Biblical Christianity from Peter DeHaan

We Must Teach Sound Doctrine

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date December 27, 2017

When we talk to others about God it’s critical we teach sound doctrine

Paul writes a letter of instruction to his protégé Titus. In it he devotes a lengthy section instructing Titus about how to teach others.

Paul opens this passage with the simple direction that Titus must teach whatever’s appropriate for sound doctrine (Titus 2:1).

I like this phrase, “sound doctrine.” The concept of having a healthy foundation for our faith should guide the things we tell others when we talk about God.

Sound Doctrine

This idea of having a worthy creed implies that there is a basis for it. The Bible is certainly our primary source for our doctrine.

We find further guidance in this by the direction of the Holy Spirit and in considering what others have to say about the Bible.

If we say something contrary to what we find in the Word of God or how the Holy Spirit directs us, this isn’t a doctrine that’s sound.

Unsound Doctrine

If we consider sound doctrine, the opposite might be unsound doctrine. What does this entail? Unsound doctrine includes things that aren’t in the Bible, notions we make up or sound good.

Our unexamined customs, practices, and traditions could fall under the category of unsound doctrine. We should avoid it.

Sound Heresy

Another opposite of sound doctrine might be sound heresy. What is sound heresy? It’s things that sound good, but aren’t. Sometimes this is people misquoting Scripture.

For example, “The Good Lord helps them who helps themselves,” isn’t in the Bible, but many people think it is. It is, in fact, sound heresy, because people believe it even when they shouldn’t.

Another example of sound heresy comes from preachers who say things with such passion and so frequently, that we accept their words as truth even if those things aren’t supported by the Bible.

We feel good about these ideas, but they aren’t relevant; they’re just sound heresy.

Instead we must seek to hold onto a sound doctrine, rejecting shallow doctrine as well as sound heresy. We should be like the people in Berea who check to see if Paul’s words are supported by what Scripture says (Acts 17:11).

[Read through the Bible this year. Today’s reading is Titus 1-3, and today’s post is on Titus 2:1.]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

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Tags doctrine, minister, Paul, teachers

Christian Living

What Is God’s Will for Our Life?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date December 24, 2017

Many People Struggle to Ascertain God’s Will for Them, but the Bible Already Gives the Answers

In our post about discovering the will of God, we noted three things he wants us to do: rejoice always, pray continuously, and give thanks in all situations. But that’s not all. The Bible also gives us other passages about God’s will for us.

It’s God’s Will For Us to Be Pure

In Paul’s letter to the Thessalonian church, he tells them to be sanctified, that is set apart and pure. He specifically tells them to avoid sexual immorality (1 Thessalonians 4:3).

It’s God’s Will For Us to Do Good

Peter also clues us in to God’s will. In his first letter, he tells his audience that it’s God’s will for them that by doing good they will silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. That is, through their actions, people will have no grounds to criticize them (1 Peter 2:15). This, too, is the will of God.

It’s God’s Will For Us That If We Suffer, It’s For Doing Good Instead of Evil

Though no one wants to suffer, it’s better to suffer for doing the right thing instead of doing the wrong thing. It’s not God’s will for us to suffer. But if we do, it should be for doing something good, not something bad (1 Peter 3:17).

It’s God’s Will For Us to Rejoice Always, Pray Continuously, and Give Thanks Regardless

As we’ve already covered, God wants us to be filled with joy. He wants us to be in a continual attitude of prayer. And he wants us to be ever thankful, even when we don’t feel like it. We find this in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

It’s God’s Will for Us to Trust Him with Our Future

In the book of Acts we don’t see a command about God’s will but an example that demonstrates it.

When Paul visits the city of Ephesus, they ask him to stay, but he turns them down. However, he does say that he’ll come back, “if it is God’s will” (Acts 18:21, NIV).

This shows us that although Paul makes plans, he holds them loosely. He trusts God will work things out for what is best.

This idea of trusting God with our future is huge. Too often we struggle to ascertain God’s leading in certain key decisions, such as who to marry, career choices, where to live, business decisions, and so forth.

While it’s not inappropriate to seek God’s opinion in these things, we can see from Paul’s example that it’s perfectly acceptable to give our future over to God and trust him with it.

This is also his will for us, and it frees us from much indecision and paralyzing inaction.

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Tags future, trust

Personal Posts

The Christmas Story, As Told by Doctor Luke

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date December 21, 2017

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.

So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.

So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.

For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

(Luke 2:1-14 — NKJV)

Do you like this post? Want to read more? Check out Peter’s book, Bridging the Sacred-Secular Divide: Discovering the Spirituality of Every Day Life, available wherever books are sold.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags Christianity, holiday, Sacred-Secular Divide

Bible Insights

The Holy Spirit Lives in Us, But Do We Realize It?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date December 20, 2017

God’s Holy Spirit exists in those who follow Jesus

Before Jesus leaves this earth to return to his father in heaven he promises his disciples that they will receive the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, who Father God will send them.

The Holy Spirit will teach them all things and remind them of what Jesus said (John 14:26).

A few weeks later, the Holy Spirit shows up. He comes with power and might. He supernaturally enables the disciples of Jesus to do amazing things (Acts 2:1-4).

What about us today? For people who see no evidence of the Holy Spirit in their lives, they assume this promise of Jesus only applied to his disciples, that the Holy Spirit is not a present-day reality.

However, other people operate under the power of the Holy Spirit most every day. They see Jesus’s promise as one that applies to all his followers throughout time. They believe that the Holy Spirit lives in us—all of us. Which is it?

We get a hint at the answer in Paul’s letter to his protégé Timothy. Paul affirms the Holy Spirit lives in Timothy, as well as in all of us (2 Timothy 1:14).

This confirms that Paul believes in Holy Spirit power. Paul moved in that power, and Timothy could tap into that same power.

Neither Paul nor Timothy were disciples of Jesus, but they are his followers. As followers of Jesus they have the Holy Spirit in them, even though they weren’t his disciples.

The same applies to us today. As followers of Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit in us. The Holy Spirit lives in us.

The question is, what are we doing with this Holy Spirit power? Are we ignoring it, or using it to accomplish amazing things for Father God and Jesus?

[Read through the Bible this year. Today’s reading is 2 Timothy 1-4, and today’s post is on 2 Timothy 1:14.]

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Tags follow Jesus, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Paul, supernatural, Timothy

Christian Living

How Can Free Will and Predestination Coexist?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date December 17, 2017

We Have the Right to Choose, but God Already Knows Our Decision

Some people insist that God gave us free will to make our own decisions, that we hold our future in our hands. Others claim our future has already been set, that God charts our course, with the outcome predestined.

Which is it?

Both.

Creation and the Timespace Continuum

Let’s start at the beginning. Actually, let’s start before the beginning. Before God’s creation.

God is an eternal being without beginning or end. He exists outside our spacetime reality. When he created us and the space we live in, he created time, too.

Consider the spacetime continuum. If he made space, he had to make time, because the two are inseparable.

To him there is no past or future. I suppose this means he sees everything as a present, existent reality.

However, our existence unfolds as we move through the time he created for us to live in. Because we are bound by time, we see our future as unknown, something yet to be determined.

Therefore, the question of free will and predestination seems to us as an either/or proposition. But to God, it isn’t.

Our Perspective of Time

God, who exists outside of time, doesn’t have the constraints we have.

Though our minds are finite, and our reasoning has limits, here’s how I reconcile the two.

God gives us free will to choose. But he already knows what those decisions are. Because of his awareness, one not bound by time, he knows our future as if it is the present.

What we see as an unknown future, he sees as a known reality. To God our future is foreknown. In essence, it’s predestined.

It will happen for us in our future even though it’s in the present for him. It’s known in advance, predestined, because he sees the outcomes of the free will that he gave us.

Though God allows us to choose our future, he already knows what those choices are. Nothing we do surprises him. In this way, our future is predestined, even though we have the free will to choose it.

And since he already knows what will happen to us in our future reality, he works things out for our best (Romans 8:28-29).

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Tags creation, free will, predestination, space-time

Personal Posts

Let’s Back-Up

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date December 16, 2017

Many years ago, I worked as a tech writer. I knew the importance of making copies of my work, so I’d faithfully backup my files each Friday as I wrapped up the workweek.

One Friday was particularly hectic, and in a rush to begin my weekend, I postponed making my backup, planning to do it first thing Monday morning. That was my first mistake.

My second error is that I left my computer running. Over the weekend, a power spike corrupted the files. As a result, I lost forty hours of carefully crafted writing. I needed to revert to my backup from the prior week.

Although dismayed at my shortsightedness, I immediately began reconstructing my lost work. Fortunately, the second pass went much quicker, and I was able to recompose everything by midday Wednesday.

As a bonus, the second version was better than the first.

Having experienced firsthand the importance of frequently backing up my work, I became fastidious in doing so. It’s a practice that continues to this day. Not only do I make backups on a network drive, but I also use an automatic off-site backup service.

For people who feel they can’t afford the 40 dollars or so annual fee for such a service, they should at least sign up for a free Gmail account and email themselves a copy of important files each time they finish working.

But some people still don’t follow this advice. Periodically, I hear from aspiring writers who lost their entire book when their hard drive crashed. Ouch!

Please make sure I never hear your name mentioned in such a devastating story.

Do you like this post? Want to read more? Check out Peter’s book, Bridging the Sacred-Secular Divide: Discovering the Spirituality of Every Day Life, available wherever books are sold.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags Sacred-Secular Divide, technology

Bible Insights

We Need To Pray For Those In Power Over Us

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date December 13, 2017

The Bible reminds us to pray for those in authority, which includes our politicians

In Paul’s first letter to his protégé Timothy, he adds an important command. We can likewise apply Paul’s wise instruction as something for us to follow today. He tells us we are to pray for those in authority.

This includes our elected officials, from the highest position to the local ones.

Though I remember to pray for family and friends on a regular basis, I usually neglect to pray for people in positions of authority.

And to be painfully blunt, even when I remember to do this, there are some politicians I simply don’t want to pray for.

I should push past that and pray for them anyway, but often I don’t.

When we consider how to pray for our elected officials, Paul breaks it down. He says to make petitions, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving. This is a curious string of words.

Thanksgiving is something I understand. It’s just that I’m not always so thankful for those in elected positions. Too often I don’t respect them or even like them. This makes it hard for me to be thankful, even though I should.

Intersession and petition are about the same thing. Intersession is intervening in prayer on behalf of another. Contrast this to petition, which carries the idea of a solemn entreaty.

Prayer seems to encompass all three—thanksgiving, intersession, and petitions—yet the text lists prayer separately. Of course, with prayer we expressly realize that we direct our thanksgiving, intersession, and petitions to God.

This focus on God serves to remind us that regardless of the actions, beliefs, and character of those in authority that God is the ultimate authority.

He’s in charge. And as the one who’s ultimately in charge, we need to pray to him about all the authorities who are under him.

May we do just that. Let’s start today. Join me in prayer.

[Read through the Bible this year. Today’s reading is 1 Timothy 1-3, and today’s post is on 1 Timothy 2:1-2.]

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Tags pray, Thanksgiving

Christian Living

The Bible Unveils Rich Literature to Us

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date December 10, 2017

The Bible Contains Epic Stories, Profound Poetry, and a Compelling Narrative

In my continuing series of why I love the Bible, here’s reason number 10. The Bible is classic literature, that transcends the ages. The Bible has withstood the onslaught of time and the attacks of its detractors, who have sought to destroy its existence.

Historic Books

A big portion of the Bible reveals history to us. These grand accounts tell us the story of people, with their faith and their faults propelling them forward.

We see great accomplishments in the face of pressure and formidable odds, things that seem beyond our abilities.

We also see some epic failures, of people making terrible decisions under questionable motives, mistakes that we would certainly never do ourselves.

These Accounts Teach Us, Warn Us, and Entertain Us

Consider some of the tales that virtually everyone knows, even those who have never picked up a Bible:

Adam and Eve, along with the serpent
Cain and Abel
Noah and the ark
Moses and the Ten Commandments
Samson and Delilah
Father Abraham
Lot and his wife at Sodom and Gomorrah
Queen Esther and the king
David and Goliath
Jesus, the star of the show, with his teaching, his followers, and his crucifixion
Armageddon, the end of the world

Most everyone knows of these tales and can recite key elements. Movies bring these stories to life, with bold color, amazing special effects, and a grand musical score. These accounts permeate our culture and our awareness.

Wisdom Literature

The Bible also contains wisdom literature, an ancient poetry that teaches us what is true and wise. We read these sections for guidance and encouragement.

These principles are also scattered throughout our reality, sometimes as pithy one-liners.

Prophecy

The Bible also contains some forward-looking sections, prophecies of what will come, some of which have since occurred and some of which we still anticipate.

These accounts captivate our mind with intrigue and wonder. These other-worldly allusions send our imaginations soaring and fill us with awe.

The Bible contains so much great literature, well worth our time to explore it.

Some people study the Bible as the Word of God, and other people read the Bible as literature. Both approaches have value. Read the Bible. Start today.

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Tags Bible, read the Bible

Personal Posts

Are You Pro-Life?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date December 7, 2017

Ask someone who is “pro-life” what that means and he or she will most likely say they are against abortion. True, but what else? If pressed, they may also mention opposition to euthanasia.

That seems a lot like someone claiming to be a “music lover,” but who only listens to classical music—how limited and shortsighted. Can anyone truly be a music lover if they only experience a small segment of all things musical?

To truly be pro-life seemingly means to affirm all life and seek to improve the condition of all people.

As such, that means pro-life is not just about protecting the unborn and terminally ill, but also about addressing homelessness, unemployment, AIDS, poverty, prejudice, healthcare, social injustice, immigration, repression, war, slavery, genocide, and anything else that relates to life and living.

Historically, one political party in the United States has been preferred by the traditional pro-life crowd.

However, given the preceding holistic, expanded definition of pro-life, it is the other party who are more fully addressing many of these life issues.

So, the question remains, are you pro-life?

I am.

Do you like this post? Want to read more? Check out Peter’s book, Bridging the Sacred-Secular Divide: Discovering the Spirituality of Every Day Life, available wherever books are sold.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags health, poverty, Sacred-Secular Divide

Bible Insights

Discover the Will of God

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date December 6, 2017

Discerning the will of God isn’t hard; the Bible is clear what we are to do

As Paul wraps up his first letter to the Thessalonian church, he slips in three quick instructions. These concise commands seem like soundbites.

And once he delivers them, he concludes that doing these things is the will of God for all those who follow Jesus.

What?

We all want to know what the will of God is and often struggle to figure it out. Yet the Bible tells us the answer most clearly:

Rejoice Always

To rejoice means to be delighted or to feel joyful. An old definition of rejoice means “to fill with joy.” That understanding is more helpful in getting at the intention of this instruction.

To fill with joy gives us a nice word picture of what it means to rejoice always.

We all know people whose lives are marked with joy. We also know grouches who live in a continual state of complaining. Those people exist outside the will of God, at least that’s what Paul says in the Bible.

Instead, God’s will for us, all of us who follow Jesus, is to rejoice always.

Pray Continually

Next Paul tells us to pray continually. I wonder if he means for us to be in nonstop prayer throughout the day or if the word continually is hyperbole to make his point and get our attention.

Some days it seems that God is an afterthought. I hardly pray, if at all, let alone continually. But for other days, though not nearly as many as I would like, God is at the forefront of my mind in most all that I do.

I’m aware of his presence, and we go through the day together, in a state of near constant communication. This could be what Paul means when he says to pray continually. And it is God’s will for us to do so. That’s what the Bible says.

Give Thanks In All Circumstances

The third aspect of doing God’s will is to show thankfulness in all situations. Sometimes this is challenging. Yet even when the worst happens, there’s usually something to be thankful for.

It takes practice to develop the skill to see things in every context that we can appreciate.

However, since it’s God’s will for us to give thanks in every circumstance, we must develop this skill. As the prior instruction tells us, this is something we can pray about.

It’s God’s desire for those of us who follow Jesus to rejoice, pray, and give thanks in all things. We need to remember this the next time we worry about discerning God’s will for our life.

[Read through the Bible this year. Today’s reading is 1 Thessalonians 4-5, and today’s post is on 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.]

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Tags pray