Tag Archives: Bible

The Whole Duty of Man

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Ecclesiastes12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

Solomon spend a good portion of his life seeking satisfaction apart from God.  He tried wine, women, and song.  He tried humor, building projects, and riches.  He tried everything “under the sun”.  Nothing satisfied him.  The book of Ecclesiastes chronicles his search.  He finally concludes, as the verse above testifies, that the whole duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments. Continue reading →

Doing What’s Right in the Eyes of God

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Often it seems as though few in our culture know right from wrong anymore.  I’m not speaking of knowing what is legal, but rather abiding by an absolute moral code, specifically the Bible.

When the United States was founded, the Bible was revered, church-going was normative, and nearly all of the people (including the vast majority of the founders) were Christian.  It is no wonder that many of our founding documents contain principles from the Scriptures.  Even those who would debate these facts would have to admit that the founding generation would be shocked at some of the behavior that is tolerated today.  To them, most of us would be rude, crude, and socially unacceptable.  We’re not totally devoid of our morals, but we are far from where we should be.  Without a moral code, a people will drift aimlessly as the Jews did in the book of Judges.

Judges 17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Continue reading →

Featured Resource – Week of 06/03/2012

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The Minor Prophets by Charles L. Feinberg

Moody Publishers, 1990
360 pages
ISBN 10: 0802453058

They are those books of the Bible that you rarely hear anything about.  The last 12 books of the Old Testament, collectively known to us as the “Minor Prophets”, contain some of the most overlooked and yet vitally important passages in all the Bible.  Other than a few passing references, most Christians know little about these prophets.  Sure, most of us know the story of Jonah, but how many know much about Obadiah?  Or Amos?

They are called “minor” not because they are less important, but rather simply because they are comparatively shorter than the other, more lengthy books of the prophets, such as Isaiah or Ezekiel.  This book by Charles Feinberg guides you through the riches of these prophets.  He will reveal much about the writers themselves, their times, and the great themes of each of the 12 Minor Prophets. It is a very helpful book that will shed light about a too often neglected portion of Scripture.

He Made the Stars Also

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Genesis 1:16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

This one verse may contain the most understated fact in all the Bible.  After stating that God created a greater light to rule the day (the Sun) and a lesser light to rule the night (the Moon), it states that God “made the stars also”.  That is the first and only time stars are mentioned in the creation narrative. When one considers that mankind has attempted to count and catalog the stars down through history and at this point has numbered over 945,000,000 stars1, this statement seems to minimize the incredible magnitude of the accomplishment. Continue reading →

How God Justifies Sinners

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Justification is a key doctrine in Christianity.  The basic problem is: (1) all human beings are sinners and (2) God is holy and must judge sin.  Justification has to do with how God justifies sinners (declares them to be righteous) so that they can be accepted by Him.  The following is one of many verses that address this doctrine.

Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. Continue reading →