Christian Publishing House Blog
Apologetic Defense of the faith, the Bible, and Christianity
The Bible is the inspired, fully inerrant, authoritative "Word of God." The Bible is referred to as the Word of God, meaning it can be considered a direct line of communication from the Almighty God, penned by the authors of the respective books. The meaning is what the authors meant by the words that they used.
Logos. The most usual Greek term for “word” in the NT: occasionally with other meanings (e.g., account, reason, motive); specifically in the prologue to the fourth Gospel (John 1:1, 14) and perhaps in other Johannine writings (1 John 1:1; Rev. 19:13) it is used of the Second Person of the Trinity. In ordinary Greek parlance it also means reason.
By Rationalism is meant the system or theory which assigns undue authority to reason in matters of religion. By reason is not to be understood the Logos as revealed in man, as held by some of the Fathers, and by Cousin and other modern philosophers, nor the intuitional faculty as distinguished from the understanding or the discursive faculty. The word is taken in its ordinary sense for the cognitive faculty, that which perceives, compares, judges, and infers.
If natural science is concerned with the facts and laws of nature, theology is concerned with the facts and the principles of the Bible. If the object of the one be to arrange and systematize the facts of the external world, and to ascertain the laws by which they are determined; the object of the other is to systematize the facts of the Bible and ascertain the principles or general truths which those facts involve.
Why did God warn Adam about death but not eternal hellfire? Is it justice, was God righteous for withholding eternal hellfire from Adam? Was God lying to Adam when he told Adam, “if you eat from the tree in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die”?
It is worth noting that the doctrine of hellfire, like all other aspects of the Christian faith, should be understood within the broader context of God's character as a loving and merciful God and what the Bible authors meant by the words that they used. While the Bible does speak about the reality of hell (Hades, Sheol, Gehenna, Tartarus and the punishment (eternal destruction) that will be inflicted on those who are condemned to it, it also emphasizes the fact that God is willing to forgive sin and to restore a right relationship with those who turn to him in repentance and faith.
Acceptance of homosexuality is rising across the broad spectrum of American Christianity, including among members of churches that strongly oppose homosexual relationships as sinful, according to an extensive Pew Research Center survey of U.S. religious beliefs and practices.
The Bible teaches that reconciliation is the process of bringing two parties who were separated or in conflict back into a state of harmony and unity. This can happen on a personal level, such as reconciling with a friend or family member, or on a larger scale, such as reconciling nations or groups of people. In the New Testament, the concept of reconciliation is closely tied to the message of Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus came to bring reconciliation between God and humanity, which was made possible through his death on the cross. He reconciled us to God by taking upon himself the punishment for our sins, so that we could be forgiven and reconciled to God. This reconciliation is offered to all people, regardless of their background or circumstances, and is available to anyone who believes in Jesus and repents of their sins.
In the Bible, the concept of ransom is mentioned a number of times and is often associated with the idea of paying a price in order to redeem or deliver someone from bondage or captivity. One of the most well-known references to ransom in the Bible is found in the New Testament in the book of Mark, where Jesus says, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).
In the Bible, the concept of atonement refers to the reconciliation or restoration of a relationship between God and humanity that has been broken by sin. The word "atonement" comes from the Old Testament Hebrew word "kaphar," which means "to cover." In the context of the Bible, atonement often involves the idea of a sacrifice or offering that serves to cover or remove sin, making it possible for people to be reconciled with God.