Category: Exploring the Bible

With countless interpretations and commentaries in the world, how do we know what the truth is about the Bible? How do we know what God actually meant through His words? 

Here you’ll find explanations of some of the biggest questions about the Bible and its content.

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How to Cash In Your Salvation Voucher

salvation voucher, how to cash in your salvation voucher, jesus, God, Bible

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

John 1:12-13

As Christians, we may think that by saying, “I believe in Jesus and God, I’m saved,” like that’s all there is to it. One and done. Yet looking at the verse above, it says we have “the right to become God’s children”. What does that mean?

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Why Is God So Angry in the Bible?

God's wrath, God's anger, faith, love, betrayal, obedience, disobedience

Why does God seem so angry in the Old Testament? And why does He always destroy the Israelites, the very people He created and chose? Why doesn’t He just forgive them? Isn’t He the God of love? 

I’ve grown up hearing these questions my whole life when it comes to God. Things like this made me believe in the idea that there was the wrath of God versus the peace of Jesus. These ideas grew into assumptions that God was the one who was always full of anger and wrath, while Jesus was our friend, brought peace, and never acted out in anger…or at least not as intensely as God did. 

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Spiritually Full or Spiritually Hungry – Which is Better?

spiritually hungry, spiritually full, food, God's word, hunger

As a kid, I loved the holidays, especially Christmas and Thanksgiving. We always had friends over and all shared a big meal. There were so many kinds of foods: turkey, mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, buttery dinner rolls, and cherry pie. I didn’t eat much during the day so that I’d be especially hungry at dinner time.

Then by the end, I felt so full…almost too full. You know that feeling when you eat too much? The food coma that starts creeping up? Or that gross, sick-to-your-stomach feeling of having stuffed too much down?

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How is Your Spirit? Spiritual Plant Care 101

spiritual plant care, how is your spirit, faith, plant

From the title you can guess that this article will liken caring for our lives of faith to caring for a plant. But honestly–physical gardening? Hate it. No joke, it’s #2 on my list of things I hate to do. For those of you who, like me, can think of ten more exciting things to do than to watch grass grow, you might be flooded with images of pulling up never-ending weeds in the hot summer sun. Or lugging around a heavy bottle to give the plants water. Mom nagging you to cover them with a bucket at night. 

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What Are You Sacrificing for Your Life of Faith?

sacrificing for your life of faith, sacrifice, jesus, disciples, abraham, faith

How much would you say you’re sacrificing for your life of faith on a day-to-day basis? 

This probably isn’t a typical discussion question with friends or family, because for many, it’s not a very comfortable conversation. Growing up, I used to think that being a Christian required a lot of sacrifice. As someone who’s definitely not a morning person, getting up early every Sunday morning for church required tons of effort. That was a sacrifice, right? Plus, I spent lots of time at countless volunteering activities and outreaches.

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Is the Book of Revelation Literal or Figurative?

revelation, literal or figurative, God's will, prophecy

The book of Revelation is usually in Bible reading plans. Maybe it’s a part of your “Read the whole Bible in a year” plan or something similar. But Revelation usually isn’t the first book most people choose to read. That’s because it often seems scary, or difficult to understand. Countless pastors and theologians have written their own thoughts and interpretations on what Revelation actually means. Some of the questions that come up are things like, ‘Are the events described in Revelation literal or figurative? When do they happen? Will we be alive to see them take place?’ and countless other points of discussion and speculation. 

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Why Can’t I See God? How to Believe in the One You Can’t See

see, believe, why can't i see God, God's Word, promise

At one point or another, most people have spent time considering the existence of God. It comes up in good times and bad, while we’re surrounded by other people in conversation or alone with our own thoughts. This thought, in some shape or form, has probably crossed everyone’s mind: Why can’t I see God? It would be so much easier to believe if He just came down and let me see Him.

I’ve lied awake waiting for that spiritual experience, a sign–anything. But I never saw God. They say that “seeing is believing” but perhaps that phrase needs some revision. 

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Why Did God Create Satan…Or Did He?

did god create satan, lucifer, God's will, Bible

Have you ever created something?

It could’ve been a sculpture, a table, a painting, or another invention of some kind. How did you feel once it was completed? Maybe you were happy, proud even, to see your finished product. Now imagine that your creation, the thing you spent endless hours of work on, pouring all of your effort into, was then damaged, or destroyed by someone…on purpose. All of that hard work and dedication to make this beautiful creation…ruined. What kinds of feelings or thoughts would go through your mind?

In the Bible, we see that all of God’s creations that were originally made to be precious and good have become damaged, corrupted. This was all because of a deep betrayal. Who betrayed God and damaged His creation? Satan.

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A Prophet Without Honor: Why Jesus’ Hometown Didn’t Believe in Him

a prophet without honor, jesus, believe in jesus, bible

Jesus Christ. The Son of God. We love and respect him, and rightfully so. There are churches all over the world where people dedicate everything to Jesus. Today, he can come up in casual conversation and usually, nobody bats an eye. And if he came back today riding on a cloud, people would probably roll out the red carpet. Christians today often imagine Jesus being treated in this way…royalty that everyone adores. However, looking back at the first time Jesus walked the earth, do you think he received the same warm welcome? Jesus even referred to himself as a prophet without honor. Why do you think that is?

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