Salvation

Repentance, Confession and the Textual Variant in James 5:16

Ian Johnson August 9, 2021 3 Comments

James 5:16 occurs in a context dealing with sick Christians and healing. In that context, it teaches that we are to agree with each other about the character flaws in our lives that lead to discrete sins, and pray for each other that these flaws–and the whole person–will be healed. This sensible reading is supported by the Byzantine New Testament text tradition, which is to be preferred for this verse.

A God who Speaks, Confession and Repentance, Confession of Sin, Forgiveness and Unforgiveness, God Speaks to Us, God's purpose for us, Is forgiveness of sins the focus of salvation?, Reconciliation, Repentance, Repentance in community, Restoration of God's Image, Restoration of our Relationships, Through others, Through the church, To live in unity

Agree with Each Other, agreement, character flaws, Confess, confession, fault, faults, healing, James 5:16, prayer

Introduction: The Question of Confession

Ian Johnson July 27, 2021 6 Comments

Confession of sin is expression of our full agreement with God about the evil within us that produces acts of disobedience. It is NOT the recitation of a detailed list of wrong acts, which we admit we did but for which we deflect responsibility to God or others. True confession is the beginning of reconciliation and restoration.

Church purpose versus church growth, Confession and Repentance, Confession of Sin, Divisions in the Church, Forgiveness and Unforgiveness, In the Church, Meaning of Unity, Purpose of the Church, Repentance, The universal Church and local churches, To live in unity

agreement, confession, confession of sin, Proverbs 28:13-14, reconciliation, restoration, sin, sins

Of Assyria, Egypt, and God’s Sovereignty in My Life

Ian Johnson July 24, 2021 0 Comments

The continued existence of ethnic Coptic and Assyrian Christian minorities in Egypt and the Middle East demonstrates God’s faithfulness and the possibility of a literal fulfillment of Isaiah 19:23-25. If God can preserve these ethnic groups across two millennia of persecution in order to fulfill a prophecy, can he possibly need my “help” doing anything in my own life?

A God who Speaks, God's Existence and Nature, God's purpose for us, God's sovereignty, Prophecy, The Kingdom of the Heavens, To live in unity, To see God's glory, Ultimate reality, Uncategorized, Victory, What is God's Word

Assyria, Assyrians, Copts, Egypt, God need my help, God need our help, God's sovereignty, Isaiah 19, restoration, restored

Repentance in Jesus’ Early Message, Matthew 4:17-22 and Mark 1:14-20

Ian Johnson July 22, 2021 2 Comments

Jesus’ early preaching was that his hearers must repent. because the Kingdom had already arrived and was “at hand”–standing right in front of them, in his person. Therefore, they were to repent–change their behavior–and believe the good news (Gospel) he was preaching to them.

A God who Speaks, Changed treatment of each other, Repentance, Salvation, The Kingdom of the Heavens, Through Jesus

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Unrepentance and the Judgment Spoken Against Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum in Matthew 11:20-24

Ian Johnson July 18, 2021 1 Comment

When Jesus unfavorably compared the unrepentance of the Galilean towns where he had preached to the repentance Tyre, Sidon and Sodom would have shown to the same preaching. the repentance of which he spoke clearly included behavioral change.

A God who Speaks, An abuse of God's image, Changed treatment of each other, Refusing to hear, Repentance, Sin, Through Jesus, Uncategorized, What is sin?

behavior, Bethsaida, Capernaum, changed behavior, Chorazin, Jesus, repent, repentance, Sidon, Sosom, Tyre

The “Curses” on Adam, Eve and the Serpent: Are Vexed Gender Relations, Meaningless Hard Work and Economic Oppression God’s Will?

Ian Johnson July 16, 2021 2 Comments

God did not curse Adam and Eve when they sinned. He told them what the mostly natural evil consequences of their decision to live apart from him would be. In doing this, he did NOT decree any of these evil consequences as things as a part of his perfect will. Sexual and class inequalities are evil consequences of sin, not God’s will.

A God who Speaks, Complex unity, Desire to have our own way, Emotions, Free will, God Speaks to Us, God's purpose for us, Human Rationality, Knowing good and evil, Male and female, Marriage and Reproduction, Rejecting God, Sin, To be in his image, Uncategorized, What is sin?

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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.

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IDOLS = Gods we can Manipulate (Do ut des.)

Ian Johnson July 6, 2021 15 Comments

Idols are gods we think we can manipulate to give us our own way, individually, corporately or nationally, through service, sacrifices and offerings. The true God cannot be so manipulated, but we can convert even the true God into an idol in our own minds by supposing that he can be.

Desire to have our own way, Greed, idolatry, Leaving Our First Love, Peril of Seeking Respectability, Religious violence and persecution, Sin, Sins versus sin, Truth and Falsehood, Wars as consequences, What is sin?

city, commercial exchange, idol, Idolatry, idols, nation, offering, priesthood, ritual, ruling elite, sacrifice, service

Repentance of the Ninevites and Unrepentance of Israel in Matthew 12:41

Ian Johnson June 28, 2021 2 Comments

Jesus contrasted the Jewish leaders, who refused to hear his words, with the Ninevites who repented at the preaching of Jonah and put away their bloodshed and violence.

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Repentance, in the Weaker Sense, in the Parable of the Two Sons

Ian Johnson June 24, 2021 2 Comments

As the parable of the two sons in Matthew 21:28-32 shows, repentance is merely changing our minds so that we start to do what the Father asks. Repentance does not require remorse, payment of a penalty, or even in all cases a spoken apology, and the forgiveness that it produces cannot be sold.

A God who Speaks, Changed treatment of each other, Divisions in the Church, Forgiveness and Unforgiveness, God Speaks to Us, Greed, Parables, Repentance, Salvation, Selling Forgiveness, Through Jesus

authority, Jesus, Jesus' authority, John the Baptist, Matthew 21, Parable of the two sons, Parable of the wicked tenants, selling forgiveness, Temple, Temple cult

Repentance, Confession and the Textual Variant in James 5:16

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Introduction: The Question of Confession

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Of Assyria, Egypt, and God’s Sovereignty in My Life

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Repentance in Jesus’ Early Message, Matthew 4:17-22 and Mark 1:14-20

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Unrepentance and the Judgment Spoken Against Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum in Matthew 11:20-24

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Adam and Eve–Idolatry in the Fall

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IDOLS = Gods we can Manipulate (Do ut des.)

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Repentance of the Ninevites and Unrepentance of Israel in Matthew 12:41

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Repentance, in the Weaker Sense, in the Parable of the Two Sons

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