Excerpted from Counseling Must Be Based Solely on the Bible God’s Word is changeless and remains as powerful and applicable to life today as it was for those living thousands of years ago. On the other hand, secular psychology and psychotherapy are relatively new approaches to address matters of life and conduct. Even though the…
One of the most well-known, yet false, concepts is the need for believers in Christ to “forgive themselves.” Yet, if it is necessary for a believer to “forgive self” in addition to receiving God’s forgiveness, then a believer is actually saying that God’s plan for forgiveness is insufficient. Here is why: When God says that…
In educational and psychological circles, one is bombarded with the need for “good self-esteem.” Never mind that these same schools of thought cannot agree on what comprises good self-esteem or how self-esteem can even be defined or measured. Despite disagreement about what it is or how it can be obtained, good self-esteem is touted as…
A Symbol Not of Our Worthiness, but Our Unworthiness by Randy Alcorn, Director of Eternal Perspective Ministries Years ago I spoke at a Christian event where the vocalist got up to sing one of my favorite songs, “Amazing Grace.” But I was taken aback when I heard the first line: “Amazing Grace, how sweet the…
Many professing Christians accept unbiblical teaching that emphasizes the need for good self-esteem. Because such teaching denies the truth of God’s Word in many areas, the body of Christ should have rejected this self-emphasis long ago. Although decades of emphasis on self-esteem have produced no standard definition of that concept, many ideas underlying self-esteem theories…
“Forgiving yourself” & “Forgetting your sins” Recommendation: Have your Bible available to look up verses as they are presented in this study. Or, you can print the verses that follow this study and consult them as they are referenced. INTRODUCTION Two of the most popular, unscriptural concepts accepted by many believers are the need to…
Being established in the faith—living a life consistent with sound teaching—is closely linked with maturing in Christ (Ephesians 4:11-15, Colossians 2:6-8). Consequently, Christians are to watch carefully what they believe and teach (1 Timothy 4:16, 2 Timothy 2:15). It is a mark of noble character to examine all teaching to ensure that it is consistent with the Scriptures (Acts 17:11).…
Jesus narrowed the most significant priorities of life to just two: Loving God–with all your heart, soul, and mind–and loving others, as you already do love yourself (Matthew 22:36-40). Contrary to a deluge of humanistic teachings, there is no third commandment to “love yourself” in this key passage of Scripture. Our inherent “love of self” does not need…
By Daniel B. Wallace, Th.M, Ph.D Matthew 22:39 This is one of several occasional essays on “Scripture Twisting.” The purpose of these very brief essays is to challenge certain popular interpretations of the Bible that really have little or no basis. Matthew 22:39 reads simply, A second [command] is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” In…
by Randy Alcorn of Eternal Perspective Ministries A writer friend was at an event many years ago when he witnessed the following: He was standing near a woman confined to a wheelchair. Suddenly a well-known woman, who had written and spoken extensively about her gift of healing, marched up to the lady in the wheelchair,…