satan attacks you only because you bear the image of the One whom he truly loathes. He is waging a war to erase God’s image wherever it is displayed, hence his hatred for you. And the best way you can fight back is to reflect that image, the blinding light of God’s glory, right back at him. That is what happens when Christians praise the Lord. Terry Law
Ken Kam writes:
by Ken Ham on November 12, 2021Featured in Ken Ham
“Newly discovered sponge-like animals could change the known history of animal evolution.” Claims like this are ones we often hear—the evolutionary story and timeline are constantly changing as new finds upset everything they thought they knew, such as when animals first evolved from sponges (if they even evolved from sponges—that’s much debated in the evolutionary community!).
Now, some will claim this is just how science works. After all, our knowledge about the natural world adjusts as we make new discoveries. But it’s interesting to note how frequently this happens with the idea of evolution—timelines that were “settled science” or “undebatable” are suddenly changed by hundreds of millions of years (no small amount of imaginary time!), and now everything must change in light of the new interpretation of the evidence. It seems stories about such changes are now happening weekly! Why is the story changing so frequently?
The reason evolutionary ideas are constantly in flux, with “settled science” being overturned constantly, is that millions of years/evolution is the wrong worldview and the wrong starting point.
Well, because animals didn’t evolve from sponges (or anything else!) in the first place. The reason evolutionary ideas are constantly in flux, with “settled science” being overturned constantly, is that millions of years/evolution is the wrong worldview and the wrong starting point. It relies on the faulty interpretations of people who weren’t there, who don’t know everything, who frequently make mistakes, and who are attempting to explain the origin of the universe and all life apart from the eyewitness account God has given us in his Word! Wrong starting points mean wrong conclusions regarding the data.
When we start with God’s Word, we have an unchanging basis on which to ground our thinking. Only then can we properly understand the world around us and develop models and hypotheses that are consistent with both the evidence and the eyewitness of all history.
Read the full article here
After the best part of a week of bad weather, it was nice to get out again. Still a lot of water around.
Whether we like it or not, life is war. The father of all terrorism hates us, and we must resist him or die. Terry Law
Here is my commentary on Ephesians 6:15. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au
“As shoes for your feet, put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.” (NRSV)
“And with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” (NIV)
“For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared.” (NLT)
These three translations show that there is a wide variety of interpretations of how this seemingly simple verse should translated. Sometimes the relationship of the various words in a Greek sentence is not easily discerned.
Firstly, we need shoes to protect our feet. The soldier in hand- to- hand combat requires shoes that support his feet and help to maintain his footing on a slippery surface without sinking into soft ground and restricting his movement. A combat shoe, boot, or even a sandal, is not a fashion accessory, but a vital part of the soldier’s equipment.
What is Paul advocating should be our shoes in this metaphor that he is using? According to the New Revised Standard Version, the answer is “ whatever makes you ready.”
So, we are to take hold of whatever tools we need that will prepare us to proclaim the gospel of peace. This means that our focus has to be on our mission, that is proclaiming the gospel of peace. This is a very proactive understanding.
Firstly, we seek our mission field through prayer. “ Lord, where and how do you want me to preach the gospel of peace?” Then we look for the resources that will help us to do that — training, book, equipment, spiritual gifts, and so on.
The gospel is the gospel of peace because it expresses the end of hostility between God and people. Through the death of Jesus on the cross, the sin that separates us from God is done away with. The veil of separation is torn down, and we are reconciled to our Father.
In this understanding, then, it is the preaching of the gospel which is the focus of this part of the armour.
In the interpretation offered by the New International Version, it is “The readiness that comes from the gospel of peace” that the shoes represent.
Looking at this closely, the gospel of peace, when we receive it into our heart imparts a readiness. Soldiers should always be ready to fight, so Paul is saying that having enlisted in God’s army by receiving the gospel of peace, we should be ready to fight against “the rulers, principalities, and powers of this present darkness” (Ephesians 6:12)
Many Christians want a quiet life. They are afraid to engage in spiritual warfare whether through prayer or declaration or preaching the Good News. We must always be ready to take our stand in the war. Whether we are aware of it or not, we are in the greatest imaginable battle. We must stand and fight.
The New Living Translation tells us that the shoes are the peace that come from the gospel, and the result of putting on this peace is there that we are prepared.
When we are reconciled to God through Christ, we come to a place of peace. God’s shalom permeates our soul, so that where we once were at war with God, with ourselves, and with others, we are now at peace. This peace is a restoration of the true nature that God created us to carry.
Now, instead of being at war with the wrong enemies, we are prepared for battle with the right enemies. In this battle, the peace of God holds us upright so that all of the tactics, weapons, and attacks of satan are unable to pull us down and take us out of the battle.
These three translations provide us with three different approaches to this verse. However we understand this, let us be ready, with our boots on, for all that the enemy might throw at us, and in the last day, to remain standing firm in Christ.
