The Facts About American Slavery

"Politically correct media and school textbooks give the impression that slavery has primarily been a sin committed by white people who enslaved blacks. The fact that only about 25 percent of the Americans in the South had slaves before the Civil War is commonly not mentioned, nor is the fact that (according to the United States census of 1830), for example, 407 black Americans in Charleston, South Carolina, alone owned black slaves."

Alvin J. Schmidt, Under the Influence: How Christianity Transformed Civilization, p. 273

Is It Possible For Christians To Be Possessed By Demons?

          Scripture makes it abundantly clear that genuine Christians cannot be possessed by demons. This truth rests on the foundational reality that believers are owned by God Himself (1 Corinthians 7:23). The sovereignty of God over creation ensures that no power—spiritual or otherwise—can snatch His children from His hand. As Jesus assured, "My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand" (John 10:29). Demonic forces, therefore, are utterly incapable of exercising control or dominion over those who belong to God.

          God’s act of redemption is rooted in the unfathomable sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. Acts 20:28 reminds us that the Church was purchased with Christ’s precious blood—a price of incalculable worth, reflecting the immense value God places on His children. This redemption signifies a divine transaction; we have been bought at an extraordinary price and now belong exclusively to God. As a result, demons have no claim over us. They cannot possess what has been sealed and set apart by the Creator Himself.

          Furthermore, the indwelling presence of God is a profound safeguard against the forces of darkness. 1 John 4:4 declares, "The One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." The Holy Spirit’s residence within believers is both a sign of God’s ownership and a shield of divine protection. This Spirit empowers and guides us, affirming our identity as His children (Romans 8:15-16). Demonic entities, as part of the created order, are subordinate to the authority of God. They cannot possess a believer who is indwelt by the Spirit of the Living God. Paul’s assertion in 2 Corinthians 6:16—that believers are the temple of God—underscores this truth. In the sacred dwelling of the Holy Spirit, there is no room for communion with demonic forces.

          Christ’s victory over demonic powers was not merely symbolic but decisive and eternal. Colossians 2:15 vividly depicts Jesus disarming principalities and powers, triumphing over them through His death on the cross. This victory is not confined to history; it actively permeates the lives of believers today. As we remain steadfast in Christ, we partake in His triumph, knowing that the enemy has already been defeated. Through faith, this victory becomes a reality we can claim and live out with confidence.

          The assurance that Christians cannot be possessed by demons carries profound practical implications. It fortifies believers with a sense of security and peace, allowing them to focus wholly on the sanctification process. Freed from the fear of possession, they can pursue growth in holiness, reflecting the character of Christ more fully. However, it is crucial to acknowledge that while possession is impossible, believers may still face demonic oppression or temptation. These attacks, though limited, call for vigilance and reliance on God’s strength.

          Ultimately, the believer’s security in Christ is a testament to God’s unwavering commitment to His people. The triumph of the cross is not only a victory over sin but also a definitive claim of ownership over those redeemed by Jesus. In this truth, Christians can walk confidently, knowing that their lives are securely held in the hands of their Creator—safe from the grasp of any opposing force.

Does God Hate Sinners?

        "The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity." (Psalm 5:5)

        God's Law is perfect. It is a reflection of His character and nature. He cannot allow sin and rebellion into His kingdom. God absolutely despises iniquity. He judges sinners. He punishes sinners. Sin stems forth from the human heart. His wrath is a reality. God cannot simply ignore or overlook our sin. This biblical truth should give rise to a state of concern in people. However, there is good news which counterbalances the bad news of humanity being condemned by God for sin.

        God is gracious, patient, and loving. At the same time, our Creator is holy and just. He is provoked to wrath by our unrighteousness. God's love and hatred are perfect. He hates without sinful intent. To be hated of God means to be under His wrath and judgment. Those whom He loves are those who have found favor in His sight. It was out of His unfathomable love for us that He sent His only begotten Son into this world to make atonement for our sins:

        "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life." (Romans 5:8-10)

        There exists a debt of sin against God, who is holy, that needed to be settled (Romans 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:56). No man in his fallen condition could possibly fulfill the necessary demands to make restitution. Thus, Jesus Christ took on human flesh so that we could be reconciled to God. He is without sin. An infinite debt requires a ransom of infinite value, and only God Himself could satisfy that kind of transaction.

        "Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4:8-10)

        Jesus is the tangible manifestation of God's love for humanity. He came to bring spiritual life to us. Therefore, those who desire to have fellowship with God must be restored to harmony with Him through faith in Christ. We must have our sins forgiven. We must have our sins removed. God took the initiative to save us, even though we had no merit on our part.

        How can a God of love hate at the same time? God is love, but love is not God Himself. That is not all there is to His character. In fact, there are many aspects of it. He is a complex being. God's provisional love for sinners is not incompatible with His righteous judgment. He has every attribute perfectly. If we are Christians, then God is not only our King but also our Father.

         God does indeed love us, but it is more than warm feelings. He has provided a means for us to escape divine condemnation. The richness of His mercy is unsearchable. He desires reconciliation with sinners, especially those who believe on Christ for salvation. Nevertheless, we should not take these truths lightly. We should abhor sin, just as He does. We should reject it, regardless of the cost. Further, the command for us to love our enemies is rooted in God's provisional love for sinners.

         We are justified by God's grace through faith in Christ. God desires that all men come to salvation (Acts 17:26-31). He wants all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). He has no desire in punishing the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23; 33:10-11). It is not God who sends people to hell. People end up there because that is the eternal destiny they chose for themselves. There is a day coming in which every man will give account of himself to God, so now is the best time to repent of our sins.

How Miracles Illustrate The Foolishness Of Atheism

        Atheists quickly rule out the possibility of miracles because a consistent naturalistic worldview does not allow them to embrace the validity of supernatural realities. They automatically deem false anything that is not observable to the five human senses in their attempts to eliminate God from the equation of life. Following are a number of points that can be used to counter this way of thinking about God and the miraculous: 

        There are indeed rare, yet extraordinary, phenomena, such as recovery from near impossible medical ailments or survival without injury from natural disasters. Further, there has been drastic character transformation in formally malicious people who converted to Christianity. Consider the example of the Apostle Paul, who was a murderer prior to his conversion. It would be more reasonable to attribute such incidents to divine providence than to mere chance.

        We should not make the hasty generalization of dismissing authentic miracles along with counterfeit claims. Authentic experiences serve as evidences for God being at work throughout creation. The real issue is that we lack faith in Him, which is a tendency of our fallen nature. The issue that carries the greatest weight here is whether miracles are even possible.

        Empirical evidence is not the only form of available evidence. There is also eyewitness testimony. One need not assume without proof that the New Testament writings are historically fraudulent, for it has much manuscript evidence favoring its textual veracity. Something is termed miraculous only when no other explanation exists that is scientific.

        Scientific experiments tell us how nature regularly operates under certain conditions, not that miracles are an impossibility. Thus, there exists both natural and supernatural explanations for things that happen. It is because of our scientific knowledge that we can discern whether an occurrence is a miracle. Miracles do not contradict natural laws, but rather transcend them. God has the power to temporarily suspend scientific laws for His own purposes because He created them.

        Furthermore, it is a highly unscientific to assume that God does not exist because such a colossal argument requires that one obtain infinite knowledge about everything. This cannot be done by beings who are finite by design. He is beyond the limited scope of nature. A test-tube will never be capable of coherently explaining the fullness of reality.

        If the God of the Bible does exist (which we maintain that He does), then the case is closed. He can indeed work miracles. Whether one believes in the possibility of miracles is ultimately a matter of underlying philosophical presuppositions about this world. Even if there were no supreme deity governing the universe, atheism would still have no reason to exist or proclaim itself to be true. The concept of moral truths would be no different than our personal appetites.

Human Love Can Become Corrupt

"We may give our human loves the unconditional allegiance which we owe only to God. Then they become gods: then they become demons. Then they will destroy us, and also destroy themselves. For natural loves that are allowed to become gods do not remain loves. They are still called so, but can become in fact complicated forms of hatred."

C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves, p. 8

True Love Entails Self-Sacrifice

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket - safe, dark, motionless, airless – it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell."

C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves, p. 121

Is The Office Of The Pope A Fulfillment Of Moses' Seat?

          "After Jesus established His Church and gave Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven, Peter’s chair became the new seat of authority under the New Covenant. This is why, when the Pope officially speaks on a matter of faith and morals with the intention of proclaiming a universal doctrine for the Church (which is rare), we say He is speaking “ex cathedra” (from the “chair”). Jesus’ use of the “chair of Moses” [Matthew 23:1-2] certainly shows a continuum of authority as the New Covenant replaced the Old." (https://www.scripturecatholic.com/qa-seat-moses/)

          A closer examination of Moses' seat reveals a more symbolic and pragmatic role within the framework of theocratic governance. Moses' seat was emblematic of teaching the Pentateuch, the foundational laws of the Hebrew Bible, and encompassed both religious instruction and civil adjudication (Exodus 18:13–27). Those who sat in Moses’ seat wielded authority to interpret and enforce God's laws, but did not possess any mandate to create new doctrines or laws. Their authority was confined to what was divinely established, a key distinction from the idea of papal authority, which purports the ability to articulate new doctrinal declarations under specific conditions.

          Further, if the seat of Moses served as a prophetic precursor to the papal office, it raises questions. Foremost among them: why was the authority of Moses’ seat exercised by multiple leaders simultaneously, rather than centralized under one supreme figure? The distributed nature of this authority contrasts sharply with the Roman Catholic model, which emphasizes the singularity of the pope as the universal shepherd.

          The New Testament provides no linkage between Moses' seat and a “chair of Peter.” Neither does it establish Peter as having successors in an authoritative sense that parallels the imagery of Moses' seat. Even if there were historical evidence of a tradition of succession tied to Moses’ seat (which is absent), it does not logically follow that such succession would extend to the Roman bishopric. Moreover, the Jewish leaders who occupied Moses' seat were never believed to possess infallibility in teaching—a concept central to Roman Catholic dogma concerning the papacy. On the contrary, the gospels portray the scribes and Pharisees, custodians of Moses' seat, as propagators of significant doctrinal errors. Jesus Himself referred to them as "blind guides" (Matthew 23:16) and criticized their elevation of human traditions to divine status (Matthew 15:1–9).

         While Jesus instructed His followers to heed the teachings derived from the Law and the Prophets as communicated by these leaders, He concurrently warned against emulating their hypocrisy and corruption (Matthew 23:3). The religious leaders of Jesus' time prioritized outward displays of piety and public recognition over genuine devotion to God. Their motivations were rooted in human praise, earning them earthly rewards rather than divine favor.

          Significantly, Matthew 23 highlights the dangers of authoritarian leadership when it becomes disconnected from genuine humility and accountability. Jesus rebuked the scribes and Pharisees for using their positions of authority to burden others with heavy, oppressive expectations while failing to offer meaningful guidance or assistance (Matthew 23:4). This pattern of spiritual leadership contrasts starkly with Christ’s model of servant leadership, which prioritizes humility, compassion, and serving others (Matthew 20:25–28). A similar critique can be directed toward the concept of centralized papal authority, which, over the centuries, has at times led to the imposition of doctrines and practices that have weighed heavily on the faithful, sometimes without adequate biblical justification.

          Another key issue lies in the nature of authority itself as described in Matthew 23. Jesus explicitly warned against seeking honorific titles or positions that elevate oneself above others, stating, “You have one Teacher, and you are all brothers” (Matthew 23:8). He admonished the scribes and Pharisees for their desire to be called “rabbi” and for placing themselves in a position of spiritual superiority over others (Matthew 23:8–12). This teaching undermines the hierarchical model of authority embraced by the Roman Catholic Church, where the pope is seen as occupying the highest seat of honor. Such practices contradict the egalitarian ethos promoted by Christ, who emphasized humility and mutual service among His followers.

          Throughout Matthew 23, Jesus condemns the scribes and Pharisees for their focus on external appearances, such as their elaborate garments and public displays of piety, rather than fostering a heart-centered relationship with God (Matthew 23:5–7). This critique resonates today when evaluating the formal and ritualistic elements of the Roman Catholic Church. Even if liturgical practices have spiritual value, they become empty formalities when divorced from genuine faith and devotion. Jesus’ warning against this type of superficial religiosity calls for a return to the simplicity and authenticity of worship that prioritizes God over human traditions. The reliance on lineage and tradition as justifications for papal authority mirrors the claims of the scribes and Pharisees, whom Jesus rebuked for placing undue emphasis on ancestral ties and human traditions (Matthew 3:7–9; Mark 7:7–13). If the leaders occupying Moses’ seat could err so gravely despite their lineage, then historical succession alone cannot guarantee doctrinal purity or divine favor. This continuity of human fallibility offers a stark caution against equating institutional heritage with spiritual authority.

Does Daniel 7:13-14 Affirm The Deity Of Christ?

          “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13-14, emphasis added)

          The vision in Daniel 7:13-14 emerges in the context of the Babylonian exile, a time of immense upheaval for the Jewish people. Within this backdrop, Daniel's vision reveals the "Ancient of Days," a title that underscores God's eternal nature and unchanging sovereignty. His fiery throne and the river of fire flowing from it symbolize His holiness and justice, qualities that stand in stark contrast to the chaotic and corrupt kingdoms of the earth, represented by the grotesque beasts earlier in the chapter. These beasts, symbolizing successive empires—Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome—highlight the transience and rebellious nature of human power. Against this backdrop, the "Son of Man" enters the scene, approaching the Ancient of Days with divine approval. This striking moment signifies the establishment of an eternal kingdom that will outlast all earthly dominions.

          An essential layer of meaning in this passage lies in its implications for covenant theology. The everlasting dominion granted to the Son of Man directly ties to God's promises in the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants. In the Abrahamic covenant, God promised that all nations would be blessed through Abraham's lineage (Genesis 12:3), a promise ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Similarly, the Davidic covenant ensures an eternal throne for David's descendants (2 Samuel 7:12-13), which finds its ultimate realization in the reign of Christ. This convergence of covenantal promises in the enthronement of the Son of Man reveals God's unwavering fidelity to His redemptive plan and underscores the unity of the biblical narrative from Genesis to Revelation.

          The term "Son of Man" is rich with theological weight, bridging Christ's humanity and divinity. In Daniel's vision, it stands uniquely as a messianic designation, emphasizing the role of the promised Messiah as the mediator between God and humanity. The clouds of heaven, often associated with divine presence, further confirm the Son of Man's deity. This heavenly imagery connects profoundly to the New Testament, where Jesus frequently refers to Himself as the Son of Man, linking His earthly ministry to His heavenly authority. The dominion and authority given to Him in this passage are not merely symbolic but represent the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan—a kingdom that will never be shaken. This everlasting dominion finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ, whose reign surpasses the transient kingdoms of earth.

          This scene reverberates into the apocalyptic visions of Revelation, particularly chapters 4 and 5, where the Lamb of God is uniquely found worthy to open the scroll, signifying His authority to bring about the culmination of history. This moment completes the narrative arc initiated in Daniel, where the Son of Man’s dominion promises restoration and the ultimate defeat of evil. The shared glory and authority between the Father and the Son in Daniel and Revelation affirm the unity of the Godhead and the divinity of Christ, offering profound theological affirmation of His eternal reign. Passages such as Hebrews 1:3 further echo this truth, describing Jesus as seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high, emphasizing His kingly authority and eternal rule.

          For believers, the vision of the Son of Man's everlasting kingdom offers both comfort and challenge. The comfort lies in the assurance that God's purposes will prevail, bringing restoration and eternal peace. It is a vision of hope, promising that His unshakable kingdom will endure when earthly empires crumble. The challenge, however, is to live as faithful subjects of the King of kings, aligning one’s life with His sovereign will. The rich intertextual connections between Daniel, the gospels, and Revelation affirm the continuity of God’s redemptive plan, offering a unified and awe-inspiring vision of Christ’s dominion. This vision stands as a profound call to worship and trust in the eternal rule of the Son of Man, who reigns in majesty alongside the Ancient of Days.

          Jerome wrote the following in commenting on Daniel 7:13:

          “And behold, there came One with the clouds of heaven like unto the Son of man.” He who was described in the dream of Nebuchadnezzar as a rock cut without hands, which also grew to be a large mountain, and which smashed the earthenware, the iron, the bronze, the silver, and the gold is now introduced as the very person of the Son of man, so as to indicate in the case of the Son of God how He took upon Himself human flesh; according to the statement which we read in the Acts of the Apostles: ‘Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up towards heaven? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him going into heaven' (Acts 1:11)”.

          Wayne A. Grudem provides further insight on the text of Daniel 7:13-14 being a messianic prophecy:

          "Someone who had heavenly origin and who was given eternal rule over the whole world. The high priests did not miss the point of this passage when Jesus said, ‘Hereafter you will see the Son of man seated on the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven‘ (Matt. 26:46). The reference to Daniel 7:13-14 was unmistakable, and the high priest and his council knew that Jesus was claiming to be the eternal world ruler of heavenly origin spoken of in Daniel’s vision. Immediately they said, ‘He has uttered blasphemy…. He deserves death’ (Matt. 26:65-66).” (Bible Doctrine: Essential Teachings of the Christian Faith, p. 238)