“Drawing water from the wells of salvation.” ― Isaiah 12:3
In order to have a meaningful discussion about Biblical issues, it is important that we define terms in the same way. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to communicate with someone who uses the same terms that we do, but defines them differently. It often eliminates whatever linguistic parity that might make our conversation worthwhile. …
Cognitive dissonance is the uncomfortable feeling we get when we hold two (or more) conflicting ideas simultaneously. If you are new to eshavbooks.org (or eshavbooks.org) and you have a heart for the truth, you will, in all likelihood, experience it.
Why? Because you will be challenged to re-examine what you believe about God, about the Bible, about the life of Yeshua (Jesus), about the events recorded in the Book of Acts, and the letters of Paul. …
Cognitive Dissonance Read More »
“A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God” (Rom 2:28-29).
Paul is NOT teaching here that a Gentile who has a heart for God is a Jew!—Nor is he teaching that a Jew who doesn’t have a heart for God is not really Jewish. This statement is connected to a broader teaching about passing judgment—and the tendency on the part of many people to judge others without taking into consideration their own behavior.
Paul is saying that we should be careful not to criticize others for behavior that we engage in ourselves. For Yeshua, the Rabbis and for Paul, this was hypocrisy! And, it involves the “disconnect” between who we are on the “inside” and what we pretend to be on the “outside.” This pretense can take many forms and is often the result of a sense that we are superior to others because of the religious activities that we engage in—especially if others do not.
Paul’s point? That true spirituality is about the “inside” and the “outside” together. As when the former reflects the latter, and vice-versa. It is the connection between “form” and “substance,” “shadow” and “light”—the circumcision of both flesh and heart—NEVER the one without the other.
“Dispensationalism takes its name from the idea that biblical history is best understood in light of a series of dispensations in the Bible.” Various “models” of Dispensational theology identify between three and seven dispensations. They are variously identified as “periods,” “administrations,” or “epochs” of time during which God works in the lives of people in a particular way, especially in terms of what is required for “salvation.” …
The term “Progressive Revelation” is often used very casually, and can mean different things to different people. There is an important distinction in Jewish thought between what is new and what is illuminated at a later time. In Christian theology, revelation is often used of information that is “brand new” and revealed by God only to certain individuals. According to Jewish thought, whereas “revelation” is obviously a valid phenomenon, it often involves acquiring a deeper understanding of something already revealed. That is, sometimes a “full” (or complete) understanding of “something” is not revealed until the right time, or until the occurrence of a specific event. …
What is ‘Progressive Revelation’? Read More »