There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
That appearing to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, Hebrews 9:26(ESV) Christ did through the eternal Spirit offer himself without blemish to God, Hebrews 9:14(ESV) and by his own blood entered once for all into the holy places, thus securing an eternal redemption. Hebrews 9:12(ESV)
That he has disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in his cross, and has cancelled the record of debt that stood against me with its legal demands; this he set aside, nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:14-15(ESV)
That he himself is my peace, who, having broken down the dividing wall of hostility between Jew and Gentile, has made in himself one new man in place of the two, has reconciled both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. Ephesians 2:14-16(ESV)
That he has loved me and has freed me from my sins by his blood, and has made his people a kingdom, priests to his God and Father. Revelation 1:5-6(ESV)
O the height and depth and length and breadth of that love of Christ that surpasses knowledge! Ephesians 3:18-19(ESV) O that great love with which he loved me! Ephesians 2:4(ESV)
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing; Revelation 5:12(ESV) for he was slain, and by his blood has ransomed me for God. Revelation 5:9(ESV)
Psalm 1 In these lessons we see that our growth in holiness is dependent upon our being grounded in the Word of God, which points us to the Lord Jesus Christ as the only source of salvation and sanctification.
Theme
Becoming Strong
The last point I want to make is that the Word of God makes Christians strong, strong enough to resist the idols of their culture and go God’s way. I do not think we have a very strong church in the United States today. We have many people who are Christians. When the Gallup Poll tells us that there are fifty million born-again people, that is a very impressive statistic. But it is much different from saying that the Church of Jesus Christ is qualitatively strong.
We are like an army that has a million people, none of whom can fight. What we need is a smaller group that really knows how to do battle. A smaller, disciplined group is worth more than a large number. Why do we not know how to fight? The reason is that we do not know the Word of God. The Word of God brings us into contact with God, and it is the knowledge of God that makes Christian people strong. When you know that God is able to do anything that is necessary in your life and that He is directing your life perfectly, then you are able to do what is right. You trust Him. If He wants you to be a martyr for the truth, that will be all right.
A great example of this is in the book of Daniel. Daniel’s three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were taken away from their pleasant life and home in Jerusalem into the pagan environment of Babylon where they had to function as believers in the midst of unbelievers. They did well. Probably they were of greater integrity than those around them, and they probably worked harder. People like that usually get ahead. These men quickly rose to prominence in the Babylonian empire. Then the requirements of the kingdom in which they were came into conflict with God’s requirements.
Nebuchadnezzar had set up a great golden statue on the plain of Dura and required all who were leaders of the empire to bow down and worship it. We could think of many reasons why they might have compromised in that situation. Nebuchadnezzar had threatened that if any person should refuse to bow down, that person was to be thrown into a blazing furnace and killed.
If we argue the way many modern people argue, we could say, “Now look here, you’re very young men and you have a great deal of zeal. That’s all very good. But we’re somewhat older than you are, and we know a few things that perhaps you need to learn. We’d just like to call to your attention the simple fact that if you’re dead, you’re not going to be useful to anyone. And there aren’t very many righteous people in Babylon. Your duty is to stay alive.”
If they would not buy that particular pragmatic argument, we could have used a theological one. We might have said, “Now look, I know the New Testament isn’t written yet, but it will be and when it is it will say that an idol is nothing. If an idol is nothing, then to fall down and worship the idol is to worship nothing, and to fall down and worship nothing is obviously not idolatry since idolatry is worshiping a false god.”
We could have argued psychologically. We could have said, “You have to understand this from Nebuchadnezzar’s point of view. It is not a question of false gods versus a true God, because Nebuchadnezzar probably doesn’t even believe in God. This is merely a symbol of the unity of the empire. To bow down to that statue is just like saluting the flag. That’s all you have to do. Besides, Nebuchadnezzar likes you. So I am sure you would not even need to worship in a public way. I think if you only stood at the edge of the crowd and tipped your head a little bit, somebody would notice it and say, “These poor Jews are trying to comply; they’re doing the best they can.” Then Nebuchadnezzar would say, ‘All right, I’m satisfied with that.’ So why don’t you do it?”
They did not buy this argument either, and the reason they did not was that they knew their God and their Scriptures too well. They knew that God Almighty did not want them to compromise, even in a small way. So when they were brought before Nebuchadnezzar, they replied: “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (Dan. 3:16–18).
This world has set up many golden statues. Many are asking us to bow down. Will you? Only those who know the God of the Scriptures are able to be strong in such situations. Far too often we have not walked in the way of the righteous, but we have walked in the way of the wicked, heeded the counsel of sinners, and discussed sin and sometimes even sat down to practice it. If you are in that position at this moment, you must flee from the danger that implies. And while there is time, you must draw back to those streams of living water that flow from God’s Word. Then your soul will be revived and you will overflow with joy and spiritual goodness. May God make us all like that to the praise of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Study Questions
How does the Word of God make Christians strong?
What different arguments do people sometimes use to avoid doing what is right?
Application
Application: Were you able to memorize Psalm 1 this week? How can you use it to be an encouragement to someone else?
For Further Study: To learn more about the Bible’s teaching on the two ways, download for free and listen to James Boice’s message, “Two Ways Only.” (Discount will be applied at checkout.)
When skeptics argue that Jesus never actually claimed to be God, they often mean that Jesus didn’t utter the words, “I am God. Worship me.” But this standard misunderstands how communication worked in the ancient Near East—and frankly, how evidence itself works. Detectives know that truth often hides in what’s implied, not explicitly spoken. Jesus left behind an abundance of evidence of His divinity. The question is: are we willing to follow that evidence where it leads?
As a detective, when interviewing suspects, I don’t expect them to confess outright. Most reveal their identity, motives, and actions indirectly—through behavior, pattern, and implication. The Gospels present Jesus doing the same. He repeatedly identifies Himself in ways that, to His Jewish audience, could only mean one thing: He was claiming to be equal with God.
Most people reveal their identity, motives, and actions indirectly—through behavior, pattern, and implication. The Gospels present Jesus doing the same. Share on X
Consider His use of the divine name. In John 8:58, Jesus says, “Before Abraham was, I am.” His listeners didn’t miss the significance. They immediately picked up stones to kill Him. Why? Because “I am” was the personal name God gave Moses in Exodus 3:14. Jesus wasn’t merely claiming to exist before Abraham; He was equating Himself with the eternal “I AM.” This wasn’t misunderstood speech—it was a declaration so clear that His audience responded with lethal outrage.
Jesus also did what only God could do. He forgave sins, accepted worship, and claimed authority over the Law and the Sabbath. When He said to the paralyzed man, “Your sins are forgiven,” the religious leaders were shocked and angry. They knew that only God has the authority to forgive sins. Yet Jesus proved His divine credentials by healing the man right in front of them. It was not just mercy—it was divine authority on display.
When people worshipped Him, He never stopped them. Angels and apostles in Scripture always reject worship, redirecting praise to God alone. Jesus did the opposite—He received it. When Thomas saw the risen Christ and exclaimed, “My Lord and my God,” Jesus didn’t correct him. He affirmed him. This response wasn’t arrogance; it was truth.
Furthermore, every “I am” statement in the Gospel of John points back to God’s self-revelation in the Old Testament. “I am the bread of life… the light of the world… the good shepherd… the resurrection and the life.” These weren’t poetic metaphors—they were coded identifiers. Jesus was revealing Himself as the source of life, light, and salvation, adopting titles that belonged only to Yahweh.
His actions during His trial also reveal His awareness of divine identity. When the high priest asked if He was the Christ, the Son of God, Jesus responded, “You will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” The priest tore his garments in horror, declaring it blasphemy. Jesus was quoting Daniel 7—a vision where the “Son of Man” receives worship and authority forever. Jesus was not simply saying He was a prophet; He was identifying Himself as the divine figure who shares the Father’s throne.
Skeptics often dismiss these claims, suggesting they were invented later by followers who wanted to elevate Jesus. But the earliest evidence—embedded in the Gospel accounts themselves—shows that both His followers and enemies understood exactly what He was saying. He wasn’t executed for being a good moral teacher or miracle worker. He was executed for claiming equality with God.
The evidence leaves us with two options. Either Jesus was who He said He was—or He was a liar or lunatic making claims that violate monotheistic belief. But when His words, deeds, resurrection, and fulfilled prophecy line up consistently, the logical verdict points to deity.
Jesus didn’t have to say the exact phrase “I am God” any more than a suspect has to say, “I committed the crime” for investigators to prove it. The evidence itself says it for Him. The question every one of us must answer is whether we’ll follow that evidence to its unavoidable conclusion.
For more information about the impact Jesus and His followers had on science, read Person of Interest: Why Jesus Still Matters in a World That Rejects the Bible. This unique and innovative book makes a case for the historicity and Deity of Jesus from history alone, without relying on the New Testament manuscripts. It contains over 400 illustrations and is accompanied by a ten-session Person of Interest DVD Set (and Investigator’s Guide) to help individuals or small groups examine the evidence and make the case.
The Clear Focus Bible offers a fresh and innovative way to experience God’s Word by utilizing the Bionic Reading® method — an innovative new typography that guides the eye through the text with artificial fixation points that bold initial letters of words. The ultimate goal of the Clear Focus Bible is to help more readers engage with Scripture through improved focus, clarity, and reading comprehension.
In many ways, this innovation has only been made possible because of the vast and remarkable history of biblical typography throughout the centuries. From the painstaking efforts of ancient scribes, through the artistry of medieval calligraphers, to the revolutionary invention of the printing press, each era has shaped how we encounter the text. It’s helpful to pull back the curtain on this history, in order to better understand the ongoing legacy of work and stewardship that’s emerged over centuries.
The Legacy of Preserving God’s Word for God’s People
The Word of God has been a cornerstone of faith for millennia, serving as a source of guidance, comfort, wisdom, and the revelation of God to humanity. But how we read the Bible has transformed dramatically over the centuries.
The physical presentation of the text — its typography — has always played a crucial role in its accessibility and impact. From the painstaking work of ancient scribes to the digital innovations of today, there has been a continuous effort to make the scriptures clearer and more engaging for every generation. This journey through the history of biblical typography reveals a profound dedication to preserving and presenting God’s Word, a journey that continues with new tools designed for the modern reader.
The Sacred Work of the Scribe: Preserving Scripture for Future Generations
Long before printing presses and digital screens, the preservation of Scripture rested in the hands of dedicated scribes. The act of transcribing the Hebrew scriptures was a deeply spiritual and rule-bound process. Scribes like the Masoretes, who worked between the 7th and 10th centuries AD, followed an incredibly strict set of guidelines to ensure every letter was perfect.
These scribes used specific types of animal skins for their scrolls, which were prepared in a particular way. The ink had to be black and made from a precise recipe. Before writing the name of God, a scribe would ceremonially wash and change his pen. He could not write even a single letter from memory; he had to look at the source text and pronounce each word aloud as he wrote it. The spacing between letters, words, and sections was meticulously measured. If a single mistake was found on a finished panel of a scroll, the entire section was often cut out and buried, deemed unfit for use.
This intense precision was not just about accuracy; it was an act of worship. The scribes believed they were handling the very breath of God, and their typographical work reflected that reverence. The result of their labors was a clear, uniform script that was legible and honored the divine nature of the text. Their work ensured that the Bible would survive through ages of turmoil and transition, passed down with an astonishing degree of accuracy. Their typography was a testament to their faith, becoming a physical manifestation of the text’s holiness.
Medieval Typography: The Beauty of Scripture Illuminated
As Christianity spread across Europe, the presentation of the Bible entered a new phase. During the Middle Ages, the scroll gave way to the codex — the ancestor of the modern book. This shift made the scriptures easier to navigate, allowing readers to flip between passages instead of unrolling a long scroll. In monasteries across the continent, monks took up the scribal mantle, dedicating their lives to copying the Bible by hand.
This era gave rise to the illuminated manuscript, where typography became an art form. Using quills and vibrant inks made from ground minerals and plants, these monastic calligraphers created Bibles that were both texts and treasures. The lettering itself was often beautiful and ornate, with styles like Gothic script lending an air of majesty and authority to the page.
But it was the illumination that made these Bibles truly breathtaking. Intricate illustrations, known as miniatures, depicted biblical scenes in vivid color. The first letter of a chapter, the “initial,” was often transformed into a magnificent piece of art, decorated with gold leaf that shimmered in the candlelight.
These decorative elements were not just for show. In a largely illiterate society, the images helped convey the stories and teachings of the text to those who could not read. The typography and art worked together to create a multi-sensory experience, drawing the reader into the sacred narrative.
Bibles like the Book of Kells and the Lindisfarne Gospels stand as monuments to this era, where the physical book was as much an object of devotion as the words it contained.
The Revolution of the Printing Press: Making Scripture More Accessible
For centuries, Bibles were rare and expensive, chained to pulpits and locked away in monasteries. Only the wealthy and the clergy had access to a personal copy. This all changed in the mid-15th century with Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press with movable type. This innovation was arguably the single most important event in the history of biblical typography and distribution.
Gutenberg’s first major project was the printing of the Bible. Using a metal alloy to cast uniform letters, he could produce pages of text far faster and more consistently than any scribe. The Gutenberg Bible, printed around 1455, was a masterpiece of early typography. He designed a font that mimicked the formal Gothic script of the best manuscript Bibles, making the new, printed book feel familiar and authoritative.
The impact was immediate and profound. The printing press dramatically lowered the cost of producing Bibles, making them accessible to a much wider audience. For the first time, middle-class families could aspire to own a copy of the scriptures. This explosion in availability fueled the Protestant Reformation, as leaders like Martin Luther used the press to distribute the Bible in vernacular languages, allowing people to read it for themselves.
The typography of these early printed Bibles prioritized clarity and readability for a growing literate public. The focus shifted from ornate, decorative beauty to clean, functional text designed for personal study and reflection. The press democratized the Word, placing it directly into the hands of the people.
A New Typographical Frontier: Bionic Reading® and the Clear Focus Bible
From the scribe’s scroll to the printer’s press, the goal has always been to make the biblical text more accessible. Today, in our fast-paced, digital world, we face a new set of challenges: information overload, constant distractions, and strained attention spans. Reading, even for pleasure or spiritual growth, can feel like a chore. The next evolution in biblical typography addresses this modern problem directly.
Enter Bionic Reading®, a typographical method designed by Swiss scientists to enhance the reading experience in a digitally saturated age. This innovative system works by subtly bolding the initial letters of each word. This simple modification creates “fixation points” that guide the eye through the text more smoothly and efficiently. The brain reads the rest of the word, which is rendered in a lighter font, almost automatically. This reduces the cognitive load required to decode sentences, allowing the reader to absorb the content with greater speed, comprehension, and — most importantly — focus. It helps to quiet the noise of a wandering mind, creating a clearer channel between the reader and the text.
This groundbreaking approach finds its perfect application in the Clear Focus Bible. By integrating the Bionic Reading® method, the Clear Focus Bible represents the latest step in the long history of making scripture accessible. It takes the timeless Word of God and presents it in a format optimized for the 21st-century reader. For those who struggle with focus, find long passages daunting, or simply want to connect more deeply with their reading, this Bible offers a powerful solution.
The Clear Focus Bible is not about changing the Word; it is about making it more accessible for more people, particularly for those with reading challenges. It carries forward the legacy of the scribes, the monks, and the printers who all sought to present the scriptures with clarity and reverence. It acknowledges that in our world of endless digital distractions, focus is a precious commodity.
By leveraging modern typographical science, the Clear Focus Bible helps readers cut through the mental clutter and engage more profoundly with the biblical narrative. It is a tool for deeper devotion, enabling a more immersive and less strenuous reading experience, and proving that the ancient quest to bring the Word into sharper view is still alive and well.
Imagine a quiet time where you read longer, read with more clarity, and give Scripture the undivided attention it deserves. With the Clear Focus Bible — available now in NIV, NASB, and NIrV — you can stay engaged, identify previously learned words, and absorb information without losing focus. Get your copy today!
We are in the section of my Advent thirty day flow where we examine PROPHECY, ARRIVAL, and EARLY LIFE of Jesus.
In this section I chose verses that reflect the prophecies that predict His coming. Prophecy warns of coming judgment but it also comforts in that it foretells the holy and wonderful resolution of all things for the believer. This resolution didn’t begin with Jesus’ incarnation as a babe in the manger, it didn’t even begin in the Garden when Adam and Eve sinned.
It began before the foundation of the world when the God-head held an intra-council discussion and Jesus voluntarily chose to become the sacrificial Lamb. When humans were created and Adam and Eve talked with God after the Fall, He proclaimed the Good News, partially veiled and not fully explained (Genesis 3:15), and continued gradually revealing His prophetic assurances throughout the Old Testament- until the day the savior took on flesh and was born! This one child, finite babe and infinite God, changed the world. His birth is a pivot point in human history.
For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, (1:13a)
A second cause for thanksgiving is our spiritual liberation. Delivered is from ruomai, which means “to draw to oneself,” or “to rescue.” God drew us out of Satan’s kingdom to Himself. That event was the new birth. We are not gradually, progressively delivered from Satan’s power. When we placed our faith in Christ, we were instantly delivered. “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Cor. 5:17). Believers do not need deliverance from the dominion of sin and Satan; they need to act as those who have been delivered (cf. Rom. 6:2, 7, 11). Those who receive the Lord Jesus Christ have been rescued from the domain of darkness. Exousias (domain) could be translated “power,” “jurisdiction,” or “authority.” Our Lord used the phrase domain of darkness (exousias tou skotous) to refer to the supernatural forces of Satan marshalled against Him at His arrest (Luke 22:53). The triumph of the domain of darkness was short-lived, however. A few hours later, Jesus forever shattered Satan’s power by His death on the cross. You need not fear that power, for “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Through His death, Jesus crushed Satan and delivered us from his dark kingdom.
TRANSFERENCE
and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (1:13b, 14)
Paul continues the litany of blessings that draw out his gratitude by describing our new domain. Methistēmi (transferred) means to remove or change. It is used in Acts 13:22 to speak of God’s removing Saul from being king. It was used in the ancient world to speak of the displacement of a conquered people to another land. The verb speaks here of our total removal from the domain of satanic darkness to the glorious light of the kingdom of Christ. Kingdom refers to more than the future millennial kingdom, when Jesus will reign on earth for a thousand years. Nor does it speak merely of the general rule of God over His creation. The kingdom is a spiritual reality right now. Paul gives us a definition of it in Romans 14:17: “The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” The kingdom is the special relationship men in this age have with God through Jesus Christ. A kingdom in its most basic sense is a group of people ruled by a king. Christians have acknowledged Christ as their King and are subjects in His kingdom. They have been transferred … to the kingdom of His beloved Son. The Greek text literally reads, “the Son of His love” (tou huiou tēs agapēs autou). The Father gives the kingdom to the Son He loves, then to everyone who loves the Son (Luke 12:32). Although Christ does not yet rule on earth, He is no less a king. In response to Pilate’s question, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus replied, “It is as you say” (Matt. 27:11). He reigns in eternity, rules now over His church, and one day will return to rule the earth as King of kings. There is a tremendous responsibility that accompanies being part of Christ’s kingdom. As subjects of that kingdom, we must properly represent the King. Paul admonished the Thessalonians to “walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory” (1 Thess. 2:12). Even their persecution was a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so they might be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed they were suffering (2 Thess. 1:5). The writer of Hebrews reminds us, “Since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe” (Heb. 12:28). Before we could be fit subjects for Christ’s kingdom we needed redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Apolutrōsis (redemption) is one of the magnificent New Testament words expressing a blessed aspect of the work of Christ on our behalf. Alongside such terms as sacrifice, offering, propitiation, ransom, justification, adoption, and reconciliation, it attempts to describe the riches of our salvation. It means “to deliver by payment of a ransom,” and was used to speak of freeing slaves from bondage. The meaning of apolutrōsis is expressed in our English word emancipation. The Septuagint uses a related word to speak of Israel’s deliverance from bondage in Egypt. Apolutrōsis is used in several places in the New Testament to speak of Christ’s freeing us from slavery to sin. In Ephesians 1:7, Paul writes, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.” To the Corinthians he wrote, “By His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30). In the midst of perhaps the most thorough soteriological passage in the New Testament, Paul writes that we are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24). Redemption results in the forgiveness of sins. Aphesin (forgiveness) refers to pardon, or remission of penalty. It is a composite of two Greek words, apo, “from,” and hiēmi, “to send.” Because Christ redeemed us, God has sent away our sins; they will never be found again. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Ps. 103:12). “He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Mic. 7:19). So Christ’s death on our behalf paid the price to redeem us. On that basis, God forgave our sins, granted us an inheritance, delivered us from the power of darkness, and made us subjects of Christ’s kingdom. Those wonderful truths should cause us to give thanks to God continually, as did Paul in his prayer. And when we contemplate all He has done for us, how can we do any less than pray to be filled with the knowledge of His will?
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1992). Colossians (pp. 40–42). Moody Press.
13, 14. Verses 13 and 14 summarize the divine work of redemption. The details follow in verses 15–23. This reminds us of Romans, where 1:16, 17 summarizes what is described in greater detail in Rom. 1:18–8:39. Paul’s heart was in his writing. He never wrote in the abstract when he discussed the great blessings which believers have in Christ. He was ever deeply conscious of the fact that upon him, too, though completely unworthy, the Father had bestowed these favors. Hence, it is not surprising that, deeply moved by what he is writing, he changes the wording, from “you” to “us”: verse 13, “who qualified you …”; verse 14, “and who rescued us.…” Besides, note how all the main ideas of verses 12–14—darkness, light, inheritance, remission of sins—occur also in Acts 26:18, 23, passages that record Paul’s own experience and predict the experience of the Gentiles to whom he was now sent. The apostle, accordingly, in describing the kindnesses which had been conferred upon the Colossians and upon himself and his associates, yes, even upon all rescued sinners, echoes the very words which the Savior had used in addressing him, even “Saul,” the great and dreadful persecutor: “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet since for this purpose I have appeared to you … delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power [or: jurisdiction] of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:15b–18, quoted in part). So Paul writes: and who rescued us. He drew us to himself, delivering us from our condition of wretchedness. The verb rescued in the present context implies both the utterly hopeless darkness and misery in which, apart from God’s mercy, “we” (the Colossians, Paul, etc.) had been groping about, and the glorious but arduous redemptive work that was necessary to emancipate us from our wretched state. The Father rescued us by sending his Son into the flesh (Col. 1:22; 2:9; cf. Gal. 1:15, 16; 4:4, 5) in order: a. to die for our sins on the cross (Col. 1:22; 2:14; cf. Gal. 2:20; 6:14), and b. to rise and ascend to heaven, whence he poured the Spirit into our hearts (Col. 3:1; cf. 2 Thess. 2:13; John 16:7), so that we, having been called (Col. 1:6, 7; cf. Gal. 1:15, 16; Phil. 3:14), were “made alive” (Col. 2:13; cf. Eph. 2:1–5; John 3:3; Acts 16:14), and by an act of genuine conversion accepted Christ Jesus as Lord and were baptized (Col. 2:6, 12; cf. Acts 9:1–19). This entire process is covered by the words, “He rescued us,” and this, out of the domain of darkness, the sphere in which Satan exercises his usurped jurisdiction (Matt. 4:8–11; Luke 22:52, 53; cf. Acts 26:18) over human hearts, lives, activities, and over all “the powers of the air,” “the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 2:2; 6:12). (For the meaning of light and darkness see above on verse 12.) Helpless, hopeless slaves were we, chained by our sins in Satan’s prison … until the Conqueror came to our rescue (cf. 2 Cor. 2:14). It was God in Christ who rescued us and transplanted us into the kingdom of the Son of his love. He brought us out of the dark and dismal realm of false ideas and chimerical ideals into the sun-bathed land of clear knowledge and realistic expectation; out of the bewildering sphere of perverted cravings and selfish hankerings into the blissful realm of holy yearnings and glorious self-denials; out of the miserable dungeon of intolerable bonds and heart-rending cries into the magnificent palace of glorious liberty and joyful songs.
“Out of my bondage, sorrow and night,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into Thy freedom, gladness and light,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of my sickness into Thy health,
Out of my want and into Thy wealth,
Out of my sin and into Thyself,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
“Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into the joy and light of Thy home,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of the depths of ruin untold,
Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,
Ever Thy glorious face to behold,
Jesus, I come to Thee.”
(W. T. Sleeper)
It is probable that the underlying figure is one which those addressed—both Gentile and Jew—readily understood. These people knew that earthly rulers would at times transplant a conquered people from one country to another (2 Kings 15:29; 17:3–6; 18:13; 24:14–16; 25:11; 2 Chron. 36:20; Jer. 52:30; Dan. 1:1–4; Ezek. 1:1; see also above: Introduction, II. The City of Colosse, C). So also “we” have been transplanted, and this not from liberty into slavery but from slavery into liberty. Let us then stand in that liberty. Let us not think that our deliverance is only of a partial character, or that by means of mystic rites, painful ceremonies, worship of angels, or any other means (then or now) we must slowly work our way up from sin to holiness. Once for all we have been delivered. We have been transplanted not out of darkness into semi-darkness, but out of dismal darkness into “marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). We have even now arrived in “the kingdom of the Son of his (the Father’s) love.” Here is what may truly be called “realized eschatology.” In principle we already in this present life partake of the promised glory. God has already begun a good work in us, and as to the future each one of us is able to testify:
“The work thou hast in me begun
Shall by thy grace be fully done” (cf. Ps. 138:8; Phil. 1:6).
“We” have received the Holy Spirit. And his indwelling presence is the “earnest” (first instalment and pledge) of our inheritance (Eph. 1:4; cf. 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5). It is the guarantee of still greater glory to come. This follows also from the fact that the Christ who merited this glory for us is “the Son of the Father’s love.” He is both the Object of this love (Isa. 42:1; Ps. 2:7; Prov. 8:30; Matt. 3:17; 17:5; Luke 3:22) and its personal manifestation (John 1:18; 14:9; 17:26). How then shall not the Father “together with him” freely give us all things? (Rom. 8:32). We have been transplanted into the Kingdom of the Son of God’s love, in whom we have our redemption, that is, our deliverance as the result of the payment of a ransom. Just as according to Israel’s ancient law the forfeited life could be ransomed (Ex. 21:30), so our life, forfeited through sin, was ransomed by the shedding of Christ’s blood (Eph. 1:7). Besides, as A. Deissmann remarks, “When anybody heard the Greek word λύτρον, ransom [on which the word ἀπολύτρωσις, redemption is based] … it was natural for him to think of the purchase-money for manumitting slaves.” Hence, “in him,” that is, through spiritual union with him (Col. 3:1–3), redemption full and free is ours. This redemption is, accordingly, emancipation from the curse (Gal. 3:13), particularly from enslavement to sin (John 8:34; Rom. 7:14; 1 Cor. 7:23), and release to true liberty (John 8:36; Gal. 5:1). Through Christ’s payment of a ransom and our faith in him we have obtained from the Father the forgiveness or remission (cf. Ps. 103:12) of our sins. The chain that held us fast has been broken. Though the apostle uses this expression “forgiveness of sins” (which is of such frequent occurrence elsewhere in the New Testament), only here and in Eph. 1:7 (forgiveness of … trespasses), and though he generally conveys a similar idea by words and phrases that belong to the “justification by faith” family, he was, nevertheless, well acquainted with the idea of forgiveness of sins, as is shown by Rom. 4:7; 2 Cor. 5:19; and in Colossians by 2:13 and 3:13. In fact, in Colossians the idea of forgiveness is even emphasized. See footnote . Justification and remission are inseparable. So are also redemption and remission, though this was at times denied. Thus Irenaeus in his work Against Heresies I.xxi.2, written about A.D. 182–188, tells us about certain heretics in his day who taught that here in this life salvation occurs in the following two stages: a. Remission of sins at baptism, instituted by the visible, human Jesus; b. Redemption at a later stage, through the divine Christ who descended on Jesus. In this second stage the person whose sins have already been forgiven attains to perfection or fulness. It is possible, in view of such passages as Col. 2:9, 10; 4:12, that the errorists at Colosse were already spreading this or a similar notion. In any event, it was through the Holy Spirit, who knows all things even before they happen and is therefore able to issue warnings that apply to the future as well as to the present, that the apostle wrote these words. They clearly indicate that when a sinner is transplanted out of the power of darkness into the kingdom of light, he is to be regarded as having been redeemed, and that this redemption implies the remission of sins.
Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of Colossians and Philemon (Vol. 6, pp. 61–65). Baker Book House.
The Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail. (Deuteronomy 28:13)
If we obey the Lord, He will compel our adversaries to see that His blessing rests upon us. Though this be a promise of the law, yet it stands good to the people of God; for Jesus has removed the curse, but He has established the blessing.
It is for saints to lead the way among men by holy influence: they are not to be the tail, to be dragged hither and thither by others. We must not yield to the spirit of the age, but compel the age to do homage to Christ. If the Lord be with us, we shalt not crave toleration for religion, but we shall seek to seat it on the throne of society. Has not the Lord Jesus made His people priests” Surely they are to teach and must not be learners from the philosophies of unbelievers. Are we not in Christ made kings to reign upon the earth? How, then can we be the servants of custom, the slaves of human opinion?
Have you, dear friend, taken up your true position for Jesus? Too many are silent because diffident, if not cowardly. Should we allow the name of the Lord Jesus to be kept in the background? Should our religion drag along as a tail? Should it not rather lead the way and be the ruling force with ourselves and others?
I recently read two articles by a well-known Christian author who is also closely connected to a Christian counseling foundation. The articles essentially argued that mental illness was a social construct created by secular doctors and psychiatrists, and therefore is not biblical. So, when a person is depressed, he is really just experiencing sadness, and to try to treat it medically is to short circuit the power of God. When a person is anxious, she is really just experiencing worry, and to treat it medically is a secular answer to a spiritual problem. You get the idea. But what actually is a biblical view of mental illness?
The desire behind the article was good: The author was trying to demonstrate that Jesus is sufficient for every facet of life. However, I believe that treating mental illness as only (or even primarily) a spiritual problem is both profoundly unbiblical and incredibly hurtful to those who struggle with mental illness.
Total Depravity Really Means Total Depravity
The Bible teaches that every human being is totally depraved. This doesn’t mean that every person is as absolutely wicked and evil as they could possibly be. That would be utter depravity.
Total depravity simply means that sin has affected every facet of my being, including both my soul and my body.
Total depravity means that nothing works as God originally intended. My spiritual desires are affected and distorted by sin. My intellect is distorted by and affected by sin.
And, most importantly (for this discussion), my body has been affected and distorted by sin.
Why do I get colds and headaches and backaches and indigestion and infections? Why do you have migraines and heart problems and kidney stones and glaucoma? We experience these things because we inhabit bodies that have been marked and marred by sin. Paul spoke directly to this when he said:
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. (2 Corinthians 4:16)
Our outer self is wasting away. Our bodies don’t work correctly. They fall apart and fail us at the worst times. While we live in this fallen world, we live in bodies that are wasting away.
For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
Along with the rest of creation, we eagerly wait for the day when Christ will return and we will receive our new, redeemed, resurrection bodies.
Until the day Jesus returns, I will live in a body that does not function as God originally intended. My brain, which is a key, central, integral part of my body, will not function correctly. Chemicals will become imbalanced. Serotonin will not be properly absorbed. Norepinephrine will be unevenly distributed. Synapses won’t fire correctly. My brain, just like every other part of my body, is prone to illness.
I would argue that if we truly believe in total depravity, then we must accept mental illness as a biblical category. If I believe that sin has affected every part of my body, including my brain, then it shouldn’t surprise me when my brain doesn’t work correctly. I’m not surprised when I get a cold; why should I be surprised if I experience mental illness? To say that depression, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar and every other disorder are purely spiritual disorders is to ignore the fact that we are both body and soul.
Mental illness is not something invented by secular psychiatrists. Rather, it is part and parcel with living in fallen, sinful world.
Mental Illness in the Church
Treating mental illness as purely a spiritual disorder is very hurtful to those who struggle with mental illness because it points them to the wrong solution.
Let me explain. For many years, I’ve dealt with chronic physical anxiety. I regularly experience a clutching sensation in my chest, shortness of breath, adrenaline surges and a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. On rare occasions, the anxiety is tied to something I’m worried about, but 90 percent of the time the physical symptoms I experience aren’t at all connected to worry. I’ll be working away on my computer, not thinking about anything, when a feeling of anxiety suddenly descends upon me.
In those moments, I don’t need to be told not to worry. I don’t need to be told to exercise more faith in the promises of God. I don’t need to be told to snap out of it.
What I need is encouragement to persevere. I need to be reminded that, even in the midst of suffering, Jesus is near. I need to be reminded that my light and momentary afflictions are producing an eternal weight of glory. I need to be encouraged to press into Jesus.
And … I need to be connected to someone who can help me deal with the physical aspects of anxiety.
Here’s the unfortunate reality: Even if my thinking is biblical, faith-filled and God-honoring, my physical symptoms of anxiety probably won’t go away. Why? Because most of the time the problem is primarily physical. Something isn’t working correctly in my brain, which in turn causes me to experience the physical symptoms of anxiety.
When interacting with Christians who experience anxiety, depression, PTSD or any other form of mental illness, we need to treat them as whole people. We need to treat people as both body and soul. Do they need to exercise faith in the wonderful promises of God? Sure. But they also need to deal with the physical aspects of mental illness as well. Doctors are a wonderful gift from God who can offer help to those who struggle with mental illness.
We need to place mental illness in the same category as every other form of illness. When a person experiences chronic migraines, they most certainly will be tempted to doubt the goodness of God. We can serve them by encouraging them that God is good, and that he cares for them. But we also can serve them by taking them to the best migraine specialists in the country.
If we’re going to effectively care for fellow Christians who struggle with mental illness, we need to recognize that mental illness is a real thing.
We aren’t only souls. Rather, we are a complex composition of soul and body. Let’s make sure we address both the soul and the body.
Hear the right, O Lord, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.
Let my sentence come forth from thy presence; let thine eyes behold the things that are equal.
Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.
Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.
Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.
I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.
Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them.
Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
From the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about.
They are inclosed in their own fat: with their mouth they speak proudly.
They have now compassed us in our steps: they have set their eyes bowing down to the earth;
Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.
Arise, O Lord, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword:
From men which are thy hand, O Lord, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.
As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.
James is a realist about religion. He frequently invokes the category of dead, deficient, or false faith as a foil to the living faith that the apostle enjoins on his readers. Indeed, James repeatedly warns his readers that verbal claims or religious self-assessments do not necessarily indicate one’s true spiritual condition. To properly understand the category of living faith, one must also acknowledge the category of dead faith. One category necessitates the other.
James wastes no time in introducing the category of defective faith. In James 1:5, he commands persons who lack wisdom to ask God for it. The apostle further notes that some persons who petition God for wisdom may not really ask “in faith” (James 1:6). In other words, they ask God but doubt whether he is good, able, or inclined to answer their petitions. James tells us, “That person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:7–8). James does not construct a nuanced continuum but only offers two ways of prayer—one in faith and one doubting. And the doubting man is double minded and receives nothing. We should observe that the doubting, double-minded man still has an outward religious expression—in this case, prayer for wisdom. Yet, that outward religiosity is condemned as tragically deficient.
James’s exhortation about praying in faith is reflective of much of his letter. James confronts his readers with stark spiritual dichotomies, similar to patterns found in wisdom literature, such as the book of Proverbs or in the opening lines of the Didache.1 James’s polarities confront the reader with the realization that, in the final analysis, beliefs and behaviors only end in one of two ways—life or death. With such a confrontation comes the invitation to respond appropriately.
1. Prayers That Lack Faith
Christians with sensitive consciences may feel too easily condemned by James’s insistence that prayer be offered in faith. Indeed, for a modern reader to summarily tell other persons that they have not had their prayers answered because they do not have the requisite faith would likely be spiritual abuse. Yet, in constructing a full-orbed biblical view on faith, we must remember that Jesus repeatedly demands faith from those who approach him and qualifies his healings with statements such as “According to your faith be it done to you” (Matt. 9:29). When Jesus’s disciples could not heal a child with demonically induced seizures, they privately asked Jesus why. He replied “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matt. 17:20).
In noting the necessity of faith in prayer, however, James does not condemn the maturing cry of a striving faith (“I believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9:24); he is instead describing the mindset of one who does not rely on God while emptily mouthing a petition for help. Praying while not trusting the goodness, power, or inclination of God fits in the category of deficient faith, hypocrisy, and empty religiosity. At the same time, it cannot be emphasized enough that to insist on faith for answered prayer is not the same as concluding that unanswered prayer is necessarily a sign of defective faith.
2. Sin
James’s statement about a lack of faith resulting in unanswered prayer is analogous to his later comment that a sickness might result from sin and, thus, that confession of sin could be appropriate for the sick person (James 5:15–16). The Bible’s teaching on sickness and sin is quite nuanced and will not fit into the reductionistic schemes one frequently encounters in popular religion. Sickness may result from sin (1 Cor. 11:30). Sickness and even death may be fatherly discipline—or even judgment—from God (Acts 5:1–11; 1 Cor. 11:29–32). More commonly, it would seem, a person’s sickness or disability has no correlation with sin, and yet, sickness is not outside God’s sovereign purposes of bringing glory to his name (John 9:3).
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3. Superficial Hearing of God’s Word
A superficial hearing of God’s word is also an example of defective faith. James avers that a person is self-deceived if he only listens to the word of God but does not alter his behavior in response to that word (James 1:22). He explains, “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like” (James 1:23–24). The key purpose of this analogy is to condemn superficial knowledge accompanied by lack of action. The world is filled with religious pretenders, and James repeatedly warns his recipients against the dire situation of being found in that category.
4. Sinful Speech
Sinful speech is another sign of insincere or inauthentic faith. James writes, “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless” (James 1:26). To “bridle the tongue” is a broad category that encompasses the idea of guarding one’s speech from all manner of sinful utterance, such as slander, lies, or coarse jesting (cf. Ex. 20:16; Lev. 19:16; Prov. 6:16–19; 12:22; 26:18–19). Speech is an overflow of the heart (Luke 6:45), and sinful patterns of speech indicate the true nature of one’s faith. To have a life characterized by sinful speech and still think oneself “spiritual” or “religious” is to be self-deceived, declares James. Over time, both our words and our actions show who we really are (Matt. 7:15–20).
Works and faith are not the same thing. Rather, works are produced by a genuine faith and are, therefore, evidence of it.
5. Sinful Favoritism
James further observes that a life exhibiting sinful favoritism is inconsistent with a healthy, living faith in the Lord Jesus. Only a dead, deceptive, or inconsistent faith is characterized by sinful favoritism. James commands, “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory” (James 2:1). Literally, the text translates as “My brothers, do not hold in favoritisms the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory.” Even as James lays out such polarizing theological appeals, he reminds his readers that he is their spiritual sibling, and by calling them “brothers,” he assures them that he is appealing to them as a fellow community member. James’s imperative not to “have” or “hold” (echō) the faith in “favoritisms” (or “acts of favoritism”) is unusual. Rather than using the verb for believe (pisteuō), James chooses the expression “have faith in” or “hold faith in.” Perhaps this word choice serves to highlight the motif of objectively demonstrable faith—whether as a living or dead reality—that we find throughout James’s letter. The dative plural “favoritisms” (prosōpolēmpsiais) implies that a faith marred by sinful partiality will have varied manifestations of that favoritism. The genitive “of glory” (tēs doxēs), qualifying the implied repetition of the noun “Lord” (kyrios), instructs the readers that there is, indeed, one person who is worthy of special honor and preferential treatment—Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. If we rightly honor Jesus as glorious, how then can we mistreat his image bearers and fawn over some people for our selfish benefit? To treat someone preferentially within the Christian community because she is rich or socially connected or beautiful or famous is to adopt the world’s values and to deny the faith one professes. A living, healthy faith in the glorious Lord Jesus Christ will not express itself in opportunistic obsequiousness.
In James 2:14–26, the apostle homes in on a prime example of dead faith. He describes a member of the Christian community who sees a Christian brother or sister in need, presumably has the ability to help him or her, but fails to provide any tangible assistance. James declares, “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17). Thus, James instructs us that there are two categories of faith—(1) faith that has works and is thus living and (2) faith that does not have works and is thus dead. Works and faith are not the same thing. Rather, works are produced by a genuine faith and are, therefore, evidence of it. In fact, James’s explicit language would even call into question my use above of the verb “produced.” Genuine faith has works. Works are inherent and organic to living, saving faith.
Simply to affirm monotheism (“God is one,” James 2:19) is not sufficient to prove one has a living faith. Even the demons believe (intellectually) that there is one God and tremble in response—a response that, ironically, is more visible and measurable than the reaction one expects from a person of dead faith. Intellectual or propositional statements about God, while necessary and proper, are inadequate to discern if one has a living or dead faith. James provides this pungent summary: “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead” (James 2:26).
Notes:
The Didache 1:1–2 reads, “There are two ways, one of life and one of death, and there is a great difference between these two ways. Now this is the way of life: First, you shall love God, who made you. Second, you shall love your neighbor as yourself; but whatever you do not wish to happen to you, do not do to another.” The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations, 3rd ed., ed. and trans. Michael W. Holmes (Baker Academic, 2007), 345.
Robert L. Plummer (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the Collin and Evelyn Aikman professor of biblical studies at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and host of the popular screencast at DailyDoseOfGreek.com. He has authored, coauthored, or edited numerous books, including 40 Questions About Interpreting the Bible; Beginning with New Testament Greek; Greek for Life; and Held in Honor.
James is an intensely practical book, filled with exhortations to Christians about the way they should live their lives now that they have been given new life in Jesus.
Why do evangelicals become ex-evangelicals? The answers vary: some leave because they have been wounded by unwise or even abusive leaders, or maybe there is just a long, slow drifting away.
As we explore the Christological nature of the book of James, it seems advisable to start with the two passages where James unambiguously mentions Jesus by name.
“The Book of Psalms outlined and explained with animation.”
This video from the good folks at the Bible Project gives a great overview of the historical background and intentional design of the book of Psalms. “Blessed is the man who meditates on the law.” (Psalm 1) May this help you understand and be transformed by the unique messages of the Psalms.
Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. (10:25–31)
But Jesus already had told them plainly who He was (cf. 5:17ff.; 8:12, 24, 58); in fact, He had spent the last three years doing so. Not only that, the works that He did in the Father’s name also demonstrated that He was the Messiah; the Son of God; God in human flesh (cf. vv. 32, 38; 3:2; 5:36; 7:31; 11:47; 14:11; Acts 2:22). The Lord’s twice-repeated declaration, you do not believe, indicates that the problem was not due to any ambiguity in the revelation of the truth, but rather to their spiritual blindness. They lacked understanding, not because they lacked information, but because they lacked repentance and faith. Their unbelief was not due to insufficient exposure to the truth, but to their hatred of the truth and love of sin and lies (John 3:19–21). Anyone who willingly seeks the truth will find it (7:17), but Jesus refused to commit Himself to those who willfully rejected the truth. Had He again given them the plain answer they were demanding, they would not have believed Him anyway (cf. 8:43; Matt. 26:63–65; Luke 22:66–67). From the perspective of human responsibility, the hostile Jews did not believe because they had deliberately rejected the truth. But from the standpoint of divine sovereignty, they did not believe because they were not of the Lord’s sheep, which were given Him by the Father (v. 29; 6:37; 17:2, 6, 9). A full understanding of exactly how those two realities, human responsibility and divine sovereignty, work together lies beyond human comprehension; but there is no difficulty with them in the infinite mind of God. Significantly, the Bible does not attempt to harmonize them, nor does it apologize for the logical tension between them. For example, speaking of Judas Iscariot’s treachery, Jesus said in Luke 22:22, “The Son of Man is going [to be betrayed] as it has been determined.” In other words, Judas’s betrayal of Christ was in accord with God’s eternal purpose. But then Jesus added, “Woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!” That Judas’s betrayal was part of God’s plan did not relieve him of the responsibility for his crime. In Acts 2:23 Peter said that Jesus was “delivered over [to the cross] by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God.” Yet he also charged Israel with responsibility for having “nailed [Jesus] to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.” God’s sovereignty never excuses human sin. (For a more complete discussion of the interplay of divine sovereignty and human responsibility, see the exposition of 6:35–40 in chapter 20 of this volume.) Repeating what He said in His discourse on the Good Shepherd (see the exposition of vv. 3–5 in the previous chapter of this volume), Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” The elect will heed Christ’s call to salvation and continue in faith and obedience to eternal glory (cf. Rom. 8:29–30). The Lord continued by articulating the wonderful truth that those who are His sheep need never fear being lost. “I give eternal life to them,” Jesus declared, “and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” Nowhere in Scripture is there a stronger affirmation of the absolute eternal security of all true Christians. Jesus plainly taught that the security of the believer in salvation does not depend on human effort, but is grounded in the gracious, sovereign election, promise, and power of God. Christ’s words reveal seven realities that bind every true Christian forever to God. First, believers are His sheep, and it is the duty of the Good Shepherd to protect His flock. “This is the will of Him who sent Me,” Jesus said, “that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day” (6:39). To insist that a true Christian can somehow be lost is to deny the truth of that statement. It is also to defame the character of the Lord Jesus Christ—making Him out to be an incompetent shepherd, unable to hold on to those entrusted to Him by the Father. Second, Christ’s sheep hear only His voice and follow only Him. Since they will not listen to or follow a stranger (10:5), they could not possibly wander away from Him and be eternally lost. Third, Christ’s sheep have eternal life. To speak of eternal life ending is a contradiction in terms. Fourth, Christ gives eternal life to His sheep. Since they did nothing to earn it, they can do nothing to lose it. Fifth, Christ promised that His sheep will never perish. Were even one to do so, it would make Him a liar. Sixth, no one—not false shepherds (the thieves and robbers of v. 1), or false prophets (symbolized by the wolf of v. 12), nor even the Devil himself—is powerful enough to snatch Christ’s sheep out of His hand. Finally, Christ’s sheep are held not only in His hand, but also in the hand of the Father, who is greater than all; and thus no one is able to snatch them out of His hand either. Infinitely secure, the believer’s “life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). The Father and the Son jointly guarantee the eternal security of believers because, as Jesus declared, “I and the Father are one” (the Greek word one is neuter, not masculine; it speaks of “one substance,” not “one person”). Thus their unity of purpose and action in safeguarding believers is undergirded by their unity of nature and essence. The whole matter of security is summarized in our Lord’s own words in John 6:39–40:
This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.
Incensed by what they accurately and unmistakably perceived as another blasphemous claim to deity by Jesus, the Jews, self-righteously exploding in a fit of passion, picked up stones again to stone Him—the fourth time in John’s gospel that they had attempted to kill Him (5:16–18; 7:1; 8:59). Though the Romans had withheld the right of capital punishment from the Jews (18:31), this angry lynch mob was ready to take matters into its own hands.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). John 1–11 (pp. 441–443). Moody Press.
Christ, the Calvinist
John 10:27–29
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”
One time, after I had preached a sermon from John touching on some of the main points of the Reformed faith, I found a copy of that week’s bulletin on which someone had scribbled his opinion of the message: “I’m sick of Calvinism in every sermon.” The message did not particularly bother me. Notes like that seldom do. But I found it surprising that the person who wrote the note somehow regarded Calvinism as a system of thought that could well be dispensed with while, nevertheless, as he assumed, still preserving Christianity. In other words, this person, like many others, somehow regarded the doctrines that go by the name of Calvinism as at best an addition to the pure gospel and at the worst a system that is opposed to it. Is this true? Are the doctrines of grace wrong? One proof that they are not is seen in the verses to which we come in this chapter.
Historic Calvinism
The verses I have in mind are those in which the Lord Jesus Christ spoke plainly to his enemies, saying that those who do not believe on him do not believe because they are not his sheep, that those who are his sheep believe and follow, that this is true because they are given to him by the Father, that these who are given to him by the Father inevitably come to him and, finally, that these who come will never be lost. This is a message of man’s complete ruin in sin and God’s perfect remedy in Christ, and it can be expressed in the distinctive points of Calvinistic theology. Before we look at these points in detail, however, we should see that far from being an aberration or addition to the gospel, these truths have always belonged to the core of the Christian proclamation and have been characteristic of the church at its greatest periods. To begin with, the doctrines of grace that have become known as Calvinism were most certainly not invented by Calvin, nor were they characteristic of his thought alone during the Reformation period. As we shall see, these are the truths taught by Jesus and confirmed for us in Scripture by the apostle Paul. Augustine argued for the same truths over against the denials of Pelagius and those who followed him. Luther was a Calvinist. So was Zwingli. That is, they believed what Calvin believed and what he later systematized in his influential Institutes of the Christian Religion. The Puritans were also Calvinists; it was through them and their teaching that both England and Scotland experienced the greatest and most pervasive national revivals the world has ever seen. In that number were the heirs of John Knox: Thomas Cartwright, Richard Sibbes, Richard Baxter, Matthew Henry, John Owen, and others. In America, thousands were influenced by Jonathan Edwards, Cotton Mather, and George Whitefield, all of whom were Calvinists. In more recent times the modern missionary movement received nearly all its direction and initial impetus from those in the Calvinistic and Puritan tradition. The list includes such men as William Carey, John Ryland, Henry Martyn, Robert Moffat, David Livingstone, John G. Paton, John R. Mott, and many others. For all these the doctrines of grace were not an appendage to Christian thought but were rather that which was central and which most fired and gave form to their preaching and missionary efforts. This, of course, is precisely why I am reviewing this history—to show that the doctrines known as Calvinism are not something that emerged late in church history but rather are that which takes its origins in the teachings of Jesus, which has been found throughout the church in many periods, and which has always been characteristic of the church at its greatest periods of faith and expansion. It follows from this that the church of Jesus Christ will again see great days when these truths are widely proclaimed, and proclaimed fearlessly. Jesus is our example. We sometimes think of these doctrines as household doctrines; that is, as truths to be proclaimed only to those who already believe. But this was not Jesus’ procedure. He taught them also to his enemies. In this case, they had come to him with the implication that he was responsible for their failure to believe; they had said, “If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” He answered this, not so much with a statement concerning his identity as the Messiah (although he did say that his words and works authenticated him), but much more importantly by a full statement of man’s utter inability to choose God and of the necessity for divine grace in each step of salvation. Did they want it told plainly? Well, this is the truth told plainly: “You do not believe because you are not my sheep.… My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (vv. 26–29).
State of the Lost
First of all, Christ’s words reflect the desperate state of the lost; that is, the state of all men as they are apart from Christ. The teachings on this point are not so much direct as indirect. Still they underlie the positive points made in this passage. In reference to man’s desperate state apart from Christ, these verses show that he has lost spiritual life; otherwise it would not be necessary for Christ to speak of it as a gift. Originally, man had life. When the first man and woman were created by God they were created with that life that shows itself in communion with him. Consequently, we learn that they communed with God in the Garden in the cool of the day. When they sinned, this life was lost, a fact evidenced by their hiding from God. This has been the state of people ever since. Consequently, when the gospel is preached, those who hear it turn away unless God intervenes to do a supernatural work of regeneration in their hearts. Moreover, the desperate state of people apart from Christ is suggested by the fact that no one can recover this life except as a free gift from God. Jesus calls it a gift, for it is undeserved and unearned. If it were earned, it would be wages; if it were merited, it would be a reward. But eternal life is neither of these. It is a gift, which means that it originates solely in God’s good will toward men. As a last thought on this subject, it is also true, is it not, that men and women will perish except for this gift. Jesus says of those to whom he gives life that “they shall never perish.” But since he makes this promise, it must be because we will perish if he does not intervene. We are sinners. Sin makes us heirs of God’s wrath. If God does not intervene, we stand under divine judgment, without hope, facing the punishment due us for our own sins. According to these verses, we cannot even come to Christ, for we are not of his sheep and so lack the ability to hear his voice and turn to him.
Grace
This brings us to the next thought. For while it is true that in ourselves we cannot come to Christ and so lie under God’s just condemnation, the main point of these verses is that God has nevertheless acted in grace toward some. Earlier this was expressed by saying that Christ died for the sheep; in other words, by the doctrine of a particular redemption (v. 11). In this section we are told that Jesus has given eternal life to the same people (v. 28), and that these are those whom God has given him (v. 29). You cannot trace the origins of our salvation farther back than that. In this, as in all things, the origins are to be found in God. Some say, “But surely God called them because he foresaw that some would believe.” But it does not say that. Others say, “He chose them because he knew in advance that they would merit salvation.” It does not say that either. What it does say is that the initiative in salvation lies with God and that this is found, on the one hand, in God’s electing grace whereby he chooses some for salvation entirely apart from any merit on their own part (which, of course, they do not have) and, on the other hand, in Christ’s very particular atonement by which he bore the penalty for the sins of these people. I need to say also, however, that there are aspects of the death of Christ that apply to the world at large. I am not denying that. The death of the Lord Jesus Christ is a revelation of the nature of God. It is a revelation of his hatred of sin in that Christ died for it. It is most certainly a revelation of God’s love, for love lay behind it. It is an example to the race. These things are true. But in addition to these there is also a sense in which the Lord Jesus Christ died particularly and exclusively for his own, so that he literally bore the penalty for their particular sins, that they might be forgiven. These truths do not make us proud, as some charge. Rather they increase our love for God who out of pure grace saves some when none deserve it.
An Effective Call
The third of the reformed doctrines presented by Jesus is the effective call: that is, that God’s call of his people is accompanied by such power that those whom he calls necessarily come to him, believing on Christ and embracing Christ for salvation. Jesus expresses this by saying: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (v. 27). It is a mark of the sheep that they both hear and follow their shepherd. In the Puritan era it was the habit of many preachers to play on these two characteristics, calling them the marks of Christ’s sheep. In days when there were many flocks of sheep it was necessary to mark the sheep to distinguish them. In our day, at least on cattle, this is done by branding. On sheep it was often done by cutting a small mark into the ear. “Well,” said the Puritans, “each of Christ’s sheep has a double mark—on his ear and on his foot. The mark on his ear is that he hears Christ. The mark on his foot is that he follows him.” This is true, of course. It leads us to ask, “Do we hear? Do we follow?” How many of those who come to church on a typical Sunday morning really hear the voice of Christ or have ever heard it? They hear the voice of the preacher; they hear the voices of the members of the choir. But do they hear Christ? If they do, why are they so critical of what they hear? Why are their comments afterward so much more about the Lord’s servant than the Lord? Those who are Christ’s hear Christ. And they follow him. But how many who come to church are really following? Most seem to make good leaders—in their own cause—but they are poor followers. They make good critics—of the Bible and of Christ’s people—but they are poor disciples. They make respectable wolves, for they ravage the flock, but they do not have the traits of the sheep and would even be contemptuous of them if they had an understanding of what those traits are. Do not presume on your relationship to Christ. You are not his unless you hear his voice and follow him. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). He said, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev. 2:7).
Never Lost
Finally, notice that these verses also speak at length of God’s perseverance with his saints. That is, they teach us that none whom God has called to faith in Christ will be lost. Indeed, how can they be, if God is responsible for their salvation? Jesus says, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand” (v. 28). “But,” says someone, “suppose they jump out of their own accord?” “They shall never perish,” says the Lord. “Never?” “No, never,” says Jesus. “They shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” This does not mean that there will not be dangers, of course. In fact, it implies them; for if Jesus promises that no one will succeed in plucking us from his hands, it must be because he knows that there are some who will try. The Christian will always face dangers—dangers without, from enemies, and dangers within. Still the promise is that those who have believed in Jesus will never be lost. We may add that the Christian may well be deprived of things. He may lose his job, his friends, his good reputation. Still he will not be lost. The promise is not that the ship will not go to the bottom, but that the passengers will all reach shore. It is not that the house will not burn down, but that the people will escape safely. Do you believe this promise, that you are safe in Jesus’ hands, that you will never be lost? Are you able to trust God for this as you have for other truths? I suppose there is a way of explaining away almost everything, but I must say that I do not see how the opponents of eternal security can explain away this text. Am I Christ’s? Then it is he who has promised that neither I nor any who belong to him shall perish. If I do perish, then Jesus has not kept his word, he is not sinless, the atonement was not adequate, and no one in any place can enter into salvation. I wish that all God’s children might come to know and love these truths. I wish that many might be saved by them. We live in a day that is so weak in its proclamation of Christian doctrine that even many Christians cannot see why such truths should be preached or how they can be used of the Lord to save sinners. This was not always so. It was not always the case that these truths were unused by God in saving sinners. Did you know that it was these doctrines, particularly the doctrine of God’s perseverance with his people, that God used to save Charles Haddon Spurgeon, one of the greatest preachers who ever lived? Spurgeon was saved when he was only fifteen years old, but before that time he had already noticed how friends of his, who had begun life well, made shipwreck of their lives by falling into gross vice. Spurgeon was appalled by such things. He feared that he himself might fall into them. He reasoned like this: “Whatever good resolutions I might make, the probabilities are that they will be good for nothing when temptation [assails] me. I [will] be like those of whom it has been said, ‘They see the devil’s hook and yet cannot help nibbling at his bait.’ I [will] disgrace myself.” It was then that he heard of the truth that Christ will keep his saints from falling. It had a particular charm for him and he found himself saying, “If I go to Jesus and get from him a new heart and a right spirit, I shall be secured against these temptations into which others have fallen. I shall be preserved by Him.” It was this truth along with others that brought Spurgeon to the Savior. I wish it might be the same with you! I do not preach a gospel that has a shaky foundation. I do not proclaim a religion of percentages and probabilities. I proclaim the message of Christ, Paul, Augustine, Luther, Calvin, and all others who have found God to be their pure hope and salvation. It is the message of man’s complete ruin in sin and of God’s perfect remedy in Christ, expressed in his election of a people to himself and his final preservation of them. God grant that you might believe it wholeheartedly.
Boice, J. M. (2005). The Gospel of John: an expositional commentary (pp. 777–782). Baker Books.
27, 28. My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give them everlasting life, and they shall certainly never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. Looking at this sublime sentence from a merely formal point of view we notice six parts, arranged in beautiful reciprocal relationship. This may be represented as follows:
My sheep I
listen to my voice &
know them;
follow me &
give them everlasting life;
shall certainly never perish &
will take care that no one shall snatch them out of my hand.
However, it must be stressed that this is true only from a formal point of view. It is certainly not fair to base wrong doctrinal conclusions upon this rhetorical arrangement, and to say, for example, that in actual fact, the six elements are all simultaneous. Very clearly, people cannot make themselves sheep (6:39, 44; 10:29); sheep do not hear a voice unless that voice has gone forth first of all; and sheep do not follow unless the shepherd has first pushed them out of the fold and has gone on ahead of them (10:3, 4). Again, it is because the good shepherd gives to the sheep everlasting life that they never perish and that no one snatches them out of his hand. The sheep are not passive. Indeed not! They listen; they follow. But the action results from the gift. They themselves are the gift of the Father to the Son. That thought is stressed in this very context (verse 29). With slight variation all of these six elements have been mentioned before. Hence, for the explanation we simply refer to the passages where the same truths were expressed previously. Kindly turn to the indicated references:
My sheep listen to my voice. See on 10:3, 8, 16.
And I know them. See on 10:3, 14.
And they follow me. See on 10:4, 5.
And I give them everlasting life. See on 10:10 and on 3:16.
And they shall certainly never perish. See on 3:16.
And no one shall snatch them out of my hand. See on 10:12.
What is stated here, accordingly, amounts in brief to this: “My sheep—having become such because they were given to me by my Father (10:29)—put forth an effort to catch the sound of my voice. They do this constantly. They eagerly obey me, placing their full confidence in me. I know them, acknowledging them as my very own. They follow me, but turn away from strangers. I give to them here and now (as well as in the future) that life which is rooted in God and which pertains to the future age, to the realm of glory. In principle it becomes their possession even before they reach the shores of heaven. That life is salvation full and free, and manifests itself in fellowship with God in Christ (17:3); in partaking of the love of God (5:43), of his peace (16:33) and of his joy (17:13). Hence, it differs in quality from the life which characterizes the present age, being its very opposite. And it never ends. The sheep shall certainly never perish; i.e., they shall never enter the state of wrath, the condition of being banished forever from the presence of the God of love. And no one shall snatch them out of my hand (symbolizing my power).” Some commentators insist that when Jesus states, “They shall certainly never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand,” he does not really mean this. They are so sure that believers may, after all, be lost, that they are unwilling to do justice even to the plain sense of Scripture. But it must be borne in mind, as has been shown previously (see Vol. I, p. 46; see also on 4:4; 6:39, 44) that in the Fourth Gospel the idea of predestination (and at times also its corollary: the perseverance of the saints, their being guarded by the power of God, so that they keep clinging to him to the very end) is constantly stressed (see 2:4; 4:34; 5:30; 6:37, 39, 44, 64; 7:6, 30; 8:20; 13:1; 18:37; 19:28). Hence, it is utterly futile to deny this or to seek refuge in a passage which, considered merely on the surface, may seem to be in conflict with this consistent teaching. Thus, 15:6 is often pressed into service by those who deny what John so clearly emphasizes; but see on that verse. The basis of man’s salvation rests forever in God, not in man! That point is not grasped by those who teach that man is able, after all, to tear himself loose from the power of God. Thus, in essence, God is dethroned, and the comfort of the assurance of salvation is lost.
Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Gospel According to John (Vol. 2, pp. 122–123). Baker Book House.
Putin: Will stop fighting if Ukraine withdraws Russia will stop fighting when Ukraine withdraws from areas claimed by Moscow, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “If the Ukrainian forces leave the territories they control, we will end combat operations,” he said during a visit to Kyrgyzstan. If they don’t, we will achieve it by military means.
The end is nigh for the climate industrial complex The end is nigh for the climate industrial complex, Vijay Jayayaj writes. Its downfall is due to the sheer reality of energy economics in the developing world.
Erdogan insists on sending troops to Gaza: “We are not deterred by Israel” An Arab diplomat from one of the mediating countries said Thursday that Israel’s opposition to including Turkish forces in an international mission in Gaza is not deterring Ankara. He said President Erdoğan believes most countries remain reluctant to send troops despite U.S. requests, and expects that President Trump will eventually need Turkish forces and ease Israel’s objections.
Breaking! The ceasefires are dead! What Israel is preparing to do next The ceasefires in both Lebanon and Gaza are collapsing in real time … a Lebanese government that claims to disarm Hezbollah on paper while enabling its rearmament on the ground. With Hezbollah flooding weapons south of the Litani and Iran pumping in cash, Israel reached its limit — and acted. in Gaza, the same pattern is unraveling. Hamas has violated every clause of the Trump-brokered ceasefire — infiltrating across the yellow line,
Global Earthquake Activity SURGES After Space Weather Impact A magnitude 6 earthquake struck just outside the city of Anchorage, Alaska population ~300,000 in the early morning hours of Thanksgiving. Less than 12 hours earlier a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Indonesia. Both of these powerful earthquakes occurred following a coronal hole high-speed-stream impact from the Sun, a space weather factor linked to heightened global seismic energy release (watch/listen)
Another abortion clinic is closing Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio says it is shutting down its clinic in Franklinton because of President Trump’s move to remove taxpayer funding for all businesses that perform abortions. That makes 45 Planned Parenthood clinics closed this year. Most of the closures have taken place in pro-abortion states such as California, Illinois and Minnesota.
After meeting Pope, Erdogan praises his ‘astute stance’ on Palestinian issue Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan praised Pope Leo’s stance on the Palestinian issue … “We commend [Pope Leo’s] astute stance on the Palestinian issue,” Erdogan said in an address to the pope and political and religious leaders at the presidential library in the Turkish capital Ankara.
Terror groups planning invasion of northern Israel, defense minister warns Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas are expanding their operations in Syria, including in the southern part of the country, near the Israeli Golan Heights. … adding that a much-anticipated deal with Syria does not appear to be within reach at this time.
Violent Chicago Attack Shines Spotlight On The Destructive Policies Of Major Liberal Cities Lawrence Reed, was seen in video footage dousing 26-year-old Bethany MaGee with gasoline on a city train before engulfing her in flames. News of the attack did not go unnoticed by the President, who responded with strong words on Tuesday for the judicial system in Chicago, which allowed the attacker with 72 prior arrests to continue roaming the streets. The President highlighted that the violence was entirely avoidable and renewed his call for federal troops to be deployed in the city of Chicago.
National Guard attack in DC update: Shooting victims identified, Trump calls up 500 more Guard troops Two West Virginia National Guard members who were deployed in Washington, D.C., remained in critical condition Thursday after they were shot just blocks from the White House. The shooting, which took place Wednesday afternoon as family and friends prepared to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, was described by Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser as a targeted attack. Authorities have arrested a suspect identified as an Afghan national
Drone Strike Hits Major Iraqi Kurdistan Gas Field, Plunging Region Into Darkness A drone attack targeted a major natural gas field in Iraqi Kurdistan on Thursday, causing injuries to workers and major power cuts across the region. “A drone struck a key gas storage facility at the field, causing extensive damage, and a fire is still burning,” The Iraqi central government’s Security Media Cell said the field was hit in a “treacherous terrorist” attack and vowed to pursue those responsible. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
General Flynn Calls For National Address From Trump On Color Revolution Threat Whether it’s the protest-industrial complex run by left-wing activist groups and bankrolled by unhinged progressive billionaires’ dark money NGO networks, nonstop leftist corporate media campaigns designed to delegitimize Trump and sway sentiment polls, judicial warfare waged by radicalized judges, constant orchestrated scandals and leaks, the involvement of foreign-aligned NGOs, student-driven pressure movements, or even the weaponization of far-left militant groups – all of these elements function as interconnected spokes in a much larger color-revolution wheel – a regime change operation orchsrerated by leftist billionaire kings and Democrats.
Report: Iran funnels oil profits to Hezbollah through Dubai WSJ reports Iran sent Hezbollah hundreds of millions via Dubai laundering and Hawala transfers, with cash smuggled through Beirut airport. The funds, generated from oil sales, are moved through Iran-linked exchange shops, private companies, businessmen, and couriers. They are then transferred to Lebanon via the Hawala system, in which individuals act as brokers for money transfers instead of banks, according to the newspaper.
Trump announces female National Guard troop shot in DC ambush has died President Donald Trump announced Thursday evening that one of the two West Virginia National Guard troops shot during an ambush near the White House has died. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, of West Virginia, died with her family by her side, one day after being shot Wednesday by an Afghan national who once worked with the CIA. Trump hailed Beckstrom as “a highly respected, young, magnificent person.” “She’s no longer with us. She’s looking down at us right now. Her parents are with her. It’s just happened. She was savagely attacked. She’s dead now,” Trump said as he did a Thanksgiving greeting to military from his Mar-a-Lago home. Trump also called the shooter who killed Beckstrom and wounded a second Guardsman as a “savage monster.”
Trump says US will begin stopping Venezuelan drug traffickers by land: ‘Going to start very soon’ Speaking to U.S. service members on Thanksgiving, Trump praised the U.S. Air Force’s 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas, and their efforts to deter Venezuelan drug networks. “In recent weeks, you’ve been working to deter Venezuelan drug traffickers, of which there are many,” Trump said. “Of course, there aren’t too many coming in by sea anymore. Have you probably noticed that?”
Strong and shallow M6.6 earthquake hits near Sinabang, Indonesia A magnitude 6.6 earthquake hit an island off the coast of Sumatra in western Indonesia on Thursday (Nov 27), according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), with no immediate reports of damage or tsunami warning. The quake, which struck Simeulue Island at 11.56am (12.56pm, Singapore time) at a depth of 25km, prompted locals on the island to immediately rush outside.
Nearly 500 earthquakes strike Alaska over past week, including a 6.0 on Thanksgiving But those in the know say that’s not unusual. The magnitude 6.0 quake hit about 9 miles west of Susitna and roughly 30 miles from Anchorage.
Trump says the U.S. will ‘very soon’ take action on land to stop alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers This expands operations that have so far focused on the Caribbean Sea. In Thanksgiving remarks to U.S. troops around the world, Trump thanked the Air Force’s 7th Bomb Wing for their work to “deter Venezuelan drug traffickers” and said “it’s about 85% stopped by sea … and we’ll be starting to stop them by land.”
‘Antisemitism Exposed’ Newsletter: IDF finds huge Hamas terror tunnel under UN compound The IDF revealed a seven-kilometer, 25-meter-deep Hamas “root tunnel” under Rafah with 80 rooms used for command, weapons and shelter. Originating beneath an UNRWA compound, it fed other tunnels and allegedly held Lt. Hadar Goldin. Israel says its destruction is a major strategic blow as it targets Hamas’s vast underground network.
EU employs an army of NGOs to ensure internet users don’t stray from its approved narrative EU censorship is not an abstract bureaucratic artifact but a living network of hundreds – if not thousands – of actors intervening daily in the flow of open communication. It incorporates state-funded non-governmental organisations (“NGOs”) that “fact-check” whether online posts and comments are following Brussels’ narrative. Germany is at the centre of this censorship regime, allocating nearly €1.5 billion per year to its NGO censorship complex, and its influence on the international NGO infrastructure is enormous.
Bovaer has been suspended in Norway and Sweden 3-Nitrooxypropanol (“3-NOP”), marketed as Bovaer, is, so it is claimed, a feed additive used to reduce methane emissions in ruminants. UK residents will recall the suspicious product from an Arla trial of feeding it to dairy cows that began in November 2024. Peter Imanuelsen gives an update on developments in Sweden. It seems the Bovaer project has come to an end in Sweden, he says.
CBN News obtained rare access to Transnistria, a breakaway region still under the tight grip of Moscow. Despite the tension and control, a powerful Christian revival is taking shape. Bible teacher and author Christine Hoover was writing a study on the book of 2nd Corinthians. Then unexpectedly, she faced a severe personal test. Plus, get a look at the new film “Sarah’s Oil”.
During Thanksgiving weekend, when families gather around crowded tables and finally have a moment to slow down, few traditions feel more comforting than watching a good movie together. It’s a time when grandparents, teens, toddlers and everyone in between look for stories they can all enjoy, stories that spark conversations, fuel imagination and, sometimes, simply make everyone laugh.
This year brings a slew of quality family-friendly entertainment, from heartfelt dramas based on true stories to laugh-out-loud animated adventures. Many of these titles highlight the themes that define Thanksgiving itself: gratitude to God, resilience, reconciliation and the strength of community.
From uplifting biographical films like “Soul on Fire” and “Sarah’s Oil,” early-Christmas favorites like “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” or adventure-filled animated series like “The Wingfeather Saga,” here are eight options that the whole family can watch together this Thanksgiving.
The Campbell’s Soup panic sent half the country into a food meltdown. One photo of a label that said “bioengineered meat,” and suddenly everyone thought Big Food was pumping out lab-grown mystery protein designed by the USDA and cooked up in a bunker somewhere. That is not happening, although in all fairness, the Campbell’s executive was probably right when he admitted the product itself was garbage.
“Seditionist 6” member Elissa Slotkin predicted an incident with the National Guard in DC one month ago.
This is sick and looking more and more like another Deep State color revolution against the American people.
The Deep State went on full attack during President Trump’s first term and manufactured a color revolution in this country to remove President Trump from office. The media, Big Tech, COVID, BLM riots, and more culminated in the stolen 2020 Election. It was planned and produced by the Deep State. It was evil, corrupt, and an attack on the people of America again.
There are indications that this is happening again.
Elissa Slotkin, the new Senator in Michigan, who was awarded the 2024 win in a very close race, is also a “former” CIA member. She is one of the “Seditionist 6” who called for members of the military not to protect the American people if ordered by the Trump Administration. (see transcript below)
Seditionist Elissa Slotkin spoke at the Brookings Institute a month ago, predicting an incident involving National Guard. She estimated that it would take place in around two weeks from when she spoke.
Seditionist Maggie Goodlander’s husband Jake Sullivan is closely associated with Brookings. He is the protege of former Brookings President and the Clintons’ buddy Strobe Talbott. Jake Sullivan was Hillary’s closest aide, and Biden NatSec Advisor, who also worked with Obama.
Seditionist Elissa Slotkin spoke at the Brookings Institute a month ago, predicting an incident involving National Guard. She estimated that it would take place in around two weeks from when she spoke.
As a CIA officer, the idea that intelligence officers could be asked to target Americans turns my stomach, and it would shift us into a modern-day surveillance state. Turning the federal government against Trump’s enemies goes hand in hand with his use of force in American cities, both federal law enforcement and the military. As of today, the President has attempted to deploy more than 7,000 National Guard members across five cities, including right here in Washington.
In August, the administration ordered the creation of two new National Guard units, a standing quick reaction force that can deploy anywhere in the country, and then separately, National Guard units in all 50 states focused on quelling so-called civil disturbances. At this point, Trump has been very clear about his intent.
At Quantico, speaking as Commander-in-Chief, he instructed his military brass to use cities as, quote, training grounds. And many times, he’s floated the idea of invoking the Insurrection Act so that military units can raid, detain, and arrest Americans. The President has already deployed ICE and other federal law enforcement to these same cities across America. In some cases, these federal officers are playing fast and loose with their tactics, which sooner or later could lead to a deadly escalation.
The videos out of Chicago are shocking. Federal agents pulling their weapons on highways, firing tear gas into neighborhoods right before a Halloween parade, injuring and even killing civilians. Many are mast, not wearing uniforms and driving unmarked cars. For those of us who served abroad, it feels like another country.
Matter of time before things get worse. By my estimation, we’re about two weeks away from a bloody incident that spirals out of control. This is just the incident that Trump wants to justify more force coming in.
Slotkin is a protege of creepy John Brennan who has reportedly been subpeonaed in a court in Southern Florida for his actions against President Trump and the American people in Trump’s first term in office.
Slotkin was also a proponent of bringing Afghans to the US after Biden’s surrender to the Taliban in 2021.
She could have predicted what in fact actually happened back in 2021 couldn’t she? when she was a big part in creating it!!! pic.twitter.com/IkBq0aFJDg
The man who attacked National Guardsmen in DC only a few days ago was from Afghanistan and is also related to the CIA. One of those he attacked, a young American woman, is dead. She died protecting her country from radicals who hate this country and are trying to destroy it.
The Afghan migrant and father-of-five accused of ambushing two National Guard troops in the US capitol was brought into the country by the Biden administration because of his prior work with the CIA & US government. He drove to DC from Washington state. https://t.co/KDeK6E9izNpic.twitter.com/3vL7XFLXTu
The Department of Justice and FBI Director Kash Patel announced in October it is terminating all association with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) because of its “Hate Map” that targets Christian and conservative organizations.
For decades, the SPLC has labeled American Family Association as a “hate group” simply because it espouses conservative and Christian viewpoints. Other groups targeted by the SPLC include Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), Family Research Council (FRC), Focus on the Family, Moms for Liberty, and Turning Point USA.
“The Southern Poverty Law Center long ago abandoned civil rights work and turned into a partisan smear machine,” Director Patel wrote on X. “Their so-called hate map has been used to defame mainstream Americans and even inspired violence.”
You may recall that the SPLC was cited by gunman Floyd Corkins as his inspiration to barge into Family Research Council offices in 2012 and begin shooting. Most recently, the violent assassination of Charlie Kirk has been questioned as being partly motivated by the fact that the SPLC had recently listed Turning Point USA on its “Hate Map.”
I’m glad to know the DOJ recognizes the SPLC for what it is…a dangerous and reckless organization whose activities incite violence and hatred towards Christians and conservatives in America.
It’s my hope now that more of corporate America will also see through the sham as well and distance themselves from the SPLC’s information as the source for setting bad company policies. Please pray for us as we continue our work to encourage companies and institutions to dump the SPLC.
American Family Association (AFA)informs and equips individuals to strengthen the moral foundations of American culture.
The graft scandal regarding the Ukrainian leader’s inner circle could “shake the country’s political system,” Dmitry Peskov has said
The widening corruption scandal engulfing Ukraine’s leadership will likely have “extremely negative” repercussions for the country’s political stability, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
His remarks came after the Western-backed National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) conducted searches at locations in Kiev linked to Andrey Yermak, Vladimir Zelensky’s powerful chief of staff, leading to his resignation.
Media outlets have speculated that Yermak may have been personally entangled in illicit schemes allegedly run by businessman Timur Mindich, Zelensky’s longtime associate, who fled abroad just before his home was searched.
”The political scandal in Ukraine is expanding. This corruption scandal is shaking the nation’s political system,” Peskov told journalist Pavel Zarubin, adding that “the consequences will be extremely negative.”
NABU has not commented on the raids at Yermak’s home and office. Ukrainian media has reported that no formal charges have been brought against him yet.
Zelensky has reportedly pushed back against domestic pressure to dismiss Yermak following allegations of ties to Mindich, who is accused of orchestrating a kickback scheme within the energy sector. Last week, the Ukrainian leader tapped his aide to lead Kiev’s negotiations on a US-backed proposal to end the conflict with Russia.
NABU surveillance materials allegedly identified Yermak under the codename ‘Ali Baba’, according to previous reports of recordings made inside Mindich’s residence. Opposition MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak said “the 40 thieves” have now “raided Ali Baba’s treasure cave.”
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