Love Truth Blog

Every now and then I’ll come across a statement about faith and science, faith and politics, or faith and economics being mutually exclusive. So one can speak openly in public on science, politics, and economics; however, one must always keep faith or religious matters private. Some might even attempt to expunge from its science, political, and economic vocabulary anything that might be considered “religious.” This is something of a fact/value split, which places faith in an upper story of personal, private, beliefs, and science, politics, and economics in the lower story of public matters. Nancy Pearcy in her book Total Truth observes that this fact/value spirit ultimately “traps Christianity in the upper story of privatized values, and prevents it from having any effect on public culture.” She then encourages Christians to overcome this dichotomy and to recover their rightful place in the public square through developing a biblical worldview. It is a worldview that beings with the...

This world has a way of selling greatness as the personal glory of oneself. Its "greatness" is about striving to be on the top at all cost, a “dog-eat-dog” world with “no second place.” One might value another person, so long as the other person has something to offer for the exaltation of the self. Yet, this vain path to greatness only ends with the one on top being knocked off by someone else seeking after self glorification. Jesus Christ, however, followed a different path to everlasting greatness. The Apostle Paul wrote, Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name...

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Crucifixion was such a bloody ordeal who would have thought anything good could have come out of it. The crucified would be hung with arms fasten to a patibulum , posted upon the vertical simplex , suffering through an agonizing death. For some the only mercy received was the crurifragium , or the breaking of his legs to end the suffering. Perhaps he may have even been given some gall to drink to numb the pain. Yet, Jesus experienced the full brunt of suffering upon the cross. No wine mixed with gall, He was dead without his legs being broken. Christ’s death was more than just a murder to maintain a corrupt status quo. The Lord indeed was condemned by the Sanhedrin for blasphemy. He also stood before Pilate, who was manipulated by a mob to give the order to “Crucify Him.” So the Lord would be condemned to die the death of a criminal. Yet, Christ’s death was more than jus...

Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt 5:17-20). The ministry of Jesus Christ never intended to do away with the Old Testament law; rather, His ministry would fulfill the Law and the Prophets (v 17). He even speaks hyperbolically that heaven and earth would pass away before the even most minute details of the letters of the written Law would be lost (v. 18). All the righteous requirements of the Law and its promised bl...

As I’m sifting through the pile of work on my desk, I came across this Time Magazine News Blog: “Fertility Goddess Asherah: Was ‘God’s Wife’ Edited Out of the Bible?” by Christy Choi. 1 The article reports that the research of Francesca Stavrakopoulou, a senior lecturer in the department of Theology and Religion at the University of Exeter, allegedly, unearthed ancient texts, amulets, and figurines in an ancient Canaanite costal city that is presently part of modern Syria, which present Asherah, a powerful fertility goddess, as the wife of Yahweh. Other clues to this include inscriptions on pottery found in the Sinai desert, and a passage in the Book of Kings mentioning the goddess being housed in the temple of Yahweh (cf. 2 Kings 23). J. Edward Wright, president of the Arizona Center for Judaic Studies and The Albright Institute for Archeological Research, indicates that several Hebrew inscriptions mentioning “Yahweh and his Asherah” backs Stavrakopoulou’s research. Why is God’s wife...

Today I listened into a conversation on the Trinity. In that conversation, one person suggested a great analogy for the Trinity would be similar to a person, who is a male, can be be a father, a husband, and a son. Another person listening into the same conversation said that water would be a better example, since it comes in three modes: liquid, ice, and steam. Unfortunately, both of these examples were simply incorrect. They accounted for the oneness of God, which is certainly taught in the Bible, but they failed to recognize the threeness of God, which is also taught in the Bible. The Bible teaches there is one God who is revealed in three coeternal coequal persons, namely God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee; Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty! God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

It was simply disheartening to read about the 12 killed in Afghanistan amid protests over reported Quran burning . Pastor Terry Jones’ reported Qur’an burning is certainly something to be condemned. One could decry, “Lord, save us from Christians;” yet, could the very acts of Pastor Jones be worthy of being bestowed the sacred title of “Christian”? The first followers of Jesus paid suffered as Christians during the persecution of a megalomaniac Caesar named Nero, one can only wonder for what good reason Pastor Jones can be counted among the brethren? The very act of burning a sacred book is shameful and ultimately drags the name of Christ in the mud. Jesus Christ taught, “Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another” (Mark 9:50). There’s no place for “us versus them” for the people called to be salt and light to the nations, and “all those who take up the sword will perish by the sword...