Category: Bible Insights

Reflections and meditations about the Bible by Peter DeHaan, PhD.

Embracing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 27, 2014

Celebrate the Trinity

Many people are surprised to learn the word Trinity isn’t in the Bible.

Trinity reflects the nature of God, one God, with three distinct parts: the Father (creator), the Son, Jesus (savior), and the Holy Spirit (guide).

I understand Trinity to mean “three in one.” It’s not a polytheistic implication, as some people assume, but an acknowledgment of God’s character.

Just as I relate to my wife in different ways (friend, partner, lover, and so forth), depending on the situation, God can reveal himself to us through different personas—and we must accept all three.

Not able to find Trinity in the Bible, I looked for mentions of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the same verse.

Matthew 28:19 is the only place I can find all three—and it’s a most significant circumstance. In baptism, all three aspects of God’s person are affirmed—and with equal standing.

We must do the same, equally embracing God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Our true worship of God should be to all three unified parts of his singular reality.

A most helpful book on the subject is The Threefold Art of Experiencing God by Christian A. Schwarz.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Matthew 26-28 and today’s post is on Matthew 28:19.]

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.

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

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Bible Insights

God Speaks Through Feelings and Thoughts

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 20, 2014

Not only can God speak to us through audible words, through silent words, and through visions, he can also direct us through our thoughts, a kind of a sixth sense, a supernatural knowing. People may say, “I just felt I needed to do this.”

Other verbs that uncover this type of godly communication include prompted, urged, and compelled. People may say, “I can’t explain it, but it simply seemed like the right thing” or “I somehow knew what to say.”

Many people experience this type of awareness, but they may not even know God is behind it. Examples of this are also in the Bible.

Consider when Paul feels compelled to go to Jerusalem or when Jonathan acts with brash boldness, even though it’s humanly foolish to do so.

Another time is when the early church decides how to handle a divisive teaching. Also, consider when God directs Paul in writing his letters, when teaching, and even in court.

God can speak to us in many ways. Are we ready to listen?

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Bible Insights

God Speaks Through Visions

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 13, 2014
2 Comments on God Speaks Through Visions

God not only speaks to us through audible words and inaudible words, but he communicates to us through images and scenes. These may happen in our waking hours or when asleep.

God used a dream to show Joseph (son of Jacob) the future, with his parents and brothers bowing down to him. God also communicated to Joseph (Jesus’ father) through dreams, first to go ahead and marry Mary and later to escape to Egypt.

Daniel saw images sent from God.

Peter had a vision telling him to let non-Jews know about Jesus.

Of course, most of Revelation, the last half of Daniel, and much of Ezekiel contain visions portending the future that God gave to his prophets.

In the Bible, God spoke to his people through visions, dreams, and images. His power isn’t diminished now. What he did then, he still does today.

God speaks to us. How he accomplishes it doesn’t matter.

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Bible Insights

God Speaks Through Inaudible Words

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 6, 2014

In addition to speaking to us in audible words, God can also communicate to us inaudibly, implanting his words into our minds through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes it’s instructions to do something, as with Phillip in the desert and Peter at Antioch.

In other instances, he reveals words for people to tell others. For example, God directed Peter what to say when questioned by the religious leaders. He gave wisdom to Stephen, revealed the future to Agabus about a famine, and directed Paul as he spoke to Elymas.

Other times God’s messages can be private communication, such as God revealing to Paul what awaited him in Jerusalem.

This is all through the work of the Holy Spirit, who directs all who follow Jesus.

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Bible Insights

What is the Apocrypha in the Bible?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 2, 2014

Question: What is the Apocrypha?

Answer: The word Apocrypha isn’t in the Bible. The Apocrypha is a group of Old Testament books that are not in all versions of the Bible, such as the current Protestant and Hebrew Bibles.

They are, however, part of the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox versions of the Bible. Since much of Christianity deems these writings as holy and inspired, it’s important to consider them.

These books are:

Roman Catholic Cannon

The Roman Catholic Bible (see the New American Bible, as well as the New Jerusalem Bible, Douay-Rheims, and Good News Translation) includes the following books of the Apocrypha:

Eastern Orthodox Cannon

3 Maccabees
4 Maccabees
1 Esdras
Prayer of Manasseh
Psalm 151
Letter of Jeremiah (sometimes included in Baruch, chapter 6)
(The Prayer of Azariah, usually included in Daniel, as part of chapter 3.)
(Susanna, usually included in Daniel, chapter 13)
(Bel and the Dragon, usually included in Daniel, chapter 14)

Interestingly, the Apocrypha books were part of the original King James translation of the Bible but were later removed.

Furthermore, the Apocrypha was part of the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, which was in use during Jesus’ time.

What happened to them? Why were these books removed? The justification is they aren’t in the Hebrew Bible and there are no versions of them written in Hebrew. Hence their removal.

I think that was a bad call. These books contain some epic stories and can add flavor to our understanding of God. We should embrace them rather than reject them.

To read a version that includes the Apocrypha books, consider Common English Version (CEB).

[See more Bible FAQs for answers to other frequently asked questions.]

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Bible Insights

God Speaks Through Audible Words

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 30, 2014
2 Comments on God Speaks Through Audible Words

God can speak to us in spoken words, just as he did in the Bible. Consider God’s affirmation of Jesus at his baptism and later at the transfiguration. God also spoke to Saul (Paul) at his conversion.

In a less happy moment, God had a conversation with Adam and Eve, as he gave them their punishment for sinning. Many centuries later God verbally proclaimed his sentence against Nebuchadnezzar, just as Daniel predicted.

God often spoke to Moses, such as on the mountain and through the burning bush. In many other instances God spoke to his people through angels, acting as his emissaries.

Last, consider Isaiah’s prophecy that, in the future, God would cause the people to hear his voice.

This is the most encouraging example of all, showing us that what happened in the Bible will also happen in the future.

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Bible Insights

Loving Sinners: Biblical Thoughts on Responding to Sin

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 23, 2014

With a knowing wink and a smile that was too practiced, the preacher said, “Hate the sin, but love the sinner.” This irritated me. I couldn’t tell if he was being snarky, condescending, or wise.

How can we truly separate the deed from its doer? Should we even try to make the distinction?

After all, Jesus said, “A tree is recognized by its fruit.” In essence, we become what we do.

Although I sensed the preacher’s statement could maybe guide my attitude towards sin and sinners, in a practical sense it didn’t help much. What did help was James when he wrote, “Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

I needed to change my focus, to remove my attention from judgment and instead offer mercy. That’s a great start.

What really helped was Peter: “Love covers over a multitude of sins.” Through love, we can overlook the sins of others, regardless of how irrepressible their actions may be. That’s what love is; that’s what love does.

Through this sin-covering love, I can overlook the errors of others and instead focus on the person.

Yes, I can dislike sin. I can also dislike it when people sin. But I need to offer mercy to them; I need to love sinners.

After all, I sin, too—and isn’t mercy and love what I desire, to let love cover my sin?

[Matthew 12:33, Luke 6:44, James 2:13, 1 Peter 4:8, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7]

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Bible Insights

Which Gospel Should I Read First?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 18, 2014

Question: Which Gospel Should I Read First?

Answer: The Bible contains four accounts of the life of Jesus, called Gospels. Each one has its own strengths:

Matthew

The Gospel written by Matthew does much to connect Jewish history and understanding to the life of Jesus.

It is great as a bridge from the Old to New Testament of the Bible and for those interested in better seeing the connections between Judaism and Christianity – and the connections are significant.

Mark

The Gospel written by Mark is the shortest. It is an ideal source to quickly gain an essential understanding of who Jesus is and what he did.

Luke

The Gospel written by Dr. Luke contains details and information not included by Matthew and Mark, serving to nicely round out our understanding of Jesus.

John

The John contains more unique content than the other three accounts. John was a disciple of Jesus and part of the inner circle, so he was an eyewitness to what he recorded.

His writing is poetic in nature and great for those who want to mull over and contemplate what he says.

Pick the Gospel that seems the best fit for you. Read it first, then consider the other three.

[See more Bible FAQs for answers to other frequently asked questions.]

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Bible Insights

What is a Lectionary?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 18, 2014

Question: What is a Lectionary?

Answer: A lectionary is a methodical Bible reading plan that covers the entire Bible in a set time. By definition, our Bible reading plans are lectionaries.

A common and popular lectionary is the Revised Common Lectionary, which is a three-year plan.

In it, each day’s reading covers three or four sections from Bible, often an Old Testament passage, a Psalm, a reading from a Gospel, and a selection from an Epistle.

This provides great variety, but also introduces discontinuity as it makes it hard to see the big picture, instead showing several small vignettes of the Bible each day.

For this reason, the Bible reading plans on this site involve only one passage each day and group whole sections of the Bible together over successive days.

We feel this is a more effective way to comprehend and appreciate the way in which the Bible fits together as a collective whole.

This is not to be critical of the Revised Common Lectionary or other lectionaries, but to offer a perspective of its strengths and weaknesses.

[See more Bible FAQs for answers to other frequently asked questions.]

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Bible Insights

What if I Don’t Understand Everything I Read in the Bible?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 18, 2014

Question: What If I Don’t Understand Everything I Read in the Bible?

Answer: If you don’t understand everything you read in the Bible, then you are in good company. No one completely understands the entire Bible.

Instead of getting frustrated or focusing on what you don’t understand, give your attention to what does make sense.

Over time, as you read and study the Bible, God will reveal more and more truth to you and increase your understanding of it.

Mastering the Bible is like peeling an onion. There are layers and layers. Just when you think you have one passage mastered, God’s Holy Spirit will reveal another deeper and more profound layer.

This is why reading the Bible is not a one-time effort, but a lifetime pursuit of discovery and revelation.

[See more Bible FAQs for answers to other frequently asked questions.]

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