Faith Comes from Hearing God’s Message About Jesus and Believing
In the book of Isaiah, the prophet asks, “Who has believed God’s message?” Isaiah then goes on to prophetically proclaim what Jesus will do. He will suffer and die for us, sheep that have wandered off.
He will take upon himself the punishment for our mistakes (Isaiah 53).
Who will believe this?
In Isaiah’s time, few believe what
he says, what God says through him. Though they have reason to place their hope
in God and the Savior he promised to send, most of them don’t. They reject
Isaiah’s words and the God who sent him.
We see this phrase from the book of
Isaiah quoted twice in the New Testament. Both John and Paul refer to this
passage.
John Quotes Isaiah
John repeats this verse from Isaiah to remind his readers that the Jews—or at least most Jews—still weren’t believing God’s promise. And they weren’t seeing Jesus as the fulfillment of that promise (John 12:38). Some things never change.
Paul Quotes Isaiah
Later, in Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, he gives the people there a brief history lesson. He reminds them that not all the Israelites accepted God’s promise of a future Savior.
The Jews rejected God then, just as some of them continue to reject him. Though God will continue to extend his offering to his people, other nations will find him too (Romans 10:16-21).
Do We Believe Today?
What is our response to God’s good
news today? Do we believe God’s message about Jesus who came to save us? Though
we fall short of God’s expectations, Jesus can make us right and reconcile us with
Papa.
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.
Distinguishing Between the Many Men in the Bible Named Simon and Simeon
When I write a blog post, I never know which one will resonate with people. A perennial favorite—which always surprises me—is 9 guys named Simon in the Bible.
When people read the post about 9 guys name Simon, they sometimes contact me to tell me I left out a couple. I panic over the thought that I missed a few, but when I investigate, I discover they’re confusing Simon with Simeon.
Just as there are multiple guys in the Bible named Simon, there are several guys in the Bible named Simeon. They are:
1. Simeon One of Jacob’s Twelve Sons
Simeon’s descendants become the tribe of Simeon. He (along with the tribe that bears his name) appears thirty-four times in the Old Testament and twice in the New Testament.
The Bible records two stories about Simeon. One is that he, along with brother Levi, avenge the rape of their sister Dinah by annihilating the city of Shechem.
Later, in dramatic fashion, Joseph takes his older brother Simeon from the brothers and ties him up before sending the rest of them on their way (Genesis 42:24-36).
Spoiler alert: Joseph later frees Simeon and a happy reunion takes place.
2. Simeon Who Blesses Baby Jesus in the Temple
In the story, which appears only in Luke’s biography of Jesus, we read of a devout and righteous man called Simeon. He lives in expectation that God will soon send his Savior to rescue the people.
One day, prompted by the Holy Spirit, Simeon goes to the temple. He sees the eight-day-old baby Jesus. He scoops up the child and praises God. Simeon blesses Mary and Joseph and prophesies about Jesus (Luke 2:25-35).
3. Simeon, an Ancestor of Jesus
In Luke’s genealogy of Jesus, he includes Simeon (Luke 3:30). We know nothing more about him from the Bible other than he’s an ancestor of Jesus.
[I don’t know how I missed this Simeon in my initial research, but I did. Thank you to Richard Murray for pointing this out.]
4. Simeon, Also Called Niger
This Simeon is one of the leaders in the church in Antioch along with Barnabas, Lucius, Manaen, and Saul. All we know about this Simeon is that Luke labels him as a prophet and a teacher (Acts 13:1).
Though it’s possible that this is the same Simeon who blessed Jesus as an infant, it’s unlikely because we can assume that Simeon is already quite old at that time and these two passages occur forty or more years from each other, suggesting that there are two Simeon’s in the New Testament.
Keeping people straight in the Bible can present a challenge because different people have the same names. In addition, some names are similar, such as Simon and Simeon. But now we’re armed with a list of who they are.
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.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
Some People Avoid Persecution and Others Pursue It
In my post that listed spiritual disciplines, I explained that spiritual disciplines are an activity we willingly pursue to draw us closer to God or to honor him. After listing seventeen examples of spiritual disciplines, I wondered about four more possibilities.
One of those is suffering. Is there a spiritual discipline of suffering?
Though it’s true that some people suffer needlessly for their faith, it’s more correct that sometimes people unavoidably suffer for their beliefs under repressive regimes and in oppressive cultures.
They have no choice in this, so we can’t really say it’s a spiritual discipline because they didn’t willingly embrace it. Or can we? Consider our possible attitudes and responses to suffering.
Choose to Suffer
For us to consider suffering as a spiritual discipline, it must be something we voluntarily practice, perhaps even intentionally pursue. We have a choice in this.
We can choose to avoid going places, taking actions, or making statements that open us up for verbal criticism and physical attack.
When it comes to taking a stand for Jesus, we opt to remain inconspicuous. In doing so we don’t pursue the spiritual gift of suffering.
The opposite occurs when we look for opportunities to go places, take actions, and make statements to tell others about Jesus or serve him with intention—regardless of the outcome.
This boldness to stand for what we believe—despite the possibility that we could face persecution as a result—is a full embrace of the spiritual discipline of suffering.
We see the early church doing this. They ask the Lord for boldness to push past the opposition they face so they may advance the kingdom of God. He answers their prayer by sending the Holy Spirit to empower them for bold witness (Acts 4:29-31).
Celebrate Suffering
Another consideration of what the spiritual discipline of suffering may entail is in our response to endearing pain for the cause of Jesus. Perhaps we didn’t willingly choose to face persecution, but we can choose our reaction to it.
When faced with criticism or harm after taking a stand for our faith, do we bemoan our pain or praise God that we’re worthy to suffer for him and his cause?
The early church also exemplifies this. Hauled in before the religious counsel, the apostles must explain their actions that offend Jewish leaders. Peter speaks boldly about Jesus, his sacrificial death, and Holy Spirit power.
The Council wants to execute the apostles, but after discussion, they decide to merely whip them and command them to stop talking about Jesus.
His followers leave celebrating the fact that they were good enough to suffer for him (Acts 5:40-41).
Avoid or Embrace the Spiritual Discipline of Suffering
In many cases, we can choose to remain quiet and keep our faith a secret, therefore avoiding suffering for our faith.
The opposite is looking for opportunities to speak about our faith with openness and boldness, choosing to do so even if persecution may result.
This is the spiritual discipline of
suffering.
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.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
The purpose of the Bible’s 66 books is to reveal God to us. More specifically, the Bible reveals Jesus to us. The Old Testament anticipates him, while the New Testament celebrates him.
This is perhaps best portrayed through The Jesus Bible, which smartly places the focus of the biblical text where it belongs: on Jesus.
Available in both the
popular New International Version (NIV) and contemporary English Standard
Version (ESV), The Jesus Bible surrounds these two reader-friendly versions with
1,000 additional pieces—in the form of conveniently placed full-page articles
and sidebars—to round out the text and breathe new life into the familiar.
The Jesus Bible prefaces each of the Bible’s 66 books with helpful introductory text to explain the context, setting, or significance of the words that follow.
Each section also provides details of where and how the book fits into the historical timeline, along with a key verse from that book.
The Jesus Bible Artist Edition, ESV, which I reviewed, includes a helpful concordance in the back matter.
If you’re looking for more than the Bible, such as a Bible that helps you better understand what it says and how it applies to your life, consider The Jesus Bible.
[Legal stuff: I received this Bible for free as a member of the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid, #BibleGatewayPartner.]
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.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
Consider some of the best-known
biblical murderers.
Cain Kills Abel
We’re only four chapters into the Bible when the first murder occurs. Cain kills his brother Abel. The account in the Bible suggests that Cain premeditated his actions. First degree murder.
But let’s not view Cain as all evil. Like his brother, Cain worships God and brings an offering to him. (We do this too.)
Yet God finds Cain’s offering lacking. As a result, Cain is angry with God. (Are we ever angry at God?) Out of jealousy (another common human trait), Cain kills his brother (Genesis 4).
Although we haven’t likely killed someone, we have more in common with
Cain then we want to admit.
Moses Kills an Egyptian
Another well-known and esteemed person in the Bible is Moses. Yet Moses is another one of our biblical murderers.
Moses witnesses an Egyptian overlord beating a Hebrew man, one of Moses his own kind. Seeing no one else watching, Moses kills the Egyptian and hides the evidence (Exodus 2:11-14).
Again, we see another instance of premeditated murder. Though we might sympathize with Moses’s actions or even say it was a just killing, the reality is that it’s still murder.
But despite Moses killing another man, God still uses Moses to free his people. God later has an intimate relationship with Moses, one that we’d all like to have.
David Kills Uriah
The third of biblical murderers is David. David spends many years of his life leading an army and slaying his enemies. But we don’t call him a murderer for his military exploits.
We call him a murderer for planning and ordering the death of his lover’s husband.
Not only is David a murderer, he’s also an adulterer (2 Samuel 11).
Yet the Bible later calls David a man after God’s own heart. Yes, David
suffers for what he did, but God restores David into a right relationship with him.
Paul Kills Stephen
Paul, a key figure in the early church and the New Testament’s most prolific writer, is another of our biblical murderers.
Paul, a righteous and devout Jew, a godly person, is zealous in his opposition to the followers of Jesus. Paul does this for God and in the name of religion.
History is full of people who kill for their faith, but that doesn’t justify their actions.
Though Paul kills many for his religion, the Bible only gives us details of one: Stephen (Acts 7:57-8:1). Yet despite Paul’s violent opposition to team Jesus, Jesus later calls Paul to follow him and grows him into a most effective missionary.
Judas Kills Jesus
Let’s not forget that Judas is another on the list of biblical murderers. Though he doesn’t physically kill another person as did Cain and Moses, and he doesn’t orchestrate a death like David, Judas is the catalyst for another death, Jesus.
Jesus—the most significant death to occur in the Bible, for humanity, and throughout all time. Though Jesus’s death is necessary to save us, that doesn’t forgive Judas for his part in making it happen.
Like Cain, we must realize that Judas isn’t all bad. He is a follower of Jesus, after all, a disciple. Yet he is also greedy, and in his greed he sells out Jesus (Luke 22:47-53).
Though Judas might have received forgiveness from Jesus—just as Jesus
forgave and restored Peter into a right relationship with him—we’ll never know.
Judas commits suicide out of remorse over what he did to Jesus.
Who Do We Kill?
Jesus teaches us what the Old Testament commands: killing is wrong.
Yet he goes beyond the physical act of murder to tell us that even being angry at another person is a sin. Implicitly it’s murder. As a result of anger, we are no less innocent than someone who murders another.
But there’s more. Much more. Though we blame Judas for Jesus’s death, we are part of it too. Because of our sins, Jesus had to die to reconcile us with Father God.
Our sins made it necessary for Jesus to die. As painful as it is to say, we helped murder Jesus.
Biblical Murderers
All five of these biblical murderers had a relationship with God. And at the time of the murders they committed, orchestrated, or approved, they weren’t in a good place with God on their faith journey. But it’s what happens afterward that counts.
Are we willing to put the past behind us—regardless of how horrific or benign it might be—and move forward to serve Jesus and advance the kingdom of God?
We can do much like Moses, David, and Paul. Or we can falter like Cain and Judas. The choice is ours.
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.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
There’s a story about a military leader, a centurion, who desires Jesus to heal his dying servant.
The centurion doesn’t approach Jesus himself, but instead he calls in a favor, asking some Jewish leaders to go on his behalf.
If these men are like most of the religious leaders we read about in the Bible, they don’t like Jesus and must be humiliated to ask him for help.
In presenting their case, the Jewish leaders claim the centurion is worthy to receive Jesus’ assistance. This perspective is consistent with the people’s understanding of the Old Testament, which they see as focusing on right behavior.
Despite the admirable qualities of the centurion, the reality is no one deserves God’s favor. But while we can’t earn God’s attention, he gives it anyway.
Jesus agrees to help, but the centurion deems himself unworthy to meet Jesus or for Jesus to come to his house. In and of ourselves, we are not worthy either; it’s only through Jesus that we become worthy.
Jesus is amazed at the centurion’s faith; the servant is made well in absentia.
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.
The Holy Spirit Gives Jesus’s Followers Special Abilities
In the Bible, Paul talks about spiritual gifts, special abilities given to us by the Holy Spirit. These aren’t for our personal use but for the common good of Jesus’s followers, that is, his church.
Some of these supernatural abilities enhance our existing capabilities, while others are new skills we didn’t have before.
Here are the main spiritual gifts we
find in the Bible.
First Corinthians Lists Nine Spiritual Gifts
In his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul talks about spiritual gifts. He says they’re given through the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-10). They are:
1. Wisdom: ability to
apply spiritual truth to meet specific needs or situations.
2. Knowledge: provide truth
by revealing critical information, biblical understanding, or supernatural insight.
3. Faith: confidence
in God that he will provide, protect, and answer prayers.
5. Miracles: show God’s
power through supernatural action.
6. Prophecy: guide others
by speaking truth to cause correction or repentance.
7. Discernment: able to
distinguish between truth and error, fact and fiction.
8. Tongues: talk in a
language unknown to the speaker for the purpose of prayer, worship, or for
others.
9. Interpretation: tell
others what someone said in tongues.
Paul Adds Four More Gifts
A bit later in his letter Paul adds four additional items to the list (1 Corinthians 12:28). Though he doesn’t specifically call them gifts, God does assign them. In this list, Paul repeats miracles, healing, and speaking in tongues. But he also includes four more items:
10. Apostleship: oversee and lead a
ministry or missionary effort.
11. Teaching: understand and explain
biblical truth to help others apply it to their lives and grow in faith.
12. Helps/Service: assist a ministry
or person to meet needs and accomplish objectives.
13. Administration: organize and
execute ministry goals.
Romans Lists Four More Spiritual Gifts
In Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, he talks about God giving us different abilities, that is, spiritual gifts (Romans 12:6-8). God does this by his grace, granting us what we don’t deserve.
Again we see some repetition with prophecy, faith, serving (helps), and teaching.
In addition, Paul lists another four
spiritual gifts:
14. Exhortation/Encouragement: encourage people through words of comfort, inspiration, and
reassurance.
15. Giving: generously
provide money and resources for ministry.
16. Leadership: cast
vision, motivate, and build teams to advance God’s kingdom.
17. Mercy: provide
compassion to the poor and hurting.
Other Considerations
18. Evangelism: build relationships and engage in spiritual conversations to tell people about Jesus (Ephesians 4:11).
19. Shepherd: nurture, care for, and guide people in their spiritual journey (Ephesians 4:11).
21.Hospitality: offer food, housing, or relationship to provide a comfortable environment (1 Peter 4:9-10).
22. Craftsmanship: creativity to design or build items for ministry (Exodus 31:3).
23. Intercession: pray for others in response to Holy Spirit prompting (1 Timothy 2:1-2).
In listing how many spiritual gifts there are, some people add counseling, exorcism, martyrdom, and voluntary poverty to the list.
Scholars like to debate how many spiritual gifts there are, but since Paul doesn’t provide the same list each time he talks about them, this suggests there isn’t a finite list of these special God-given abilities.
Instead there are some common gifts that recur among a much wider array of possibilities.
Regardless of how many spiritual gifts are on the list, the key point is that when we follow Jesus, the Holy Spirit gives us special abilities for us to use to advance the kingdom of God.
We must learn what spiritual gifts he gave us and then use them for his glory.
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.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
40 Prophetic Insights about Jesus, Justice, and Gentiles
Isaiah was an awesome prophet, but do you sometimes struggle to understand what he wrote?
End your frustration.
Read Dear Theophilus, Isaiah for accessible, practical, no-nonsense insights into God’s most prolific prophet. Then connect his words to our world today.
Discover what Isaiah says about:
Peace—and about woe.
The critical importance of justice and the evil of injustice, both then and now.
The coming savior, Jesus, who will embrace all people of all nations.
Our future and the end times.
The amazing parallels between the books of Isaiah and Revelation.
Dear Theophilus, Isaiah is part devotional, part Bible study, and part commentary, but it’s fully an exploration of biblical spirituality for today’s followers of Jesus.
Did you know?:
Isaiah predicted the deportation of Judah and its repatriation 70 years later. (Both events happened just as he said.)
New Testament writers refer to Isaiah more than any other prophet (79 times).
Isaiah also includes some psalms and historical accounts.
Jesus read from the book of Isaiah in the synagogue. (It told us about Jesus!)
Later, a man from Ethiopia reads Isaiah and then gets baptized.
Get your copy of Dear Theophilus, Isaiah today, and start digging into this most amazing prophet whose words can still inspire and inform us 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.
Nathan’s Prophetic Words May Carry a Double Meaning
Once King David has his kingdom established, he wants to build the temple for God and tells the prophet Nathan. Nathan gives him his blessing to proceed, but later God gives Nathan a different message.
Nathan returns to David and says, “You are not the one to build a house for God. Instead your offspring will build God’s temple.”
Then Nathan shares a prophecy about David’s legacy and his offspring who will build God’s house (1 Chronicles 17:11-14).
Solomon Builds a Physical Temple
In expectation that David’s son Solomon will erect the
temple, David amasses resources for its construction. After Solomon assumes the
kingship, he proceeds to build God’s temple in Jerusalem.
The finished temple is a stunning tribute to the
Lord God. It’s a grand edifice that will serve as a center of Hebrew worship
for centuries. It’s completion fulfills Nathan’s prophecy.
Or does it?
Jesus Establishes a Spiritual Temple
Read Nathan’s prophecy again—carefully. Consider
every word. Is the prophet speaking of Solomon or about Jesus?
Nathan prophetically says that after David dies, God will raise up one of David’s offspring to succeed him, one of his own sons (Solomon succeeds him, but this happens before David dies, not after).
This king will build God’s temple (Solomon does), and God will establish his rule forever (Solomon’s rule ends, but Jesus rules forever).
God promises to be this future ruler’s father, who will be his son (Jesus, the Son of God, fits this perfectly).
Furthermore, God promises to never take his love
away from this future ruler (though God strips the kingdom away from Solomon’s son,
God’s love for Jesus is without question).
Last, God will establish this future king’s rule
forever. His kingdom and his reign will never end (Solomon dies. Jesus rules eternal).
When Jesus becomes our perfect sacrifice in payment for all the wrong things we have done, he fulfills the Old Testament. This includes the practice of worship. There is now no more need to go to a physical place to worship God.
Who builds God’s temple, Solomon or Jesus? Who best
fulfills Nathan’s foretelling? David certainly understood this prophecy to be
speaking of his son, Solomon. Solomon acts accordingly and constructs the
temple for God.
But I don’t think this is what God intended with
Nathan’s prophecy. God was looking much farther into the future. He wasn’t
speaking in literal terms about Solomon as much as speaking in figurative terms
about Jesus, his son.
Though both Solomon and Jesus emerge as fulfilling Nathan’s
prophecy to build God’s temple—albeit in different ways—Jesus accomplishes it more
fully than Solomon.
Many prophecies are like this, carrying a double
meaning. But we can best see Jesus as fulfilling this prophecy.
Thank you, Jesus!
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.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
Discover How People in the New Testament React to God’s Good News
Jesus Was Loved. He Was Hated. But He Was Never Ignored.
Some people think Jesus was easy-going. Hardly. Everything
he did and said sparked passionate reaction. He polarized people. Some adored
Jesus to the point of dying for him. But those who feared and hated him ended
up killing him.
If You’ve Never
Looked Deep into Both Perspectives . . . It’s Time You Did
Discover the surprising things those who loved
him did—and how you can do the same
Dig into those who hated him and avoid their
tragic mistakes
See yourself in each character—the good and the
bad—and face some fascinating choices
Plus, at the end of each example, you’ll find a
thought-provoking question that will stir you into action.
Will this book challenge you? Yes. Will it make you
uncomfortable (in a positive way)? Absolutely. Will it change your life as you look
at the people who surrounded Jesus in a way you’ve never seen them before?
Without question.
Read about more biblical characters in The Friends and Foes of Jesus, now available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.
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.
