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This is the one-hundred-seventy-fifth lesson in author and pastor Mel Lawrenz’ How to Live the Bible series. If you know someone or a group who would like to follow along on this journey through Scripture, they can get more info and sign up to receive these essays via email here.
“I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.” Exodus 6:6
What would happen if a career homicide detective—who equated belief in Christianity to be equal with belief in the Easter Bunny—used the same investigative approach used to solve modern-day missing person murder cases to determine whether Jesus is who he said he was? Can the truth about Jesus be uncovered, even without a body and by merely gleaning evidence from history alone, without relying on the New Testament?
Bible Gateway interviewed former atheist J. Warner Wallace (@jwarnerwallace) about his book and video study, Person of Interest: Why Jesus Still Matters in a World that Rejects the Bible (Zondervan, 2021).
Describe your atheism in your early detective career.
J. Warner Wallace: I grew up in Southern California in the ’60s and ’70s, and never really knew anyone who was a Christian. I didn’t have any Christian friends and I was never invited to church. Even as a police officer, I only encountered a few Christians, and the Christians I met, if I’m honest with you, did not impress me.
I knew a few Christian police officers, but when I asked them to defend what they believed, they struggled to provide an adequate evidential defense. They seemed to believe in Jesus blindly, which seemed odd to me given that they were such evidentialists in their professional careers.
By Costi W. Hinn
Why do people get sick? This is one of the most pressing questions when it comes to healing, and it must be answered by using the Scriptures. Opinions and abuses abound, so the only way to address this question is to cement ourselves in the truth of God’s unchanging Word.
I’ve seen it time and time again, and I’m sure you have too. A world-renowned faith healer hits the news after promising to heal people, but only if they pay up first. Some even go so far as to say that God is going to pour down judgment on people if they don’t give a certain amount of money. These “healers” appear to have all the answers for sickness. Years ago I sat through many services in which a faith healer explained to people why they were sick. Some people were told that they weren’t giving enough money, others apparently were not forgiving people, and others had been spending time with negative people. Not only that but some were said to be sick because they just didn’t have enough faith. This sort of guesswork breaks hearts, leads lives astray, and spiritually abuses desperate people.
Thankfully, the Bible breaks such deceptive bondage. If you’ve ever been confused about why people get sick or you know someone who needs answers, the following truths will be a soothing balm to a weary soul.
Read this week’s Bible Gateway Weekly Brief newsletter
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This is the one-hundred-seventy-fourth lesson in author and pastor Mel Lawrenz’ How to Live the Bible series. If you know someone or a group who would like to follow along on this journey through Scripture, they can get more info and sign up to receive these essays via email here.
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10
Jews observe Yom Kippur, the most significant holy day in Judaism, with prayer and repentance, much as the Old Testament Israelites did. It was established during the time of Moses as the Day of Atonement, and is described in Leviticus 16: “This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites.”
If you’re not familiar with the biblical Day of Atonement, take a few minutes to read about it. The account is full of a lot of “Old Testament language” about priests, sacrifices, offerings, and (literal) scapegoats—things that might feel foreign to modern Christians. But in describing the process by which God granted the people of Israel forgiveness for their sins (through an annual ceremony of sacrifice), it very directly foreshadows the manner in which Jesus Christ would one day sacrifice himself for our sins.
Many people today are burdened with unprecedented levels of anxiety, hurt, doubt, guilt, and shame. Medical and mental health professionals confirm that much of the dysfunction and disconnectedness we experience in life comes from unresolved relational and emotional wounds that leave us trying to fulfill God-given longings through unhealthy behaviors and relationships. What does the Bible say about the healing necessary to pave our way toward a thriving life?
Bible Gateway interviewed Josh McDowell (@josh_mcdowell) and Ben Bennett (@benvbennett) about their book, Free to Thrive: How Your Hurt, Struggles, and Deepest Longings Can Lead to a Fulfilling Life (Thomas Nelson, 2021).
How do people “crave a whole life” but live “a halting, halfway kind of life”?
Josh McDowell: After 75-plus years of combined ministry, Ben and I have seen so much brokenness globally affecting both Christians and non-Christians, and a lack of biblical and holistic solutions. People are dealing with anxiety, addiction, habitual sin, unhealthy relationships, and negative views of God and themselves. So many continue to struggle and not know how to get free or what the Bible actually says about how Jesus brings healing and freedom to our lives.
This has led many to crave a whole life but live a halfway kind of life. Ben and I know what this is like. Growing up I experienced sexual abuse and an angry and alcoholic father. For years I was angry, exhausted, and burning out in ministry until I dealt with these unresolved wounds. Ben faced trauma, family dysfunction, and developed mental health struggles and a porn addiction. He too was struggling to go on until he found real hope and answers.
We discovered time-tested biblical, psychological, and neuroscientific principles in our years of ministry, our own healing journeys, and in our research that we wanted to share with the world to help others be whole and free to thrive.
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Thru the Bible Commentary Series Available on Bible Gateway Plus
The beloved and down-to-earth Bible commentary of Dr. J. Vernon McGee is now available to you when you become a member of Bible Gateway Plus!
Dr. McGee’s Thru the Bible exposition of every chapter of every book of the Bible still delights and enthralls listeners on more than 800 radio stations worldwide with his simple, straightforward language, folksy manner, distinctive accent, and clear understanding of Scripture.
Now Dr. McGee’s personable, yet scholarly, biblical analysis in his bestselling 60-volume Thru the Bible commentary set is one of the more than 50 Bible study resources immediately available to you 24/7 when you become a member of Bible Gateway Plus. Continue reading →