His Friends

Adam and Eve–Idolatry in the Fall

Ian Johnson July 11, 2021 10 Comments

When the first humans, who already knew all good, chose to disobey God and experience evil, they initiated every kind of idolatry known to later generations. This included worship of created things, of themselves, their own wisdom and their own desires, of their bodies, and, most importantly, of a false picture of the true God as miserly and hostile toward us.

A God who Speaks, An abuse of God's image, Conversation with God, Desire to have our own way, Free will, God Never Stopped Speaking, God Speaks to Us, God was never our enemy, God's purpose for us, God's rationality, God's Voice, His Friends, idolatry, Knowing good and evil, Restoration of God's Image, To fill and govern the Earth, Trusting sight over God's words, Truth and Falsehood, Ultimate reality, What is God's Word

Adam, bodies, clothing, Creation, desires, Eve, God, idol, Idolatry, lust, nakendess, serpent, temptation, the Fall

Matthew 5:8–Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Ian Johnson June 21, 2021 1 Comment

Matthew 5:6 and 5:8 speak of the state of hungering and thirsting for righteousness, which leads to purity of heart because God satisfies the hunger. The result of purity of heart is being able to to “see” God, to perceive his presence and work, even in the present time.

A God who Speaks, Free will, God's purpose for us, His Friends, Repentance, Through Jesus, To see God's glory

Beatitudes, hunger and thirst for righteousness, Matthew 5:6, Matthew 5:8, repentance, see God, seeing God, The pure in heart

Truths of the Earliest Christianity that Mutated Leading to Formation of Later Divisions

Ian Johnson December 24, 2020 3 Comments

This is an outline of the first part of my attempt to link early errors of organized Christianity to the state of the modern world–specifically, in this part, by explaining some of the foundations of the earliest Christianity from which later errors diverged. Links will be added as future posts are written.

A God who Speaks, Adoption, Background Information, Church History, Islamic History and Secular History Interaction, Complex unity, Eternity Present, Free will, God Speaks to Us, God was never our enemy, God's Existence and Nature, God's purpose for us, God's sovereignty, His Children, His Friends, Historical Background, In the Church, Index, Meaning of Unity, Other Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Peril of Seeking Numbers, Peril of Seeking Power, Peril of Seeking Respectability, Prophecy, Purpose of the Church, Reconciliation, Regeneration, Restoration of God's Image, Salvation, Show us the Way of Truth, Sin, Sins versus sin, The Invisible God's Self-Existence, The universal Church and local churches, Through others, Through the church, To be his ambassadors, To be in his image, Topic Index, Trinity, What is God's Word, What is sin?

Christian Teachings, doctrine, Earliest Christianity, evangelism, Holy Spirit, Index, Jesus, Monotheism, pacifism, social order, war

Heresy is Division in the Church

Ian Johnson August 1, 2020 4 Comments

Heresy is properly defined as divisiveness, not merely believing a false doctrine. Heretics are divisive people. Those who state doctrines with which I disagree, but do so without insisting on division because of my belief, are not heretics. Thus calls for mutual understanding and patience.

Church purpose versus church growth, Desire to have our own way, Divisions in the Church, Greed, Heresy, His Friends, In the Church, Meaning of Unity, Our Oneness in Christ book revision, Sins versus sin, Social control and statecraft, To live in unity

Church History, Church unity, definition of heresy, division, divisive people, divisiveness, doctrinal disagreements, doctrine, heresy, heretic, heretical, Our Oneness in Christ, Unity

From Early Christianity to Islam and Back — 1. The Earliest Christianity

Ian Johnson July 13, 2020 6 Comments

This post is the first in a series of six outlining a broad view of how things in the Church and the world got to be as they are now, including contributions early Christianity and Islam made to each other. This post attempts to outline the basic positions of early Christianity. Comments are invited!

A God who Speaks, Adoption, Background Information, Church purpose versus church growth, Complex unity, Conversation with God, Desire to have our own way, Emotions, Eternity Present, Free will, God Acts by Speaking, God Never Stopped Speaking, God Speaks to Us, God was never our enemy, God's Existence and Nature, God's purpose for us, God's rationality, God's sovereignty, God's Voice, His Children, His Friends, Historical Background, Human Rationality, Is forgiveness of sins the focus of salvation?, Jesus the Son, Knowing good and evil, Language and Speech, Logical thinking, Male and female, Other Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Prophecy, Reconciliation, Regeneration, Rejecting God, Restoration of God's Image, Salvation, Sin, Sins versus sin, Son of Man, The Bible, The Invisible God's Self-Existence, Through the church, To be his ambassadors, To be in his image, To live in unity, Trinity, Unity, What is God's Word, What is sin?

Christian history, Christianity, Christianity and Islam, doctrine, Early Christianity, History of Christianity, New Testament, New Testament Christianity

Hearing and Understanding God’s Voice is Dependent on Our Oneness

Ian Johnson June 21, 2020 5 Comments

God is not silent. He is always speaking, and has always spoken to humans. But the humans who recognize and understand his voice are members of his flock. And those who distance themselves from the flock, not living in unity, cannot accurately discern his voice.

A God who Speaks, God Acts by Speaking, God Speaks to Us, God's rationality, God's Voice, His Friends, Our Oneness in Christ book revision, Prophecy, The Bible, Through the church, To live in unity, What is God's Word

Bible, Conversation with God, Dialog with God, History, Jacques Ellul, my sheep hear my voice, prophecy of Caiaphas

Answers to Some Reader Questions about Prayer, Prayer Burdens and National Sins

Ian Johnson June 7, 2020 2 Comments

A reader recently asked some very perceptive questions about my views concerning prayer, prayer burdens, and prayer for national sins. Here, I am publishing my answers to those questions. (The reader also asked some personal questions, which I omit from this posting): You asked: “Also that what matters is your relationship with the Lord not what denomination someone is or…
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A God who Speaks, An abuse of God's image, Conversation with God, Emotions, Events and Signs, God Speaks to Us, God's rationality, His Children, His Friends, Human Rationality, In prayer, Language and Speech, Personal Background, Prophecy, Rejecting God, Replacing Relationship with Morality, The Bible, To live in unity, Trusting sight over God's words

children, emotional relationship, eschatology, faith, fervent prayer, God speaks, Hearing God, Idolatry, loving God, national sins, Negative emotions, prayer, Question and Answer, Revelation, simplicity, spiritual blindness, spiritual sight, time, trust

Friends, Angels, Perspectives and Overcoming my Prejudices

Ian Johnson April 29, 2020 2 Comments

Let love of the brethren continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. Hebrews 12:1-3. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves…
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Emotions, Events and Signs, God's rationality, His Friends, Islam and Christianity, Personal Background, Through others, Through the church, To be his ambassadors

Asian, Asperger Syndrome, Brazil, changing attitudes, Christianity and Islam, God, God at work, Hispanic, Iran, Jesus Christ, Linguistics, Love, Perspectives class, Prejudice, Spanish, Thailand, Voice of God, Xenophobia

The next step in a long process of understanding

Ian Johnson April 12, 2020 0 Comments

In this blog, I will be seeking comments on material I have written about a cluster of subjects that that involve generally the meaning of Jesus’ statement that the kingdom of the heavens is at hand. (Matthew 4:7 and 10:7). This cluster of subjects arises from my past writings and my recent reading and thought. It includes the practical aspects…
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Eternity Present, God was never our enemy, His Friends, Personal Background, Purpose of the Church

Biography, Christianity, Dallas Willard, History, Ian B Johnson, Kingdom of Heaven, Kingdom of the heavens, Theology, Unity

Adam and Eve–Idolatry in the Fall

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Matthew 5:8–Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

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Heresy is Division in the Church

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From Early Christianity to Islam and Back — 1. The Earliest Christianity

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Hearing and Understanding God’s Voice is Dependent on Our Oneness

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Answers to Some Reader Questions about Prayer, Prayer Burdens and National Sins

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Friends, Angels, Perspectives and Overcoming my Prejudices

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The next step in a long process of understanding

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His Friends

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