Dualism refers to the view that human beings consist of two distinct substances – material and immaterial. The material substance is the physical body, while the immaterial substance is the soul or mind. This view is contrasted with monism, which holds that human beings are entirely physical. The philosophical origins of dualism can be traced back to Plato and other ancient Greek philosophers. Plato argued that human beings consist of an immortal soul imprisoned in a physical body. The soul originates from the eternal world of immaterial Forms and becomes trapped in the material world. At death, the immortal soul…
Author: Nicole Sands
A Foursquare Church refers to a Pentecostal Christian church that adheres to the teachings of Aimee Semple McPherson. McPherson founded the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel (ICFG) in 1927 in Los Angeles, California. The term “Foursquare” refers to the fourfold message McPherson preached relating to the four-fold ministry of Jesus Christ as the Savior, Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, Healer, and soon coming King. This core set of beliefs became the foundation for the Foursquare Church. Some key beliefs and practices of Foursquare Churches include: Emphasis on having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (John…
Who was John Foxe? John Foxe (1516/17 – 1587) was an English historian and martyrologist, best known for his book Actes and Monuments (popularly known as Foxe’s Book of Martyrs), which was first published in 1563. This work was a polemical account of the sufferings of Protestants under the Catholic Church, with particular emphasis on England and Scotland. It had a strong influence on public opinion in England as well as on later English Protestant culture. John Foxe was born in Boston, Lincolnshire, England in 1516/1517. Little is known about his early life, but it appears that he came from…
The verse in Isaiah 55:9 reads, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” This is a profoundly meaningful verse that reveals much about the nature of God and His relationship to humanity. First, it reminds us that God is infinitely greater than us. Just as the heavens stretch far beyond the limits of the earth, so God’s ways and thoughts are far above ours. We are finite, limited creatures while God is eternal and unlimited. There is an immense gap between the Creator and…
The topic of eternal security for Old Testament believers is an interesting one that is debated among theologians. At the core of this discussion is whether or not people who had faith in God before Christ’s atoning work on the cross were eternally secure in their salvation. There are good arguments on both sides of this issue, and coming to a firm conclusion is challenging due to limited biblical information. On one hand, some argue that Old Testament saints did have eternal security based on verses that speak of God’s unchanging nature. For example, Malachi 3:6 declares “For I the…
The Bible provides some clues about where Noah lived before, during, and after the Great Flood. However, the exact location is not definitively stated. Based on contextual evidence in Genesis, scholars have proposed several theories about the geographical region of Noah’s life. Where Noah Lived Before the Flood In Genesis, Noah is introduced as living during a time when mankind had become extremely wicked and corrupt (Genesis 6:5-7). Noah alone was righteous and “walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). God then instructed Noah to build the ark in preparation for the coming Flood that would destroy all life on earth (Genesis…
The psalms are a collection of poems and hymns that express the religious feelings of Jews throughout different periods of history. Several psalms are considered messianic, meaning they contain prophecies or allusions to the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Here are some of the key psalms that predict and point to Jesus as the promised Messiah: Psalm 2 Psalm 2 is a royal psalm that celebrates God’s king who will rule over all nations. It prophesies the rebellion of the nations against God’s anointed king, but declares that God will establish him as king despite this opposition (Psalm 2:1-6).…
The question of whether Matthias or Paul was God’s chosen replacement for Judas as the 12th apostle is an interesting one that is debated among Bible scholars. In Acts 1, after Judas betrayed Jesus and later died, the 11 remaining disciples decided to select a 12th apostle to fill Judas’ place. The criteria was that the new apostle had to have been with Jesus from His baptism by John until His ascension. Two men were proposed – Joseph called Barsabbas and Matthias. After praying, the 11 disciples cast lots and the lot fell on Matthias, so he was added as…
Expositional preaching is a style of preaching that focuses on explaining and applying Scripture passage by passage. The preacher works through a biblical text verse-by-verse and explains the meaning of the text in its original context. The goal is to faithfully convey the intended meaning of the biblical authors. Expositional preaching seeks to uncover the theological truths contained in Scripture and apply them to the lives of the listeners. There are several key elements that characterize expositional preaching: It is rooted in a biblical text – Typically an expository sermon will take a focused passage of Scripture as its basis…
The question of whether gospel crusades are a biblical method of evangelism is an important one for Christians to consider. A gospel crusade typically refers to an evangelistic campaign or revival meeting held in an auditorium or stadium and led by an evangelist or preacher with the goal of converting non-believers to faith in Jesus Christ. As we examine what the Bible teaches about evangelism and how Jesus and the apostles proclaimed the gospel, several principles emerge that can help assess whether large-scale crusades are a biblically supported approach. The Great Commission and Personal Evangelism In giving his followers the…