Spiritual Ponderings

Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there , since only in Christ is it set aside . Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds ; but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:12-18) This veil that hardens the heart and blinds the mind is a mindset of forcing everything through a legal interpretation of salvation. In additi...

To love someone openly and actively involves making yourself vulnerable to them to a great degree. Conversely, when someone loves you they choose to increasingly make themselves vulnerable to you. This invokes the issue of trust which in Scripture involves not only the word faith but the word worthy . To be worthy in Scripture usage means being trustworthy. This is key for grasping a fuller understanding of many passages in the Bible. The Lamb who is honored by anthems of soaring praise in Revelation is considered to be of ultimate worth. Yet this worth is not a worth based on economic considerations as we tend to measure things, but rather is a worth involving trust. The slaughtered Lamb of Revelation has won the confidence of the entire universe because He has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt by His own example, teachings and experience that God is fully trustworthy. The very foundation of God's government and the security of the happiness of the entire...

If you choose to put your lips to the fruit of that tree, it will prove to be the kiss of death for you. (Gen. 2:17 paraphrased) The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. (Genesis 2:25 NIV) The biblical understanding of nakedness refers to the condition of being vulnerable. It is no coincidence that humans were originally created naked and vulnerable, for that is how God intends all the universe to operate throughout eternity. Without vulnerability it is impossible for true love to even exist or thrive. Genuine, intimate love requires willing vulnerability, transparency, honesty and openness in order for love and trust to thrive and dominate. It is no coincidence that the very next verse introduces a sinister element into the story transpiring in the Garden of Delight (the real meaning of Eden) where our first parents lived in complete vulnerability and joy. The sneaky snake, the crafty, diabolical serpent of old referred to in Re...

What is glory? That is a question I have been asking nearly all my life. Yet I still feel I am only scratching the surface in discovering a satisfactory answer to this question. Initially when I was young, the notion of glory was typically associated with something like a halo or a bright light surrounding a person's head or body. I'm sure this was heavily influenced by artwork used to illustrate stories like Jesus being glorified on the Mount of Transfiguration where certainly bright light was involved. There are the horrible pictures from medieval ages where Jesus and various 'saints' are depicted with some sort of pious halo of light around their head. I never found any of those pictures attractive in the least, but clearly these artificial halos were intended to convey the idea of holiness about a person (whatever that was supposed to mean). As I grew older and learned more and more theology from instruction throughout my entire educational ...

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life. (Philippians 2:12-16 NKJV) I recently heard a presenter explain that the first part of this passage can be translated more clearly this way: Even in times when you experience fear and trembling, because it is God working in you, both to will and to do His good pleasure, you can work out your salvation. Examining this more closely myself I discovered additional thoughts about potential translation corrections. To 'work out' also means to finish and 'salvation' also means rescue . This makes sense in the context of realizing that God is rescuing us from a kidnapper who has held us ...