Psalm 95:6 states “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!” This verse raises an important question – does this mean we should always physically bow down or kneel when we worship God? Let’s take a deeper look at what the Bible says about bowing down in worship. The meaning and context of Psalm 95:6 Psalm 95 is a call to worship and praise God. Verse 6 specifically encourages bowing down and kneeling before God in an act of reverence and submission. However, it’s important to understand the context and intent behind…
Author: Kristal Wheatley
Does God Forgive Big Sins? The question of whether God forgives big sins is an important one that many people struggle with. The Bible has a clear message that God is able and willing to forgive any and all sins, no matter how “big” they may seem to us. To understand this topic more fully, it’s helpful first to clarify what constitutes a “big” sin. This is subjective, but most Christians would agree that sins like murder, adultery, theft, lying, hypocrisy, and blasphemy are generally considered more serious. Though all sins separate us from God, big sins tend to have…
The Conversations with God book series by Neale Donald Walsch has gained a lot of popularity over the years, but how does it line up with the Bible? Let’s take a deeper look. Overview of the Conversations with God series The Conversations with God series consists of 9 books that are written in a dialog format with Walsch asking questions and God answering. The books cover a wide range of theological and philosophical topics as God explains his nature and spiritual truths. Some of the core teachings include: God is an all-loving, non-judgmental being who desires to have relationships, not…
To be a born again Christian means that you have made a conscious decision to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and commit your life to following Him. It refers to a transformative spiritual rebirth experienced by someone who comes to faith in Christ. Here is an in-depth look at the biblical foundation and meaning of what it means to be born again: 1. The Origin of Being “Born Again” The term “born again” comes directly from Scripture – John 3:3. Jesus said to Nicodemus: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot…
The story of the golden calf in Exodus 32 teaches us several important lessons. Here are some key things to learn from this incident: While Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments from God, the Israelites at the base of the mountain grew impatient. They approached Aaron and asked him to make gods for them to worship, since they didn’t know what had happened to Moses (Exodus 32:1). Aaron collected all the gold earrings from the people and fashioned them into a golden calf idol. The people then worshipped this idol, saying “These are your gods, O Israel,…
The effectual calling, also known as the effectual call or effective call, is a theological concept in Christianity that describes God’s summoning of people to faith in Jesus Christ. It is part of the ordo salutis, or order of salvation, and is considered one of the steps in the process by which God saves sinners from condemnation. The effectual calling is distinguished from the general call of the gospel, which goes out to all people without exception. The general call invites all to repent and believe, but it does not provide the power to respond positively. The effectual call, by…
Being pure in heart is a concept that’s mentioned several times in the Bible, especially in the New Testament. At its core, it refers to having sincere, undivided devotion and loyalty to God in one’s inner being. The “heart” in Scripture represents the center of a person – their motives, desires, will, thoughts and intentions. So having a “pure heart” means all those things are fully dedicated to the Lord without hypocrisy or divided loyalties. 1. Holiness and Moral Integrity One aspect of being “pure in heart” is having a heart that is cleansed from sin and instead pursues holiness…
The question of whether God is restoring the offices of apostle and prophet in the church today is an important one that deserves careful consideration. To answer it thoroughly, we must first understand what the Bible teaches about these roles and offices. What is an apostle? The word “apostle” comes from the Greek word apostolos which means “one who is sent out.” In the New Testament, there are two primary uses of the word apostle: To refer to the Twelve Apostles whom Jesus specially chose and commissioned to be His witnesses (Matthew 10:2-4). These Twelve included Simon Peter, Andrew, James,…
The dictation theory, also known as the mechanical inspiration theory, is a view held by some Christians regarding the inspiration of the Bible. According to this theory, God directly dictated the Bible word-for-word to the human authors. The authors acted as secretaries or stenographers, writing down exactly what God told them to write. The key aspects of the dictation theory are: God directly chose each word in the original manuscripts of the Bible. The human authors were passive recipients of the text and did not contribute their own thoughts or style. The original manuscripts of the Bible are inerrant and…
Christians have a duty as citizens on earth to be involved in politics and government. The Bible does not give exact guidelines for Christians on how to engage in politics, but there are some overarching principles that should guide Christian political engagement. One key principle is that Christians should obey the governing authorities as established by God (Romans 13:1-7). God has instituted government and positions of authority for the purpose of promoting good and restraining evil. Christians should generally submit to and pray for those in authority rather than rebel or seek to undermine them. At the same time, there…