Tag: creation

Categories
Bible Insights

God as a Potter

God as a Potter

The Bible contains many word pictures that help us to understand better our relationship with God. I have eight of them that I will share in the coming days. Note that each offers but a partial picture into God’s character and none is all-encompassing, but they are highly illustrative. Here is the first:

God is a potter and we are the clay.

He molds us and makes us into whatever he wishes, sometimes into elegant vessels and others into common utensils. From this, we can see God portrayed as being in control, creative, a craftsman, a workman, and sovereign.

God’s sovereignty, is something that is not too popular in today’s world.

Correspondingly, we, as clay, are moldable, subject to his will and pleasure; we have no real will of our own.

[Isaiah 64:8, Jeremiah 18:6, Isaiah 29:16, Isaiah 45:9, Romans 9:21]

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.

Categories
Bible Insights

Miracles and an Ant Farm

Miracles and an Ant Farm

Miracles and an Ant Farm

If you accept that God exists and exercises providential care over his creation, it is, therefore, reasonable to expect that from time to time, miracles will occur—either for our own good or for his pleasure.

As such, an occasional divine intervention is not an irrational desire, but a reasonable expectation.

At the risk of trivializing God and his care for us, consider a person wishing to enjoy an “ant farm.” That person would need to first establish the ant colony and would therefore understandably opt to do what is needed to ensure its ongoing survival.

At the same time, he or she would also seek an overall “hands-off” mentality in order to most effectively enjoy the ants in their natural, everyday existence. 

In other words, the ant farmer would intervene (that is, do an “ant miracle”) when there was a prevailing reason to do so, but not as a matter of course.

Although God is much more generous and caring then an ant farmer, the analogy is nonetheless helpful in understanding the possibility of miracles occurring in our world today.

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.

Categories
Bible Insights

Living in the Physical and Spiritual Realms

physical

Living in the Physical and Spiritual Realms

We live in a physical world. We can interact with it though our senses. It is tangible. It is real.

While this is true, there is more—much more. There is a spiritual reality that is even more real then the physical realm that we call home. Consider that God exists in the spiritual realm. It existed first and always has.

It is from this spiritual reality that he created our physical world in which we live. (Don’t get distracted on how this creation occurred.)

In his letter to the people who lived in Thessalonica, Paul talks about our spirit, soul, and body. How do these three aspects of who we are interact and co-exist?

It’s been said that we are a spirit, we have a soul, and we live in a body. Furthermore, our soul is comprised of our mind, will, and emotions. That puts things in the proper order, giving us a good perspective on our existence and what is most important.

Although our body is temporal and will die, our spirit will live on, existing in the spiritual realm. Though it is good and right to take care of our body, it is wiser and better to care for our spirit, because we are a spirit, we just live in a body.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is 1 Thessalonians 4-5, and today’s post is on 1 Thessalonians 5:23.]

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.