Jesus did not believe the Old Testament was the Word of God

Through the Holy Spirit, God can speak to us through the Old Testament (and the New Testament). You cannot however quote a verse from the Old Testament (and even parts of the New Testament) as 'This is what God says'. Not every verse in the Bible is the 'Word of God' (as in God's direct words or will). Jesus made this clear to us.

I have written an article about this before - Is the Bible the Word of God. It is a very important and difficult topic that requires a book and not a single article to explain. So I have decided to write several articles on this topic starting with what Jesus believed about the Old Testament (we can't look at what He believed about the New Testament as it was not written yet).
Why is it important how we understand the Bible? You know the song - 'By the rivers of Babylon ...' - nice song - but it is not finished. The song was taken from Psalm 137. The Psalm ends with 'Blessed shall be he who takes and dashes your little on…

The second donkey and why it matters

If you believe the Bible is the inerrant, infallible 'Word of God' then the second donkey must be a bit of a thorn in your side. I like the second donkey - for a different reason. We will get to the donkey in a moment, but first just a little background to help you understand why it is important.
First some important background I love the Bible - study it daily - but I do not believe is the inerrant, infallible 'Word of God'. In my article 'Is the Bible the Word of God' we discovered that Jesus and His teachings is the Word of God. We also discovered that the rest of the Bible is invaluable - that it can contain the Word of God - but that not every single verse in the Bible are the 'Words of God'. We looked at verses that shows Jesus did not believe everything in the Old Testament is the 'Word of God'. Read the full article here.

So for the rest of the Bible we really need the Holy Spirit to help us 'discover' the 'Word of God' …

God requires compassion and not religion

Some people think the more religious they are the closer they are to God. Jesus however teach us that following religious rules is not what God wants from us. He wants us to have love and compassion towards others.

In my article Spiritual and Not Religious, we saw that being spiritual instead of religious is something that Jesus taught. We also saw that there is a big difference between the two.

Now we will look at one of the reasons why religion is not the way to go: Being religious makes you less compassionate and more judgmental.

You would think that Christians have love and compassion for others. The truth is that a majority of Christians are judgmental (something Jesus taught us not to be) and are very reluctant to help others if they don't belong to their own church - and even then money is mostly used building a bigger business (church) instead of helping people in need.

In a study in 2012 it was discovered that religious people are less inclined to help those in need.

Don't follow the crowd

What do you believe? Are you sure that what you believe has been revealed to you by the Holy Spirit? - or was it just taught to you from childhood by so many people in your life that questioning it just feels wrong?

When you do notice cracks in your faith - things that deep down in your core you just know can't be right - then you start to think 'Surely all the educated leaders of our church (and we have so many) can't be wrong. Surely what the majority of Christians belief must be right?'
Believing what mainstream Christianity beliefs does not make you right or safe Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. - Jesus - Matthew 7:13-14 I know what you think - wait a minute, the wide gate is those that choose not to believe - the sinners. That is what we have been taught in church  - but read it in con…

The Power of Being Meek

Did Jesus really say we should be meek? Does it mean a child of God should be weak and submissive? The truth is that there is a secret power that is unlocked when you are meek in the way that Jesus taught.

First, lets have a look at what Jesus said:
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5 (NIV) The original word for meek in that verse is:
praus [prah-ooce']
Apparently a primary word; mild, that is, (by implication) humble: - meek.  Was Jesus 'mild' and 'meek'? Jesus practiced what He preached. If we want to know what 'meek' or 'mild' means we just have to look at Jesus.
Jesus is the most well known Man that ever lived. His teachings was so extreme that it offended most and eventually got Him killed. Jesus called the 'important' people of the day (teachers of the law and the Pharisees) hypocrites, snakes, and brood of vipers (Matthew 23). - Jesus was everything but weak and submissive.

Jesus overturned tables (Matt…

The Truth About Tithing

Do you need to give 10% of your income to the church? Will God really bless you financially if you tithe? Tithing is not something that Jesus taught - and there is a good reason why He didn't.

Tithing is an Old Testament practice that was not taught by Jesus The only place in the Bible where Jesus did instruct someone to tithe is the following verse:
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. - Matthew 23:23 However, if we look closely at the verse as well as the following verses, we will see that He was addressing the 'teachers of the law' and the Pharisees. Those that depended on the law for their salvation. He was saying that you can't just tithe and believe that you are now righteous. If you wanted to depend on the law, then you ha…

Why God?

Why is God allowing this to happen to me? Doesn't God care? Doesn't God love me? Am I being punished? If you are going through a difficult period in your life – stop asking these questions.

God is your Father. When you feel sad, need help or have questions - He is the first one you should go to. Just like David we can sometimes just tell God we are angry or down. When Jesus was afraid, he prayed.

There is however a type of questioning and 'begging God' that simply doesn't help. I have been through some very difficult periods in my life. What I have learned is that feeling sorry for yourself doesn't help. Pleading, crying, begging to God in a despondent state doesn't help and it doesn't impress God.
God doesn't do pity parties. In Mark 4 the disciples was in a storm on a boat while Jesus was sleeping in the stern. They woke Him and asked:
… Master, do You not care that we are perishing? - Mark 4:38 Sound familiar? - Don't you care God? Don't…