Who Entered the Promised Land?

Bro Rushmore, In my daily bible reading and reading what others have written regarding who went to the promised land, I have some questions. Who went to the promised land along with Joshua and Caleb and those under the age of 20? Did all the women 20 years old and above die? Deut 2:14-16 seems to indicate that the women did not die since verse 16 says, “So when all the men of war had died from among the people,” What about the tribe of Levi, were they exempt from this destruction? No one from the tribe of Levi was sent to spy out the land according to Numbers 14. According to Num. 1:45-54, the tribe of Levi was not numbered when the census was taken. This is also stated in Num. 34:16-29, Num. 26:63-65, and Josh. 14:1-5. Any help you can give me to clear up my cobwebs would be most appreciated! Because of Him, Marilyn Whereas Numbers 14:29, 31; 26:2; Deuteronomy 2:16 refer to the men of war in the age group of 20 years and above, Deuteronomy 2:14 refers to “all the generation of the men of war”; Hebrews 3:10 also notes “that generation” was forbidden to enter Canaan. The punishment of God toward that generation was not exclusively toward “men of war,” but toward each person 20-years-old and older who “murmured” against God (Numbers 14:29); Jude 5 acknowledges God’s punishment was toward “them that believed not,” without specification of male, fighting men only. Often in the …

Fellowship

Dear Mr. Rushmore, I have read your December 2005 article on “Why do churches of Christ not fellowship denominations?” I notice that it does not directly deal with a Christian’s association with members of denominations. I would be most grateful if you could provide Bible answers for the following questions: I participate in Bible classes organized by members of the denominations at their homes. We pray on our own before and after the lessons. Have I violated scripture? My neighbor is a member of a denomination. Can I greet her and have conversations with her? My neighbor is a member of a denomination. We are good neighbors. We participate in some social activities like visiting each other’s house and have dinner together and participate in our children’s activities. Have I violated scripture? My colleague is a member of a denomination. We work together on projects. We often have lunch together. Have I violated Scripture? I buy spiritual books from denomination bookshops. Am I supporting their businesses and partake in their spreading of false teaching? I look forward to hearing from you. Rgds, John Chan There exists in Scripture a clear distinction between religious fellowship enjoyed between faithful Christians and God versus association with non-Christians in this world. First John 1:3 represents religious fellowship between faithful Christians and God: “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” First …

The Ten Commandments

My co-workers and I were discussing the 10 commandments and I said that there are, I believe 605 commandments and that they equal the number of days in the year, the number of bones in the human body and the number of teeth in our mouths. Am I correct? And are they listed in the Bible? “Following the return from Babylon, the development of the synagogue gave rise to interpretations of the law by leading rabbis, which after a time were collected into 613 precepts. Considered part of the Torah [“the body of wisdom and law contained in Jewish Scripture and other sacred literature and oral tradition” (Merriam)], they were as binding as the law itself. Jesus referred to these additions to the original law of Moses as ‘the traditions of men’” (“Torah”). “The Talmud [“the authoritative body of Jewish tradition” (Merriam)] reckoned the positive laws of Moses at 248, the negative at 365, in all 613″ (Johnson). One Internet site lists the 613 Jewish commandments (“613 Commandments”). The Jews imagined that there was a relationship between the number of these commandments and the number of body parts; “They also mention 248 affirmative precepts, or in all 613, according to the supposed number of members in the human body” (Edersheim). The complete set of adult teeth number 32 (“Truth About”), and “the adult human body has 206” bones (“Big Story”). There are 365 days in a year. None of these numbers are mystical numbers in any combination respecting the Old …

The Right Thing to Do!

There is not a right thinking person alive who is not painfully aware of the difficulty of doing the right thing, at all times, in all places and under every circumstance. Nevertheless, the righteous person is he or she who does and continues to do righteousness as God defines righteousness (1 John 3:7). Every person who “worketh righteousness is accepted” by God (Acts 10:35). Christians, “[b]eing then made free from sin…became the servants of righteousness” (Romans 6:18). Although the Word of God is the source “for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16), often people find themselves “…going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God” (Rom. 10:3). Christians sometimes turn from “the way of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:21). Doubtless, there are many reasons for which both non-Christians and Christians not only fail to practice righteousness but in addition often bully those who endeavor to steadfastly practice the righteousness of God (e.g., peer pressure, 1 Samuel 15:24). Sometimes, doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do can lead one to be as lonely as Noah, the sole “preacher of righteousness” in “the world of the ungodly” (2 Peter 2:5). By inspiration, the apostle Paul advised the Thessalonian Christians that God will vindicate his faithful people with “righteous judgment” as “it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble” his people (2 Thessalonians 1:5-9). Simplified, righteousness equals “right action” (Vine’s). Righteousness or right action is sufficient …

Thy Kingdom Come

In the Model Prayer, Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “Thy kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10; Luke 11:2). From this one learns that the kingdom that was the subject of many Old Testament prophecies had not come yet. There was a popular belief in the first century that the kingdom of prophecy was about to come, but that kingdom of divine origin, about which Daniel, Isaiah, Joel and Micah prophesied, had not been established yet when Jesus taught his disciples how to pray. However, both the forerunner of Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, and Jesus Christ preached in their respective ministries that the kingdom of prophecy was near or about to be established (Matthew 3:1-2; 4:17). Further, Jesus taught that this kingdom would be established “with power” within the lifetimes of those in his generation to whom he was speaking. “And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power” (Mark 9:1 emphasis added). Unless one would be so audacious as to contradict Jesus Christ and so disrespectful of Holy Scripture to assert otherwise, the kingdom of Old Testament prophecies was established in the first century. The establishment of the kingdom in the first century is exactly what one should expect when Old Testament prophecies and secular history are compared. Almost universally, Bible students acknowledge that Daniel 2:31-45 teaches that the spiritual kingdom was to be established during the …

An Elephant in the Living Room

Imagine an ordinary living room–chairs, couch, coffee table, a TV set, and in the middle, a large, gray elephant! The elephant stands there, shifting from one foot to another and slowly swaying from side to side. Imagine also the people that live in this house, you along with your mother and father and maybe some sisters and brothers. People have to go through the living room many times a day, and you watch as they walk through it very carefully around the elephant. No one ever says anything about the elephant. Everyone avoids the swinging trunk and just walks around it. Since no one ever talks about the elephant, you know that you’re not supposed to talk about it either. And you don’t. But sometimes you wonder why nobody says anything or why no one does anything to move the elephant. After all, it’s a very big elephant, and it’s very hard to keep walking around it all the time, and people are getting very tired. You wonder if maybe there is something wrong with you, but you just keep wondering, keep walking around it, keep worrying and wishing there was somebody to talk to about the elephant. Living in a family where chemical dependence is a problem is a lot like living with an elephant in the living room. There was a large, gray elephant in our living room when I was growing up, and we all tried to ignore it. As an adult, I can talk about it; the elephant was …

I Will Very Gladly

These are the words of our late brother in Christ, Paul (Saul) of Tarsus. He went on to describe just what it was he would do very gladly as, “…spend and be spent for you, though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved” (2 Corinthians 12:15). Paul says he was ready to exhaust his personal resources for the church. In fact, one writer noted that this indicated “…all that I am. This is more than even natural parents do” (JFB). Paul was firmly content to be taken advantage of on occasion, given the circumstances furthered the Gospel of Christ (cf. Philippians 1:15-18; 2 Corinthians 11:23-28). This lesson of Christian demeanor must be imbedded into our thinking if we are to “be…faithful unto death” (Revelation 2:10). Otherwise, I fear we’ll be discouraged unto death. We have heard the notion of “being spent” for the cause of Christ put down by some brethren through the years. “I am not going to work with sister so-and-so; she did me wrong.” Or, “Oh, brother such-and-such said something and won’t take it back; I’ll never help anything in which he’s involved.” During this time, we harden ourselves and “learn” not to put ourselves in a “vulnerable position” anymore. Yet, though Paul sometimes fell into “perils by [his] own country men… [and even] false brethren” (2 Corinthians 11:26), he still inwardly rejoiced, saying “I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” (Philippians 4:14). We remain in danger of becoming calloused toward a productive spiritual life in God if …

Old Testament Manuscripts of the Bible

If we want to know anything about the Old Testament manuscripts, we must look to their keepers, the Jews. The books of Genesis through Malachi were written to the Jews and primarily for the Jews, though we find many prophecies regarding the future salvation of the Gentiles. In the most ancient of times, during the period covered by the history of the book we call Genesis, men were not divided into Jews and Gentiles for the nation of Israel, later called Jews, did not come into existence until we come to the closing chapters of that great book. Here we read of the descendants of Jacob making their way into the Land of Goshen, a portion of Egypt. In this country they remained for slightly more than four hundred years, and in that period of time the seventy-four souls who went down to Egypt grew into a mighty nation. With the beginning of the Book of Exodus, we see God calling his people out of Egypt and forming them into that nation that would capture and occupy the Land of Canaan for the better part of fifteen hundred years. During that period of time, the Old Testament, by progressive revelation, was given to the Jews, who wrote it and became the protectors of it. Keeping manuscripts, most of which were written on velum (a writing material made from animal skins) in good condition is not an easy task, and would not be, even in our modern times. The Jews did …

Who Crucified Jesus?

The average person who claims to be a Christian would probably answer that question, “The Jews crucified Jesus.” And those who are a little more familiar with the Scriptures would quote from Acts 2:36, “Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God hath made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified.” It is concluded by most of us that this settles the matter when he says, “all the house of Israel” and then “ye crucified.” It is clear that all Israelites are guilty of the crucifixion of the Lord! Is it really? That conclusion does not necessarily follow from either the language or the biblical facts! Let us suppose you were talking to the U.S. Senate and said, “Let all the Congress know assuredly that many of the bills you have passed are no good,” would that mean that “all the Congress” and “you” were the same group? Certainly not! The Supreme Court has legalized the murder of some unborn children. I say to them, “Let all the people of the United States know assuredly that these same babies you have authorized to kill are innocent.” Is the expression “people of the United States” the same as “you” who authorized the killing of babies? I deny it! I am one of the “people,” but I am not guilty of that! Note a very important point. It is true and has always been true that a whole nation or race may suffer the consequences of …

Gambling for the Robe

When important events occur, we give them our strict attention. Assuming you were alive at the time, do you remember where you were on: November 22, 1963–when you first heard that President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated? January 28, 1986–when you first received the news that the Space Shuttle Challenger had exploded over the skies of Florida? September 11, 2001–when you were first told that terrorists had hijacked four jet airliners and then slammed them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field outside of Pittsburgh? These tragedies by their very nature “captured” our thinking. They were indelibly copied into our long-term consciousness. We probably couldn’t forget them if we wanted to. Most of us can remember exactly where we were and what we were doing when we first heard the awful news. I find that strangely ironic. We can barely remember what we had for lunch three days ago, but the events of 1963, 1986 and 2001 come flooding to our recollection in vivid detail. Like an old video cassette movie that we’ve watched a dozen times before, our minds can immediately recreate the circumstances associated with those shocking snapshots in American history. Yes, when important events occur we give them our strict attention. That being the case, isn’t it interesting that during the most important event in the history of mankind (Romans 5:6ff), the soldiers at the cross of Jesus seemed indifferent and unconcerned? Strict attention? Hardly. The mangled form of the Savior of the world was suspended above …

Obey the Gospel?

Question: “I’ve heard you say that a person must ‘obey the gospel’ in order to be saved. Could you please explain what you mean by this?” Answer: I appreciate this thoughtful question. Please consider the following: The Gospel is defined in the New Testament as the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you–unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; cf. Acts 8:25; 14:21; 16:10; Galatians 1:6-11). Those who fail to obey the Gospel will be eternally lost. “And to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; cf. Mark 16:15-16). An individual is saved by the Gospel when he obeys a form of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of …

Come Meet Jesus as Master Teacher

Scripture amply demonstrates that Jesus Christ is the Master Teacher, to whom we should go for instruction, which instruction should mold our lives. Jesus Christ excelled beyond comparison in everything that he did; Jesus Christ is preeminent as the Creator, as God Incarnate, as Sacrifice on Calvary’s Cross, as Savior, as King, as Judge–as well as Master Teacher. There is no one else to whom we can turn who is a more able Teacher than Jesus Christ. What, though, does it mean to be a teacher? Primarily two Greek verbs express what it means to be a teacher. First, didasko means “to give instruction (e.g., Matt 4:23; 9:35; Rom 12:7; 1 Cor 4:17; 1 Tim 2:12; 4:11” (Vine’s). Second, matheteuo means “to teach…Matt. 28:19 [28:20 = didasko]; Acts 14:21″ (Vine’s). In addition, synonyms as well as related nouns and adjectives in the New Testament express what it means to be a teacher. God is man’s Teacher. God was man’s teacher under the old covenant; “God himself is described as a teacher. He taught Moses (Exod. 4:15)” (Daugherty 131). God, likewise, promised to teach mankind under the new covenant (Isaiah 2:2-3). It should be no surprise, then, that when Jesus Christ came to earth in the flesh, he was the Master Teacher. Jesus Christ is the Master Teacher. A primary feature of the short ministry of Jesus Christ was teaching (Matthew 4:23; 5:2; 7:29; 9:35; 11:1; 13:54; 21:23; 26:55). Jesus, the Master Teacher, frequently used figurative language in his teaching (i.e., the Power Point, etc. of …

Where Do Mistakes Go When You Rub Them Out?

The title of this article was the caption under a picture in a comic strip. The scene depicts a young girl sitting at her desk with a pencil in her hand. She had made a mistake in spelling a word and had erased it. At this point she asks her teacher: “Where do mistakes go when you rub them out?” That is a very good question to be considered. My thoughts immediately turned to the mistakes we all make in life. Some mistakes are not always sinful; however, all of our sins would indeed be mistakes. Sin is a transgression of God’s law; sin is unrighteousness; sin is a failure to comply with the commands of God (1 John 3:4; 5:17; James 4:17). Sin is universal in scope: “There is none righteous, no, not one.” “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:10, 23). When a person complies with the terms of pardon presented by Jesus Christ, forgiveness of sins can be obtained. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). When sin appears as a debt, an unfilled obligation, then pardon is spoken of as a canceling. “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.” “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.” (Isaiah 43:25; Acts 3:19). Jesus cancelled out our debt of sin …

I Will Execute Judgment

Final Judgment is a topic addressed in both testaments of the Bible (Ecclesiastes 12:14; 2 Corinthians 5:10). In addition, the Bible records several judgments by God of humanity, especially the people of God. We can learn valuable principles from examining the various judgments God executed upon humanity in the past. With these principles, such as how God reacts to disobedience and how God rewards obedience, we can better prepare ourselves for Final Judgment. Several judgments by God of humanity extend from shortly after creation through the close of the first century. The first judgment by God of humanity occurred following the sin of Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve sinned or disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit (Genesis 2:17; 3:3, 6). Consequently, God assigned labor “pain” (ASV) to woman and subjection to her husband (Genesis 3:15); and God told Adam that the earth would only produce crops thereafter with much “toil” (ASV) (Genesis 3:16). Finally, God expelled Adam and Eve from his presence in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:23-24). Adam and Eve died spiritually and began to die physically also (Romans 5:12; 6:23). Obedience and Eden’s bliss are associated with each other, whereas disobedience is associated with death or separation (James 2:26). God judged the world through the worldwide flood of Noah’s day. Almost every person on the earth had become wicked and violent preceding the Great Flood (Genesis 6:5, 11). Only eight souls on the entire earth were spared (2 Peter 3:20). Obedience saved eight souls; disobedience …

Things Hated by a God of Love

Anyone who has the ability to love also has the ability to hate. God is love (1 John 4:8), but there are some things he hates. If God has the ability for love and hate, so does man who is created in his image (Genesis 1:26-27). Some present a one-sided view of God, that he is all love. But the Bible is balanced, showing both the goodness and severity of God (Romans 11:22). It is only natural that the God who loves sinful men would hate sin, our worst enemy. God doesn’t only hate sin in general; there are “things” which God hates. There are things which God does especially hate; and all those that are here mentioned are such as are harmful to our neighbor. They include a proud look, a lying tongue, killing hands, a devious heart, feet that rush into evil, a false witness and one who sows discord among brethren. We would be wise to think more like God thinks. That means to love as God loves and hate as God hates. Those things which God hates we would do well to hate in others, but most of all, we must hate them in ourselves.

The Teaching Miracles of Christ

What effect did the miracles of Christ have upon the many who witnessed them? Astonishment! What effect did his miracles have upon his chosen disciples? They certainly helped these men to know Jesus, to grow in understanding and to go forward as followers of the Lord. The miracles proved that Jesus was the true Christ, the Son of God, the Savior, whom Peter confessed, when he said, “You are the Christ” (Mark 8:29 NKJV). The miracles fulfilled God’s purpose in bringing this conviction to the honest truth seeker (John 20:30-31). The miracles were intended to show the disciples that the offense of the cross was removed, and that in it Jesus was not conquered, but Conqueror! A resistant Peter displayed more sympathy than understanding, and stood as a hindrance to what must be (John 18:10-11). In his rebuke Jesus shows that he knows the spirit which drives us even when we may not. The miracles of Christ should inspire us all to follow him, at the cost of self-denial, taking up his cross by conforming our lives to the pattern of a crucified Christ, enduring the hardships which go along with that decision and following him to the very end.

Bible Rivers Crossword Puzzle

(Crossword Puzzle is Internet Interactive; do the puzzle online.) You need Java enabled to view the crossword applet. Solution

Curse Parents

No one should use bad or foul language. God does not want his children to have bad mouths. It is not even kind to others to use bad language around them. Such language is commonly called cursing. Many people believe that cursing is taking someone’s name in vain. That can be true. Unfortunately, we hear individuals use God’s name wrongly every day. But that is not all that is involved with cursing in the Bible. In Exodus 21:17, we read, “And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.”  The word for ‘curse’ in the Hebrew language has a broad meaning. It can mean taking a name in a slanderous, profane way. But the word also includes ‘esteeming lightly’ and ‘reviling.’ Thus, not giving a parent the respect that the parent is due is cursing. To purposely ignore a parent when the parent is trying to talk to you is cursing your parent. To tell your mother or father that they cannot tell you what to do is cursing your parent. To purposely disobey a rule that your parents have given you is to curse your parents. To throw a temper tantrum when disciplined is to curse your parents. To tell others that your parents are stupid and just do not understand you is cursing your parents. God tells us we are to honor and obey our parents. We are to respect them. We must listen to them and do what they want as …

A Backsliding Heifer

In Old Testament times, the fields were plowed using cows or oxen attached to a plow. A yoke was put over the head and onto the cow’s neck. Many times this yoke was a double yoke. It would fit over the neck of two cows. The farmer had lines attached to the yoke and could turn the animals in whatever direction he desired for them to go. If a cow (heifer) was stubborn, it would refuse to go forward. It would at times attempt to go backwards. If the animal was very stubborn and tried very hard, it could actually back its head out of the yoke. The farmer had no control over such an animal. The animal would have to be disciplined to teach it not to act in such a way. This was known as a backsliding heifer. In Hosea 4:16, God says Israel is like a backsliding heifer. Israel had refused to allow God to lead them. They had been very stubborn. God had even disciplined them but they would not learn. God vowed to bring terrible destruction on them for their disobedience. Do not be a backsliding heifer. Learn to stay in the yoke of God. Allow him to guide you in what is right. Study his Word. Apply it to your life. And if any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.

Come See Jesus at the Cross

In this series of articles with the theme of “Come Meet Jesus,” we have already turned to Scripture about Jesus Christ as Creator, Jesus Christ the Incarnate God and Jesus Christ the Master Teacher. Herein, let us “Come Meet Jesus at the Cross.” Crucifixion was a horrific form of capital punishment. Various forms of crucifixion were used by different nations throughout ancient history. Crucifixion at times and places ranged from a single post on which a person was impaled, to an upright post with a crossbar, to two rails forming an “X.” Most ancient nations practiced some form of crucifixion (e.g., Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Egyptians, Scythians, Indians, Germans, Persians and Assyrians (Varner 5). The Roman Empire also employed crucifixion as a form of capital punishment. The Roman cross was comprised of an upright post of up to 9′ above the ground with a  7′ crossbeam (Hastings qtd. in Varner 4). Protruding from the upright post was a “peg” (New Unger’s) or “a small piece of wood forming a…seat …designed to bear part of the weight of the body which would otherwise have been too great to be supported by the hands and feet alone. At the top of [the upright post] was a small tablet…which declared the crime and name of the victim” (Varner 4). The tablet above Jesus’ head on the cross read, “Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews” (John 19:19; Matthew 27:37; Mark 15:26; Luke 23:38). The horribleness of crucifixion was intended to intimidate populations so they would be sure to practice …

Come Meet Jesus the Incarnate God

The incarnation (or taking a fleshly body) of Jesus Christ is essential and foundational to Christianity; the incarnation of Jesus Christ cannot be overemphasized. Without the substitutionary sacrifice of the incarnate God on Calvary’s cross, there could be no forgiveness of sins. Without the resurrection from the dead of incarnate God, death would not have been vanquished so we also may resurrect from the dead someday. The incarnation of Jesus Christ is so vital to Christianity that it is a chief test of fellowship! First, we must define what we mean by the incarnation of Jesus Christ. The English word “incarnation” does not appear in our translations. “Neither the noun ‘incarnation’ nor the adjective ‘incarnate’ is biblical, but the Gk. equivalent of Lat. in carne (en sarki, ‘in flesh’) is found in some important NT statements about the person and work of Jesus Christ” (New Bible Dictionary). “INCARNATION A theological term for the coming of God’s Son into the world as a human being. The term itself is not used in the Bible, but it is based on clear references in the New Testament to Jesus as a person ‘in the flesh’ (Rom 8:3; Eph 2:15; Col 1:22)” (Nelson’s). The word “incarnation” summarizes or represents in short an indisputable Bible doctrine. That very person who was in the beginning-who was with God-and who was God, John 1:1, in the fullness of time became flesh-became incarnated by the power of the Holy Spirit, in the womb of the virgin. Allowing this apostle to …

Defiling the Temple of God

The passage from which the topic comes is 1 Corinthians 3:16-17: Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. In order to properly understand the meaning of these verses, several questions need to be answered: (1) What is the Temple of God? (2) What does defile mean? (3) What constitutes defiling the Temple of God? What is the Temple of God? Primarily, the temple of God is the church as a whole. The context of the passage shows Paul is addressing the brethren at Corinth–the congregation, the church (1:2). Paul is addressing Christians collectively; hence, he is saying that the Spirit dwells in the Church. Christians have the Spirit dwelling in them individually (6:19; Rom. 8:9; Acts 2:38). Collectively they make up the Church (12:12-27). The conclusion seems inevitably, then, that the Spirit dwells in the temple, the church, the body, through Christians. This states a fact: the Spirit dwells in God’s temple. (Winters 44) Consider Ephesians 2:20-22 as well. And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. From this verse one can see …

Come Meet Jesus as Creator

Jesus Christ is principally responsible for the creation of all this is. In addition, Jesus Christ is responsible for the continued existence of all creation. The array of passages are numerous that directly attribute to Jesus Christ the role of Creator. The Godhead, comprised of three divine persons, created everything. The Godhead is comprised of three persons. Commonly, this Bible doctrine is known as the Trinity or the Triune God; the Trinity deserves a biblical study dedicated to it, though herein we only propose to introduce it. Three persons of the one Godhead appear in several New Testament passages (Matthew 3:16-17; 28:19; Mark 1:10-11; Luke 1:30-35; 3:21-22; 24:49; John 14:16-17, 25-26; Acts 2:32-33; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 4:4-6; 5:18-20; 1 Thessalonians 1:2-5; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; Titus 3:4-6; 2 Timothy 1:3, 13-14; Hebrews 2:3-4; 6:4-6; 10:29-31; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 John 5:4-6; Jude 20-21). Old Testament passages also acknowledge the three divine persons in one Godhead (Isaiah 42:1; 61:1-2; Luke 4:18; Hebrews 1:10; Psalm 102:25-27). Otherwise, Scripture refers to the three persons in one God as the Godhead (Acts 17:29; Romans 1:20; Colossians 2:9). We may find it difficult to understand, but the Father and the Son (Jesus Christ) are one in that Godhead (John 10:30). The collective cooperation of the divine persons in the one Godhead created everything that is. Plural pronouns in Scripture evidence the plurality of divine persons responsible for creation (Genesis 1:26; cf. Genesis 3:22; 11:7). The plural noun for God in Scripture indicates …