Author Archives: krsaathoff
What does Scripture mean by “soul” and “spirit”? Are they the same thing?
How many parts are there to man? Everyone agrees that we have physical bodies. Most people (both Christians and non-Christians) sense that they also have an immaterial part – a “soul” that will live on after their bodies die. But here the agreement ends. Some people believe that in addition to “body” and “soul” we …
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Why did God create two sexes?
God did not create human beings to be isolated persons, but, in making us in his image, he made us in such a way that we can attain interpersonal unity of various sorts in all forms of human society. Interpersonal unity can be especially deep in the human family and also in our spiritual family, …
The Creation of Man
Before getting too far into this subject, it is necessary to consider whether it is appropriate to use the word man to refer to the entire human race (as is the title of this weeks’ blog). Some people today object to ever using the word “man” to refer to the human race in general. Those …
Satan and demons: Our relationship to them
As we close out our discussion about Satan and demons, we will discuss how this fits into our world today. Some people, influenced by a naturalistic worldview that only admits the reality of what can be seen or touched or heard, deny that demons exist today and maintain that belief in their reality reflects an …
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Thanksgiving
Separated from friends, unjustly accused, brutally treated—if ever a person had a right to complain, it was this man, languishing almost forgotten in a harsh Roman prison. But instead of complaints, his lips rang with words of praise and thanksgiving! This man was the Apostle Paul—a man who had learned the meaning of true thanksgiving, …
Satan and demons: Spiritual warfare
Last week was a discussion of Angels, so this leads naturally into a discussion about Satan and demons, since they are evil angels who once were like good angels but who sinned and lost their privilege of serving God. Like angels, they were also created, spiritual beings with moral judgement and high intelligence but …
Angels
We will begin by defining angels as follows: Angels are created, spiritual beings with moral judgement and high intelligence, but without physical bodies. Angels have not always existed; they are part of the universe that God created. In a passage that refers to angels as the “host” of heaven, Ezra says, “you are the LORD, …
Prayer: Becoming more effective. Part 2 of 2
Last week we talked about how our prayer is a personal communication to God. The week let’s discuss how we can make our prayers more effective. Scripture indicates a number of considerations that need to be taken into account if we would offer the kind of prayer that God desires from us. (1) Praying according …
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Prayer: A personal communication with God. Part 1 of 2
Prayer is not something we do so that God can find out what we need, because Jesus tells us “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8). God wants us to pray because prayer expresses our trust in God and is a means whereby our trust in him can increase. In …
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