Words of the Bible

I am told that the Old Testament can be interpreted as a shadow and the New Testament as its reality. What are the Biblical grounds for believing that?

The Bible testifies that the law of the Old Testament is only “a shadow of the good things that are coming” (Heb 10:1). It also says in the Bible that God made known from ancient times what was still to come (Isa 46:10), and that whatever is has already been and what will be has been before (Ecc 3:15). All these words show that God already made known what He would later fulfill, as a copy and shadow in the age of the Old Testament. Melchizedek in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament Let’s examine the fact that the Old Testament is a shadow and the New Testament is its reality, through some cases. First, let’s see…

To Where God Wants Us to Go

In the Old Testament, we can find the Israelites’ 40-year desert journey, which serves as a living lesson that shows us the way of obedience. When they were saved from the plagues through the Passover and crossed the Red Sea as on dry land after the Exodus, they gave thanks to God for His mighty power. However, they easily forgot about God’s saving grace and complained to Him frequently. When even a small hardship befell them on their journey led by God, they kept grumbling and complaining against God. As a result, most of them fell in the desert. Among the men who were twenty years old or more at the Exodus, only Joshua and Caleb who followed God’s guidance…

In Matthew 22, Jesus said that the first commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” But isn’t the commandment, “You shall have no other gods before God,” the first commandment?

When people hear the words "first commandment," they usually think of the first commandment of the Ten Commandments which says, "You shall have no other gods before me" (Ex 20:3). However, Jesus tells us that the first and greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment." Mt 22:35-38 "Love God with all your heart and with all your…

God the Great Creator

Are You Looking For A Church Now?

Your Will Be Done on Earth As It Is in Heaven

A clear conscience and good deeds are the basic virtues that God’s children must have. As the day of God is drawing near, God wants us all to live holy and godly lives and achieve true repentance, so that anyone will not perish but everyone will enter the kingdom of God (1 Pe 3:16–17; 2 Pe 3:8–13; 3 Jn 1:11). Since we live in a wicked and adulterous generation, many people are insensitive to wickedness and like evil things, but God’s people must not conform to the pattern of this world (Ro 12:2). If there are still some parts of God’s word that we fail to fully put into practice, let us change ourselves completely to be good. I want…

How much is ten thousand talents and a hundred denarii in the parable of Matthew 18 worth according to today’s monetary standards?

The danarius and talent were units of currency in the New Testament times. A denarius was a Roman silver coin weighing about 4 grams, a day’s wages for a common laborer or soldier (Mt 20:1–2). A talent, a unit of weight for gold or silver, typically weighed about 33 ㎏ [73 lb] varying from 20 to 40 ㎏. When we compare the value of a hundred denarii with that of ten thousand talents, we can realize how tremendous the grace of God given to us is and how small the faults of our brothers and sisters are. Now, let’s take a look at the parable written in Matthew 18. Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times…

With the Same Mind As Ever

Around the time when Samuel is leading Israel as a judge, the Israelites ask for a king to rule over them. God commands Samuel to have the people present themselves before Him by their tribes and clans—1,000 from each of the tribes of Israel. Samuel brings all the tribes of Israel near according to God’s words and casts lots. Among the twelve tribes, the tribe of Benjamin gets chosen. Among the tribe of Benjamin, Matri’s clan is chosen, and finally Saul son of Kish is chosen. Though they look for him, he is not to be found. “Has the man come here yet?” As Saul is not to be found, people inquire of God. God tells them Saul’s whereabouts. They…

Faith and Miracle

Most people expect to see a miracle before they believe in Christ. Of course, God is almighty and able to perform all kinds of miracles. Then, what is the miracle of Christ? People call it a miracle to make the lame walk and the blind see. However, such a miracle is not so wondrous when we consider the countless great miracles which God has already performed. If we look at things with an eye of faith, we can see numerous miracles. Among all the miracles performed by God, the greatest miracle is that He has saved our souls, doomed to die on account of sin, through the words of eternal life. That is the miracle of the new covenant. Through…

Together

This is as harmful to the body as smoking fifteen cigarettes a day. This increases the chance of getting certain diseases. People who suffer from this have 30% higher chance to suffer from a stroke, 40% higher chance to suffer from dementia, and twice the chance to suffer from a heart disease, compared with healthy people. What is this? It is loneliness. Vivek H. Murthy, who is a former Vice Admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, pointed out that loneliness is a factor that causes issues of modern society such as depression and drug addiction. He stated that the diseases that break out from loneliness can be more harmful to the body than general physical diseases. He…

In the Bible, we often see a seal being put on people by God. What is the seal and what does it have to do with us?

A "seal" is a stamp inscribed with the name of an individual or organization as a tool to serve as proof of identity and authentication. The seal of God is the stamp of God. Throughout all ages, God has put His seal on those whom He approves. According to this will of God, there are the seal of apostleship and the seal of righteousness by faith. Receiving the Holy Spirit is also a deposit guaranteeing that we are sealed by God(1 Co 9:2, Ro 4:11, 2 Co 1:22). The sealing work of God occurs in this age, too. However, it is different than before. The seal of God which we must receive now is the sign of redemption by which…

Give Thanks to God

When we walk the path of faith in this spiritual desert, sometimes our hearts are disturbed by the circumstances surrounding us, where we can easily be prone to grumbling and complaining rather than giving thanks. However, God wants us, His children, to live a life of thanksgiving and teaches us to always be thankful, through the Bible. In the Bible, there is a thank offering among many offerings made to God. A thank offering glorifies God and is acceptable to Him like Abel’s sacrifice (Ps 50:23). As believers in God, we should learn to give thanks in any unfavorable or difficult conditions and circumstances. A generation that has forgotten to give thanks One day, a middle-aged woman visited a family…

Atomic Combination

The world is filled with matters. Just one quick look around us is enough to see how natural things such as water, air, and rocks, as well as artificial things such as plastic and vinyl are all made of matters. What will happen if we keep breaking matters into smaller pieces? If you divide them to the point that they cannot be divided anymore, it is called atom—the basic unit of matter. A pure substance of one kind of atom is called an element. About 110 elements have been discovered, and about 90 of them are found in nature. On top of that, those that can be commonly found are only about 40. The mystery of chemical bonding In one…

Every religion has its own dietary restrictions. I’ve learned that there are some food restrictions in Christianity as well. However, the dietary regulations vary from church to church. Which of them are right? What are the Biblical dietary standards?

There are certain foods that God prohibits His people from eating. These food regulations existed from the Creation to the New Testament times. What we should pay attention to is that God gave His people different dietary laws in each age. Many churches today have their own rules concerning food and insist on keeping them. Most of them say that their food doctrines are based on the Bible, but the reason they insist like that is because they misunderstand the times. No matter what kind of dietary restrictions there were before, we just need to follow the teachings of the apostles who were taught by Jesus. In the New Testament times, God established certain regulations in regard to food through…

Clouds and the Flesh

In the Old Testament, there were many prophecies concerning the coming of Christ. Two thousand years ago, however, it was very difficult for the religious leaders to accept Jesus as Christ because He was to come in secret. That is why the Apostle John wrote as follows: “Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist” (1 Jn 4:2-3). This shows that at that time it was difficult to believe that Christ came in the flesh. Therefore, one of the most important ideas which the saints of the early Church had was that Christ came…

Prayer Is a Tool for Invoking God’s Power

People become inactive if they run out of energy. It is the same spiritually; we cannot live an energetic and active life of faith when we run out of spiritual strength. That is why God has given us the special times of prayer—the two daily regular prayer times in the morning and in the afternoon and the annual feasts, so that we can fill ourselves up with spiritual energy. God’s people live holy and godly lives, looking forward to the day of God and speed its coming (2 Pe 3:11-12). God has taught us the importance of prayer to help us live a godly and meaningful life of faith every day. Now, let us see what the Bible teaches about…

Why did Jesus liken false prophets to whitewashed tombs in Matthew 23?

Jesus taught many things in parables while preaching the good news of the kingdom of heaven. The reason He used parables was to make the truth known only to those who had been given the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven (Mt 13:10-15, 34). Many parables told by Jesus are teachings directly related to our salvation. The parable of the "whitewashed tombs" also contains the profound meaning of salvation. Whitewashing The term "whitewashing" usually refers to applying a coat of white paint. It is used metaphorically in the Bible to refer to a person or a group who attempts to make falsehood look like truth. Let's take a look at some Biblical records concerning this. In the…

Come Near to God

We call God “our spiritual Father or Mother,” because we are God’s children. When we understand the hearts of our parents in this world which is a shadow, we will also fathom the hearts of our heavenly Parents in the spiritual world. Now, let’s see what God wants most from us, through the following story. The moment a mother wanted to see most There was a mother who was waiting anxiously for her loving son to return from the battlefield. One day she received a message that her son had been killed in the war. After losing her son, she was in deep grief. She couldn’t even sleep well at night, missing her son so much. She earnestly prayed to…

What is the background of the Passover controversy at the Council of Nicaea and the situation after it?

The Eastern Church and the Western Church The Council of Nicaea was an international council of religious leaders from the Eastern and Western Churches, held at Nicaea in Asia Minor in 325 A.D. under the leadership of the Roman Emperor Constantine. The major issues on the agenda, discussed during the Council, were fixing the date of the Passover Communion and dealing with Arianism that denied the Trinity. Especially, the matter of determining the date of the Passover Communion had been disputed since the mid-second century, and it was brought to an end when the Passover was completely abolished at the Council of Nicaea. The Passover controversy started after all the apostles died and the Early Church was divided into the…

Where do you think God dwells?