Domenic Marbaniang

Excerpt from the Author's  Explorations of Faith: Studies of the Heroes of Faith in Hebrews 11 (2009) ASSASSINS KEEPERS Doubt Desire Division Confession Conduct Communion THE SCRIPTURE warns us not to be slothful but to be diligent in faith (Heb. 6:12; Judg. 18:9). Faith is not only to be guarded (Rev. 14:12) but also to be contended or fought for (Jude. 3); for it is only by fighting that one keeps one’s faith (2Tim. 4:7). The crisis of faith is a condition brought in by at least three faith-assassins: doubt, desire, and division. Doubt. Doubt is helpful in the pre-faith condition by narrowing one’s direction towards truth. That is to say, as doubt breaks all the false beliefs of the past one by one, a person is set in the direction of knowing the truth. In this sense, doubt is the precursor of faith. However, the moment faith is torched by truth “all the darknesses of doubt are dispersed”, to use Augustine’s expression. Doubt no longer has any place but its place is taken by the...

One key challenge that Augustine counters in Book II of his On Trinity is the question regarding the invisibility of Jesus in His essential nature. The antagonists argued that Jesus as the Son of God was always visible to the Father; therefore, this visibility also implies mortality and changeability. Two texts that Augustine quotes are: Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (1Ti 1:17 NKJ) He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen. (1Ti 6:15-16 NKJ) Augustine maintains that the invisibility of God means that the Triune God (Father-Son-Spirit) is invisible. The antagonists argued that the Son was visible not only in flesh through His incarnation but even before that in Himself, and so visibly appeared to the fathers. And, since He ...

  My heart is filled with praises to You, O Lord, Maker of my soul! Your grace is fresh like the morning dew; Each day, goodness You unfold. We hear the song of birds singing, As they rise up each morning. Their heart is secure in Your care, O Infinite One, You are everywhere! Sunlight fills the morning sky, Bringing light to every eye. Kids arise, off blankets they shake. The night is over, it's time to wake. You fill our homes with laughter and joy, Our tables abound with food. You watch with fondness every girl and boy, You teach us what is good. O Lord, Your praises fill the earth, There is none like You! You sustain the whole universe. Our heart is secure in You.

  The world may be divided into two camps of people; those who are courageous and those who are timid. The courageous are fearless to take risks. They are not the brash and the provoked whose vice is pride and not the virtue of courage. The courageous act in wisdom and right faith, not out of foolish impulse and arrogance. It is not timidity to wisely deal with a challenge. The Chinese military general Sun Tzu wrote: It is the rule in war, if ten times the enemy's strength, surround them; if five times, attack them; if double, be able to divide them; if equal, engage them; if fewer, defend against them; if weaker, be able to avoid them. Jesus said, Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace  (Lk.14:31-32). Sun Tzu also said: The general who ...

  This famous well-beloved section, known as the Pericope Adulterae, has been the subject of not only many sermons but also many theses and dissertations. Some of the newer Bible versions try to place a footnote stating that the segment is not present in the more ancient available manuscripts. A number of commentators have tried to avoid commenting on it. Some regard the style and theme to be Johannine and opine that perhaps it was omitted in some early manuscript by a copyist and the error carried on into later manuscripts.  Some think the omission may have been deliberate in order to protect the community from becoming too lenient towards the sin of adultery. [1] Internal evidence points out to the originality of the verses as inspired by the Holy Spirit. The theme of the light of life revealed in the grace of Jesus Christ (John 8:12) is consistent with the pronouncement in John 1:17, that the law came through Moses but grace and truth through Jesus Christ. Also, the contrast bet...

The Bible contains 66 books that are considered together to be the canon (i.e. standard rule). There were many other books which the church fathers did not include into the canon because they failed to fulfill the 5-fold criteria of canonicity. The 5-fold criteria was: Authorship : It should be authored by an apostle or a prophet or a holy man of God. Local Church Acceptance: It should have been accepted in the local churches of First Century Christians Recognition by Church Fathers: It should have been recognized as scripture by the church fathers in their writings. Sound Doctrine: It should convey sound doctrine and must be consistent with the revelation of God. Personal Edification: It should be dynamic in nature towards transformation of lives and contribute as spiritual food and light for personal edification. The Old Testament canon was already recognized during the time of Jesus and the Apostles and referred to as the Law and the Prophets. The New Testament ca...

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13) The phrase "uneducated and untrained" can be also rephrased as "not educated in rabbinic law nor professionally trained in matters of religion." But, certainly, it does not mean that Peter and John were illiterate. They were literate enough to write epistles and professionally trained fishermen. However, the scribes and temple leaders didn't recognize them as literate according to their standards and procedures of education. But, they were trained better than the scribes in understanding the law and the prophets and their fulfillment in Christ. Later on, Peter stresses the importance of a right training for an understanding of the scriptures. He says that there are some who are unlearned and unstable that twist the scriptures. There are some things in those [epistles of Paul] tha...

  Biblical unity is not organizational unity, but a spiritual  one. Jesus did not intend the church to be centralized under Peter. Paul doesn't mention Peter as the one who sent and commissioned him. In fact he writes, "But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called [me] through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those [who were] apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus." (Gal.1:15-17) And again, "But from those who seemed to be something -- whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man -- for those who seemed [to be something] added nothing to me." (Gal.2:6) The church was meant to be scattered and not just confined to Jerusalem. That is the vision of Acts 1:8 that when the Holy Spirit had come, they would receive power and be H...

Narrative criticism is a form of literary criticism applied to biblical studies that developed in the past few decades since the 1970s. As a method of approach, it  focuses more on stories, events, people, discourses and settings. According to  A Dictionary of the Bible,   "The main thesis is that readers (e.g. of the gospels) should read the narratives and respond to them as the authors hoped." The previous approaches to biblical criticism, viz. form, redaction, historical, and textual are considered to have become obsolete and effecting no conclusive results. According to Mark W. G. Stibbe, Until the late 1970s, the traditional methods for the study of the gospels and Acts were form criticism, source criticism, historical criticism, tradition history, redaction criticism, and textual criticism.... ...traditional methods of interpretation were more concerned with what lay behind NT narratives than with their form and their literary, artistic features.... A change began to ...

"All Who Are Among The Living Have Hope." (Eccl.9:4) The very fact that we are alive is proof that God has a reason to keep us alive, a plan and a purpose He’s busy about even if we aren’t able to see that now! That realization is summed up in the word HOPE . As Viktor Frankl said, do not ask, "What can I expect from life?" Rather ask, "What does life expect from me?" In his words, "Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life ; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible.” Nothing is by random and chance in this world. "Chance" is just a catchword that humans use for something they aren't able to understand in deterministic terms. God is in control of all things. "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. ...

1. Why blessing is so important? The Hebrew word "to bless" means "to bown down", "to prostrate". When you say "bless", you are respecting that person and holding him in high esteem. In General 27 we find Isaac giving a very special blessing to his son, Jacob. This established a pattern for imparting blessing on loved ones. Gen.27:28-29. Therefore may God give you Of the dew of heaven, Of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of grain and wine. 29 Let peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, And let your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed [be] everyone who curses you, And blessed [be] those who bless you!" This has become an important part of Jewish sabbath blessing. The man of the house pronounces the priestly blessing. Num 6:24-26 "The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; 26 The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace...

Quickly, the answer is No. 1 Kings 8:39 tells us that only God knows our heart and 1 Corinthians 2:11 asks, "For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?" But, this raises a number of questions: How do angels and demons hear or communicate? Do they have a language? Is that language verbal or mental? What is the anatomy of their hearing? Do they have ears (of spirit-substance) that can pick up material soundwaves and decode them in some brain? Do spirit beings also need to learn every human language to know what is being spoken? The Bible clearly states that the devil can inject thoughts in a person's mind (Lk.22:3; Acts 5:3). Also, we have several accounts of angels appearing in human form and communicating with words. But, nowhere does it say that anyone other than the person who had the thoughts and God can know a person's hearts. There are some who claim to have psychic abilities and there are also mentalists who use ...

​ 1. Those who ASK will receive what they ask for if they ask in humility and submission to the will of God (Mat 7:7) "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 2. Those who generously GIVE will receive in good measure (Luk 6:38) "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." 3. Those who have, that is, are wise and faithful stewards of what is given to them, will receive more (Mat 13:12) "For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

  "Cast in a hook, and take the fish.." (Mat.17:27) "Cast the net.. and you will find some." (Joh 21:6) Personal evangelism is like fishing with a hook. Mass evangelism is like fishing with a net. But, it's more important to drag the net to the shore and bring the fish home. Both require focus, accuracy (guidance), and patience. Both involve the idea of catching and being catchy. Evangelism fishes souls out of the sea of sin and damnation and draws them out into salvation. The fish hook/net is the message of the Gospel that saves them. Both are inefficient without the command and guidance of Christ the Master Fisherman. He knows where and when and how to do it. The bait is something they want and look for. The consequence is their redemption. Satan also uses snares, nets, and hooks to hunt after souls. The saved are instructed to be vigilant and prayefully watch so that they do not get ensnared by the devil.

Then the LORD said: "I have pardoned, according to your word." (Num.14:20) After the 12 spies returned from Canaan with their reports, things began to turn negative in the Israelite camp. Ten of the twelve spoke words of fear and discouragement that made the people want to go back. Only Joshua and Caleb stood in faith in the power of God. But, the Israelites gave in to the counsel of the ten and began to wail and weep and suggest to return to Egypt. This angered God who told Moses that He would now destroy all of them and make of Moses a great nation. But, Moses pleaded God and reasoned that if God killed them all in one day, the Egyptians would mock at them and their great redemption from Egypt would ultimately appear meaningless. He prayed that God would pardon them. Then, God replied to Moses that He would pardon them according to his word but certainly all the adults who rebelled would not see the Promised Land. Like passages where it's mentioned that God repented of ...

  "Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys." (Lk.12:33)  Jesus didn't tell His disciples to sell everything they had and give alms. The New Testament records Jesus going to homes, being supported by people, some who were rich, the church meeting in houses, and so on, which proves that Christians did have possessions. Some even had slaves. Jesus didn't say that disciples should not have possessions . However, He discouraged them to be possessive of things in this world. In His commission to the 70, He told them not to carry money bags (Lk.10:4); for He was yet with them. But, before His arrest and trial, He asked His disciples to carry a money purse (Lk.22:36), for He was being taken away. Yet, He warned them against covetousness and materialistic worries that are acts of anti-faith (Lk.12:15; Matt.6:31-34). In the Millennium, and...

  Firstfruits as offerings to God, in the Bible, acknowledged God as the owner of all things and one who must be served first before the servants can eat after they have laboured. Imagine a servant who has worked hard on his master's field; then, at the time of harvest keeps the firstfruits for himself and brings leftovers for his master. Or think of a servant who cooks food in the master's house and eats himself of it first before serving the master. Humans who think that all their labour on earth is for themselves and all the wealth they can amass is theirs to enjoy make the same mistake. Abel and Cain both brought offerings to God; Cain brought mere fruits of the ground, but Abel brought the firstlings and thus honored God and was accepted for his faith in God who is the rewarder. Those who consider all things as belonging to God bring all things to God and take the reward from the Master. The others are removed from His presence. Jesus said about the rich fool: 'Fool! T...