examine the context. In Matthew 7, Jesus is teaching His disciples about true and false religion. He warns them to “beware…
This is a difficult question that many people grapple with, especially when faced with intense personal suffering or witnessing the suffering of others. According to the Bible, suffering entered the world through human sin and continues as a result of living in a fallen, broken world (Genesis 3). However, the Bible offers hope and perspective on suffering in several ways: Suffering is the general human condition The Bible is realistic that suffering is part of the shared human experience. Ecclesiastes 1:2 says, “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” All people experience the frustrations of…
The Bible does not give an exact size or dimensions for heaven, but it does offer some clues that give us an idea of just how enormous and magnificent it will be. While we may not know the exact metrics, we can trust that heaven will far surpass anything we could imagine in our earthly minds. One key aspect is that heaven is portrayed as a city – the New Jerusalem described in Revelation 21. It is constructed out of pure gold and precious stones, with foundations decorated with jewels. The dimensions given for the city are enormous – nearly…
The Testament of Solomon is an Old Testament pseudepigraphical work, purportedly written by King Solomon, in which he describes how he summoned and controlled demons with his ring to help build the First Temple in Jerusalem. The text is believed to have been written between the 1st and 5th centuries AD and provides insight into early Jewish and Christian beliefs about magic, astrology, and demons. Background on Solomon According to the Bible, Solomon was the son of King David and ruled over Israel from around 970 to 931 BC. He was known for his great wisdom and wealth. Under his…
The perceived differences between God’s portrayal in the Old Testament versus the New Testament is a common question for many people exploring the Bible. At surface level, it can seem like God behaves quite differently between the two testaments – appearing harsh, judgmental, and even violent in the Old Testament, while being loving, gracious, and forgiving in the New Testament. However, while there are some differences in emphasis and manifestation, God is consistent in His character and nature throughout the entirety of Scripture. Here are some key factors that help explain the ways God seems “different” between the Old and…
Achaia was a Roman province located in southern Greece. It played an important role in the early spread of Christianity as described in the New Testament. Here is an overview of the significance of Achaia in the Bible: Paul’s missionary journeys to Achaia The apostle Paul traveled extensively to spread the gospel message about Jesus Christ. During his second missionary journey around AD 50, Paul first went to Achaia, landing at Cenchreae and staying briefly in Corinth (Acts 18:1). He spent a year and a half preaching in Corinth and established a church there. Paul later wrote two epistles to…
The historical books of the Bible provide an account of God’s dealings with the nation of Israel, spanning from their conquest of Canaan under Joshua to the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. These books tell the history of Israel, providing an inspired record of how God worked among His people over many centuries. The historical books can be divided into three main sections: The Books of Moses (Genesis – Deuteronomy) The first five books of the Bible are sometimes called the Pentateuch or the Books of Moses. They provide the foundation for the rest of Scripture by recounting…
A red letter Bible is a Bible that contains the spoken words of Jesus printed in red ink. This formatting tradition began with the first red letter Bible published in 1899 by Louis Klopsch, editor of The Christian Herald magazine. Klopsch’s inspiration was to help readers clearly see the actual words spoken by Jesus Christ during his time on earth. Since then, red letter editions have become widely popular and are printed by many Bible publishers today. The red letters in these Bibles distinguish Jesus’ words from the other text in a visual way. While the entire Bible is considered…
The verse 1 John 3:20 says “for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.” This verse contains a profound truth about God’s nature and His relationship to us. In order to fully understand what it means, we must look at the context and dig into the original language and meaning of the key terms. By doing this, we can better grasp the comfort and hope this verse intends to convey. The Context of 1 John 3:20 First, it’s important to understand the broader context of this verse. 1 John 3:20 falls within…