Faith, Truth, and Paradoxes Christianity is full of paradoxes. It is both exclusive and inclusive. Exclusive, because Jesus Christ boldly declared that the only way to God is through Him. Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, NIV) In this statement, Jesus claims to be Truth itself. He embodies Truth, and as God Himself, He is the source of Truth. Truth, by its very nature, is exclusive. For example, all of the following statements are true with only one correct answer. The password to my online bank account is: ________________________. 2 + 2 = 4 Water boils at exactly 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celsius). Other paradoxes in Christianity (and there are many more than these) include: the concept of the Trinity (one God in Three Persons), Jesus Christ as both the Lion and the Lamb, the principle of losing one’s life in order to find it (the world says, “put yourself first”, but Jesus said, “die to yourself” to find real life), the apostle Paul said that when he was weak, he was actually strong (see 2 Corinthians 12:10). By this he meant that God uses human weakness to display His power, and that dependence on God is the true source of strength, not self-sufficiency. Christianity is also inclusive because Jesus Christ offers salvation to everyone who believes, regardless of their past, background, or failures. The main theme of the book of Romans is that everyone has sinned and is separated from God, but God knew this would happen because of mankind’s free will, and He created a plan to solve this problem from the beginning of the world. "For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile, the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:12–13, NIV) These paradoxes humble us and cause us to realize that God’s wisdom far surpasses ours. The God of the Bible isn’t distant or indifferent. He is personal, loving, and relentlessly pursues us! He loves us so deeply that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for our sins so that we could be reconciled to Him. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16, NIV) Why Do We Need God? Every human being senses a deep longing for meaning, purpose, and connection. We wrestle with questions of origin, purpose, and destiny because we were created by God in His image (Genesis 1:27). We aren’t mere cosmic accidents, nor the result of millions of years of unguided processes coming together to produce us. God breathed His life into humanity (Genesis 2:7) and gave us an immortal soul that will live forever somewhere. He also gave us free will to decide whether we will live with Him or apart from Him. Without God, life becomes a fleeting pursuit of temporary pleasures. We may fill our days with distractions, but our souls remain restless. Augustine famously said, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” As mentioned above, our sin has separated us from God (Romans 3:23). We can’t help but sin because our nature is bent away from God. Because God is perfectly just, sin must be punished. If God didn’t punish sin, He wouldn’t be loving. But because He is perfectly loving, He took that punishment upon Himself in the person of Jesus Christ. Why the God of the Bible? There are many religions in the world, but only one offers a Savior who died for His followers and rose again. Religious figures such as Buddha, Muhammad, and Confucius never claimed to be God incarnate or to have conquered death. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the central evidence of His divine authority and the foundation of the Christian faith (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). Here is a well-researched article that examines the resurrection of Jesus using historical, eyewitness, and scientific evidence: Resurrection of Jesus: A Scientific Review of the Evidence. Christianity is unique from other religions because it doesn’t require rituals or works to earn salvation. It’s not about human effort reaching up to God; it’s about God reaching down to humanity. Salvation is a gift received by faith, not a reward earned by deeds (Ephesians 2:8–9). The Reality of Heaven and Hell Jesus spoke plainly about both heaven and hell. Heaven is the eternal home of those who love and trust Him. It’s a place of unending joy, peace, and fellowship with God. Hell, by contrast, is the eternal separation from God, created originally for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). Many people reject the idea of hell, but disbelief doesn’t erase reality. Just as gravity operates whether we acknowledge it or not, so does God’s moral law. To deny hell is to deny the seriousness of sin and the holiness of God. God wants everyone in the whole world to be saved and live in harmony with Him forever. People use their free will to choose to accept or reject His offer of salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus. "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9, NIV). The Benefits of Knowing God Choosing to follow Jesus isn’t merely fire insurance to avoid judgment; it’s about showing Him how much you love Him and appreciate His sacrifice for you. When you make Him Lord of your life, you promise to take up your cross daily and follow Him, which means committing to obey His teachings. When you accept His free gift of salvation, the Holy Spirit enters your heart, and He will empower you to live a new life and obey God. (Romans 8:11). The Christian life brings peace, joy, and purpose. It gives us a community of believers who support, encourage, and challenge us to grow. Real faith isn’t stagnant; it grows as we love and trust (see Ephesians 1:15–16). God loves us as we are, but He loves us too much to leave us that way. The Bible becomes our guide, offering wisdom, comfort, and direction. The Spirit gives us strength to overcome temptation and courage to face trials. And above all, we gain the assurance of eternal life with the One who created and redeemed us. Why I Choose to Worship the God of the Bible I choose to worship the God of the Bible because He alone is worthy. He is the Creator of the universe, the Sustainer of life, and the Redeemer of souls. I love Him because His love for me is unconditional and because He first loved me (1 John 4:19). I worship Him because He is the Truth. In a world full of shifting opinions, moral relativism, and confusion, God’s Word stands firm. His promises never fail. His character never changes. I worship Him because He gives my life meaning and purpose. I worship Him because He has revealed Himself in the Bible as one God manifested in three persons. He is a personal God, not an abstract force. He is the God who made Himself known by entering history, suffering, and overcoming death for our sake. Conclusion So, do you need God? Yes, I believe so because you were made by Him and for Him. Why the God of the Bible? Because He alone is real, loving, and powerful enough to save. Which one should you pray to? Pray to the Father, through the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Believe in the one true God who invites you into eternal fellowship with Himself. Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart. The question is, will you open the door to Him? "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me" (Revelation 3:20, NIV). © 2026 Debra Hodges Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Knowing God. Related Reading You May Enjoy: Common Objections to Christianity That Don't Hold Up — A look at the popular objections to the faith that sound convincing but fall apart under honest examination. How I Know God Is Real — A personal account of the reasons and evidence behind a confident faith in God. Growing Faith Through Questions — How wrestling with hard questions can deepen faith rather than weaken it. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

A developer and father of two, writing from South Korea. Faith-raised, I write the prayers I offer for my children—hoping to comfort other parents. His prayers are first written in Korean and posted on a Korean blog, then translated to English. Medium 아이를 위한 아빠의 기도

A little about how I got into writing. This should be hilarious. I can write, but an "about me" or a "bio," naw.......my brain goes right out the window in spectacular form. 😅 (I'm autistic, so honestly, that tracks.) I am the creator of Faithful Writers, and I'll explain in a minute or two how that happened. But if I jumped straight into that, I'd miss a lot of important parts of my journey that got me here. My background actually starts in art, web design, and computers. For many years, art was my exclusive focus. I spent all that time writing artist statements, but I didn't realize I loved writing itself until later. The realization came while I was taking bookkeeping and accounting classes… and God said, "Nope, not today." I started those classes because I wanted to do something beyond my full-time role as a caregiver for a family member. I'm on call 24/7, never knowing what the day will bring. And art had long been my outlet for stress, and loneliness during the tougher years. That's when writing started to really take hold, just didn't realize it. One night, in a moment of frustration and banging my head on a wall when studying accounting terms, I took it to God. I asked Him what He wanted me to do because I felt so lost. Two things happened at once "Write for me" was whispered to me, just as my husband yells from the other room something along the lines of maybe you should start focusing on your writing because you really love it.💡 And there it was, just like that. The perfect moment; clarity, excitement, peace, joy, hope, acceptance, happiness, you name it, I felt it and it's felt right ever since and I've never looked back, doubted or regretted pursuing this full-ish time. Now how I came to create this publication. I write in a very wide variety of styles and cover multiple topics related to my faith, the Bible, and my life experiences, which means I never fit a specific "niche," the same can be said for my art though too. Honestly, that's a very autistic-brain way of moving through the world. I love to rabbit hole, I need to chase a thought from start to finish. That's just how my mind works, and it's how I write. After one email too many after submitting my work, I finally just got tired of having to constantly alter my work for other publications or watch an editor strip away my voice and natural wack-a-do flair. I wanted freedom to write authentically, in whatever style I chose, to keep my pieces as short as I wanted, and not have a publisher tell me I needed to change a whole bunch of stuff to ultimately be what they wanted me to write about. That kinda sucks the thunder out of a person, you know what I mean? So here I am, creating my own niche in this world and offering that to other Christian writers who want to share their inspired writings in a publication that holds to Biblical teachings. I adhere to a strict rule: I will not change a writer's voice. While there are guidelines, I do my best to make publishing easy, fun, and as uncomplicated as possible. I'm based in Wisconsin, and I personally review every submission that comes through Faithful Writers to make sure each writer's voice stays true to who they are. If you're autistic or neurodivergent and have wondered whether your voice fits here too, it does. I built this place partly because I needed it to exist too. Have fun reading, and learning, and bookmark this site, articles are regularly uploaded. If you're looking for something specific, click here to do some searching, we have every topic under the sun here. Medium Email Want to read more from Me? Here are a few places to start: Why Were Some Animals Unclean in the Bible? A Look From Genesis to Acts The Truth About Christianity and America’s Founding: Separating Faith from National Myth “Lucifer” Actually Came From a Translation Error Hidden in Plain Sight: Recognizing Demonic Influence Today Tartarus, Greek mythology mingling with the Bible.

There’s an old Gospel song that goes, “Standing on the promises of Christ my King…” You are doing just that: Taking your stand on what Scriptures promise. BUT… Progress crawls. Circumstances resist. Patience wears thin. You start to wonder: “Did I mishear God? Misread the signs? Misjudge what was possible for someone like me?” You have hope, but it feels distant. The road stretches longer than your legs ever asked for. And you wonder how long you can still wait. So how do you keep hope alive when you feel stuck in the long middle? Let’s talk about it. Maybe the following points may help. 1. No Need To Pretend Hope doesn’t require pretending the journey is short. Scripture keeps it painfully honest. Abraham waited decades for a promised child. Israel waited centuries for a Messiah. The disciples waited in a locked room while hope lay in a tomb. Waiting is a spiritual discipline rarely taught from pulpits. Sometimes we try to numb the discomfort with spiritual clichés. “God’s timing!” “All things work together!” “Everything happens for a reason!” A better starting point. Name your ache. Tell God, “This is taking longer than I’d like. Longer than I feel I can handle.” That honesty doesn’t kill hope. It protects it from dishonesty. Lament is not a lack of faith. Lament is faith refusing to be silenced. 2. Fall in love with small steps Sometimes, big dreams have very tiny feet. Everyone wants to leap into their calling like an Olympic gymnast. Rarely do we celebrate the unglamorous slog of showing up. Sometimes hope survives not because we sprint, but because we refuse to sit down. A writer opens a blank page again. A recovering addict marks another day of sobriety. A parent whispers a prayer over a child who still won’t talk to them. Small steps don’t feel holy. They feel mundane. Yet heaven calls them worship. God often hides miracles inside these routines: Daily bread Daily mercy Daily grace to try again. Your progress might look embarrassingly small to you or others. Celebrate it anyway. Tiny movements change entire trajectories. 3. Look back more often Hope doesn’t only look forward. It looks over its shoulder and remembers. Remember the prayers you once begged for that are now part of your ordinary days. Remember the heartbreak that didn’t destroy you. Remember the nights you thought were endless that now feel like someone else’s story. God has a track record. So do you. That’s why I recommend writing (or typing) answers that have come. Keep a record to review. Your personal history with God. Those can be powerful. Hope grows best in the soil of memory: “I will remember the deeds of the Lord… I will meditate on all your mighty works. ”Psalm 77:11–12 Your history holds evidence that the God who carried you then can carry you now. Tell those old miracles to speak up. You still need their testimony. 4. Loosen your grip on the destination It takes humility and faith to admit that we don’t always know exactly what the end should look like. Hope can become brittle when it demands a specific outcome on a specific timeline. God doesn’t hand out Google Maps. Faith rarely downloads turn-by-turn directions. Jesus says something better: “Follow me.” Which implies movement. Not clairvoyance. Think of your dream like a sailboat. You set your direction, catch the wind of God’s Spirit, and adjust the sails as shifts come. You don’t control the ocean. You trust the One who does. Sometimes the destination changes on the way. Sometimes it deepens. Sometimes the healing you thought would look like success ends up looking like peace. Let hope breathe. Let it grow. Give it permission to surprise you. 5. Weave joy into the waiting Hope shrivels in environments of constant seriousness. Waiting doesn’t have to be miserable. Joy does not deny longing. Joy interrupts despair long enough to give faith another inhale. Find seeds of joy that are all around you. Jesus said he came so we would have abundant life, not eventual life. We do not have to postpone delight until God finishes everything he started. Dance a little on the slow days. Celebrate nothing-in-particular. Defy hopelessness with a grin that says, “I know this story isn’t done.” Joy becomes rebellion against despair. 6. Borrow someone else’s hope Some seasons drain your hope faster than you can refill it. Everything feels heavy. Everything takes effort. You don’t need to be a lone ranger of optimism. Find the people who see the goodness of God even when you struggle to spot it. Let them speak courage into your tired bones. Let their faith lean against your doubt until you can stand again. The early church didn’t gather because they were bored. They gathered because hope is a communal sport. Hope breathes better in shared air. 7. Let God be God This may sound like a bumper sticker, yet it cuts right into the core of hope. Your story is not saved by your strength to keep going. Your story is saved by God’s commitment to finish what He started. Hope isn’t positive thinking. Hope is confidence in the character of God. And don’t forget… Jesus didn’t rise from the dead because the disciples hoped hard enough. Resurrection is God’s specialty. When your hope feels thin and frayed, hang it on something sturdy: Jesus. “He who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.”1 Thessalonians 5:24 Faith isn’t pretending we know the ending. Faith is trusting the Author who does. When hope flickers… Sometimes hope is just a flickering flame that survives anyway. Don’t underestimate what that flicker means. Remember the power of faith that’s only the size of a mustard seed. Even when the finish line hides around another bend, hope keeps whispering: “Keep walking. Something beautiful is still ahead.” God walks with you in the long middle. The road is holy. Your tired feet are holy. Every step is seen. The last word Hope is not naïve. Hope is stubborn. It refuses to surrender to the lie that the way things are is the way things will always be. The destination might still feel far away, but distance is no match for a God who builds roads where none exist. So keep going. Keep breathing. Keep choosing joy. Keep telling God the truth about how this hurts and what you’re longing for. Hold onto hope. Even the scrappy kind. Especially the scrappy kind. Because one day you will stand in the place you prayed to reach, and wonder how you almost gave up when you were already halfway home. Let this song fan the flame of your flickering hope. © Gary L Ellis (1944–2026)

God Isn’t Trapped Within Old Testament Walls Have you ever heard someone say that they don’t believe in my God, because He’s judgmental and cruel? I’m sure most people have. I have for sure. Many times. Thing is, I didn’t know how to effectively respond. How do you square the God of plagues and punishments with the God who tells us to love our enemies? But the older I get, the more I realize I was missing the bigger picture. I was caught up in soundbites and skipping the story. Here’s the truth I’ve come to believe without flinching: God is not trapped in the Old Testament. He’s not stuck in the past. The God I read about in Genesis is the same God who walked the earth in Jesus. And that changed how I saw everything. Looking Back With Clearer Eyes When I was younger, I skimmed past a lot of the Old Testament. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? I wanted the “Jesus parts, "grace, kindness, healing, forgiveness. But eventually I went back and started reading with fresh eyes. Not hunting for verses to defend my faith. Just reading to understand. And what I saw surprised me. Yes, there’s judgment. God deals seriously with sin. But I also saw a God who is incredibly patient. Who keeps giving second chances, and third, and fourth. Who rescues people over and over again, even when they keep running away. God defends the poor, the foreigner, the outcast. And I realized I’d bought into a cartoon or Hollywood version of the Old Testament, a version that skipped the compassion, the faithfulness, and the love. When God introduces Himself to Moses, He doesn’t start with threats. He says: “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” (Exodus 34:6) That’s not the God of a horror story. That’s a God who sticks with people when they don’t deserve it. Judgment Is Not Hatred One thing I’ve had to unlearn is the idea that judgment equals hatred. That it’s always punitive rather than redemptive. That’s not what I see anymore. When God brings judgment in the Old Testament, on Egypt, on Canaan, even on Israel, it’s never random. It’s always about justice. We’re talking about child sacrifice, slavery, rampant injustice. God doesn’t look the other way, and I’m glad He doesn’t. I wouldn’t want to follow a God who lets the powerful crush the weak and just shrugs. God’s judgment is hard, but it’s not heartless. Over and over, He warns people. He sends prophets, not armies. He pleads before He punishes. And when judgment comes, it’s not out of spite. It’s because love without justice isn’t love at all. God Has Not Changed For a long time, I treated the Old and New Testaments like two seasons of a show with a total reboot halfway through. Season One: fire and laws. Season Two: grace and sandals. But that’s not what the Bible actually shows. Jesus didn’t show up to reinvent God. He came to reveal Him. When I read the Gospels, I see Jesus calling out religious hypocrisy with the same fire I saw in the prophets. I see Him flipping tables, warning about judgment, talking about sin. But I also see Him eating with outcasts, healing the broken, forgiving the guilty. He isn’t less intense than the Old Testament God, He’s just as fierce, but His fierceness is full of purpose. He fights for people, not against them. Jesus didn’t tone God down. He showed us what God looks like in skin and bone. “I and the Father are one,” He said (John 10:30). That’s not metaphor. That’s a mirror. The Whole Story Matters Once I stopped splitting the Bible in two, it started to make more sense. The Old Testament isn’t some outdated mess we have to explain away. It’s the foundation. It’s the setup for the rescue mission. It shows the promises, the failures, the long wait for a Savior. And it shows just how much people need grace. It’s not just history, it’s a mirror. I see myself in those pages. I see my stubbornness in Israel’s rebellion. I see my selfishness in their idols. And I see God’s mercy right in the middle of it all. What This Means for Me Now Now when someone brings up the “Old Testament God,” I don’t dodge the question. I tell them what I’ve come to know: God is just as holy now as He was then. Just as full of love. Just as serious about sin. And just as committed to redemption. We don’t need to edit the Bible to make God more appealing. He’s not a brand. He’s not up for re-election. He’s the same God today as He was in Eden, in Egypt, in exile, and on the cross. I want a God I can trust. That means a God who doesn’t change with the wind. The God who thundered from Sinai is the same God who whispered forgiveness to the woman at the well. The same God who judged injustice then still sees every injustice now. And the same God who promised a Savior followed through. That’s not a contradiction. That’s consistency. I’ve Stopped Apologizing for God I’m not embarrassed by the Old Testament anymore. I used to try to explain it away, or soften it. Now I let it speak. I see the full story, creation, fall, covenant, rescue. A God who refuses to give up on people, even when they deserve it. A God who moves through history, not trapped in the past. So no, God isn’t stuck in some ancient book. He’s not locked in judgment mode, waiting to upgrade to grace. He’s always been both just and merciful. Always holy. Always loving. Always pursuing His people. The Old Testament doesn’t show a different God, it shows how far He’s willing to go to make things right. And that’s the kind of God I can follow, Old Testament, New Testament, today, and forever. © Gary L Ellis (1944-2026) Liked this? You'll probably enjoy these too: The Attributes of God in the Bible — Why you can't pick and choose which parts of God's character you like. Biblical Illiteracy: A Warning We Can't Ignore — What happens when we stop studying the Scriptures that reveal who God really is.

When Aliens and the Bible Collide In May I read an article written by William F. Holland, Jr. that explored whether the existence of aliens would affect the Christian faith. The issue is not that someone raised the question. My issue is the way the argument was framed and the assumptions behind it. His piece reflects a growing trend within the church where spiritually charged topics are approached without a firm biblical foundation. When that happens, believers begin interpreting complex issues through cultural imagination rather than through Scripture. The real crisis is not what may or may not exist beyond Earth. The true crisis is what is no longer happening inside the church. Biblical literacy has eroded to the point where many Christians cannot engage with these conversations in a grounded or discerning way. Before anyone can meaningfully discuss aliens, unexplained phenomena, or anything else in that category, we must acknowledge that most believers today do not possess the Scriptural understanding required to navigate these questions at all. The Problem Begins With Definitions The word alien itself is not the problem. The problem is the definition people are using. When modern Christians hear the word, they picture the Hollywood version: small grey beings, abductions, bright lights, and flying saucers. That entire image was created by entertainment, not by God. So when someone insists that the Bible never mentions aliens, they are reacting to a cultural construct rather than to Scripture. They are interpreting the Bible through a pop culture lens instead of allowing Scripture to define the terms. This is precisely why the conversation becomes confused before it even begins. If alien means the Hollywood image, then no, the Bible does not address that. If alien means a being not of this world, a spiritual entity operating beyond human limitations, then Scripture speaks clearly. God did not forget to mention something this significant. He included books like Esther, Song of Solomon, and Revelation, which have been debated for centuries, because He wanted them there. The idea that He would leave His people uninformed about a entire category of beings that would one day dominate global conversation does not match His character. The Bible is not silent. It simply uses different language. Scripture Has Already Spoken Ephesians 6:12 describes rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world, and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. These are real entities with real influence. 2 Thessalonians 2 warns that the lawless one will use signs, wonders, and displays of power that serve the lie. These passages describe deception, spiritual manipulation, and displays of power that are meant to mislead. They speak directly to the kind of phenomena people now label as extraterrestrial or as "aliens." The Church Is Unprepared for This Moment My deeper concern is that most Christians are not prepared to interpret any of this. Research consistently shows that only 6% of self‑identified Christians hold a biblical worldview. That means 94% of people who call themselves Christian are walking into this with almost no Scriptural foundation. We have already watched churches surrender on basic questions about gender, life, and God’s design. It is unrealistic to expect those same churches to suddenly stand firm when the conversation shifts to aliens, signs, wonders, and unexplained phenomena. Many leaders are already struggling to answer questions biblically because they themselves are not grounded in Scripture. Congregations are fascinated instead of discerning. People who cannot find a book in the Bible are trying to interpret declassified UFO files. That is the real disaster. Before you can meaningfully engage with any of this, you need to understand who these beings actually are. Old Testament Elohim and New Testament Demons is exactly where to start. Entertainment Has Shaped Us More Than Scripture Entertainment has conditioned people to be curious instead of cautious. For decades, movies and television have trained viewers to see these topics as exciting, mysterious, or adventurous. Meanwhile, churches treated biblical literacy as optional. Leaders avoided difficult conversations. Parents assumed their children would figure things out on their own. Congregations stopped asking for clarification. Now we have a generation that is spiritually unarmed, emotionally driven, and culturally conditioned to trust whatever looks impressive. If extraterrestrials in the Hollywood sense revealed themselves tomorrow, the faithful among Christianity would not collapse. The believers who are grounded in Scripture would not be shaken. The ones who would be vulnerable are the 94% who have no foundation. They would be swept away by deception, not because God failed to prepare them, but because discipleship failed to form them. Why Christians Must Test the Spirits Those who truly know Scripture will not be fooled. They will interpret any nonhuman encounter through the lens of God’s Word rather than through entertainment. They will obey the instruction in 1 John 4:1 and be testing the spirits. They will not be impressed by signs or wonders. They will not be seduced by claims of advanced knowledge. They will not be confused by displays of power. They will recognize deception because they know the voice of their Shepherd. The Real Question Is Not About Aliens The urgent question right now is not whether "aliens" exist. The urgent question is whether people actually know the God they claim to believe in. As for me and my house, I am not losing sleep over sightings, files, or headlines. I know who wins. What keeps me awake is the staggering number of people who will be deceived because no one built them even a basic foundation to stand on. I see leaders already struggling to explain these issues to the public, and that is the true warning sign. Before we debate conclusions, we must define what we are talking about. I have learned that before we chase any new idea or unexplained phenomenon, we must slow down long enough to test the spirits and see what aligns with Scripture. The conversation about aliens and the Bible is not going away, and neither is the responsibility every believer has to know God's Word well enough to not be moved by what they cannot explain. © 2026 Jane Isley (A version of this article was originally published in Wisconsin Christian News) If you want to keep going: Are Aliens Demons? A Biblical Look at What's Really Affecting Us brings in what respected Christian scholars have documented about these encounters. Does the Bible Talk About Aliens? tackles the definition problem that is confusing Christians and church leaders alike. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

Faith and Strength in Three Women of the Bible From the editor ~ Women of the Bible carry stories of faith and strength that quietly dismantle the idea that Scripture overlooks them. This piece looks at three such women, Ruth's unwavering loyalty to Naomi, Deborah's bold leadership during one of Israel's darkest seasons, and a woman who needed nothing more than a single desperate touch of Jesus' cloak to be made well. Each one is proof that God has always seen, valued, and used women in extraordinary ways. There is a common stereotype that the Bible does not represent women enough, and it barely has any women in it to start with. I once believed this before I followed Jesus, and as I began to read Scripture, I realized it was a complete lie. There are so many powerful stories of women in the Bible, and all of them bring me joy as I read them. Knowing that these women endured in faithfulness during the toughest parts of their lives is a wake-up call to all women that God loves and cherishes us as His own daughters. We are important and worthy to Him. Below, I will share a couple of women from the Bible and the lessons we can learn from them. There are many more that can be covered, so look out for a part 2! Ruth Ruth is one of the two women in the Bible who has a book named after her. I know that number can seem disappointing to many, but let us not be discouraged by that. In the discourse of things, we know that women are still represented in the Bible, no matter what. If you haven’t read the book, I encourage you to read it. Ruth, a recent widow, leaves everything behind and follows her mother-in-law, Naomi, to Bethlehem after her husband dies. Initially, Naomi refuses to let Ruth follow her, but Ruth responds with the following words: “Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God” (Ruth 1:16–17). How moving is that? After suffering a terrible loss, Ruth refuses to leave her mother-in-law behind, showing her complete loyalty. As Ruth and Naomi settle into Bethlehem, Ruth works in a field to provide for herself and her mother-in-law. Through this loyalty, she earns the respect of a man named Boaz, who turns out to be a distant relative of Naomi. Boaz recognizes her incredible devotion and says, “May the Lord reward you for what you have done. May you have a full reward from the Lord God of Israel, to whom you have come for protection” (Ruth 2:12). Despite her circumstances, Ruth puts her best foot forward. Through this, she captures the attention of a godly man and receives God’s blessings. Eventually, Ruth and Boaz get married, and they have a child named Obed. Obed becomes the Grandfather of David, who is an ancestor to Jesus Himself. Through Ruth’s devotion to the Lord, she was blessed with an equally devoted husband and, many years later, an even more devoted relative. Ruth shows us how pure devotion to the Lord leads to new doors being opened, allowing us to bask in His light. You never know what might happen if you stop following the world and start following Jesus. Deborah During the chaotic times of the Judges, a prophetess named Deborah served as a judge for the Israelites (Judges 4:4). Deborah would sit under a palm tree, and the people of Israel would listen to her decision. One day, a military leader named Barak was sent by her, and she told him that he would have victory if he defeated their oppressors. Barak responded with, “I will go if you go with me, but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go either” (Judges 4:8). The amount of faith he had in God was clear, as he completely trusted Deborah’s prophecy. Deborah agreed to his inquiry and fiercely responded with, “All right, I will go with you, but you won’t get any credit for the victory, because the Lord will hand Sisera (Canaanite military commander) over to a woman” (Judges 4:9). (She wasn’t talking about herself; Sisera was killed by another woman named Jael). Afterward, Barak agreed to her command with no hesitation and defeated Sisera’s army. In a time of struggle, Deborah was like a mother to Israel, consulting with and leading its people. She was a beacon of light in the dark time of Judges, sent by God to rescue Israel from oppression. Even though the Israelites had sinned, God still loved His children and welcomed them back to Him through Deborah. Deborah sets an example for women to follow their gifts that the Lord has blessed them with. Deborah was gifted with prophecy, and each of us also has a spiritual gift. It is our job to use it with authority, complete loyalty, and gentleness as she did. The Woman Who Touched Jesus’ Cloak While unnamed in the Bible, this woman has a powerful impact on Jesus and His ministry. This woman had suffered from severe bleeding for twelve years, which made her ritually unclean and seen as a burden. Can you imagine that? How terrible and painful would that be, along with the judgmental stares of passersby as you deal with your condition? I can’t even imagine the pain that she went through for twelve years! However, through all her pain, this woman still had faith. She had heard about Jesus beforehand and all of the miracles he was performing. Because of this, she believed that He could also heal her. When Jesus was passing nearby to heal a Jewish official’s daughter, she reached out and touched his cloak. “If only I touch his cloak, I will get well” (Matthew 9:21). This woman had such great faith that she believed a single touch of his clothing would heal her. She didn’t even need to speak to Him or see His face; all she needed to do was grab a piece of his cloak. Jesus turned around to her and said, “Courage, my daughter! Your faith has made you well” (Matthew 9:22). At that moment, she was healed of her condition. Her immense faith in Jesus allowed her to be healed, and it also set an example for the citizens surrounding the scene. It can also set an example for sisters in Christ that we must hold firm in our faith and endure. If you enjoyed this, you may also like The First Sexual Revolution: How How Jesus Changed the World for Women, a look at how Jesus radically redefined dignity and worth for women in a culture that saw them as disposable. We are His daughters He has made a place for each of us in Heaven. Therefore, we must trust in Him. Although I only wrote about three of the women in the Bible, there are many more honorable mentions. Esther, the woman at the well, Joanna, Leah, Rachel, Sarah, Jael, Mary Magdalene, Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary, sister of Lazarus (many Marys!), Martha, Rhoda, etc. I could keep going, but I hope you learned something from this article and that it changed your stereotypes about women in the Bible. The enemy loves to make up lies that women aren’t important in Christianity, but they certainly are. Simply reading Scripture itself proves him to be dead wrong. © Sienna Krieg 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.

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

“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.

Issachar Koen is a Christian Zionist who writes nonfiction books and articles to inspire and educate the Kingdom as we approach the end of this age. He is a Senior National Representative with Bridges for Peace and a contributing author to "Faithful Writers," "Biblical Christian Worldview," Israel365, and Medium. He teaches online courses on Torah and the Jewish roots of Christianity and creates content for the Your Torah Study YouTube channel. Issachar also leads tours throughout Israel. According to Deuteronomy 20, a priest is anointed for war. He is a husband, father, grandfather, and an avid motorcycle rider who believes the church should prepare to endure rather than escape. I.M. Koen Israel365News Biblical Christian Worldview Want to read more from Koen? Here are a few places to start: The Skinny, Sad, Dirty Jesus Who Wouldn’t Even Look At Me. Why Did God Choose Me? I’m Broken. Before You Say “I’m Done With You” Read This