A Review of the ESV Verse-by-Verse Reference Bible, in Black Top Grain Leather.

February 12, 2016February 12, 2016 Bob Snyder9 Comments

Crossway sent me this beautiful Bible for review. It is a wonderful value. You get so many great features with this Bible. It is also a good multipurpose Bible. Initially I thought the font might be too small for Pastors to use it from the pulpit, but I was wrong. The verse format layout, terrific paper, and crisp clean print, make it well suited to serve as a preaching Bible. It is a reference Bible, so it also lends itself to study. The references and notes are out of the way at the bottom, so it also works good for reading. If you are in the market for a new Bible to fill a few roles, keep reading. I think you’ll be as impressed with this edition as I am.

The ESV Verse-by-Verse Reference Bible was packaged in a small white cardboard box.

The Bible itself was inside the retail clamshell box. Keep the box for storage. This is not a Bible to be stood up on edge like a hardback book. The Bible arrived undamaged from Crossway. Inside the packaging the Bible was wrapped in clear plastic.

Once removed, I was able to begin assessing the top grain leather. It had a very supple feel to it. It was nice and soft. There is also a perimeter groove on the cover.

The inside liner seemed to be a bit different than the outside cover. I e-mailed Crossway and asked them about it. They informed me that it is Cromwell® bonded leather. For those of you who are balking at that, keep in mind that Cromwell® bonded leather is not the same as the low grade bonded leather you are used to seeing in the past. It is a far superior product and should last as long as the top grain leather cover, if not longer. One of the bonuses of using this material as a liner is that it can be had in thin sheets. This makes it possible for the bindery to get the cover mated to the liner with more precision and less bulges on the corners.

This, being an edge-lined Bible, it is important to not use a heavier material that would reduce the supple feel of the cover.

In my opinion, it was implemented quite well. For the price, I would definitely recommend purchasing this edition over the ones with genuine leather or synthetic covers if you can afford the extra money.

In the front you’ll find a Presentation Page, Publisher’s Page, Table of Contents, Books of the Bible in Alphabetical Order, Preface, and an Explanation of Features.

The spine is ornamented with four spine hubs, and gold lettering.

The page edges are gold gilt and the corners are rounded. There are also decorative gold and black, head and tail bands.There are two black ribbons that are decent quality.

They are thicker than some less expensive ribbons. For me two ribbons or more is a must. Three ribbons is perfect in my opinion. You get one for the Old Testament reading, one for devotional reading of Proverbs, and one for the New Testament. Of course, two will suffice, and is certainly better than only one. Four just seems supernumerary to me.

Of course where this Bible shines is the paper and print. Crossway has done a good job utilizing superior paper compared to their competitors. Rarely do you find Bibles in this niche with paper of the same weight and opacity. Crossway is employing a 36 g.s.m. Apple Thin Opaque paper. Keep in mind that many of their competitors call 28 g.s.m. paper top notch. The print in this black letter edition is sharp and uniform throughout. I haven’t run into any areas where the print fades or is smudged. The font is 9 pt. in size and is Lexicon face. At first glance it seems larger than it is, in my opinion. I think that is due to the opaque paper, print, and line spacing, making it very legible. It is easy on the eyes.

Preaching from the pulpit and looking down at a 9 pt. font in another Bible with lesser paper and more ghosting would be a bad idea, but with this Bible you could easily do it. There is also a generous outside margin for some limited note taking.

The drawback of course is that some of the type gets lost in the gutter.

In some regards, like the paper and print, I would rate this Bible up there with the premium ones. Due to the lack of some of the more ornate features, like art gilt page edges, better ribbons, gilt perimeter lines, and better leather for the inside liner I can’t call it a premium Bible. Of course the price on this edition more than makes up for what little quibbles I might have. I’ve paid over $200 for an Allan. This Bible can be had for a bit over $80. That makes it an outstanding value. The suggested retail is $149.99. Some publishers list a suggested retail that I would never pay. This Bible is worth the suggested retail. On some retail sites it can be found for as little as $84.99. Other than the gutter complaint, the layout is great. You get a double column, verse format, with approximately 80,000 cross references located at the bottom of the pages. You also get a 76 page 3 column concordance, and 8 color maps in the back.

At the start of each book is a brief introduction. I personally love well written book introductions.

You also get a smyth-sewn spine with this edge-lined Bible adding to the durability and flexibility.

You would be hard pressed to find a Bible with all of these features even in a higher price range. In my opinion, Crossway has hit the ball out of the park with this edition and set the standard for their competitors in the $80 to $150 range.

Make sure to check out all of the pictures I took of this Bible on my Flickr page.

ISBN-13: 9781433545689

marriage · Uncategorized

Toxic People, Toxic Relationships, a New Age Cop out.

February 11, 2016January 27, 2024 Bob Snyder5 Comments

How many times have you heard from one of your married friends who is being left by their spouse, “We were just toxic together.” Probably as many times as you’ve heard, “He/She was just toxic for me.” People complain, “I’m just not happy. I deserve to be happy.” So many of my friends, as of late, have had these things said to them. Usually followed by, “I don’t love you anymore.” For good measure they might even throw in a, “You are controlling, and abusive. I never loved you.” These are some of the most selfish, and injurious accusations I’ve heard. These are also very sinful, and rebellious. They are definitely not Christian sentiments. I believe they are selfish, and used as a cop out. It is the lie they tell themselves, and others, to not put in the hard, sanctifying, and gospel exemplifying, work that is needed for a life-long covenant between them and God.

I’d expect to hear this vitriol coming from the lost, but we often hear it coming from professing Christians. I’ve even seen several articles on supposedly Christian websites that advocate divorcing a toxic person. Have they forgotten that everyone is a, “toxic person?” Have they forgotten the power of the gospel? Have they forgotten that God hates divorce? If they are saved, and acting/feeling like this then, they are in rebellion, and will be disciplined by God. If they are false converts, they will receive their just punishment in Hell, where God will be just, and right to pour out His wrath on them, for all eternity.

Of course you are in a toxic relationship. You are a toxic sinner. Of course your spouse is toxic. They are a sinner. When you put two sinners together in a room they are going to sin. They are going to be selfish, prideful, arrogant, idolatrous, and petty. Of course you aren’t happy. You are expecting another person to make you happy. Guess what… a sinful person will always let you down. You will never be fulfilled by another human being. You can only find the contentment you are looking for in Jesus, and His gospel of grace.

Oh, and here is another big shocker, regardless of what you’ve heard, you don’t deserve to be happy! You are a sinner, like everyone else. God is perfectly just, holy, righteous, and good. You have broken His laws, and are a guilty sinner. You, and I deserve to be punished. We don’t deserve to be happy. You, and I deserve to be killed by God, and be sent to Hell for eternity, just like everyone else on the planet. You see, it is a sin problem, not a relationship problem. The only way it was a relationship problem is that as sinners we were enemies of God. If we want peace with Him, we must repent, and believe in the work of Christ on the cross, to justify us with God.

We read all of the New Age drivel on websites, blogs, and social media. We listen to podcasts, and self-help gurus on the radio. It validates, and justifies, the selfish, idolatrous, sinful, thoughts. Why do people consume these things? I know why I am here. I am here to combat the darkness that has been enslaving people, and ruining marriages, children, and families, for far too long in this country. Why are you here? Are you here to flirt with the darkness? Do you want to hear something that will give you permission to give up, and give in to sin? Are you being tempted by the New Age malarkey? Are you setting up false teachers to tickle your ears? Wake up! We need to stop behaving like selfish children, and truly understand what this means, “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Do you think you are something special? Do you think you deserved His love? If it weren’t for His grace, we’d all be lost.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not telling someone who is getting physically abused to stay in the home. If you are getting physically abused you should be separated. “Separated” does no mean, “Oh goody, time to commit adultery.” Being separated for a time can be necessary, but it is always supposed to be temporary. If your spouse has committed adultery, you may divorce them, but it isn’t the optimal expression of a mature believer’s grace. If your spouse is an unbeliever, and walks out on you, you may divorce. If you really understand grace, even though you may divorce them, if they are repentant, you will forgive them, and give grace to them, just like the way Christ gave grace to you, instead of what you deserve.

I don’t agree with the modern definition of psychological abuse. Pretty much any difficult thing you talk about with a person can be deemed abusive anymore. Obviously if you are a Christian you should not hurt your spouse emotionally. You should not intentionally, or maliciously hurt their feelings. It is sinful to do so. Your sin does not justify a divorce unless it fits the criteria mentioned above. Christ endured our scorn, and ridicule while on the cross, dying for a bunch of sinners. Do we think we deserve better than Christ?

We all want the romantic fairy tale marriage. We all want to feel loved. Some people are living the dream, but it might not have always been that way for them. How do you think they got there? It wasn’t by giving in, and giving up that is for certain. They had to fight against their own sin, and forgive the other’s sins, while loving God more than anyone, or anything else. They had to trust, and obey God, not their ever-changing emotions. If you give up you miss out on the sanctification that God has planned for you. If you give up, you’ll just take your sin problems with you to another sinner, and find some other reason to leave them. You’ll never deal with the real problems as long as you use the cop out excuse of, “They were just toxic, it was a toxic relationship.”

Our only hope in marriage is Jesus Christ. Our only hope in life, and death is Jesus Christ. If we have been saved from our sins by Christ, then we are obliged to demonstrate the same type of sacrificial love for our spouse. We love them without any expectations of return on our investment. We love them because Christ loves us. Our sins put Christ on the cross. It is as if we had the hammer, and nails in our hands, and put Him up there ourselves. He died for us, knowing that we hated Him. He got nothing worth having in saving us. By God’s sanctifying work, the Holy Spirit conforms us to the will, and word of God, to be Christlike to the world, including our spouse. We love them even though they don’t deserve it. We demonstrate grace to them, when they don’t deserve it. Marriage is a covenant with God, you, and your spouse, for the rest of your life. It is a picture of the gospel, to be lived out in front of the world. The husband is the head of the wife, the way that Christ is the head of the Church. Christ died to save the Church, His bride. The wife is the representation of the Church, submitting to the Bridegroom who saved her for Himself. So love one another sacrificially, and stop all of this selfish carnal nonsense. Obey God, and glorify Him in your marriage.

marriage · Movie Review · Uncategorized

I Finally Watched the Movie, “Fireproof 2” Woops, I Meant, “War Room” and I’m Left Wondering, What Was all the Fuss About?

January 28, 2016 Bob Snyder7 Comments

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I know this is old news, so I won’t spend a bunch of time on this. I finally got around to watching the movie, “War Room.” It really did make me think that I liked it better when it was called, “Fireproof.” So many people were telling me how great it was and still others were voicing concerns. I didn’t want to waste my money on a bad movie so I waited for it to go to rental. I watched it mostly by myself. My Wife and Daughter would watch here and there. As I was watching it I became aware of a couple of scenes with really bad theology. However, I kind of expected it from Christian movies these days.
There was a scene where the main character is fed up with her life and prays out loud to the devil and then commands him to leave her house and go to Hell, in the name of Jesus. First, don’t pray to the devil, don’t talk with the devil, and don’t rebuke the devil. Even the angels say, “The Lord rebuke you.” Second, the devil doesn’t live in hell and he is not from hell. He is on the Earth and won’t be in Hell until he is sent there by God.
The other scene that was laughable was when a mugger confronted the older lady and the younger lady and attempted to rob them at knife point. The older lady commanded the thug to drop his knife in the name of Jesus… and guess what… He did. I had to laugh, but it also made me a bit angry. What if someone actually tried that? Disregard all of the Pentecostal mythology surrounding this type of thing. Honestly, it is not the way to handle that situation. Let’s see… Did it help the early Church Fathers when they were being martyred? Did it stop the Romans from using Christians as torches to light the streets? Does it help the Christians being martyred by the Muslims today?
The biggest problem I had with the movie is one that my 15 year old Daughter picked up on just from watching a little bit of the movie. She said something to the effect of, “Is this one of those Christian movies where everyone gets saved and their problems all go away?” The sad thing is that she was correct. This movie forwarded the, “life enhancement gospel.” This is a false gospel that goes like this, “Become a Christian, and God will make your life better.” This can be very damaging to immature Christians. This movie would have been so much better if the husband would have went to prison after repenting. The husband ends up repenting. He then takes responsibility for getting fired from his job as a pharmaceutical sales representative. He also admits to his bosses about stealing pharmaceuticals from the company. One of the bosses wants to have him prosecuted. Of course, because he comes clean and gives back what he stole they forgive him and then he gets a great new job closer to home. God makes everything better and life is peachy keen again…
What if he would have done all of the good things like repenting, returning what he stole, and he still ended up going to prison? They could have shown her praying for him and waiting for him to get out. They could have showed him accepting the difficult things as part of God’s will. If a person decides to become Christian for a better life, they are missing the point. We should become Christians because we sorrow over our sins and love Christ for His sacrificial work on the cross to atone for our sins.

Apologetics · Book Reviews · Church · cultural · eccumenism · evangelism · God · Uncategorized

Todd Friel’s, “Judge Not” is an Ambitious Book that Attempts to Assess the Maladies of the Modern Church in America.

January 23, 2016January 23, 2016 Bob Snyder1 Comment

It is a daunting undertaking. One I was apprehensive about. I was doubtful that the problems could be covered in a book that is only 320 pages long. Overall, Todd’s book accomplishes what it was intended to do. In an effort to promote what I deem a necessary work, I would strongly encourage all Christians to purchase and read this book. However, I don’t want to spoil any of the, “Ah-ha!” “Amen!” or “Ouch!” moments. This means that I won’t reveal all of my favorite quotes. The full title of the book is, “Judge Not, How A Lack Of Discernment Led To Drunken Pastors, Peanut Butter Armpits, & The Fall Of A Nation.” The title is no misrepresentation to act as a hook. It is a hook, don’t get me wrong. It is just very true and disturbing. The astonishing authenticity of it is the hook.

For those tens and tens of loyal listeners, Todd needs no introduction, but for the rest of the world, Todd Friel is the host of the Christian radio program, “Wretched Radio.” He is also the host of, “Wretched TV” on NRB network. Todd and the guys over at Wretched, put out quality programs, Biblically addressing issues and trends, that concern us as Christians. Todd’s previous book, “Jesus Unmasked” detailed, and highlighted Christ through the entire Bible. I was curious about his latest book, because his previous one was so good. Even though it was a hard act to follow, he can be happy with his latest book. It was quite different from his previous one.

We look around and wonder how we got here. As a kid, I was raised in a home without Church. My parents were both former Roman Catholics. Mom is Italian. Her family was traditionally Roman Catholic. My Dad’s family is German, and very Roman Catholic as well. Both of my parents deserted the religion of their families for different reasons. My Mom left because her family deserted her, and disowned her because she was a child of mixed blood. Her Dad was Lithuanian, NOT Italian! My Mother was also enjoying the freedom of the 60’s. My Father left Roman Catholicism after reading the Bible for himself. They decided to raise us without formal religion and to allow us to figure it out for ourselves. I grew up thinking that all of the people who went to a Church were Christians. I had now idea how wrong I was. Whenever I was invited to a Church for Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, Mormon Talks, SDA, Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Hall, or Mass, I thought they were all Christians. I was so confused by the variances and disparities I witnessed. From the 60’s on to present day, Churches in America have done little to help people like me who were lost.

With chapter headings like, “Happy Clappy Church, Twisting Scripture, Messed-up Messianic Movements, and Gospel Off-centeredness” Todd takes aim at pretty much all of the problems with the modern Church in America. Many of the things he brings forward have been concerns of mine for years. Some of the things were new to me. I had no idea some of those things were going on. If you are like me and have been keenly aware that something is wrong, and perhaps you weren’t quite able to put your finger on it then this is the book for you.

Here is the Table of Contents,

We’ve probably all been to a, “Happy Clappy” Church. They are the ones that solely focus on God’s love. They are generally pretty seeker sensitive and rely on entertaining the masses. Many of us have friends or family in the Messianic movement and have concerns. Todd echoes these concerns and talks frankly about the problems within the movement. Todd also shines light on the New Apostolic Movement. Very troubling things are coming out of it. It also is being accepted as orthodox by many well meaning Christians.

This book was a quick read. It usually takes me quite a while to read a theology book, but with Todd’s sense of humor and direct approach, I was able to read it pretty quick. If you have read some religious books and found them to be dry or slow, you won’t have this problem here. Todd’s writing is engaging and intelligent. Get this book and read it. After you are done, you’ll be able to think of at least a few people you know who will need to read it as well. I really enjoyed it and it helped me gain some needed perspective on the state of the Church, the gospel, evangelism, and what I can do to help. You can purchase your copy from Wretched’s store, or Amazon.

Apologetics · Church · cultural · debate · firearms · hate · Liberal Christian · Theology · Uncategorized

Christians, Firearms, Self-defense, and Protection of Others.

December 23, 2015 Bob Snyder2 Comments

First off, let me say that this is not a matter that should cause us to break fellowship with one another, or to become polemic. We reserve polemics for the enemy. We should never turn our cannons on ourselves. No friendly fire inside the camp. This is a matter of adiaphora. Personal convictions on this should be arrived at via much study and consideration of scripture.

That being said, recently Dr. John Piper wrote an article on the topic. His view is one of personal pacifism. He does not own a firearm and does not encourage others to own one. He strongly believes that the Bible is clear on how a Christian should respond to evil and violence. Here is the link to his article. Dr. James White wrote an article that expressed an alternative and different position. His article was not polemic, nor was he demonstrating a lack of love or grace. You can read his article here. There have been many knee-jerk emotional responses on both sides of the issue. People are pulling out the, “Depart from me! You are of a different spirit!” phrase and flinging it around. This is an issue we can disagree on. It is not a primary article of faith.

Personally, I’ve always thought it was more loving to defend the victims of evil against evil, even with deadly force. I recently read an article from Dr. John Piper where he explains his convictions about guns, and using them in defense. He seems to be pretty clear that he doesn’t think it is something a Christian should do. I, along with many other Christians disagree with him on this issue. However, I won’t let this become a divisive issue. It is a matter of adiaphora. I happen to agree with Dr. James White’s stance on the use of weapons, and the reasons to employ them.

If I see an elderly person being mugged, I will stop the mugging. If I see two men beheading a person in the street, I will stop them. If I see a group of men gang-raping a woman, I will stop them. If you are the victim of evil men, then you better hope that God, in His providence, directs someone like me to your aid. We are supposed to love people, seek justice, and what is right. I strongly believe it is more loving to defend the victims against the evil of sinful men, than it is to allow those evil men to work out their demonic desires. If it can be stopped without employing lethal force, then I believe that is what we should do. If a person is physically able to pull someone off of their victim and hold them for the police, then they should do so. If they are looking at a situation that requires lethal force to stop the taking of human life, the rape of a person, be they man woman, or child, or the brutalization of a person by a group of thugs, then it is more loving and just to end the evil being wrought. It is actually hateful to allow the evil to continue. It demonstrates contempt for law, justice, and righteousness.

On a larger scale, like the Nazis and Jews, Dietrich Bonhoeffer came to the conclusion that he must act against the Nazis. He could not sit by and watch the genocide of the Jewish people. America couldn’t sit by and watch it either. I believe it is actually a hateful thing to sit by and allow evil men to murder others. I would not feel, or reason myself to be in the will of God, by allowing atrocities to go on around me, while I sat patiently waiting for them to be finished. I wouldn’t act out of a sense of self-preservation, but rather out of self-sacrifice, compassion, and love for the victims.
While Bonhoeffer drew the line at killing. He himself would not directly kill. I would. I would not do it lightly. I don’t come to this conclusion with bravado or some egocentric notion of heroism. I don’t have a Master’s degree or a Doctorate. I am not a seminarian. I am a Christian. God has given me a functioning mind that can reason and think. He has also given us His word and His Spirit. It is our obligation as Christians to think deeply and honestly about this topic. We should not take it lightly, nor should we lack grace for brothers with a different strongly held conviction on this topic.

Apologetics · cultural · God · hate · Islam Muslims quran · Theology · Uncategorized · under God

They Hate Christians, Why?

December 13, 2015December 14, 2015 Bob Snyder2 Comments

The hate and vitriol, I’ve witnessed from liberals, and atheists has been some of the best supporting evidence that the God they hate is truly who He says He is in His word. They deny Him so passionately, while leaving false religions alone. They can see hundreds, thousands, no millions of murders committed by Muslims, Communists, abortionists, and even justify eugenics, and euthanasia with Darwinian evolution, without batting an eye. They will even call it, “good.” They don’t even have the ability to judge anything good or evil without an external moral authority like, oh… I don’t know, God! Yet, let a Christian preach Christ and they want you locked up as hate criminal.

It has always made me wonder, why it is, that so many people hate Christianity, and God. It caused me to read the Bible more. The Bible, God’s word, makes it clear why they hate us. It isn’t because we are the most charitable and giving people on the Earth, and we are. It isn’t because we preach to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, and we do. It isn’t because we disrupt society with bombings, shootings, and decapitations, because we don’t.

It is simply because, people hate the thought that their idea of their own personal righteousness isn’t good enough. Not only is it not good enough, it is actually offensive to God. They hate the fact that, God Himself in the second personage of the Trinity, according to His sovereign, will, foreknowledge, and love, offered Himself, as a Holy sacrifice, to justify wretched sinners to Himself. The transcendent Holiness of God is so offensive to the self-righteous that they would kill him over and over again, throughout eternity if they could. They hate what He shows them about themselves.

The fact, that all have sinned and deserve death and hell. That none are good, not one. Friends, if you hate Christ, His cross, or His people, ask yourself today, “Why do I feel so strongly about this? What is it, really about them that I hate so much?” be honest, repent, and believe in the finished work of Christ Jesus on the cross. Submit to Him and follow Him as your Lord, master, and Savior. You can be free of all of the hate that you’ve been harboring, you can have the burdensome load of bitterness, loathing, and guilt removed from you shoulders. Humbly come to Christ in repentance and faith. His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

Theology · Uncategorized

Regeneration

November 30, 2015November 30, 2015 Bob SnyderLeave a comment

Ephesians 2:1 NASB And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,

Ephesians 2:4-5 NASB But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, [5] even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

2 Corinthians 5:17-19 NASB [17] Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. [18] Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, [19] namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Ephesians 2:8-9 NASB For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; [9] not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Ephesians 1:19-20 NASB and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might [20] which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

John 3:3-6 NASB Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” [4] Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” [5] Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. [6] “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

1 Peter 1:23 NASB for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.

John 1:12-13 NASB But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, [13] who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

1 John 3:9 NASB No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

1 John 4:7 NASB Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

1 John 5:1 NASB Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.

1 John 5:4 NASB For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith.

1 John 5:18 NASB We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.

Galatians 4:4-5 NASB But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, [5] so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 NASB [18] Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, [19] namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. [20] Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Titus 3:4-5 NASB But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, [5] He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

Romans 8:23-30 NASB And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. [24] For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? [25] But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. [26] In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; [27] and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. [28] And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. [29] For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; [30] and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

Ezekiel 37:1-14 NASB The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. [2] He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry. [3] He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, You know.” [4] Again He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.’ [5] “Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. [6] ‘I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the LORD.'” [7] So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. [8] And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them. [9] Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life.”‘” [10] So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. [11] Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.’ [12] “Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. [13] “Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. [14] “I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken and done it,” declares the LORD.'”

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If you remove microaggressions and triggers from the Bible?

November 21, 2015November 22, 2015 Bob Snyder2 Comments

Let’s examine what the our favorite Bible verses would look like if we removed microaggressions and triggers from them.

[Matthew 23:27 NASB]
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.