Category: Bible Insights

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

How Does Salvation “Work”?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 23, 2008

How Does Salvation “Work”?

In one Paul’s letters, he says something that is quite curious and strange. He tells readers to “work out your salvation” (Philippians 2:12).

Ugh? Didn’t Paul also write that we are saved through faith and not by our “works” (that is, not of our own doing or striving)? (Ephesians 2:8-9).

So, if we can’t earn our salvation, why do we need to work it out? Is Paul confused? Is he schizophrenic? Is this a paradox?

Actually, I think it’s a matter of timing.

First, we need to follow Jesus—by faith. We don’t need to do anything else to get God’s attention or earn his affection.

There is no working involved in being made right with God. That means it’s a gift—we didn’t buy it and can’t earn it; it was given.

The second part is our response. Out of sheer gratitude for the gift, we can opt to respond by behaving differently. I think this is what it means to “work out our salvation,” that is, to cultivate it or complete it.

Consider what if I gave you a million dollars. Would your attitude towards me change? I think so. You might want to find out more about me, learn why I did it, and maybe help me in my future philanthropic efforts.

In essence you might be working out my gift to you. It’s still a gift, but one that evokes a grand response.

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 faith, Jesus, salvation

Bible Insights

The Armor of God is For Protection

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 18, 2008

In the Bible, there is the instruction to “put on the full armor of God.”

To the casual reader, this might seem like a call to arms or a provocation for military action.

Yet I don’t see this as a militant statement, but merely a memory aid to help people remember key items needed to prevail in spiritual conflict, namely: truth, righteousness, sharing the gospel, faith, salvation, and the word of God (the only offensive tool of the group).

Paul, in Ephesians 6:11-17, seems to be painting a word picture using the soldier of the day (which readers would have been most familiar with) connecting his essential gear with these key spiritual elements.

Then, to recall Paul’s list of six items, readers needed only to envision a soldier in uniform and associate each spiritual element with its physical counterpart. For example:

Belt: truth
Breastplate: righteousness (that is, right living)
Shoes: a readiness to share the gospel of peace
Shield: faith
Helmet: salvation
Sword: the word of God (the spoken word of God)

It’s not about a physical fight (which many people have missed throughout the ages), but instead a spiritual conflict for which followers of Jesus must be prepared to engage in using: truth, righteousness, sharing the gospel, faith, salvation, and the Bible.

This is what is meant by the metaphor of the armor of God.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Ephesians 4-6 and today’s post is on Ephesians 6:11-17.]

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Tags Bible, faith, gospel, righteousness, salvation

Bible Insights

Is Karma a Biblical Concept?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 3, 2008

Karma is a concept found in many eastern religions that essentially says, “What goes around, comes around.” It is a sort of universal law of cause and effect.

There is a seemingly karma-like verse in the Bible, which appears to paraphrase this idea. It says, “You reap what you sow.”

However, in looking at the text preceding it, we see that the premise behind this concept is not a universal law, but rather a just God who will not let the unjust forever get off scot-free or the righteous not eventually be rewarded.

In the Amplified version expands on this nicely, allowing the fuller impact of the original language to be felt:

“Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside.) [He inevitably deludes himself who attempts to delude God.]

“For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap.”
[Galatians 6:7]

So what at first glance appeared to be a restatement of karma is really the reflection of the character of a God who is fair and just.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Galatians 4-6 and today’s post is on Galatians 6:7.]

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Tags spiritual journey

Bible Insights

What Good is a Little Bit of Yeast?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 2, 2008

I did a word study on the usage of yeast in the Bible. Here is what I found:

Yeast is used symbolically to represent influence, usually negatively. Just as a little bit of yeast, permeates dough and produces a noticeable result, so to does influence, be it good or bad.

The Bible contains many references to not using yeast in various religious practices, which symbolically shows the removal of sin.
Paul compares false teaching to yeast.
Another negative connotation is when Jesus says, beware of the yeast of the Pharisees (which is hypocrisy) and also the Sadducees and Herod.
In seemingly the only positive usage of yeast in the Bible, Jesus says that the Kingdom of God (that is, the Kingdom of Heaven) is like yeast.
In a final reference to yeast Paul uses it as a metaphor for boasting. Paul talks about getting rid of bread with old yeast (malice and wickedness) and using new bread without yeast (sincerity and truth).

[Check out where these references to yeast are found.]

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Tags Jesus, kingdom of God, Paul

Bible Insights

Do You Live by the Law or by Faith?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 30, 2008

Do You Live by the Law or by Faith?

In what initially seems to be shocking statement, Jesus says that if we want to have eternal life, we must follow the commandments in the Old Testament. [Matthew 19:17]

Of course, this is impossible, because if we break even one law, one time, we are found guilty and therefore separated from God. Clearly, following rules is not the solution.

So what is? The realistic answer is that we need to turn from our wrong-doing and follow Jesus by faith, who took the hit for our law-breaking, making us right with God.

Even Abraham, was made right with God through his faith, not by following a bunch of rules. [Galatians 3:6]

For further contemplation, this contrast between the law (following rules) and faith (following Jesus) is expanded upon and explained in greater detail in Galatians 3, especially verses 10-11,19, and 21-22. Also see Ephesians 2:8.

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Tags Abraham, faith, Jesus

Bible Insights

Raised From the Dead for Physical and Spiritual Life

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 25, 2008

When Jesus died, many dead people came to life. This is a literal, physical event that Matthew documented.

This can also be understood and applied on a figurative or symbolic basis, in that for all who follow Jesus: We came alive when Jesus died.

This is a new, spiritual, eternal life.

In short, Jesus died so that we may live.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Matthew 26-28 and today’s post is on Matthew 27:52-53. Read more about Jesus.]

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Tags eternal life, Jesus

Bible Insights

Is it Easier to Forgive or to Heal Someone?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 12, 2008

There is an account of Jesus, when a paralyzed man seeks to be healed. In a surprise move, Jesus confounds everybody by forgiving the man’s sins!

Jesus had realized that this man’s greatest need was not physical, but spiritual, so he addressed that first.

Knowing that it is much easier to say “your sins are forgiven” then to make a lame man walk, Jesus than healed the man (thereby proving he had the power to forgive sins) and addressed the man’s second greatest need.

In doing so, Jesus shows that he came not only to save (forgive our sins), but also to heal.

[Matthew 9:2-8, Mark 2:2-12, and Luke 5:18-26]

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Tags forgiveness, heal, Jesus

Bible Insights

Traditions Have Their Place

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 8, 2008

In the book of Matthew, Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for placing their traditions ahead of God’s commands. From our perspective, in a different time and culture, it is easy for us to see their error.

However, we likely do the same type of thing and are blind to it.

What might some of those traditions be?

Certainly a lot of what happens at many church services today are based more on tradition than command.

While many of those traditions have a solid basis or are good for us to follow, it is all too easy for our man-made traditions to take on more importance or priority than is wise or warranted.

If our traditions distract us from following and serving Jesus, then it is time to set them aside.

Consider which traditions you’ve placed too high of emphasis on.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Matthew 14-16 and today’s post is on Matthew 15:3-7.]

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Bible Insights

Book Review: Mere Christianity

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 4, 2008

By C. S. Lewis

Reviewed by Peter DeHaan

C.S. Lewis’s book, Mere Christianity, is based on a series of BBC radio broadcasts in the early 1940s.

Initially, published as three separate volumes Broadcast Talks (1942), Christian Behaviour (1943), and Beyond Personality (1944), the works were combined in 1952 to result in Mere Christianity, that is to say, merely expounding on Christianity.

Mere Christianity is divided into four sections:

1. The first is “Right and Wrong as a Clue to the Meaning of the Universe,” which aptly serves as a strong foundation on which the rest of the book—and Christianity—is built.

2. The second section, “What Christians Believe,” shows that we have free will to love God or deny Him, but Satan, our enemy, wants us to think we can be like God (which explains all of history).

God sent Jesus into the world; his death puts us right with God, yet it evokes a response: change.

3. “Christian Behavior” is the title for part three, which covers practical behavior issues.

4. Doctrine is addressed in the book’s final section.

Lewis concludes with the encouragement to “look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in,” a fitting conclusion to this intellectual treatise on what is merely Christianity.

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Tags C. S. Lewis, spiritual growth

Bible Insights

Praise God or Fear God?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 2, 2008

Praise God or Fear God?

After Jesus performs a miracle—healing a paralytic man—the people were fearful of God, yet full of praise at the same time (this precise wording is not apparent in all translations—see the New Living Translation or the Amplified Bible).

Although it seems like a paradox to simultaneously fear God and praise him, perhaps this is a view we should adopt.

Yes, there are reasons to fear him, but they must be carefully balanced with praising him.

It may be in the midst of that balance that we are able to best connect with him.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Matthew 8-10 and today’s post is on Matthew 9:2-8.]

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Tags Jesus, paradox