Thinking Aloud

  THERE ARE BASICALLY two different opinions about the future of the earth and mankind.  Science holds that humans are poised for great development and the future appears glorious. While it is true that mankind is in dire straits due to economic inequity, diseases, illiteracy, crime, terrorism etc, the answer to all these ills lies in economic and scientific development. A start has been made already in this direction and with increased awareness, social justice and an accelerated growth rate, everybody would be happy. If man tries hard enough, he can create a heaven on earth; there is no other heaven.  But the Bible holds a diametrically opposite view. This earth is destined for total annihilation  and a new earth and new heaven would replace it at the Second Coming of Jesus. The Bible speaks in scores of places about what would be the signs of the last days. I have given below some of them along with explanation. The subject of eschatology is enormous and what you...

  THE APOSTLE PAUL WROTE IN 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 “If anyone is in Christ the new creation has come; the old has gone, the new is here”. The Gospel’s power to transform is the greatest hope-providing force in the universe. The death of Jesus launches us on a journey of becoming like Him–a journey that will culminate when we see Him face to face (See 1 John 3:1-3 ). As believers in Jesus we celebrate our life as ‘new creations ’. Yet we must never lose sight of what that cost Christ. His death brought us life. “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21 ).    The concept of a new creation (or regeneration or “born again experience”) is a constantly recurring one in the Bible. We’ll see it cropping up across the scriptures–it is ubiquitous, whether in the New Testament or Old Testament. I have chosen a few of them for our meditation. It all starts with Jesus of course : Revelations 21:1, 4,...

  BOUGHT WITH A PRICE THE DEATH OF JESUS LAUNCHES ON A JOURNEY of becoming like Him–a journey that will culminate when we meet Him face to face. (See 1 John 3:1-3) . As believers, we celebrate life as new creations. Yet we must never lose sight of what that cost Christ. The theme that we are not our own, that we were bought by the Lord Jesus Christ with a price is one that recurs across the New Testament. I have given a few examples of this in the essay below.   1 Pet 1:18, 19 - For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect . This is an argument for a holy life, derived from the fact that we were redeemed, and from the manner in which our redemption took place. There is no more effective way to induce true Christians to consecrate themselves entirely to God, than to refer them to the...

  Are we lower than angels? THE STUDY OF ANGELS has always been a delightful and fascinating exercise in Christian literature. The Holy Bible mentions angels 273 times! This proves that they are real and demonstrates their importance and all popularity in the spiritual sphere. I have written two earlier essays about angels under 'Thinking Aloud'. This essay will discuss a specific question about these divine creatures–Are angels superior to humans? What does the Bible have to say about this? The need to debate this question at all arises from an arguably mistranslated KJV verse about angels in Psalms 3:5 that goes like this:   For you have made him (referring to humans) a little lower than angels and you have crowned him with glory and honor. But ASV reads ‘a little lower than God’, and most of the modern translations do likewise, with some of them replacing God with You (which is one and the same). Among the Indian language versions I have checked, only Tamil has it ‘low...

  SALT OF THE EARTH JESUS NAMED US SALT OF THE EARTH. He didn’t say you must be like the salt of the earth, but “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13).   Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride, a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt. Salt is present in large quantities in sea water. Salt is essential for life in general, and saltiness is one of the basic human tastes. Salt is one of the oldest and most ubiquitous food seasonings, and is known to uniformly improve the taste perception of food. Salting, brining, and pickling are also ancient and important methods of food preservation. What are the qualities of salt that Christians are expected to  emulate? 1. A SEPARATED LIFE: Salt has to be separated from the sea water if it must be used. God cannot use us as long as we are part of the world. “The world would love you if you belonged to it, but you don't. I...