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The moment I uttered these words, my burden rolled off my back and I knew that I was free. Joy now flooded into my heart and I began to praise the Lord. He had taught me a new song. by Moshe Radcliff [On September 25th H.R. Moshe Radcliff died. His testimony appeared in the Presbyterian Standard (July-September 1998) and is published by kind permission.] I was born into a Jewish family in prosperous Vienna, Austria on the 5th April 1930. Although my parents did not strictly observe the Jewish religion, father took my brother and me to synagogue occasionally. Mother...

Expounding on the importance of our actions for salvation is, I suppose, my primary “thing.” I have been in so many informal debates over the issue that I have started to lose count of them. I have written about the topic many times. And often, I become angry (like God in 1 Kings 11:9-10) at the mere thought of sola fide (“faith alone”), because I know that it is completely contrary to “what the Lord [has] commanded.” But why? “Faith alone” was, without a doubt, the primary reason that I left Protestantism. Even though I was ill-educated in theology at...

If you listen carefully, you can hear echoes of the resurrection in the great, epic stories we return to again and again. Those stories lead us to a poi­nt of despair where all seems to be lost, only then to erupt into uncontainable joy as good triumphs over evil. There is a reason these stories resonate with us. In one way or another, they model and mimic the true story of our world. A story of perfection and paradise, corrupted by human sin and wickedness, redeemed by a selfless sacrifice, and restored through a triumphant return. This is the true...

On Oct. 19, self-professed Biblical scholar Joseph Atwill is planning to make public some very flammable allegations. At a day-long symposium called "Covert Messiah" in London, England, he's set to unveil purported evidence that Roman aristocrats manufactured Jesus Christ - a claim that, if substantiated, would devalue the core of the Christian faith. The only problem? Most Biblical experts disagree with the scholar's pronouncements. A press release announcing the purported new evidence claims that Atwill has discovered "ancient confessions" that purportedly prove that Romans invented Jesus Christ in the first century. He has long argued that the faith system was...

An Ohio school district has agreed to keep a portrait of Jesus Christ off school property and pay a $95,000 fine in the face of legal pressure from the American Civil Liberties Union. The Jackson City School District, located in Jackson, reached a deal on Friday after the ACLU, along with the Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation, sued the district in February, citing “unconstitutional” actions and charging that students and visitors to the school “will continue to suffer permanent, severe and irreparable harm and injury,” according to the lawsuit. The picture had been hanging in Jackson’s high school since 1947...

That was awkward. In the clearest sign yet of the potent effect of the government shutdown on the Virginia governor’s race, Republican Ken Cuccinelli avoided being photographed with Ted Cruz at a gala they headlined here Saturday night—even leaving before the Texas senator rose to speak. Backstage, a source said, Cuccinelli urged Cruz to work with Democrats to end the federal shutdown. But he did not make that point, or even acknowledge Cruz, in short public comments to some 1,100 social conservatives. Cruz has become the face of GOP intransigence, and the conservative attorney general’s effort to distance himself from...

“Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” - James 4:7 On Wednesday, spurred by advance notice of that night's topic on Think Tank – a weekly vlog hosted by Wilson Orihuela on Vericast – I finally found time to watch The Exorcist, the famous film from 1973. The movie revolves around an irreligious, divorced woman and her daughter, who becomes possessed by a demon. The mother looks to science and medicine, but finds no true answer. Eventually, like the woman in Mark 7:25, the mother “whose little daughter had an unclean spirit” seeks the...

Recently a Community Column writer for a local paper wrote an opinion piece denouncing conservative politicians for not complying with the "Red-Letter" teachings of Jesus. Among other things, he was referring more specifically to Ted Cruz's call for evangelical Christians to help his political bloc to defund Obamacare. This claim is worthy of careful examination. Emphasizing the authority of one portion of scripture while ignoring all others isn't a principle of historical normative Christian theology. As the Bible declares of itself "...All scripture is given by inspiration of God..." Red-lettering was first conceived in 1899, and it first appeared in...

MONROE, La. (CBS Houston) — Popular A&E reality show “Duck Dynasty” continues to smash competition in the ratings on Wednesday nights, but one star has spoken out about how the show is portrayed. In an interview with Sports Spectrum TV earlier this year that’s only recently gone viral, Phil Robertson admitted that fake bleeps were inserted into the show even though there was no cursing happening. “The inserted fake bleeps … like somebody had used profanity, but no one had used profanity,” Robertson said. “I ask those guys that produce the show … ‘What’s the point of the fake bleeps?’”...

Psalm 104:1 My Soul, Praise thou the Lord; O Lord my God, thou art Exceedingly Great; Thou art Clothed with Glory and Honor.

Martin Luther said and wrote many heretical things, but here are a mere five quotes, along with Biblical passages that disprove them. 1. "For reason is directly opposed to faith. This is why you must let reason go. It must be killed and buried in believers." [1] (Answer: Proverbs 14:15, Colossians 1:9, Colossians 4:5-6, 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22) 2. "..[A Christian] could not lose his salvation, however much he sinned, unless he refused to believe. For no sin can condemn him save unbelief alone." [2] (Answer: Hebrews 10:26-27) 3. "Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong, but let your...

Did anyone see the O'Reilly Factor just now. They had this Professor Of New Testament at Notre Dame who claimed that Jesus was a socialist.

One evening several years ago, I was laying upon my bed almost ready for sleep after my quiet and silent prayer that I have been practicing for many years. Then, this presence came hovering over my body, filling it with warmth and a very real feeling of well being and love. It was not a dream and was the most wonderful sensation I have ever had. Far surpassing any drug induced feeling of happiness that I and many were prone to seek in our troubled childhoods. No, this was the rel deal and had a wordless telepathic message: I had...

And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.(Genesis 2:22-25)And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice...

Bill O'Reilly, in an interview with CBS, claims that the Holy Spirit inspired his book entitled 'Killing Jesus" even as he attempts to "correct the Gospels. When confronted with such an arrogant approach to God's Word, they responded in no uncertain terms: "They have not feared to lay hands upon the sacred Scriptures, saying that they have corrected them. Nor is it likely that they themselves are ignorant of how very bold their offense is. For either they do not believe that the sacred Scriptures were spoken by the Holy Spirit, in which case they are unbelievers, or if they...

Psalm 3:4,5 I Cried Out to the Lord, and He Heard me from His Temple in Jerusalem. Then I Lay Down and Slept in Peace and Woke Up Safely, For the Lord was Watching Over me.

Let’s call him the Left’s Pat Robertson, though the comparison might not be entirely fair to Robertson because he’s probably paid more of his taxes than Rangel. If a Republican uttered anything near this level of nasty, particularly with a religious bent, it’d be news for days, becoming part of the national narrative on heartless, religious rubes of the Right. But Bible thumping’s a-okay, as long as you’re using the Good Book to thump conservatives. And, thus Rep. Charlie Rangel’s assessment that roughly half the country is headed for a smitin’ for its embrace of barbarically low spending levels of...

Let's take a look at 2 Peter. Verses 1-4 start off chapter 1 with a nice salutation, in which the grace of God is emphasized. Verses 5-11 inform us about the necessity of works, and they warn us against being "unfruitful," in reference to John 15:5-8, and other verses. The passage also reminds us that we were "purified" from our "former sins," most probably in reference to the regenerative effect of baptism. Verses 12-15 point out that the purpose of this Book is mostly just to remind us of important things -- we "already know them" -- not really to...

Provident Films brings Kirk Cameron back to movie theaters with the follow-up to his record-breaking theatrical event, Monumental. In UNSTOPPABLE, a brand-new visual journal, Kirk takes you on a personal and inspiring journey to better understand the biggest doubt-raiser in faith: Why? Kirk goes back to the beginning—literally—as he investigates the origins of good and evil and how they impact our lives … and our eternities. Reminding us that there is great hope, UNSTOPPABLE creatively asks—and answers—the age-old question: Where is God in the midst of tragedy and suffering? See the Live Event September 24 from Liberty University or the...

Sandie Zimmerman, wife of Jewish Voice’s Messianic Rabbi Jack Zimmerman, shares fascinating revelations about the true time period of Yeshua’s (Jesus’) birth in this YouTube video. You will be surprised to learn it wasn’t December 25! By looking at the biblical account and the timing of the Jewish festivals, you will be astounded at the fulfillment of both prophecy and the historical elements that clearly point to Yeshua being born at the time of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths), not in December on Christmas.

A Tennessee pastor says he didn't intend to start a controversy when he put a message on his church's marquee last weekend that said, "Jesus had two dads and he turned out just fine." Many people have interpreted the message, which refers to God and Joseph, to be a statement about gay and lesbian parents. But Bill Campbell, pastor of St. John's United Methodist Church in Nashville, told CP that wasn't his intention. "For me it was a very simple statement affirming families and children who are in situations where they have multiple parents or there's a divorce or a...

“I’m researching Killing Jesus, do you know why Jesus was killed, by the Romans? … You don’t know and you shouldn’t know because it was about taxes, taxes!” – Bill O’Reilly, The O’Reilly Factor, March 2013 (see here: Jesus killed over taxes) Now, I am no expert on Jesus Christ or the Roman occupation of Judea in the first century A.D., but I am a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ and once, on the way to visit my in-laws, I slept in a Holiday Inn Express. But it wasn’t until that statement, from the renowned theologian Bill...

Several theological issues are addressed in the canonical Epistle of Paul to Titus. Since the Book is relatively short, let's review the whole thing -- chapter by chapter. In the first 4 verses of chapter 1, Paul gives a simple salutation. And in verses 5-9, he begins to describe desirable traits in Christian leaders. He says in Titus 1:10-14: "For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain. One of themselves, a...

Editor’s Note: This interview with Pope Francis took place over the course of three meetings during August 2013 in Rome. The interview was conducted in person by Antonio Spadaro, S.J., editor in chief of La Civiltà Cattolica, the Italian Jesuit journal...

For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.( 2 Corinthians 7:8-10)The scripture above addresses a very serious aspect of the...

"We love, because He first loved us." - 1 John 4:19Yesterday's Gospel reading (Luke 15:1-32) encompasses the stories of the lost sheep, of the lost coin, and of the prodigal son, who left his family and wasted his inheritance. These stories remind us of the importance of every soul. During the telling of the story of the lost sheep, the Pharisees and the scribes, rather than being open to Christ's teachings, could not get over the fact that, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” Rather than focusing on evangelization and the salvation of others, they were content with...

John 3:14-18 doesn’t necessarily support the “faith alone” position. For Protestants, John 3:14-18 might seem like the ultimate “Gotcha!” passage to use against Catholics. But if you look a little deeper, you’ll recognize that the passage does not defend the “faith alone” position and is totally in line with Catholic teaching. The passage reads as, “‘As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes...

Psalm 132:13-18 O Lord, You have Chosen Jerusalem as Your Home; "This is My Permanent Home where I shall Live," You said, "For I have Always Wanted it this Way. I will Make this City Prosperous and Satisfy her Poor with Food. I will Clothe her Priests with Salvation; her Saints shall Shout for Joy. David's Power shall Grow, for I have Decreed for him a Mighty Son. I'll Clothe His enemies with Shame, but He shall be a Glorious King."

Why standest thou afar off, O Lord? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble? The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them. He hath said in his heart,...

Last week, hell came to the tiny Christian village of Maaloula where they still speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus. "Rebels of the Free Syrian Army launched an assault aided by a suicide bomber from Jabhat al-Nusra," the al-Qaida-linked Islamic terrorist group, writes the Washington Post. The AP picked up the story: One resident said bearded rebels shouting "God is great!" attacked Christian homes and churches. "They shot and killed people. ... I saw three bodies lying in the middle of a street." Maaloula is now a "ghost town." Christians left behind were told, "Either you convert to Islam or...

1. Jesus is the Word of God become flesh. 2. The Bible is part of the Word of God. 3. Jesus is not the Bible and the Bible is not Jesus. 4. Jesus as the Word of God is truly God and is worthy of worship. 5. The Bible which is part of the Word of God is not God and cannot be worshipped. 6. Jesus as the Word of God existed before His incarnation. 7. The Bible as part of the Word of God was written by men from different cultures and time period under the inspiration of the...

“‘Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.’” – Luke 14:27 Yesterday’s readings point toward the importance of overcoming timidity in our faithful lives. We must not be afraid to suffer for, work for, and trust in God. In the Gospel reading (Luke 14:25-33), we see that a Christian life demands the abandonment of earthly attachments. We must be willing to sacrifice “all [our] own possessions.” In the Old Testament reading (Wisdom 9:13-18), we find a portion of Solomon’s prayer for wisdom. In this prayer, he pleads for God to send him wisdom...

One day God, seated on his throne in heaven, was looking quite troubled, so his Son, Jesus, who was seated at his right hand, asked him, “What’s wrong, Father?” God replied, “Son, there are so many different ideas among humans about who you are. How can we get it across to everyone who you really are?” Jesus thought for a moment and then said, “Do you remember that popular old TV show “To Tell the Truth”? You know, the one where they assembled a panel of people who all claimed they were a particular person, but they are all imposters...

Psalm 52:8 I Trust in the Mercy of God Forever and Ever.

And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.( I Timothy 2:24-26)When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.(Acts 11:18)The Christian journey always begins with repentance. There will be no salvation, no...

Genesis 14:20 Praise be to God Most High, Who Delivered your Enemies into your Hands.

O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.(Hosea 14:1-4)We have been looking...

The church in America today is obsessed with being practical, relevant, successful, and well-liked. As a result, the Gospel has been relegated to the dustbin. Michael Horton explains this phenomenon and why it’s a deadly danger.

But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John...

Only in Syria Christian soldier defending the mosque barefoot out of respect for His Holiness and cites him ..Tribute to our Syrian Christian martyrs. Martyr Pierre Gabriel

In view of recent developments in Syria, (The use of Chemical weapons), I am reprinting a Dec 2011 column on Syria in ProphecyThe burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap. The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid.(Isaiah 17:1-2)At a breath-taking rate, world events are increasingly lining up with predictions of the prophets of the Bible, signifying that the Day of the Lord draws near. The biblical prophets are specific as to geo-political alignments and...

There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.( Luke 13:1-5)The greatest spiritual breakthroughs...

If all Scripture is breathed out by God (2 Tim. 3:16), then there is a unity to be found across the pages of the Bible. Without minimizing the differences of genre and human authorship, we should nevertheless approach the Bible expecting theological distinctives and apparent discrepancies to be fully reconcilable. The unity of Scripture also means we should be rid of, once and for all, this nonsense about being red letter Christians, as if the words of Jesus are the really important verses in Scripture and carry more authority and are somehow more directly divine than other verses. An evangelical...

Psalm 119:41 Let Thy Lovingkindness Come Unto me, O Lord, And Thy Salvation According to Thy Promise.

The burden of Egypt. Behold, the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it. And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdomÂ… And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts.(Isaiah...

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.(Ephesians 6:10-13)Early in my Christian life, I was blessed to read a...

Psalm 70:4 But Fill the Followers of God with Joy. Let those who Love Your Salvation Exclaim, "What a Wonderful God He is!"

The burden of Egypt. Behold, the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it. And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. (Isaiah 19:1-2)And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is...

Jesus didn't talk about homosexuality. Does that mean it's okay? If you’ve ever said that homosexuality is a sin, there’s a good chance that someone tried to correct you with, “Jesus never said anything about homosexuality.” It doesn’t matter what Bible verse you believe bolsters your claim, they believe that Jesus’ silence on the matter trumps all other considerations. But there are a number of reasons why this objection doesn’t work. First, it’s not certain that Jesus never said anything about homosexuality. The Gospel writers didn’t record everything that Jesus said – only what they thought was important to their...