Section 8 A - Assorted Issues

This And That - Assorted Issues

Live as though Christ died yesterday, rose from the grave today, and is coming back tomorrow. - Theodore Epp

 Many more articles yet to be added

The Christian and Knowledge - Theology And Doctrine

The two words being widely misunderstood, many believers seem to be under the impression that "theology" and "doctrine" are of minimal importance.

However, although theology is the study of any religion's beliefs, doctrines, and texts. Christian theology is our effort to understand the God of the Scriptures. Based on however much study they have done, all Christians have some knowledge and thoughts about God. Thus all believers have some theology.  And, when it comes to their faith, all Christians believe something which means all Christians have doctrine.

The New Testament is replete with stern warnings about pursuing sound doctrine which means doctrine can be true or false. Therefore the question is not whether or not we have theology and doctrine, but whether we have good theology resulting in good doctrine, or we have we have bad theology resulting in bad doctrine. HERE

The Christian and God
Knowing Him, Fearing Him, Worshipping Him, Taking His Name In Vain. HERE

The Christian and Money
Biblical teaching about money is very clear, very consistent, and quite radical. Tithing - God’s plan or man’s fabrications. Is God Opposed to Money? HERE

The Christian and Prayer
Jesus’ Blueprint For Prayer, What Does It Mean To Pray Without Ceasing? Is Every Prayer Answered? When We Don't Know How to Pray, Can My Prayers Help Some one Else? HERE

The Bible And Alcohol
If there is a subcultural Christian prohibition that goes beyond scripture, are we obligated to follow it? HERE

Christian Women
The Role of Women in the Bible, The Role Of Women In The Church, Should Women Teach in Church? Were Women Silent at Pentecost? Women in Ministry, Salvation Through Childbirth? How Should Christian Women Dress? Modesty Matters. Includes The 10 Lies of Feminism and Feminism and The Bible HERE

Jesus And The Law
Because they have not grasped the seamless relationship between the two parts of the Scriptures, many Christians are far from clear as to what our relationship to the Old Testament should be especially when it comes to the many laws including the keeping of the Sabbath and other Feasts of the Old Covenant. HERE

Generational Curses (curses that run in families)  Several passages in the Pentateuch seem to suggest that God shows loving-kindness to thousands, but visits the iniquity of the fathers on subsequent generations. Even "born again" believers may need to be delivered from the sins of their ancestors.

Although there are many, many, verses in the Bible that flatly contradict this belief, there remains the niggling fact that Exodus 20:5-6 and 34:7 say that the iniquity of the fathers is visited on the children to the third and the fourth generations. In light of the contradictory passages, how are we to understand these verses? The answer is, obviously, that we are missing something. That "something" is an understanding of the specific Hebrew words used. HERE

Cessationism
is the belief, held by many orthodox Christians, that the "miraculous" gifts such as tongues, miracles, word of knowledge, healing and prophecy were given as affirmation of God's revelation, but were withdrawn once the New Testament was written and the church was established. In other words, now that we have the Bible we do not need spiritual gifts - they had served their purpose and were withdrawn. HERE

Christmas and Easter

Should We Celebrate Christmas? Regardless of the fact that we cannot pinpoint a definite date, setting aside one day to celebrate Christ's birth is a worthy thing to do. If Christians can, with the right heart and attitude, decorate their homes and give gifts in celebration of the birth of the Savior, then they should go ahead. If Christmas has become nothing but a time when you indulge in over the top shopping sprees, eat way more than is good for you and are completely stressed out by the whole affair - then I suggest it is time to sit back and evaluate your beliefs and your actions.  HERE

Should Christians Celebrate Easter? Of course we should celebrate our Lord’s triumph over sin and the grave. However, let us call it by a biblical designation - Resurrection Sunday instead of a derivative of the idolatrous goddess of spring. Let us also avoid the worldly and commercial baggage associated with these holidays. HERE

Forgiving Others
Does God expect us to forgive everyone who sins against us even those who don't humble themselves, admit their sin and request forgiveness? If we study Scripture carefully we will find that the answer is "No." To the surprise of many Christians Scripture clearly states that although we are commanded to love everyone, we are not required to forgive everyone. HERE

The Unforgivable Sin
The Savior was responding to a very specific situation and a very specific accusation made by the scribes which was that He was casting out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons. HERE