Breaking Free From the Trap of Enlightenment The Letter to the Ephesians is definitely one of my favorite writings of Paul. The people in Ephesus weren’t just regular people who heard the gospel. Acts 19 gives us an interesting background: these were people who had been practicing sorcery. Once they heard the gospel, they ended up burning their books worth 50,000 pieces of silver. That is roughly 137 years of daily labor for one person. In our current day, using a conservative $100 per day wage, that total would be worth $5 million. Paul was dealing with people who had spent their savings on books to help their craft. He didn’t waste any ink. He starts his letter in chapter 1, verse 3, by saying: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” ~Ephesians 1:3 Imagine the shift in perspective for those people. You spend a fortune trying to gain access to the divine, only to be told that the highest reality has already been opened to you, not in books, but in Christ. As someone who was unknowingly falling into the New Age movement, I relate to this deeply. I was meditating, reading all kinds of books, and trying different methods to unlock the spiritual realm. The trap of “enlightenment” is the belief that fulfillment is always just out of reach, one more book to buy, one more frequency to attain, one more mystery to uncover. The human instinct to chase spiritual knowledge is restless, but the gospel confronts that instinct by ending the chase. Paul’s message to the Ephesians carries a tone that directly confronts the pursuit of so-called “hidden” power. He is telling us that we don’t need to buy our way into a mystery that has already been revealed in a Person. As he writes in chapter 3:“…in reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit.” This brings an end to spiritual exhaustion. You don’t find Christ at the end of a long journey of enlightenment. Instead, he is revealed by the Spirit. The search ends not because you finally reached the goal, but because the Goal reached out to you. In chapter 3, Paul defines the “mystery” that had been hidden for ages. It was not an elite secret or a coded path to power. Through the gospel, those who are in Christ, regardless of background, are made fellow heirs. The restless search for “more” comes to an end when you grasp the fullness already given in Him. The good news is not that you have discovered a hidden key to the spiritual realm. The good news is that God has reconciled you to Himself through His own work. The books are burned when the gospel is truly heard, because the search for greater knowledge comes to an end. The greatest truth is what Paul declares at the beginning of the letter, that God chose us in Christ to be holy and blameless before Him. Our standing before God is secure, not because of what we achieve, but because of who Christ is. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” ~ Ephesians 1:3–4 The shift here is subtle but massive. The “search” doesn’t actually end; it just changes direction. It stops being a horizontal chase for the next secret and becomes a vertical dive into the Person you already have. Paul describes this in chapter 3 saying:“… that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” ~ Ephesians 3:17–19 This is a love that “surpasses knowledge.” You don’t master it like a textbook or buy it like a manual; you inhabit it like an ocean. The goal is no longer to acquire more hidden information, but to be filled with the fullness of the One who has already found you. You aren’t a traveler anymore, looking for a new destination. You are rooted in one place, growing deeper into a mystery that is as infinite as it is accessible. If you haven’t already, read the article “One Question That Finally Made the Gospel Click” to explore the Gospel more deeply. © 2026 Mikiyas. Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Knowing God. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

The Miracle That Shows How Spiritual Growth Actually Works There is one story about Jesus that has always felt strange to me. It’s the only time in the Gospels where Jesus heals someone, and it doesn’t seem to work immediately. In Mark 8, people bring a blind man to Jesus and beg Him to heal him. Jesus takes the man aside, lays His hands on him, and asks a simple question: “Do you see anything?” The man replies with an unexpected answer: “I see people, but they look like trees walking.” He can see, but not clearly. So Jesus touches him again. Only then is his sight fully restored, and he sees everything clearly. It’s a puzzling moment. This is Jesus — the one who calms storms, multiplies food, and raises the dead. We expect instant, complete results. Instead, we see something gradual. Something unfinished, at least at first glance. It almost feels like watching a doctor adjust their approach mid-treatment: “How about now? Is this clearer?” Of course, Jesus ultimately completes the healing. But the process itself challenges our assumptions. It suggests that transformation, even in the hands of divine power, sometimes unfolds in stages. And that insight has profound implications for how we understand our own lives. When the eyes are healed, but the mind is still adjusting Today, modern neuroscience offers a fascinating perspective on this story. Doctors have discovered that when someone who has been blind for many years suddenly gains physical sight, their eyes may function perfectly, but their brain struggles to interpret what it sees. The hardware works, but the software hasn’t caught up yet. This condition is sometimes called visual agnosia. The person is no longer blind in a physical sense, but their brain has to relearn how to process visual information. Imagine sitting in darkness for hours and then suddenly stepping into bright sunlight. Your eyes technically work, but everything feels overwhelming and disorienting. It takes time to adjust. In light of this, the blind man’s experience makes sense. The first touch may have restored his physical ability to see, but the second touch helped restore his ability to perceive clearly. The healing wasn’t incomplete. It was unfolding. And in many ways, this mirrors the spiritual journey. When belief comes before clarity Many people assume that spiritual transformation is supposed to be immediate. You have an experience, make a decision, and suddenly everything feels different. Everything makes sense. Everything becomes clear. But that’s rarely how it actually works. Often, belief comes first, and clarity follows slowly over time. You begin to see, but things are still fuzzy. You understand certain truths intellectually, but they haven’t yet settled into your emotional or experiential reality. You hear that you are loved by God, yet you still struggle with insecurity. You believe your future is secure, yet anxiety still creeps in. You know you’ve been forgiven, yet feelings of guilt and shame linger. You see others living with joy and confidence, and you wonder why your experience feels so different. It can leave you questioning yourself. Is something wrong with me? Why does this feel clear to everyone else but not to me? I remember wrestling with those questions personally. After first committing to follow Jesus, I watched people around me serve sacrificially and speak about their faith with genuine joy. They weren’t pretending. Their lives reflected something real. Yet internally, I felt mostly indifferent. I went through the motions, said the right things, and participated outwardly, but inside, it all felt distant. It was disorienting. I wondered whether the problem was with me or perhaps with the faith itself. Looking back, I realize I had received the first touch. But my vision was still coming into focus. The courage to admit incomplete healing What makes the blind man’s story so powerful is not just that he was healed, but that he was honest about his condition. When Jesus asked him, “Do you see anything?”, the man didn’t pretend everything was fine. He could have easily said yes. He could have hidden his confusion out of embarrassment or fear of disappointing those around him. Instead, he told the truth. He acknowledged that while something had changed, things were not yet clear. That honesty became the turning point. It opened the door for Jesus to continue the healing process. This reveals something essential about spiritual growth. Honesty is not a barrier to healing; it is the pathway to it. Many people assume they need to have everything figured out before approaching God. They feel pressure to appear confident, certain, and unwavering. But the opposite is true. The invitation of faith is not to present perfection, but to bring honesty. To admit where things feel unclear. To acknowledge doubts, fears, and confusion. It is in those honest moments that deeper transformation begins. Even the closest followers struggled to see clearly Immediately after this healing, Jesus asks His disciples a defining question: “Who do you say that I am?” Peter gives the right answer. He declares, “You are the Christ.” It’s a moment of clarity and insight. Yet just moments later, Peter rebukes Jesus for predicting His suffering and death. He understood who Jesus was in theory, but he could not yet understand what that meant in reality. His expectations were shaped by his own assumptions about success, power, and victory. He could see partially, but not fully. And yet Jesus did not abandon him. Instead, He continued teaching him, guiding him, and patiently reshaping his understanding. Jesus recognized that Peter’s vision was still forming. He was in process. The same is true for us. The slow work of clarity If I were to map out my own spiritual journey, it wouldn’t look like a straight upward line. It would look more like a series of peaks and valleys — moments of clarity followed by seasons of confusion, moments of confidence followed by seasons of doubt. There were times when truths that once felt abstract suddenly became deeply personal. Moments when things that had always seemed distant suddenly made sense. But those moments often came after periods of struggle, questioning, and honest wrestling. Over time, I began to realize that those seasons of confusion were not signs of failure. They were part of the process. They were the context in which deeper clarity emerged. Each honest conversation, each vulnerable prayer, each moment of admitting “I don’t fully see yet” became an opportunity for growth. It was as if Jesus was continuing to apply that second touch, again and again. I began to realize something I hadn’t understood before. Jesus hadn’t failed me in those seasons of confusion. He was still touching my life. Still restoring my sight. Still patiently bringing things into focus. What I once thought were setbacks were actually part of the healing process. The patience of Jesus Perhaps the most comforting truth in this story is not simply that Jesus heals, but how He heals. He is patient. He does not rush the process or express frustration at incomplete progress. He does not walk away when clarity doesn’t come immediately. Instead, He stays present. He continues the work. This reveals something profound about His character. He is not intimidated by our confusion. He is not disappointed by our slow progress. He is committed to restoring sight fully, even if it takes time. Which means that seasons of uncertainty are not signs that He has abandoned you. They may be signs that He is still working. Learning to trust the process If Jesus were to ask you today, “Do you see anything?”, perhaps your answer would sound familiar. Maybe you see glimpses of truth, but things still feel unclear. Maybe you believe, but questions remain. Maybe you sense that something is changing, even if you can’t fully articulate it yet. If so, take heart. You are not alone, and you are not failing. Clarity often comes gradually. Transformation is often a process, not an event. The invitation is not to pretend that everything is clear, but to remain honest and open. To acknowledge where you are, and to trust that healing is still unfolding. Because the same Jesus who touched that blind man once, and then again, is still at work today. And if your vision still feels blurry, it may not mean He has stopped healing you. It may mean He is not finished yet. And over time, what once looked like trees walking will begin to look exactly as it was meant to all along. © 2026 David Jun Want more content like this? Check out more articles in Exploring Scripture. If this reflection on the miracles of Jesus sparked something in you, these two articles are worth reading next: 👉 The Divine Authority of Jesus: Miracles Only God Can Perform The blind man's healing is one window into who Jesus is. This article takes a wider view, examining how everything from calming storms to raising the dead reveals that Jesus is not merely sent by God but is God Himself. 👉 What Was Manna in the Bible? The Miracle That Fed Millions If the gradual nature of the blind man's healing reminds you that God's provision does not always look the way we expect, this deep dive into manna will give you a whole new appreciation for the scale and precision of what He is capable of. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

The Greek Text Behind Christianity's Most Contested Question About Jesus Few words in the entire Bible have generated more debate than the small, seemingly innocuous "a" at the end of this verse — and the reason it matters so much is that it does not even exist in the original Greek. You may be aware that people at the east end of the Mediterranean Sea did not speak Elizabethan English in biblical times, and we rely on documents written in the dialect of Greek at that time. The startling thing is, there is no Greek equivalent of "a." So it is a conundrum of Greek grammar which has become a festering sore of Christian theology. This is not a trivial subject. Fortunately, there are short and long version answers. The Short Answer: One of the contenders for World Champion Greek Geek, Dan Wallace, devotes 15 pages in his book Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics to John 1:1. An article by him on his insights is presented in The Puritan Board. A précis is given here. In layman's language he is saying that "and the Word was God" remains true. Wallace argues that in John 1:1c the Logos ("the Word") is the subject (marked by the article on λόγος), while θεὸς ("God"), lacking the article and fronted for emphasis, functions as a qualitative anarthrous predicate nominative. This construction conveys "what God was, the Word was," affirming the Word's full divine essence without identifying Him as the Father. Hence, the proper translation remains "and the Word was God," countering both Arian ("a god") and Sabellian ("the God") misreading's by distinguishing essence (qualitative θεὸς) from person (the distinct, articulated subject). Yet, a can of worms has been opened. The anthem of New Testament saints is "God is Love," as is written in 1 John 4:16: And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. That can't be denied. But if the logic and syntax of John 1:1 being "a god" is consistent, then 1 John 4:16 should be translated "God is a Love" because Agapē is a noun. This will become apparent in the long answer. However — Professor Wallace may be Top Gun Geek, but the movies tell us there is always a Young Gun who wants to take the title. Is there a Top Gunner? Yes, the Logos Himself. But first it is necessary to see what a dog's breakfast there is. How do we solve it? This is exactly the kind of question that gets wrestled with in There! He Admits It Himself… Jesus Isn't God? — where Brad takes on the argument that Jesus admitting He didn't know the day or hour proves He can't be God. It's worth reading alongside this one. The Very Long Answer: I've been interested in this situation for more years than I care to remember and have always ended up in the same place — someone's opinion based on secular reasoning which actually turns out to be circular reasoning — with "My theologian is better than your theologian. He wrote a book that is thicker than your theologian." Opinion is not useless. However, it is the most democratic of all methods for transferring ideas in that everyone has equal opportunity to be wrong. "I believe..." is of no use to me. "It is written..." is what I'm after. He (Jesus) said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." To be honest, your theologian doesn't impress me unless he can offer me eternal life. If your practice doesn't agree with your theory, go back and check your theory. Perusing the miles of column inches on this topic it is obvious that there are a number of clever, plausible conclusions — but plausible does not mean true. That there are an unspecified number of interpretations is true but incomplete. It does not specify, or even imply, that there are an unspecified number of valid interpretations. Everyone has a bias. On what evidence does one establish that bias? There is just so much noise. Most of this muddies the water so, as the investigation proceeds, the fools' errands will be eliminated in order to declutter. Firstly define the problem. The reference translations will be the New World Translation (NWT) of the Jehovah's Witnesses, and the well known New King James Version (NKJV). The NWT has been chosen because the Jehovah's Witnesses are one of the most vociferous in claiming that Jesus is a created being. It can be seen that there is an "a" in the NWT that is not in the NKJV. But more about that soon. This is a Greek grammar topic so the Greek elements must be clarified for English readers. There are a number of New Testament Greek copies but these can be distilled down to two primary influences: the Textus Receptus from Antioch, and the Morphological Greek New Testament from Alexandria. Both are presented here to prevent any arguments about different sources. Some differences do occur in the different editions but it can be seen that these texts are identical for this verse. There is potential confusion right from the start because the order of the English wording is different from the direct translation of the Greek. This is of no consequence because, while word order in English and Hebrew is critical, the rules of syntax in Greek render word order less critical (long story), so the rearrangement of the words for English has no effect on the idea being conveyed. Examining the Greek text it will be seen that there are letters and words that appear in the table below. It is not necessary to remember these items. They are added just in case you are puzzled. Number: Sing = singular, Pl = plural Case: Nom = nominative, Gen = genitive, Dat = dative, Acc = accusative Gender: Masc = masculine, Fem = feminine, Neut = neuter This is one of the strengths of Greek. It gives precision in articulating nouns, pronouns and adjectives which are linked. As can be seen, there are 24. Also — there is no indefinite article in Greek. (The indefinite article will be explained soon.) I could tell you that no Greek noun, pronoun, or adjective has an associated indefinite article and I would be telling the truth. I could tell you that every Greek noun, pronoun, or adjective has an associated definite article (the word "definite" is redundant because there is no "indefinite") but I'd be lying. All Greek nouns have a definite article... except the ones which don't. For some reason, unknown to my Greek speaking friends, some nouns have no article at all. This is called an anarthrous substantive for short. (Refer to Professor Wallace above.) Which means nothing to me either, except that anarthrous is a term in entomology meaning an insect without joints, or having joints that are indistinct. An apt description for what is happening here. A rough mathematical analogy to this linguistic occurrence would be having one equation with more than one unknown. There would be numerous potential solutions depending on assumed values. If this, then that. Nothing would be definite — opinions based on assumptions, presented as fact. Can Other Biblical Languages Help? A quick Google will confirm the following. English has two articles — the definite article ("the/that/this") and the indefinite article ("a/an"). The definite article "the" is the most frequent word in English. It is used because there is specifically only one. The indefinite article "a" or "an" refers to non-specific or unknown nouns. (Whether to use "a" or "an" depends on the spelling of the noun, so there is essentially only one indefinite article.) Hebrew has only one article, the definite article הַ (ha), meaning "the." It doesn't have indefinite articles like "a" or "an" — context does the heavy lifting there. So no help can come from going down the Hebrew trail. The Hebrew and Greek interaction has a number of friction points (another story for another time) as does English and Greek. How does one mesh one definite and one indefinite with 24 definite articles? The Greek article functions very differently from the English "the": Greek changes form to specify the gender, number and case of a noun or pronoun — specific English doesn't change form, so is not as specific English has the indefinite article. Greek doesn't. Be careful of injecting the English indefinite into Greek. This has to be constantly repeated because it is happening constantly. What About Other Middle Eastern Languages? Coptic has both a definite article and an indefinite article, similar to English, but it obviously has the same snags. So that line is a fool's errand and can be eliminated — the decluttering begins. What About the Church Fathers? This is an oft used refuge of modern scholarship, but I look at the Letters to the Seven Churches which open Revelation and see that the Boss was not overjoyed with everything that was going on then. More decluttering, less noise, now we can hear ourselves think. So it appears I've shot myself in the foot. There is nowhere else to go. Not so. God knows a lot more tricks than the intellectual glitterati give Him credit for. A Bible literate communications engineer who knows the narrative recognises that the Bible has been designed in anticipation of hostile jamming. What Has This Got to Do With Theology? Lots. Who hasn't seen a World War 2 movie showing some resistance agent in Nazi occupied Europe tuning a radio to receive a message coming from London? The signal was always bad. That was not poor technology, it was deliberate. The signal was being broadcast over the entire available bandwidth. If the signal was bunched into a concentrated beam it would be clear but easily jammed. It is impossible to jam the entire bandwidth. It is intriguing to notice that the biblical text evidences these same techniques. Here is an extract from a teaching by Koinonia Institute: "Where is the chapter on baptism? Or salvation? Or any specific critical doctrine? Every major theme is spread throughout the 66 books making up the total message. There is no concentration of any critical element in any single location. One can tear out a surprising number of pages and still not lose visibility of the essential message. (Some resolution or clarity would be lost, however.) This design intent of distributing the vital elements throughout the entire message system gives a new perspective to Isaiah 28:10: For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little." כּי צו לצו צו לצו קו לקו קו לקו זעיר שׁם זעיר שׁם So what? Martin Luther is reported to have given the following advice about parts of the Bible that are hard to understand: find the meaning of difficult texts with those that are easily understood. Where else is the topic of Christ's divinity settled? If you want to see what that authority looked like in action, It Is Finished: The Meaning Behind Jesus' Last Words unpacks exactly what Jesus declared from the cross and why it still matters. Conclusion The best scholar to use as a reference for investigating the Bible is the Holy Spirit. Relying on what man says is dicing with death. A lot of emotional energy has been needlessly spent over the years on a single, indeterminate situation which has been decided several places elsewhere. Could there be particular agendas at play? Surely not. There is an old Hebrew proverb: "Paying attention is more important than thinking." I must admit, I got caught up in it myself. © Brad Banardict ネ

I can’t remember the last time I didn’t see something about Paul expounding a different Gospel to Jesus. He is long known for spreading the teachings of Jesus and establishing Christian communities throughout the Roman Empire, and is traditionally credited with writing 13 or 14 books of the New Testament. This should make him qualify as one of the most influential figures in the history of Christian theology. Such logic makes my brain really, realyy hurt! On top of this, there is the apparent conflict between Paul and James about faith and works. This all demands some rigorous scrutiny. For the “time-poor,” this post is in two stages — short and long versions, all in one article, so you get the jist, then can continue if further intrigued. I make no secret that it is the detail that makes me a boring person, which brings the Holy Scriptures alive for me. But, if you pay just a modicum of attention, you will see what is hiding in plain sight in the Biblical Language. Actually, it is not hiding — just waiting to be found. If you enjoy articles that challenge how you read Scripture, Pangaea in the Bible is one you won't want to miss. PAUL AND JAMES: FAITH AND WORKS The two divergent arguments cause people to choose a side. Surely they can’t be reconciled. Faith Romans 10:9 "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe (G4100) in (G1519) your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Obviously, works are not necessary. Works. In James 2:14–20, James forcibly presents his argument about “faith without works." "But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith (G4102) without works (G2041) is useless?” Obviously, works are absolutely necessary. But Who is the Supreme Authority? Someone with whom no one can argue. It is written in John 6:28–29: "Then they said to Him, 'What shall we do, that we may work (G2038) the works (G2041) of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe (G4100) in (G1519) Him whom He sent.” work = G2038 — ergazomai is the verb form of the noun, G2041 — ergon = exert effort to complete a task. believe = G4100 — pisteuō is the verb form of the noun, G4102 — pistis, which is derived from the verb, G3982 — peithō = to listen to, obey, yield to, comply with, to trust, have confidence, be confident. In = G1519 — eis is a preposition used in conjunction with G4100 → G4100 + G1519 → believe in. I use the KJV as the reference because more study has been done on every word in that Volume than in any other book in the English Language. And it can be seen that the KJV translates G4102 in several ways: faith (239 times), assurance (1x), [believe (with G1537) (1x)], belief (1x), them that believe (1x), fidelity (1x). Similarly with G4100: believe (239x), commit unto (4x), commit to (one’s) trust (1x), be committed unto (1x), be put in trust with (1x), be commit to one’s trust (1x), believer (1x). Doubling back to Romans and James and comparing them to John 6:28–29. "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe (G4100) in (G1519) your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." In James 2:20, “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith (G4102) without works (G2041) is useless?” It can be seen that in plain sight, in all that detail, Jesus, Paul, and James are speaking about exactly the same thing. So that’s the end of the short version BUT THERE’S MUCH MORE AVAILABLE IF YOU'RE INTERESTED. YOU’RE WELCOME TO STAY. The official definition of faith (G4100/G4102) is given in Hebrews 11:1. Forget about secular dictionaries. The only reliable Bible Dictionary is the Bible. But the English translation is soooo anaemic. Let’s look at some Greek. A possible re-phrase (surely you can do better) Faith is the conviction about the Holy One, burning intensely hot within me, which is erected upon a foundation that actually exists and can be relied upon. The evidence can be trusted because it would ensure a conviction in a court of law. It speaks of a reality that is beyond the spectrum that our physical senses can detect. So, when Paul writes, Believe in your heart (Romans 10:9), he is referring to having a fire in your belly, NOT a whim of your fancy. “Conviction” is the operative word. We see a lot of opinion on Medium, but conviction goes long past that. Opinion is your preference — conviction is your soul. Heed God’s conviction and let Him change who you are now into what He has in Mind. You certainly can’t do it in your own strength, no matter how hard you concentrate. But Paul is not silent about works He was not against the Saints doing works already allocated to them by God long ago, as is written in Ephesians 2:10: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." He defines useful work in 1 Corinthians 3. Here is his take-home advice 9–17: "Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire." Who says the Bible has nothing to do with Science? In “Introduction to Physics” back in Primary School, I learned the simple equation: work = force multiplied by distance You can’t stay where you are — there has to be movement. Then there was velocity = rate of change of position in a straight line. You can’t keep going around in circles (lots of speed but no velocity). You may be busy, but it will get you nowhere. (AN ASIDE - It appears this is forgotten as the education machine grinds the minds of the young and vulnerable. My Grandfather was a remarkable man. He had raw intelligence uncontaminated by education. But I digress.) A good example of this was those who haggled with Yeshua by reminding Him how busy they had been for Him, as is written in Matthew 7:21–23 "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice iniquity!’ (More on this word, iniquity, shortly.) Those desperately arguing with Jesus were industrious and busy, "Martha instead of Mary." This is the work that Paul warned against — trying to work your way into Heaven by doing your own thing. Life plans The fundamental weakness of the (small ‘c’) christian church in my part of town is that the Pews scramble around desperately asking, “What is God’s plan for my life?” It’s not necessary to scratch too deeply to discover that the Western Church (by the Grace of God, not all) missed the plot. The true question is, “What is my life in God’s Plan?” But the Holy Spirit doesn’t leave us rudderless He lays out His curriculum for the Saints in 2 Peter 1:5–7: "But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love." It can be seen that faith is just the beginning. It would be a useful exercise for you to use a lexicon to discover the meaning of the different steps and derive your own understanding of what the list means — don’t trust me. The list looks intimidating, but don’t fret. The indwelling Holy Spirit is there to guide you through Sanctification (metamorphism) using the Written Word of God — but you must not resist Him, “My sheep know my voice.” Peter goes on in verses 8–9: "For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins." And finally, in verses 10–11: "Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." But how do the Saints progress through Peter’s curriculum? You will notice he uses the words diligence/diligent a few times. He doesn’t explain it, but Apostle Paul does. It is written in 2 Timothy 2:14–16: “Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent (spoudazō G4704) to present yourself pleasing to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.” Hint: study the grammar of the Greek word spoudazō G4704. Etymology of the English word iniquity The etymology of the English word iniquity makes it the perfect selection for that sentence. In simple terms, it means contempt and violation of law, wickedness. But the history of the meanings through the ages shows it to be much more sinister (no offence meant to the left-handed). It has the aroma of “Crooked judge.” That is, someone who knows the Law but deliberately corrupts it. Scary. IT IS NOT SO MUCH ABOUT LIFE AFTER DEATH. IT IS LIFE AFTER RE-BIRTH. There is so much more, but a line has to be drawn somewhere. (Did I hear someone sigh, “At last,”?) Conclusions This is yet another case of the danger of constructing Doctrine using only English translations and regarding each text as being the center of its own universe. Based on the evidence presented here, there is no antagonism between Paul and James, nor does Paul contradict Christ. Peter is also a Major Player. On the contrary, this exercise shows that the Bible, New Testament in this case, is an organic volume which was directed by the Holy Spirit through a Champion Team, not a team of champions. Paul should be there, standing shoulder to shoulder with the other Disciples. Each had skill sets that were synergistic with the others; that is, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. The foregoing evidence has not been presented to convince any reader but to allow a personal decision to be made. There is much more to know about this subject. Perhaps you’ll pay another visit sometime. If you have seen something you like, I encourage plagiarism. So, always check everything I say first, then please recycle, rebrand, re-structure, re-issue, re-label, or regurgitate in any manner you please. No need to acknowledge me because it is the Holy Spirit who holds the Intellectual Rights. All Glory to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (We all have a plank in our eye. It’s bigger than we think.) © ネ Brad Banardict

How Hebrew Acrostics & Letter Sequences Reveal YHVH, Yeshua, and El Shaddai in Esther's Text The Book of Esther is the only biblical book that never mentions God, worship, or the Messiah by name. But hidden within the Hebrew text are deliberate codes (acrostics and letter sequences) that spell out YHVH, Yeshua, and El Shaddai. This post walks through each one. What you'll learn: Why God's name is "missing" from Esther — and what scholars think How acrostics in Esther 1:20, 5:4, 5:13, 7:5, and 7:7 encode YHVH How Equidistant Letter Sequences (ELS) reveal Messiah, El Shaddai, and Yeshua The pattern in who speaks when God's name appears (Jew vs. Gentile, forward vs. reverse) There have been a number of articles postulating on why God and anything "relious" in not openly mentioned in the Book of Esther. The basis of these has been commentaries and modern scholarship. Obviously I can’t claim to have read all of them because I haven’t discovered them all. So if you happen to read this and see that you have been missed, please contact me because you may have corroborating or refuting information. Both would be welcome so the matter could be settled. Esther Is Truly An Enigma It is the only biblical book not found among the Dead Sea Scrolls — at least, not in any confirmed form. It is in the Septuagint (285–246 BCE) → disappeared from the Essene culture → reappeared in the Masoretic Text. The oldest complete manuscript, The Leningrad Codex, is dated to 1009 CE so it was in the shadows for a long time. Some evidence may have been discovered in the Qumran Caves. It is a wine stained fragment which could not be read until recently and mentions Purim. Perhaps the wine is evidence in itself of a raucous Purim celebration. It may mean that all those PhD’s about why the Book was not at Qumran are now a bit shaky. Work is going on. Her Hebrew name was Hadassah, meaning myrtle: a beautiful tree. But the Jewish scholars interpret the Persian name, Esther, as meaning “something hidden.” The Jewish Orthodox Chabad.org views of the “hiddenness” in the Book of Esther is that she was the personification of the hidden inner beauty of The Wife of Noble Character, Proverbs 31:10–31, but it will be seen that there is much more information hidden in the text for those who seek it. It is written in Proverbs 25:2 "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter." The intention of this post is to let the content of the Book speak for itself. The following information is not mine. However, I did confirm it by counting the letters (that will become clear soon) and using various Hebrew translation sites to confirm translations. It is conceded that the Machine Learning of the different sites lean toward modern vernacular but it will be seen that the method gives acceptable results. It will also be seen that sometimes it is necessary to translate backward. I'm speaking about messages contained within the text (codes), these are not hidden but are there to be found. If this opened up the Book of Esther for you, The Book of Esther Reexamined goes even deeper and is one of our most read-through articles on the site. The Reference There are a number of references online which deal with this matter — many are good, many are not. My experience has shown that Cosmic Codes: Hidden Messages from the Edge of Eternity Volume 2: Microcodes, Chuck Missler, © 1998 Koinonia House Inc is the most informative (but you may disagree). As of August 2025 available for free download at the Khouse store. There are a number of types of codes in the Bible The Book of Esther uses only two with regard to the Divine Name. Acrostic, 5. Equidistant Letter Sequence (ELS), 3. The workings of the ELS has been explained and used in the post QUEEN ESTHER AT NUREMBERG so it will not be expanded on here. You will have to read that post if you require more information. Note: In the following examples the bold font English is the part of the Hebrew that is analyzed. The bold font Hebrew letters are those that are the extracted code. The Acrostic An Acrostic is a composition in which sets of letters (such as the initial or final letters of the lines or words) are taken in order to form a word or phrase or a regular sequence of letters of the alphabet. In Psalm 119, for instance, each successive chapter is devoted to a successive letter in the Hebrew alphabet, and each successive line in that chapter begins with that letter. Try it. Other examples of these in the Tanakh are Psalms 25; 34; 37; 111; 145; Proverbs 31:10–31, and Lamentations 1–4. An extremely important one is written in John 19:19–22:"Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.” ’ ” Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” The Chief Priests and the Jews were perplexed because they were well versed with acrostics. The Hebrew for JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS is ישוע הנצרי ומלך היהודים And is translated: The acrostic is yod-hey-vav-hey, Yehoveh. Pilate was publicly declaring that Jesus was Yahovah, the God of the Old Testament. Acrostics in the Book of Esther Note: The Hebrew for this part of the exercise is sourced from Blue Letter Bible which separates the Hebrew into individual words as opposed to the usual practice of having no word spacing. Obviously, this helps those who are illiterate in Hebrew. Remember. Hebrew runs right ← to ← left so when I say, “Running forward,” the flow applies to Hebrew, right ← to ← left. The reverse applies for, “In reverse.” It is written in Esther 1:20 "And when the king’s decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his empire, (for it is great,) all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, both to great and small" The acrostic is the initial letters of the words which spells out YHVH, Yehoveh, in reverse. It is written in Esther 5:13 "Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate" The acrostic is the final letters of the words which spells out YHVH, Yehoveh, in reverse. It is written in Esther 5:4 "And Esther answered, If it seem good unto the king, let the king and Haman come this day unto the banquet that I have prepared for him." The acrostic is the initial letters of the words which spell out YHVH, Yehoveh, running forward. It is written in Esther 7:7 "And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king" The acrostic is the final letters of the words which spell out YHVH, Yehoveh, running forward. It is written in Esther 7:5. "Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so?" The acrostic is in the final letters of the words which spell out, I WILL BE (a.k.a. I AM), in reverse. Flow of the letters You have noticed that some of these flows are forward and some in reverse. 1) Menucan 1:20 (Gentile)(Reverse) 2) Haman 5:13 (Gentile)(Reverse) 3) Xerxes 7:5 (Gentile)(Reverse) 4) Esther 5:4 (Jew)(Forward) 5) Scribe 7:7 (Jew)(Forward) The pattern looks obvious to me. Equidistant Letter Sequence (ELS) As mentioned earlier, the workings of the ELS has been explained and used in the post QUEEN ESTHER AT NUREMBERG so will not be expanded on here. You will have to read that post if you require more information. It may be that there is a flow pattern with the ELS as with the acrostic but it is not obvious to me so I won’t speculate. It is written in Esther 1:3: "In the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him: An ELS spacing of 8 to the Hebrew results in the pattern for Messiah. It is written in Esther 4:2–3: "And came even before the king’s gate: for none might enter into the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth. And in every province, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes." An ELS spacing of 8 to the Hebrew results in the pattern for El Shaddai, The Almighty. It is written in Esther 4:17: "So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him." An ELS spacing of -8 to the Hebrew results in the pattern for Yeshua, running left-to-right. Conclusions So there it is. The Name of God is contained in the Book of Esther. Expositors who have consistently shown they have grunt postulate that Israel was in disobedience at the time because only a smidgen of them returned from Babylon but He had made Promises that he couldn’t renege. He couldn’t condone their disobedience so had to keep undercover while protecting them. They didn’t actually return until June, 1967 — but that’s another story. Please feel free if you want to contest this conclusion. But come with evidence and not just opinion or you won’t get a response. The amount of LORE masquerading as LAW on this site is depressing. © Brad Banardict ネ Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Exploring Scripture. If this opened something up for you, join the newsletter. New posts and insights every two months, straight to your inbox. Sign up here. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

They Were Never Lost, Never Inspired, and Never Meant to Replace Your Bible I can’t even count the number of times I have heard the phrase “the lost gospel” of so-and-so, said this or that. Drives me nuts and makes me sad to see this out there among Christians. They’re treated like some long-hidden conspiracy buried underneath a mountain of security clearance, and it just got whistle-blowen. The problem, though, is that they were never lost in the first place. Using the word “lost” doesn’t make them special or some secret God didn’t reveal to us. First and foremost, these books aren’t in the Christian Bible. If you say you are a Christian yet whip out the Enochs, Maccabees, Gad the Seer, Wisdom, Tobit, Judith, etc, when trying to prove a view, doctrine, or use it to object to something in the Bible. You're not even on the right track to begin with. If you're not a believer and do this, then that’s a whole different conversation. Remember, this is God we’re talking about here. The Creator of the whole universe, the Creator of the eyeball, the Creator of DNA. He didn’t “lose” anything. The Dead Sea Scrolls. Yes, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1946, and fragments and scrolls (a few) of these so-called lost gospels were found, but they were hardly lost; these writings and/or what they taught were already in circulation way before they were found. There is no giant conspiracy to be had here. Please pause for a moment. Do you believe in the Bible and its authority, or do you hold satan’s hand to pursue what you want to believe instead? This is a valid question to ask any Christian who gives these writings any authoritative or Biblical weight. I like to tell people, you either trust God or you don’t; the same goes for the Bible. Either you trust it, or you don’t. There is no mix-and-match game here, so who are you walking with? Not even sure where to begin with these “lost” gospels. Here’s one: What was found in 1946 was already in circulation during Jesus’s time; they weren’t “lost” as I stated before. When Jesus was in the midst of His ministry, neither He nor His disciples quoted, referenced, or made those texts authoritative. These “lost” teachings show us the world that Jesus was walking into when He started His ministry. I know a few of you have heard that Jesus quoted the book of Enoch. On the surface, sure, that’s what it looks like, until you find out that the book of Enoch took “shall inherit the earth” from the book of Psalms. (click here to explore that) Here’s another: Just because these texts were in circulation among people doesn’t make them correct or authoritative. We have how many books on religion circulating out there now, spinning off all sorts of stuff. Are you going to tell me those are authoritative as well, just because they quote the Bible or have some spin on it? Another point: They were already not included by the religious leaders of the day, and for many valid reasons. Such as, but not limited to : Proven discrepancies. Salvation by works and not through faith. Writings about “secret” knowledge. (Gnostic) Contradictory moral teachings. Writings were intended to alter the history of Jesus to suit ulterior purposes. The Bible has a united purpose. These texts seek to disrupt that. The Gospel of Thomas was written far too late in history to have been written by the Apostle Thomas. In one, Jesus is described as disrespectful and spiteful. None were written by prophets. Tobit also includes some freaky witchcraft voodoo stuff, directed by that angel on how to deal with a demon, that's so not Biblical. Some contain elaborate, whimsical, and wild tales that completely contradict the Bible. (Enoch being a big one there) The Book of Judith celebrates the seed of Simeon, even though he is actually cursed; also, the book of Judith praises her lies and deceit. Praying for the dead. Giving of alms to cleanse sins. Forgiveness of sins by prayer alone. The book of Wisdom used to proclaim that Mary was without sin. Parts of Sirach glorify wealth. Numerous contradictions within the books themselves Baruch is absent from the Hebrew canon, which was finalized by the Jewish community long before Christ. Writers from the different sects in the area took liberties to modify them as they saw fit. I could honestly keep going. While yes, these “lost” books do hold historical value for the sake of understanding culture, what Jesus was walking into, where beliefs, myths, doctrines, etc. came from, heck, I own every one of them for research purposes myself, but they are far from accurate and ultimately fall short of Biblical inspiration. The Bible is my gold standard; if a book doesn't align with the word of God, it’s out, plain and simple. This should be your standard as well. Look at it this way: who’s really talking to you? The Holy Spirit or some other spirit? “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them — bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.” 2 Peter 2:1–3 I know some are spitting fumes right now at me because you want so badly for things in these books to be true and still claim you are a Christian. But you can’t, I’m sorry, it just doesn't work like that. The lost gospels make for a great conspiracy theory but when you actually sit down and look at why they were excluded from Scripture the answer is not even complicated. These texts/books/teaching/writings were never accepted into the Hebrew canon back then, they were never affirmed by Jesus or the apostles, and lack consistent prophetic authority, doctrinal harmony, and historical accuracy. You want to use uninspired works to discredit inspired works? Good luck with that. Ultimately, it is always your choice, but think about your choices. Do they take you away from the Bible? Then there’s a problem. © Jane Isley Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Rethinking Doctrine. If this helped you think more clearly about what belongs in your Bible and what does not, join the newsletter for more every two months. Sign up here. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

How Psalm 37 Answers that Question The claim that Jesus quoted the Book of Enoch is all over the internet, but it doesn't hold up when you look at the actual timeline. A side-by-side comparison of Matthew 5:5 and 1 Enoch 5:7 looks convincing at first glance. But Psalm 37:11 predates both, and changes everything. This article walks through the evidence and explains why the Book of Enoch doesn't carry the authority many people assume it does. What you'll learn: Why the Psalm 37 timeline matters and what it proves What Jude was actually doing when he referenced Enoch Why the Books of Enoch disqualify themselves as inspired Scripture What to make of extrabiblical texts and why the Bible remains the standard Scripture Comparison Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth,” 1 Enoch 5:7:“But for the chosen, there will be light, joy, and peace, and they shall inherit the earth.” At first glance, this can look like convincing evidence that Jesus was quoting Enoch, even I scratched my head for a moment until I remembered: "But the meek shall inherit the land, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” Psalms 37:11 Psalms were written long before the Books of Enoch. Although the entire collection took centuries to complete, all of it predates the birth of Jesus. Blue Letter Bible provides estimated dates for each section, with Psalm 37 being written during the Babylonian Captivity around 539 B.C. Concerns About the Books of Enoch When evaluating the authority of the Books of Enoch, several issues stand out, and I understand this topic stirs strong feelings. But the evidence matters more than the emotion. First, the books were written during the Intertestamental period and after. Second, they contain numerous contradictions with Scripture (Some sources to check out: 1, 2, 3, and 4,). Third, Jesus and the apostles never validated the unusual and often bizarre subject matter found in Enoch. The narrative presented in these books does not align with the teachings found in the rest of the Bible. The books are attributed to Enoch, but this is an example of pseudepigrapha, a common practice in which writings were assigned to notable biblical figures. Enoch was certainly noteworthy, as he walked with God and was taken by Him, but that does not mean he authored these texts. When comparing sources, the order is clear, and this is historically and academically established. Psalms came first. Jesus quoted Psalms. Enoch quoted Psalms. Understanding Jude’s Reference to Enoch Another argument often raised is Jude 14, which says, “Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: ‘See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones.’” Some use this to claim that Jude validated the Book of Enoch as inspired Scripture. A closer look shows otherwise. Jude mentioned the name of Enoch, not the Book of Enoch. He did not say he was quoting from an authoritative text. Quoting any outside source does not make that source inspired. Jesus quoted Caesar, but that did not make Caesar’s words authoritative. Jude was fighting back against people who had renounced Christianity (apostates), people who were using 1 Enoch. Jude was making a rather sassy and clever point by using the religious material that was familiar to them. That judgment would come to the ungodly and all false teachers. By using this to make his point, he was able to engage the Apostates directly and more effectively. I recommend reading the article “Why Does the New Testament Cite Extrabiblical Sources?” It is very informative on the topic of Jude and extrabiblical sources and talks about Paul doing the same thing as well. The Issue Now Instead of this being about the Apostates and the point he was getting across to them, it has turned into him “validating” 1 Enoch as being somehow authoritative Scripture. Again, Jude never stated it was authoritative; the Books of Enoch (and the other ones) invalidate themselves as authoritative all on their own, and if people want to go that far, then they might as well go after Jesus and Paul, too. No one denies that books exist, and no one denies that there is some historical truth contained in them, but that does not make them authoritative or inspired. The Books of Enoch were written by people who wanted to believe certain things because they didn’t like what they were hearing, no different then certain books written in my modern times tht we understand are not inspired by God, eaxmaple, the Book of Mormon. Believe what you will, but ask yourself, why is there a need to put faith in these books that are proven to be unbiblical, inaccurate, and uninspired? “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of Jehovah your God which I command you.” Deut 4:2 “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them that are causing the divisions and occasions of stumbling, contrary to the doctrine which ye learned: and turn away from them.” Rom 16:17 © Jane Isley Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Exploring Scripture. If this helped clarify something you've been wrestling with, there's more where that came from. Join the newsletter for new posts every two months. Sign up here. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

We all know Psalm 23, most by heart. It’s comforting, it's uplifting, and it’s encouraging, but sometimes the problem with knowing one so well is not knowing the others. Psalm 22 piqued my interest recently, specifically verses 9 & 10. “Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.” This led me to look more closely at Psalm 139 as well. It is too long to quote in full here, so I will pull out a few key phrases. You have searched me... You perceive my thoughts from afar... You are familiar with all my ways... Where can I flee from your presence? Even there your hand will guide me... For you created my inmost being... You knit me together in my mother’s womb... Your eyes saw my unformed body... What I see here is an active God, intimately involved in every stage of our lives, from before conception to our final breath. Psalm 22:9–10 and 139 together form one of the most detailed pictures of human life as known and held by God, so much so that even before the sperm meets the egg in the womb, we are already fully seen and known by Him. “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” “from my mother’s womb” While a recent line of thinking argues that life begins only at the first breath after birth, referencing Adam and Eve and the breath of life by God in that discussion, it is worth realizing that their creation was unique and does not negate the role of a womb. Adam and Eve were formed fully as human beings without a womb because they were the first humans; there was no womb for them to come from. In that unique creation situation, 1) Eve was formed by God with a womb, and 2) Scripture emphasizes God’s direct involvement in forming their lives; He knit them together from dust and a rib. And more broadly, Psalm 22:9–10 and 139 continue to emphasize that same pattern for all of humanity. He sees, knows, and discerns even before we are visible to the naked eye or microscope. “Your eyes saw my unformed body…” “ from my mother’s womb…” And since we do not have a physical body yet at this point, that is our soul He is seeing. So where does our value start, then? Does it begin where God says it begins, or where human wishes and wants tries to place it? What the Bible says about life in the womb is not ambiguous ~ the question is whether we are willing to let it mean what it says." © 2026 Jane Isley. Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Exploring Scripture.

“God has a plan for your life,” has become a popular Christian saying. It is often said to the unbeliever or new Christian who is still uncertain that God loves and cares for them, so it can be a useful statement to strengthen their faith. Yet it is shorthand for a larger biblical truth, and shorthand has the propensity to be misunderstood or improperly viewed as the full picture. Like a signboard at a crossroads, it is only useful if you go in the direction it is pointing rather than sitting next to it. How do we misunderstand “God has a plan for your life”? This pithy saying is easily misunderstood in our current self-centred and self-glorifying culture. One simply places the emphasis in the wrong place: “God has a plan for your life,” where the most important factor is the life that you are living. With this emphasis, God becomes a helpful life coach to get you through some difficult patches, or worse, a magical genie that carries out all your wishes. This is not how the God of the Bible reveals Himself to us, so the real danger in this little saying is for the new Christian to develop a wrong idea of God. The title of this article is my attempt at improving the shorthand, but I want to take you beyond the signboard to explore the truth it points to. God does indeed have a plan — one that stretches out beyond time and incorporates the whole universe. The broad outline of that plan as it concerns humanity is sketched out for us from Genesis to Revelation. If we dwell on the immensity of God’s plan for the universe, earth and mankind, we may feel that the little life that we are given cannot possibly feature. If the rise and fall of empires is part of God’s plan, then aren’t we too insignificant for His attention? This is the opposite error to the one I highlighted earlier, but it also creates an incorrect view of a limited God. If He only sees the big picture and not the individual lives within that picture, He would not be the omnipresent God revealed in the Bible. In reality, He is interested in the lives of each of His creatures, most especially of those made in His image (Matthew 10:29–31). God’s plan in Job’s suffering It is critical to have the right perspective of God, His plan and our lives. This is one of the lessons we find in the book of Job, where God ultimately gives Job the right perspective — one that we would do well to study. In this book, we see that God is intensely interested in Job’s life. He knows what Job is doing and how he is living, and uses him as an example of a “blameless and upright man” (Job 1:8). God then allows Satan to take this righteous, good life and turn it upside down. This decision made no sense at all to Job at the time, and has likely puzzled Bible readers down through the centuries! In his discussions with his friends, Job maintains that he is still righteous, but that this rough treatment deserves an explanation — why would God allow him to suffer? The answer is that God had a plan. Although Satan tried his best to derail Job’s faith, God knew that this period of testing would benefit not only Job and his friends, but also every reader since this story was penned. The life of one man from an obscure tribe living thousands of years ago has thus provided encouragement to millions of people ever since. This amazing outcome was achieved by temporarily ruining Job’s life; leaving him sitting on a pile of ashes, scraping off painful sores whilst wallowing in deep emotional distress after losing his entire livelihood and all of his children. In answer to Job’s desperate question: “Why me, Lord?” God did not explain the big picture to him. God didn’t sit Him down and say: “I’m sorry about all of this, but I wanted to strengthen your faith”, nor did He explain that untold numbers of people would read this story as a testament of faith during trial. Instead, God answers the question with many questions (Job 38–41) — each one challenging Job to show his credentials that give him the right to ask God such a question in the first place. This awe-inspiring monologue was all about perspective. God revealed Himself to Job in some aspects of His glory and power, all of which were already there for Job to see in creation. Before this meeting, it seems that Job had not been fully in awe of the God he served. We all fall into this trap by viewing the natural world as normal parts of daily life, rarely stopping to consider the incredible power, intelligence and glory of the Creator. When Job was snapped out of his complacency, he responded appropriately. Not by asking the unanswered question “Why me?” again, but by repenting and glorifying God. Then Job answered the Lord and said: “I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’ I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:1–6) What we can learn about God’s plans This story does not sit at all well with the idea of God helping us to live our best lives by providing us with a beautiful plan tailored to our needs and wishes. Yet if we are willing to learn from Job’s story, we can gain the correct perspective of God’s plan and our role in it. First, we see that God’s plan extended far beyond Job’s life on earth — angels, devils and millions of humans were watching Job suffer and listening to (or reading) his mini-sermons as he struggled with his unsympathetic friends and God. What we often miss is that God works in us at the same time that He works in those around us. Our lives — especially when they are not going according to our plans — can bring others to salvation or encourage Christians to keep up the good fight. For all we know, the trials that God allows in our lives could be part of a demonstration before heaven and hell of the faithfulness of His children. Second, we see that God was personally involved in the story — He instigates the chain of events by singling Job out as a righteous man and finalises everything with one of the most powerful speeches recorded in Scripture. Even during his loneliest hours, Job was never ignored. In the same way, God gives individual instructions regarding the lives of His children and is closely involved from beginning to end. Even in our darkest times, we need to remember that whatever mysterious things God may be doing, He is not ignoring us. Third, we see that although God was working in Job’s life, He did not do it in ways that Job expected or wanted. God certainly had a plan for Job’s life, but the plan did not revolve around Job, but around God’s will and purpose. When we are seeking God’s will for our lives, this is critical to understand. God will not provide a tailor-made solution to keep us happy and healthy. He will provide a role that we can play in a plan so grand and glorious that we will only see it in full when we get to heaven. Until then, He answers “Why me?” questions with “I AM.” Finally, God revealed Himself to Job as sovereign over all things, including Job’s life. It is difficult for us to understand how we can willingly play a role in God’s plans: surely He can just do with our lives as He pleases, without our active consent? Yet the story of Job doesn’t start with God unilaterally deciding to test him. It starts with Job living righteously and serving God. Only Job’s life could fit into this part of God’s plan, because it was a faithful life that could withstand severe trials. God wants specific kinds of people to be willing to play special roles within His plan. If we are unwilling to surrender our little lives to His great plan, then we will miss out on being part of God’s bigger picture. Are you willing to be part of God’s plan? Knowing that Job’s righteousness was a key reason for the suffering he faced may make us shrink back from doing God’s will. If we stay lukewarm in our faith, or if we don’t give our lives to Him at all, we are likely to have an easier life on earth. It may also leave us feeling that God didn’t really care about Job’s suffering, since He had a bigger plan in mind. If we surrender our lives to God’s plan, will we be treated as a pawn on a chessboard that can be sacrificed at any moment in favour of the overall strategy? This is another incorrect view of God, who is love and therefore cares for each one of us more than we could possibly imagine. Further, He not only understands suffering in an abstract way — He lived through it on the cross (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus knows what it is like to suffer, but he also knows that all of the suffering that the Father put Him through was worth it (Romans 12:2). When we seem to suffer pointlessly here on earth, we must remember that God’s perspective is eternal. As Paul declared: For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Romans 8:18). Giving our lives to God will thus produce boundless benefits and rewards, both here on earth and throughout eternity. © Gail Thomson Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Exploring Scripture. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

Christians and Politics Have Become To Entangled Everywhere I turn, it feels like Christians are being forced to pick a side, or a side is assumed on their behalf. And somehow, if you refuse to choose, you’re seen as weak, secretive, naive, or that you don't care for this country. The pressure isn’t just political; it’s spiritual. "Allegiance to a party has quietly become its own religion," and all the while, the words Jesus spoke keep echoing fainter and fainter in the distance: “Follow Me." It’s easy to see how this happened. Churches have failed His flock, the news has amplified division, social media reels punish neutrality, and political leaders demand loyalty. But Scripture shows us of a different path. Jesus wasn't a politician. He didn’t campaign and He didn’t promise worldly power. He came to do something unprecedented: to save us, to offer forgiveness, and to reconcile people with God through His death and resurrection. Also, He gave us this nugget to chew on: "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2 Somewhere along the way this was somehow forgotten, or conveniently placed aside. Politics vs. Unity in Christ The truth is that Christians are more divided than ever before, and instead of standing united against what is wrong and evil, too often I see people pitted against one another instead. In marriage, there is a common phrase "it's us against the issue, not us against each other." We should be applying this in all things, and be united as the Body of Christ, despite differences. Denomination against denomination. Red against blue. Right against left. This is not how this should be. Christians should be walking together in faith yet are tearing each other apart over something that should never have separated us from the beginning. While the real issues, the broken systems, the lack of accountability, the moral decay, remain unchallenged because of these divisions. Satan Thrives In This chaos He doesn’t need to create more evil. He only needs to keep people busy fighting among themselves to get that job done, while sitting back with proverbial popcorn and laughing in glee, because we are creating and feeding the evil. Division is easier than the truth, and distraction is more effective than repentance. The call of Christ is simple: “Follow Me.” No party line, no political litmus test, no hashtag loyalty. Just faithful, obedient discipleship. It feels to me like people are in this strange mad frenzy to control this country, without coming to realize that 1) they don't and 2) they need to surrender all to God and let Him lead. Here is the simplest truth: if you follow Him first, everything else falls into place. There Is No Such Thing As A Lesser Evil I hear this one all the time: “We have to pick the lesser of two evils.” Every time I hear it, I feel sick. Why should I have to choose any evil at all? That makes no sense to me. Scripture doesn’t call us to settle for what’s “okay enough.” We have the right to vote, but if we feel convicted not to, or to vote in a way others wouldn’t expect, that is also our right. And if anyone tells you otherwise, especially a Christian, tell them to take it up with God, because if he does do that to you, it going to take a lot a of deep and trusting faith to step back and let Him take the lead. We participate in many ways that keep this country running, following laws, paying taxes (and tax on our taxes), volunteering at shelters, mentoring youth, supporting schools, donating to community programs, working hard at our jobs, caring for neighbors, and helping raise the next generation. These everyday actions give us the right to have a voice and form our own opinions, no matter what anyone says. Voting is one option, but listening to God when convicted is just as valid. True power comes from standing with Christ, which is more important than any marked ballot. We are not required to choose between two evils. Our country got to this point because the mindset “We have to pick the lesser of two evils” has become an acceptable excuse and a convenient write-off to avoid moral responsibility. This nation created the mess it is in and built a political system with leaders who are not good for this country. Choosing rightly by God's direction, even if that means abstaining, is an act of faith in God to provide, not apathy. Please come to understand that God is stronger than any vote, party, ideology, or leader. Step back, and center yourself in Christ first, and the rest will follow. I have always believed Jesus is mightier than any system or government, so where did that faith go in this country? Campaign Promises vs. Reality Another phrase I hear often is: “You should vote for this party because they protect life.” That statement has become almost automatic; people say it like that means they just sorted out your faith for you. That phrase gets repeated so often that I honestly feel it has replaced a much deeper, required process, seeking God’s guidance first and letting Him shape your convictions about how you engage with this country. The reality is, protecting all life has not happened. Sure, some measures were taken in recent years, but life is still not fully protected. So why should I pledge allegiance to any party based on that platform? Neither party has succeeded in protecting the most innocent among us. True Colors Now, we have files and stories that can't be ignored or excused coming out showing some pretty vivid true colors. Faithful prayer and following Christ could have prevented much of this horror from happening if people had put Him first and let Him guide the country when choosing leaders. It’s painfully clear that many leaders are not the good people once imagined. And because this country has leaned so heavily on political leaders for its moral direction instead of God, we’ve invited this mess into our own backyard. I feel deeply convicted that following any party or person just because of a single issue, concern, or belief is both stupid and fundamentally opposed to Christ’s command: “Follow Me.” Politics has succeeded in shaping faith in this country. We are no longer a country of the faithful. We are a country of political bullet points. The Path Forward The path forward is crystal clear, in fact, it couldn't be any clearer. "Follow Me." Not follow red, blue, right, or left. If we return to our identity in Christ, everything else, the brokenness, the hurt, the divisions, will be held in the light of His truth. And maybe then, the world will see what it looks like when His people stand together, not against each other, but for Him. © Jane Isley Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Culture & Faith. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.