Did Jesus Really Teach That Unsanitary Practices Are OK?

In view of the ongoing swine flu outbreak, I would like to discuss a scripture which is a source of perplexity and controversy for many Christians. This is one of those "difficult sayings of the Bible" which needs to be explained. The scripture up for discussion is Matthew 15: 1-20. In this scripture, Jesus and His disciples were observed eating without first washing their hands. The Pharisees pounced upon Him, and accused Him of going against the traditional practices of cleanliness. Jesus however, then explained to them the reason why He and His disciples did not follow those practices, and ended His explanation by saying, "but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man" (Matthew 15:20). Here is the whole passage.

1. Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
2. Why do thy disciples trangress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
3. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
4. For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father and mother, let him die the death.
5. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
6. And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
7. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
8. This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouths, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
10. And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand.
11. Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
12. Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?
13. But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
14. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
15. Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.
16. And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?
17. Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?
18. But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
19. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
20. These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not man.

Jesus addressed a whole host of issues within this passage, ranging from man-made doctrines to traditional practices which conflict with God's law, to people's tendency to follow erroneous leaders, to what defiles a man, to handwashing! Wow!

Was Jesus teaching that it did not matter if we did not wash our hands before eating? How could Jesus teach this when cleanliness was a big part of Biblical doctrine, especially Old Testament doctrine, which was written by God, not man? This is therefore one of those difficult sayings of the Bible which is worthy of an explanation!

Let me first begin my explanation by saying that JESUS WAS NOT TEACHING THAT EATING WITH UNWASHED HANDS WILL NOT MAKE YOU UNHEALTHY OR SICK. We need to understand that Jesus was not preaching a health message here. He was dealing with spiritual defilement NOT bodily defilement. In the then Jewish tradition, it was believed that if a man ate his food with unwashed hands, then that person would become spiritually defiled and sinful, because they ate food that was defiled by "dirty" hands (vs. 11). The Pharisees erroneously believed that food that was "defiled" by handling would somehow make a person's soul unrighteous if it was eaten. Clearly, this is a misconception because the Bible clearly teaches that corruption of our souls is NOT CAUSED BY FOOD BUT BY SIN (vss. 18-20; Mark 7: 20-23; 1 John 1:7-9). Sin is what causes defilement of our souls, and it is sin which makes us our souls unclean before God. It is because of the uncleanliness of sin why Jesus came to cleanse our souls from sin by His sacrifice on the cross.

Here are facts and the truth of the matter. Sin will defile the soul and make the soul unclean unto God. Sin is what defiles man. Sin defiles our souls, our spirit, and even our bodies when we commit sin with our bodies. Eating polluted food will defile the BODY, not the soul. Eating polluted food may make the body unhealthy and sick, but has NO EFFECT on the inner soul (unless we purposely eat polluted food to destroy our bodies, then that would be a sin). We need to understand that we become defiled with sin when our thoughts, words, and actions are in conflict with God's will. Food enters our body through the digestive system, and the waste products are excreted (vs. 17). Food has no impact on our souls in the sense that food can make us sin or not sin. Food cannot cause us to commit sin. Any sin that we commit is not a result of the food that we have eaten, but is caused from the sin that resides in our soul. I have heard many people, even today in our modern world, say that if you eat too much beef you will end up taking on the personality of cows. I have even heard some say that meat eating causes us to take on an animal nature! Let me square with you. According to Jesus, that debased animal nature that some of us may have is not caused by food, but is a result of one's own inherent sinful nature. We all have sinful natures, although some may be more debased than some, but we are all in need in Christ to come in and change our natures from sinful to holy.

My theme scripture for this blog is 1 Thessolonians 5:23, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ." God, my friends, is interested in all three aspects of you - your spirit, soul, and body. Sin defiles your spirit, soul, and body and makes them "unclean" to God. Now while disease and sickness defiles the body in a non-spiritual sense by making it unhealthy, it does not defile your soul. Having an illness or disease does not make us "unclean" before God. Illness and disease are a consequence of living in a sinful world. True wholeness therefore involves not only restoration of the soul and spirit, but also the body from sin and its consequences. Truly, it is God's wish for us to be healthy in every way, both body and soul (3 John 2). Seeking after bodily health is a good thing! The more healthy you are, the more you can do for God with your body, and the more happier you will be in your body, and the more you will be able to enjoy life in your body. If we seek after spiritual cleanliness and righteousness, then our lives will bear the fruit of righteous living and good health!

In conclusion, Jesus was not saying that it was healthy to eat with unwashed hands. He was saying that the food that we eat cannot give us a sinful nature, but that it is the sinful thoughts in our hearts, which cause us to perform sinful acts, which defile us and make us sinful before God.

In The Fullness Of Time

Today, Saturday April 11 2009, Christians around the world are remembering how Christ laid in the tomb after His crucifixion. This Sabbath was a time of mourning for His early followers, and a time of fear. Many no doubt feared that they too would be next to be crucified for their faith. What is however overlooked about this day was that it also a day of rest. A day of rest for Christ from His earthly ministry, and a day of rest from His enemies. His enemies had crucified Him and He was dead, but no more could they hurt Him anymore. He was forever out of their control. He was now resting in God's hand.

One cannot help but notice the timing of the whole crucifixion and sacrifice of Christ. He was killed at the time of Passover, during the time of the evening sacrifice. His suffering on the cross was marked by a total eclipse of the sun which lasted 3 hours. He "rested" in the tomb on the Sabbath, and was resurrected on Sunday, at the time of the Jewish Spring offering. A great juxtaposition of the Creator with creation, the Spiritual with the natural. All heaven, earth and nature in complete harmony with the Creator. All heaven, earth, and nature mourned the loss of the Son of God, and rejoiced at His resurrection. Let us therefore now get our lives in harmony with our Creator this Spring. Spring is a time of renewal, when the earth comes to life again, after the cold of winter. Let us therefore use this time not only to reflect upon the "coming to life again" of our Savior Jesus, but also use this time accept and receive the new life He is giving to us.

The Passion of Christ in Three Days and Three Nights

Happy and holy Good Friday everyone! I pray this season has been a blessing to all. This is the time when we reflect on the longsuffering of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, His love and passion for us. Here I am going to reflect on the passion of Christ during His final hours here on earth.

Nissan 13: Jesus is having supper in the home of Simon the leper, and a woman enters in and anoints Him with a very expensive aromatic oil (Mark 14: 1-3).

What a gesture of giving and the receiving of love, that Jesus showed. While others were indignant about this "lavish" gesture of love, Jesus showed His willingness and grace to accept grateful love and affection from His followers. This shows us that He has a heart of love for feeble humanity.

Nissan 14: This was the day in which the Passover lamb must be killed according to Jewish law, and the lamb must be killed in the evening hours (Exodus 12: 3-6).

This was a busy day. People were in a hurry making last minute preparations for Passover. Jesus also was very busy. On the night before His death, He instituted the Last Supper and Foot washing. Throughout the whole meal sat Judas, the one who would betray Him. Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him, but He did not let anyone know about it. He kept that information to Himself. He knew it, but Judas did not know that He knew. Yes, Christ knew about it, because after all, He was God, and He knows everything! In His final hours He had sat down and eaten with a traitor. He did not try to destroy this traitor or embarrass Him in front of everyone. He did not call out Judas in front of everyone; instead, He quietly bore the hurt knowing that someone who was close to Him, someone who was privy to all the secrets of the kingdom, someone who witnessed His miracles, His joy and pain, would turn against Him. He put up with it, because He was determined that He was going to pay the penalty for sin, no matter how hurtful it was going to be, whether physically or emotionally.

After a night of being tortured, beaten, and mocked, Jesus was hung on a cross in the evening hours, where He died. He became the sacrificial passover lamb on that Passover day. He also became the sin offering for the evening sacrifice. His death atoned for our sins. He died so that we would not have to pay the penalty for our sins.

Nissan 15: Passover feast celebration (Exodus 12:8).

While others were celebrating the Passover feast by eating roasted lambs, Jesus laid dead in a cold tomb. It was one of the worst Passover feast days ever for His disciples, for they mourned the passing of their Lord. He gave His life so as to pay the penalty for our sins. This is what He had come to do, so that we might live eternally. Only the sinless One could have done this for us, for if we paid our own penalty, then we would die eternally. Now that He had paid the price for us, we have hope for life in eternity.

Was Judas' Death Suicide or an Accident?

I am definitely feeling encouraged about this new series of blogs called Difficult Sayings of the Bible Explained. People are getting inspired, and I am too. Things which were at one time confusing are now clear. In keeping with the Easter season, I am again going to attempt to clarify another mysterious Biblical passage, which is found in Acts 1: 15-19.

"And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,) Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood."

Above is given an account of the demise of Judas, after he betrayed Christ. What is so controversial about the above statement however, is that it appears to be in conflict with the account given by Matthew. In Matthew 27: 3-8 we read that Judas tried to return thirty pieces of silver to the priests, and when they refused to take the money back, he threw the money down in the temple, and then went out and hanged himself.

"Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? See thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself."

Most certainly, these passages are definitely some of the more difficult sayings of the Bible, and are therefore worthy of an explanation!

In trying to decipher the above passages, I must confess that this was one the most difficult undertakings for me. It required me to think outside of the box in order to solve this dilemna, and reconcile the two passages. You see, when we try to understand scripture, it is important for us to realize that God's way of thinking is not the same as ours. He sees things, in many instances, in a different perspective from ours, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord" (Isaiah 55:8). When we interpret scripture, we must therefore put aside our preconceived ideas and biases, and allow God to fill our minds with His thoughts, and His way of thinking.

Here now is the long and short of Acts 1: 15-19. It is a description of how Judas hanged himself! While Matthew recorded that Judas hanged himself, no description is given of how he did that. Acts 1:18 tells us specifically how he did it. He did it by falling HEADLONG. In the process, his body burst apart, and his bowels gushed out. How gruesome!

Now, the question is also asked, "Did Judas throw down the thirty pieces of silver in the temple as recorded in Matthew 27: 5, or did he use it to purchase a field as in Acts 1: 18? The answer to that question is "Yes." Judas did throw down the thirty pieces of silver in the temple, BUT the money was used by the priests to purchase a field to bury strangers.

"And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury because itis the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them[the silver pieces] the potter's field, to bury strangers in" (Matthew 27: 6-7, words in brackets supplied).

Judas had nothing to do with the purchase of the potter's field except it was purchased with the thirty pieces of silver he earned from betraying Jesus, the so-called "reward of iniquity" (Acts 1: 18). The word translated "purchased" in Acts 1: 18 is the Greek word "ktaomai" which means "to get, i.e acquire (by any means; own)" (Strong #2932). The thirty pieces of silver which Judas threw down in the temple got him the potter's field, although it was purchased by the priests. From here on I conjecture that Judas went out in this field, and commited suicide.

Here is what Zechariah prophesied concerning this event hundreds of years before.

"And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD" (Zechariah 11: 12-13).

David also wrote in the Psalms concerning Judas and his demise, of which a part was also quoted in Acts 1: 19, by Peter.

"Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents. For they persecute him who thou hast smitten; and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded. Add iniquity to their iniquity: and let them not come into thy righteousness. Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous" (Psalm 69: 25-28).

For a few lousy bucks, Judas was willing to risk his soul salvation. He sold out himself cheap, and lost his soul. His death was by no means an accident. He took matters into his own hands and killed himself, instead of running to God for mercy. He died in his sin, and God therefore blotted him out of the Book of life. Many times we too are guilty of "selling out" on Jesus. We risk our soul salvation for a few minutes of pleasure in sin. God is calling us back to repentance and into true fellowship with him. Don't take matters into your own hands, and remain in your sin, but give your life to Him, for His name honor and glory.

Three Days Three Nights

I hope you all enjoyed my previous blog The Thief on the Cross, and the explanation. I will now venture to explained another controversial passage of scripture, which sometimes causes arguments among Christians during Easter. The passage in question is Matthew 12:40:



"For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."



Why is this verse so controversial? It is controversial because the traditional timeline for Jesus' death and ressurrection is in direct conflict with the above timeline. In the traditional timeline, Jesus died on Good Friday evening, rested in the grave on the Sabbath, and was resurrected on Sunday, early in the morning before dawn. Based on the traditional timeline, Jesus would have spent 2 days and 2 nights in the grave, not three days and three nights! How could this be? Was this a gross miscalculation in scripture? An error? This is definitely a difficult saying of the Bible that is worthy of an explanation!

Let me first begin to say that apparent conflicts in scripture are usually due not to scripture itself but to the person who is interpreting the scripture. Our understanding of scripture is as good as our understanding of scripture! When there is something in scripture that we do not understand, the tendency is to fault the scripture rather than our own limited understanding. In order to understand, we must therefore first admit that we do not know or understand everything, and then allow God to lead us to truth.

In studying this scripture, I have found that the key to understanding this scripture lies with the often overlooked explanation Jesus gave Himself! In Matthew 12: 39-40, we find Jesus speaking about the sign of Jonas. He said:

"An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

In Luke 11: 29-30, we find Jesus telling us to whom Jonas was a sign. He said:

"This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation."

When you put both these passages together you get something remarkable. Jonah being in the whale's belly three days and three nights was a sign to the Ninevites, while Jesus' three days and three nights in the heart of the earth was a sign to His generation.

Now we come to the next question. What is the heart of the earth? Is it the grave? Or is it something else? Let us take a close look at that phrase to see what it really means.

I must say when I started to examine this passage and study it, that I found a whole lot of material written by others to explain this passage. Some have tried to let this passage fit their ideas by proposing a Wednesday crucifixion instead of a Friday crucifixion to get three days and three nights to the resurrection; while others have denied that three days and three nights represented three 24-hr days. I am now going to declare to you that the expression heart of the earth does not mean the grave! Shocking, but I can prove it to you. Firstly, let me say that there is nowhere in scripture where the grave referred to as the heart of the earth. In scripture, the grave is called hell, Sheol, Hades, etc. but nowhere is it called the heart of the earth. Secondly, when I look in most modern translations of the Bible such as NLT, NASB, NIV, and ESV, nowhere is the phrase heart of the earth rendered as grave. What therefore does the phrase heart of the earth mean?

The only way therefore to find out what the phrase heart of the earth means is to look at the original Greek of the text. The Greek word translated heart in the passage is the word kardia. According to Strong's concordance, the word kardia means "heart (figuratively)," "thoughts," "feelings (mind)," and also by analogy "the middle." The Greek word translated earth in the passage is the word ghay. According to Strong's concordance the Greek word ghay means "soil; by extension a region, or the solid part or the whole of the terrene globe (incl. the occupants in each application):- country, earth (-ly), ground, land, world." If we should take the most basic literal rendering of the passage, which by way is not necessarily the true meaning, and conclude that heart of the earth means "the middle of the ground" we know that this cannot be true because in 1st Century Judah, the dead were not buried in the ground. Dead bodies were wrapped in spices and burial clothes, and laid in open graves, such as in a cave (John 19: 38-40). After the flesh had rotted off, the bones were then placed in a small family box called an ossuary ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ossuary ). In addition, where is the middle of the ground located? Is it somewhere on top of the ground, or is it somewhere deep below the ground? For example, if you plant a seed in the middle of a field, do you plant it in the center of the field, or do you plant it below the ground in a nondescript area of the field? The most correct and true translation of the phrase the heart of the earth must therefore be "the mind, feelings and emotions of the world." Here in this passage, "heart" is used figuratively to depict the inner soul. The word "earth" is used to depict the planet earth and all that is in it. Christ was here describing His Passion. His thoughts, feelings, and emotions for the world on the last three days and nights of His life. His betrayal, trial, public humiliation, crucifixion, and death was all done so that we could have eternal life. He gave His life, and suffered the shame, so that we could live, and have a hope for a future.

Christ spent the last three days and three nights of His life suffering at the hands of men so that we can avoid eternal damnation. He gave His life for the whole world so that all who call upon Him will be saved. He gave His life so that we might live.

The Thief On the Cross

In this Easter season, one of the more controversial sayings of Jesus is found in Luke 23:43, where Jesus told the thief on the cross, "Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." This saying is controversial because we read later on in John 20:17, where Jesus told Mary after His resurrection, "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father." It is therefore apparent from John 20:17 that Jesus HAD NOT gone to heaven on the day of His death or anytime between the time of His death and resurrection. Is this a contradiction in scripture? Is this a discrepancy? How could Jesus tell the thief that they would both be in heaven on the day of crucifixion, and then afterwards tell Mary that He had not gone up to heaven? Did Jesus lie to the thief on the cross or to Mary? Truly, this is one of the more difficult sayings of the Bible, and is therefore worthy of an explanation!



Before I begin to explain the above passage, let me first say that it is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18). We serve a God of truth, who gives us His Spirit to guide us into all truth (John 16:13). The above statements made by Jesus must therefore be truth, as God cannot lie; however, I have found from studying the Bible that whenever there is an apparent conflict in scripture, one must dig deeper to find the "hidden" meaning.

The above statement made by Jesus to the thief on the cross is what I call a Jesus-ism or Jesus-speak. Jesus used Jesus-ism or Jesus-speak whenever He was conveying a message or teaching to His followers in public, in the presence of others. He did this so that He could convey a hidden message to His followers and yet prevent the larger audience from picking up on what He was saying. He did this by using a lot of parables and symbolism in His speech, whenever He wanted to convey special instructions to His followers, in the presence of others who were not to be privy to this information. When Jesus was asked why He spoke in parables, He responded:

"Therefore speak I in parables because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand....For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed" (Matthew 13:13, 15a).

You see, many of the multitudes who had come to hear Jesus teach were not really interested in learning about God and the kingdom of heaven. They had hardened their hearts, stopped their ears, and closed their eyes against the things of God. They were mainly interested in getting healed of their diseases or in following a leader who would lead them to earthly prosperity. To them, the things of God were foolishness and offensive to their ideas of godliness. Because their minds were so far removed from spiritual things, Jesus had to use parables relating to everyday life to teach spiritual lessons. Those who were true believers would understand the spiritual message, but the unbelievers would just enjoy a good story.

Now back to the thief on the cross and Jesus' statement, Today thou shalt be with me in paradise. This statement from Jesus was in response to a request made by the thief to Jesus. The thief wanted Jesus to assure him a place in Christ's coming kingdom. He said, "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom" (Luke 23:42). To which Jesus replied, "Today thou shalt be with me in paradise" (vs. 43). From Jesus' statement to Mary that He had not yet ascended to His Father, we must therefore conclude that Jesus was speaking spiritually, and not literally to the thief on the cross, about entering paradise that day. Make no mistake, paradise is a real place, but literal paradise is not to be established upon the earth until the end of the world. In Revelation 2:7 it says that the tree of life, which was in the garden of Eden is to be found in paradise. The apostle Paul also recorded how he was "caught up" in vision into paradise (2 Corinthian 12:4). Yes, paradise is a real place, but it also another name for the eternal kingdom of Christ, which, by the way, will be established on the earth, along with a new heaven and a new earth (Ezekiel 47: 1-12; Revelation 21 & 22). What Jesus was telling the thief therefore was Today you shall be with me in my eternal kingdom.

One must understand that one can be a part of Christ's eternal kingdom prior to getting to heaven, while here on earth! In Colossians 1: 12-13 we read,

"Giving thanks to the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son" (bold type supplied).

By accepting Jesus into your life, your citizenship into the kingdom of Christ starts right now (note the above scripture is written in the present tense). Take a look at another passage written in the present tense to the then living Hebrew Christians of the New Testament.

"But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect" (Hebrews 12: 22-23, bold face supplied).

Now read the words of Jesus Himself!

"And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not by observation: neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo here! For behold, the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17: 20-21).

The kingdom of God starts within our hearts and soul. We are citizens of God's kingdom spiritually before we ever get there physically. Membership into the spiritual kingdom is our guarantee and assurance of a place in the future physical kingdom of Christ. Christ offered the thief on the cross a place in His spiritual kingdom that day, for salvation is immediate, and today is the day of salvation, "behold, now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2). Again the scripture says, "But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; while it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation" (Hebrews 3: 13-15). By offering the thief an immediate place in His spiritual kingdom, Christ was guaranteeing the repentant and forgiven thief a place in His coming physical kingdom.


My dear friends, Christ offered the thief on the cross immediate salvation and a place in His kingdom. He is making the same offer to you today. Won't you accept it?

Difficult Sayings of the Bible Explained

During this passion week I will be launching my new series labeled "Difficult Sayings of the Bible Explained." In this series I will be tackling some of the more conflicting and controversial passages of scripture, and explain them. This will be an opportunity for those of us who are serious Bible students to come to grips with some of the more hard-to-understand truths in the Bible, and to lift the veil of mystery and apparent conflict in scripture.

One of the arguments used by Bible skeptics against the Bible is that there are contradictions in scripture. To the superficial Bible reader, this criticism may appear to be true; however, one must understand that the Bible was not meant to be read like a novel or storybook, but is a holy textbook which requires careful study. By taking the time to study the Bible, one will come away with timeless truths for all time, which will illuminate and change mind, body, and soul.

I welcome all your comments.