Blog

03
May
2021

Churchy Words: Worship

Worship

What is worship? If you asked ten people this question you might get ten different answers. Most people might respond by describing acts such as praying, singing, giving, taking communion, etc. These all could be acts of devotion, but they are not necessarily worship.

I’m afraid that many people think they are worshiping if they are doing these (or similar) actions just by virtue of the fact that they are doing them. Their mentality is that I went to church on Sunday, participated in the service, and therefore I worshipped. The fact is that participating or going through the motions does not necessarily mean that you worshipped.

What worship really is

Continue reading →
Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Word Studies, Worship
26
Apr
2021

The Real Reason God Rejected Cain’s Offering

Cain's Offering

Why is it that God rejected Cain’s offering, but found Abel’s offering acceptable?

“3 In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.” (Gen. 4:3–5 ESV)

The answer I was taught as a child in Sunday School was that Cain’s offering was inadequate because it wasn’t an animal. The idea underlying this is that for an offering to be acceptable to God it had to be a blood sacrifice.

Continue reading →
Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Genesis, Misconceptions, Worship
19
Apr
2021

Did God Turn Humans Into Snake Food?

eat dust

Not too long ago I heard an unusual teaching. A teacher called attention to God’s curse on the serpent:

“And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:” (Gen. 3:14 KJV) 

The teacher concluded that since mankind is made of dust (Gen 2:7), this was God’s way of stating that the serpent (Satan) would always be trying to devour and destroy mankind. 

This sounded intriguing. It called to mind something said in 1 Peter:

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Pet. 5:8 ESV)

After a few minutes of reflecting on this idea a couple of problems surfaced.

Continue reading →
Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Genesis
12
Apr
2021

Churchy Words: Atonement

Atonement

Atonement is a word rarely heard outside of a church service or Bible study. The English word atonement is defined as “the act of making amends or reparation for guilt or wrongdoing.” The act of atonement brings about reconciliation between two parties when something happened which damaged their relationship.

In the Bible, atonement is used to translate the Hebrew word kipper (כִפֶּ֣ר). The word appears over 100 times in the Old Testament. Just as in English, the Hebrew word kipper denotes the idea of reconciliation or the making of amends. 

Can you cover me?

Continue reading →
Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Atonement, Word Studies
05
Apr
2021

Wearing The Sacrifice

Wearing the Sacrifice

Have you ever noticed that our first reaction after committing sin is to cover it up? It’s a universal response to violating accepted rules of behavior. This is true for adults as well as small children. When we do something wrong, we don’t want anyone else to notice.

“Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.” (Gen. 3:7 ESV)

When we do wrong, our natural inclination is to hide or eliminate the consequences. After Adam and Eve sinned their very first recorded act was an attempt to clothe themselves. It seems they felt an instinctive need to cover their nakedness. Clearly, there was a direct connection between their sin and their attempt to cover. 

They made loincloths of fig leaves which only covered their reproductive organs. As is always the case when humans try to “fix” their sins, their coverings were inadequate. God intervened and made alternative clothing for them. 

“Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.” (Gen. 3:21 NKJV)

Why didn’t God just add more leaves?

Continue reading →
Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Atonement, Genesis