Besides being the Son of God, Jesus was also a great teacher, probably the greatest of all time. But much of his teaching was by means of parables. So, why did he teach in a way that was sometimes difficult to understand? Was this intentional? And are there rules and standards we should follow to interpret Jesus’ parables?
Jesus’ parable of the wedding banquet illustrates some very important principles of God’s kingdom. He told it to Jewish people of the first century, but he also intended it to be for us today, as it speaks of the breadth and depth of God’s grace and the extent of Christ’s atoning sacrifice.
Life is so full of challenges and difficulties, but also many opportunities. How do we make our way through this world and choose the best path with all of the perils and obstacles in our way? God has given us intelligence to solve problems and find answers to our questions. But we need more than intelligence to succeed, flourish, and to live a safe and fruitful life that pleases God. For those, we need wisdom.
The word elect generates a lot of discussion and debate in the Christian church. Both Jesus and the apostles use the term in their teachings. So, who are the elect in the New Testament? The term “chosen” is used even more in the Bible. Are the elect and the chosen the same?
The parable of the prodigal son is perhaps the most touching of Jesus’ parables. It’s the story of a wayward son and his reconciliation with his father. Jesus told it to illustrate how a sinful person is reconciled to God. But it just rebellious and irresponsible people that need to hear this? Or does the story relate to everyone?
Many Christians stay away from the subject of predestination because they see it as controversial and think that discussing it only leads to disagreement and conflict. Others put it into the “things I will not understand until heaven” category. But predestination is an important Christian doctrine and a great consolation to believers if understood correctly. So, what is predestination in the Bible?
Jesus was the master teacher, and as such, he used stories to illustrate his teachings. One of his most familiar is the parable of the seeds and soils. For many of Jesus’ parables, his explanation is not recorded. But he explained this one privately to his disciples. But even with Jesus’ explanation, there have been various interpretations. So, how should we interpret and apply this most important story?
Jesus’ parable of the shrewd manager is a great story with an important lesson. But it’s a difficult one for many people. In it, Jesus used a dishonest and conniving character to illustrate an important spiritual principle. Why would he do that? And what is the principle he’s teaching?
To some people, the teachings of Jesus and those of the apostle Paul don’t always agree. Critics of the Bible and of the Christian faith like to point out what they see as glaring differences. Even solid believers are known to gravitate toward the teachings of either Jesus or Paul. But are Jesus and Paul really at odds? Is there a conflict between the two?
Prayer is such an important part of our relationship with God. But is there a right way to pray? Can prayer be misguided? If so, what can we use as a guide? Let’s look at how Jesus taught his disciples to pray to our Father.
