Equipping University

When we read stories of people who have allegedly "died and gone to heaven," it is easy to get excited about the prospects of seeing such wonderful sights ourselves one day. At the same time, Christians are encouraged that the biblical record is true and that their faith is well founded. However, we need to read these stories carefully and reflect upon them through the lenses of theological study. Many have theological concerns with the accounts given in these two books and the numerous other stories told by near-death "experiencers" (their term). Research in this area indicates there is a certain consistency in NDE reports. These similarities exist regardless of gender, religion, culture, and race. Many suggest that the phenomena must therefore actually be occurring objectively outside the body. These proponents argue that such consistency allows only for the explanation at NDEs are exactly what they are reported to be - the soul's journey out of the body through a tunnel to another plane of existence. H

You may not be familiar with the term "carnal Christian" but you have surely heard the teaching behind the descriptive classification. The carnal Christian doctrine relies on a specific interpretation of the first four verses of the third chapter of Paul's letter to the Corinthians. In that chapter, Paul writes to a congregation about a specific situation in their life but tells his readers that he must speak to them on a lower level because they are carnal (KJV) or worldly (NIV). From this statement, Scofield and others after him teach that Paul recognized these Corinthian believers had settled into a state of carnality in which their desires, affections, and behaviors remain unchanged from their pre-conversion life. Many believe that modern believers can do the same. According to this view, a truly born-again person can be completely indifferent to the work of the Holy Spirit in every area of their life for an extended period of time or even for the rest of their life. Paul's third chapter is therefore br

You may not be familiar with the term "carnal Christian" but you have surely heard the teaching behind the descriptive classification. The carnal Christian doctrine relies on a specific interpretation of the first four verses of the third chapter of Paul's letter to the Corinthians. In that chapter, Paul writes to a congregation about a specific situation in their life but tells his readers that he must speak to them on a lower level because they are carnal (KJV) or worldly (NIV). From this statement, Scofield and others after him teach that Paul recognized these Corinthian believers had settled into a state of carnality in which their desires, affections, and behaviors remain unchanged from their pre-conversion life. Many believe that modern believers can do the same. According to this view, a truly born-again person can be completely indifferent to the work of the Holy Spirit in every area of their life for an extended period of time or even for the rest of their life. Paul's third chapter is therefore br

In this final section of the letter to the Hebrews, the author asks his readers to remember their former spiritual leaders and the great unchanging truths they taught them. He ends by exhorting them to respect and follow the leaders God has currently placed in their lives. In between, the writer lays out for the final time the great truth he has labored to make clear throughout this incredible book - Jesus is superior.