BRIGHTNESS OF THE FATHER’S GLORY. Heb. i. 3. "God, the great Spirit, dwelleth in light which no man can approach unto. His habitation is dark with excessive brightness. But Christ… Read More
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Rational Christian Discernment Blog
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The purpose of this blog is to provide insights from the Christian perspective. It exists to present the elementary teachings of the Glorious Gospel through conducting apologetics and by providing biblical exegesis. The Scriptures declare, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16).
One assertion that we regularly hear from King James Version only advocates is that the Roman Catholic Church has been an influential force behind the production… Read More
"I am the bread of life...I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will… Read More
"The Bible was never intended to take the place of the living, infallible teacher, the Church, but was written to explain, or to insist upon, a doctrine already preached. How indeed could a… Read More
3d. A rule of Faith, or a competent guide to heaven, must be able to instruct in all the truths necessary for salvation. Now the Scriptures alone do not contain all the truths which a Christ… Read More
"Through Luther, although Calvin seems to have been the first to announce Monobiblicism clearly, the Bible became the arm of the Protestant revolt. A dumb and difficult book was substituted… Read More
The central theme of the Book of Job relates to the suffering of God's people. It grapples with the question of what believers are to do when confronted with bad… Read More
"The Jew is the symbol of eternity...He is the one who for so long had guarded the prophetic message and transmitted it to all mankind. A people such as this can never disappear. The Jew is… Read More
"The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendour, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and Roman followed; and made a vast nois… Read More
Discussion: -The purpose of this article is to refute arguments made by Trent Horn on the nature of Christ's atonement and the meaning of His words on the c… Read More
Discussion: -Roman Catholic Churches contain stone altars in which the sacrifice of the Mass is conducted by the parish priest. It is maintained that the co… Read More
"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6) Christ proclaims Himself to be truth… Read More
Discussion: -The purpose of this article is to rebut a number of assertions made about the nature of Gaza and Jewish occupation of that territory. It seems… Read More
Discussion: -Following are a series of excerpts with responses to them from a debate with a liberal progressive. This exchange was both fruitless and uncivi… Read More
Discussion: -This article serves as a rebuttal to a number of claims made by De Maria as to the nature of justification and the role of works in the Christi… Read More
"The heavens tell of the glory of God; And their expanse declares the work of His hands." (Psalm 19:1) In this text… Read More
The rainy season of the autumnal equinox was now come, and I kept the 30th of September in the same solemn manner as before, being the anniversary of my landing on the island, having now bee… Read More
And this put me in mind that I wanted many things notwithstanding all that I had amassed together; and of these, ink was one; as also a spade, pickaxe, and shovel, to dig or remove the earth… Read More
"As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven chu… Read More
Discussion: -The purpose of this article is to interact with a number of assertions made by Nicholas Senz about the origin of the Roman Catholic priest… Read More
As the narrative proceeds on the supposition of close relations
between Israel and Syria — not otherwise mentioned in the Bible —
and involves, at least indirectly, certain… Read More
We are now approaching what to many will appear the most
difficult part in the history of Jephthah — perhaps among the most
difficult narratives in the Bible. It appears that, be… Read More
The Epistle to the Romans is Paul's literary masterpiece on the doctrine of salvation. It is the most elegant of his extant writings. Paul begins his piece… Read More
Some people today think that it is ignorant to believe in Satan. Well, if you feel like that, I just ask you to look at the world and at yourself and try to explain some of the things that h… Read More
"For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God&rsq… Read More
"Then there is the obvious irony that the more liberated society becomes in regard to sex, the more obsessed it becomes with sexual bondage."William Kirk Kilpatrick, Psychological Seduction:… Read More
"And common sense observation tells us that the introduction of widespread public sex education has done nothing to check the increase of unwanted pregnancies, promiscuity, and venereal dise… Read More
Despite the creation of a virtual army of psychiatrists, psychologists, psychometrists, counselors, and social workers, there has been no letup in the rate of mental illness, suicide, alcoho… Read More
"Half of popular psychology is devoted to praising human dignity and the other half to excusing us from responsibility. But what kind of dignity is that? It’s no good to tell a man he… Read More
"The worst indecency of the totalitarian mind is that it wants to wipe out all special ties of emotion or allegiance such as might exist between husband and wife or parent and child. These k… Read More
"The decision whether or not to bear a child is central to a woman’s life, to her well-being and dignity. It is a decision she must make for herself… Read More
Introduction: -There is ample evidence in the four gospels that Jesus believed the history of the Old Testament, especially Genesis, to be literally true. H… Read More
Our whole life is startlingly moral. There is never an instant’s truce between virtue and vice. Goodness is the only investment that never fails. In the music of the harp which t… Read More
"Be sure that you give the poor the aid they most need, though it be your example which leaves them far behind. If you give money, spend yourself with it, and do not merely abandon it to the… Read More
Discussion: -Pope Paul VI, in his Encyclical Letter Sacerdotalis Caelibatus, wrote the following in regard to celibacy for ordained leaders and Sc… Read More
Discussion: -It is an official dogma of the Roman Catholic Church that Mary never had any children after the birth of Jesus Christ. Various theories have be… Read More
"The world, being made spherical, is confined within the circles of heaven….Without a doubt, the world is beautiful. It excels as well in its magnitude as in the oblique circle and th… Read More
Discussion: -James Bishop created a series of posts explaining what he thinks is problematic with traditional defenses of God commanding the Israe… Read More
Discussion: -James Bishop created a series of posts explaining what he thinks is problematic with traditional defenses of God commanding the Israelites to k… Read More
"For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. H… Read More
Discussion: -Roman Catholics are taught that priests transform bread and wine into the physical body and blood of Jesus Christ to be consumed du… Read More
“Religion! Is what you hear at church religion? Is that which can bend and turn, and descend and ascend, to fit every crooked phase of selfish, worldly society, religion? Is that… Read More
“Death! Strange that there should be such a word, and such a thing, and we ever forget it; that one should be living, warm and beautiful, full of hopes, desires and wants, one day, and… Read More
"...But it is often those who have least of all in this life whom he chooseth for the kingdom. Put thy trust in him [God] and, no matter what befalls thee here, he will make all right… Read More
Most modern English translations of the Bible place into brackets or footnotes the text of Mark 16:9-20, which is about Jesus appearing to the disciples an… Read More
Most modern English translations of the Bible place into brackets or footnotes the story of the woman caught in adultery, which can be found in John chapte… Read More
Father Mapple rose, and in a mild voice of unassuming authority ordered the scattered people to condense. "Star board gangway, there! side away to larboard- larboard gangway to starboard! Mi… Read More
Discussion: -The Book of Habakkuk is a classic example of what we would call a theodicy. It serves as a defense of the goodness of God in the midst of… Read More
"While nearly everyone asks why God doesn’t stop evil, few people ask why God doesn’t stop pleasure. Stopping pleasure would be an effective way of stopping evil while maintainin… Read More
"There is no need to be worried by facetious people who try to make the Christian hope of “Heaven” ridiculous by saying they do not want “to spend eternity playing harps.&r… Read More
Discussion: -Following are a series of excerpts with responses to them from a debate that veered far from the original topic of the article in which they we… Read More
Discussion: -Following are a series of excerpts with responses to them from a debate that veered far from the original topic of the article in which they we… Read More
1 Corinthians 6:9-10: -The Apostle Paul says twice in the same passage that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God. He also specifies who these… Read More
III. The apostle tells us what these believers endured by faith. 1. They were tortured, not accepting deliverance, [Hebrews 11] v. 35. They were put upon the rack, to make them renounce thei… Read More
Some people today think that it is ignorant to believe in Satan. Well, if you feel like that, I just ask you to look at the world and at yourself and try to explain some of the things that h… Read More
"Titus 3:10. [Heretick] A heretic, to St. Paul, was never one who held erroneous opinions only, but one whose error sprang from moral crookedness, issuing at last in evil life. There seems a… Read More
IV. He was hereby quickened to cleave the more closely to God, and very much confirmed and comforted in the choice he had made of him, v. 25, 26. His thoughts here dwell with delight upon hi… Read More
Discussion: -The purpose of this article is to rebut a handful of claims made by Roman Catholic apologist Trent Horn in defense of the apocrypha a… Read More
"But seeing, for the frequency of pretending the change of nature in their consecrations, it cannot be esteemed a work extraordinary, it is no other than a conjuration or incantation, whereb… Read More
"We, the undersigned students of the Natural Sciences, desire to express our sincere regret that researchers into scientific truth are prevented by some in our own times into occasions… Read More
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us." (Ephesians 2:4)Man has broken the laws of God and has come under His righteous judgement. Our sentence of et… Read More
"Human beings are obviously unequal in numberless ways, including: health, opportunities, abilities, energy, moral character, and contribution to society. It is essential, therefore, in asse… Read More
"Reducing troth to physical sex is to reduce human sexual intercourse to animal copulation. Physical intercourse is a good gift of the Lord which ought to stay in the marriage-room of the cr… Read More
“Let mercy keep company with courage. Follow my advice in this: if in battle you win a man’s surrender, then unless he has done you such grievance as amounts to heart’s sor… Read More
CHAPTER 1:Verses one through three constitute a prologue in which Paul wishes divine favor to be showered on Timothy. He desires that his pupil receive grace, mercy, and peace from God. … Read More
"Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means at the point of highest reality. A chastity or honesty, or mercy, which yields to dan… Read More
Discussion: -The purpose of this article is to address a few arguments made by Tim Staples against Sola Fide. He appeals to the command to love one's neighb… Read More
Genesis 1:1–2 speaks of more than just the act of creation. The text identifies the Creator as “God” and immediately thereafter indicates the possibility of another person… Read More
"I think I can understand that feeling about a housewife’s work being like that of Sisyphus (who was the stone rolling gentleman). But it is surely, in reality, the most important work… Read More
One of many titles of honor wielded by the pope is that of Sovereign Pontiff. That description of his position is problematic in the face of what Paul said regard… Read More
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9) &nb… Read More
"The name Cain means "gotten" and is obviously derived from Eve's exclamation of joyful acquisition. The practice of giving names to children associated with some specific event is frequentl… Read More
Prior to the Apostle Peter meeting Cornelius, God had sent him a vision of animals that were regarded as unclean under the Mosaic Law and told him to eat them. He… Read More
Divorce, Annulment & CommunionAn Orthodox Theologian Weighs InBy David Bentley HartNeither, for several centuries after the Apostolic Age, did any Christian theological authority think o… Read More
The Faith theology exalts knowledge the same way that gnosticism does. Faith is preeminent for the Faith teachers, but they measure faith by the type and amount of knowledge one has. In the… Read More
The most obvious gnostic idea taught by the Faith theology is its dualistic definition of Revelation Knowledge as entirely spiritual in origin. Because it is spiritual, the physical senses a… Read More
The English word “psalms” is a transliteration of the Greek title of the book. That is, this is the Greek word simply spelled in English or Roman letters. The Greek word psalmoi… Read More
Discussion: -The purpose of this article is to rebut a handful of claims made by Roman Catholic apologist Trent Horn in defense of the apocrypha against cha… Read More
Many pastors, one of which is Charles Stanley, believe that Christians are supposed to be giving weekly tithes to their churches. Some, including the aforemention… Read More
The Gift-Child in this passage is certainly to be understood as the same person as the Immanuel who appeared earlier. The Child is certainly none other than the virgin's son. Contrasted with… Read More
Isa 7:14. Therefore (Heb laken) is a connective word often used by the prophets to introduce a divine declaration. In this context it is a transitory word used to unify verse Isa 7:14 with t… Read More
Discussion: -The purpose of this article is to rebut a number of proof texts cited for baptismal regeneration, which is the belief that baptism is necessary… Read More
Not by--Greek, "Out of"; "not as a result springing from works," &c. of righteousness--Greek, "in righteousness," that is, wrought "in a state of righteousness": as "deeds. . . wrou… Read More
New York, Feb. 17, 1834Dear Sir – I received this morning your favor of the 9th instant, and lose no time in making a reply. The whole story about my having pronounced the Mormonite… Read More
"And it came to pass that when Coriantumr had leaned upon his sword, that he rested a little, he smote off the head of Shiz. And it came to pass that after… Read More
Discussion: -Karlo Broussard wrote an article listing two reasons as to why he believes that we should accept the Roman Catholic view of the Lord's Supper a… Read More
One factor that supports the integrity of the New Testament is that its authors distinguished between the words of Christ and their own words. Examples to illustr… Read More
For - the ground of these great expectations.Unto us - for the benefit of the Jews first (Israel is here the speaker), and then the Gentiles (cf. "unto you," Luke 2:11).A child is born (the… Read More
(1.) It is for the glory of his grace (Romans 3:24): Justified freely by his grace--dorean te autou chariti. It is by his grace, not by the grace wrought in us as the papists say, confoundin… Read More
[1.] Christ asserts Abraham's prospect of him, and respect to him: Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it, and was glad, v. 56. And by this he proves that he was not at al… Read More
Paul's Epistle To The Romans: -A freely received gift and an earned wage are mutually exclusive concepts (Romans 4:4). -Ju… Read More
Shechinah. This term is not found in the Bible. It was used by the later Jews, and borrowed by Christians from them, to express the visible majesty of the Divine Presence especially whe… Read More
"And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of… Read More
One of the Marian dogmas of the Roman Catholic Church is that Mary is our spiritual mother: "Everyone has a mother. Yes, the mothe… Read More
"Palestine itself had little natural protection since it was only a narrow strip of settled territory along the seacoast. It formed a natural highway for merchants, visitors, pilgrims, and i… Read More
"The constant use of the second person, “your works . .. your creatures .. . your decrees,” indicates how personal is the Old Testament idea of revelation. It is not primarily a… Read More
[Romans 7] 7:25 The Law is holy and its commandment is holy and just and good (12). But sin, that diabolic power, manifests itself in its true colors (12) by using just that good Word… Read More
Discussion: -The purpose of this article is to interact with a number of Roman Catholic claims regarding Romans 3:28 and justification by faith alone. Follo… Read More
Daniel, Apocryphal Additions to the Greek translation of Daniel, like that of Esther, contain several pieces which are not found in the original text. The most important of these addit… Read More
Daniel, Apocryphal Additions to the Greek translation of Daniel, like that of Esther, contain several pieces which are not found in the original text. The most important of these additions a… Read More
