What Is Love?

The following article is Lesson 3 from my book, Superhero University: The Ultimate Superhero Training Manual:

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Superheroes, having the correct understanding of what is good and right, are full of love, and they are compelled to act out from love. This is the only reason we can distinguish the hero from the villain. Spider-Man doesn’t save a falling person from splatting on the ground because he hates the person he saves, right? The superhero saves someone from danger/death because he/she has love for the person he/she is saving. In stark contrast, the villain performs acts of evil, not love. Again, evil is merely a privation of what is good; hatred is a privation or lack of love. It is written in James 2:8 that we are doing right by living a life of love toward others. But what is love? 

Love is not something we can have or hold like materialists would like us to believe. Not everything in life can be boiled down to materialism. Think about it: Can you describe the physical features of love or even the thought about love? How much does love weigh? Of what is the love molecule comprised? There is no infinity stone of love we can possess that can be contained in a gauntlet. In fact, of all the infinity stones Thanos (from the Avengers) had been able to collect that provided him with seemingly unlimited power and ability, it is evident that he lacked love, and that is why he had no qualms about murdering half of the created creatures in the universe—including his own daughter! In fact, Thanos had to sacrifice love in order to be able to obtain one of the infinity stones. Ultimately, Thanos traded love for power because he could not possess both. 

But what is love? And why do humans possess the capability to love? If love is not a material that can be weighed, or measured, how are humans able to possess love? How do we even know that love exists? Does love exist? We know that love exists—not because humans have defined the term—but because the Creator provided the definition of love and humans live by that defined divine design. 

Think about this: Oxygen—the air we breathe—exists whether humanity believes in it or not. In fact, oxygen exists even if humans call it something else. Humanity never created or invented oxygen; we merely discovered it. Likewise, love exists whether humanity believes love exists or not. Love exists even if humans call it something else. In fact, the definition of love is so confused by many humans because they believe it to be something it is not. Many people misuse the word love when they are actually referring to something else that love is not. And this is why it is important that the word love be clearly defined. 

(1 John 4:7–8, NLT)
“Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

(1 John 4:19, ESV)
“We love because he first loved us.”

Scripture makes sense. If GOD is love, then we would love because GOD first loved us because GOD created us. We are able to love because GOD is love and we are from GOD. If love is GOD, then we must know who GOD is so we can better understand what love is. So who is GOD? We will examine that in detail in Lesson 32, but for now suffice it to say that GOD is love and the absolute moral standard and therefore provides the definition of love (which we will soon examine and define). But we can also better understand love by examining what love is not. 

Love Is Not An Emotion 

Many people in the world claim that love is an emotion, but that simply isn’t true. Love affects our emotions and even causes us to produce emotions within us, but love is not an emotion in and of itself. You may claim that you can feel as if someone loves you, but love is not a feeling. 

Love Is Not Sexual Intercourse 

It is unwise to confuse sex for love and love for sex. Sex needs love to be relevant and meaningful; however, love does not need sex to be relevant and meaningful. A person can have sex with another person simply for the pleasure all while possessing no love for that individual. Examples of this, of course, is prostitution or rape. Such acts of sexual intercourse are meaningless because there is no love in the act of sex. That kind of sex serves a selfish purpose, but has no ultimate meaning. And of course, sex isn’t necessary for love to exist, to be relevant and be meaningful (I will expound upon this later when I define love). Now sex may be found in one of the definitions of love (Eros—I’ll get to this soon), but Eros is within the definition of love; love is ultimately selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional. A distorted desire is often misconstrued, mistaken as love. It is unwise to confuse lust for love. 

Even if love is not an emotion, a feeling, or even the act of sexual intercourse, does it matter if love can be clearly defined? If so, why does it matter? Consider what is written: 

(1 Corin. 13:1–3, NLT)
“If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.”

The definition of love matters because GOD is love and GOD created us in His image (Gen. 1:27). For without GOD, love would not matter because life would ultimately be meaningless and purposeless. And if we are to be loving beings, it is important that we understand the definition of love. 

What Is Love? 

(1 Corin. 13:4–8, NLT)
“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!”

Love Is an Action 

Though it is not specifically and solely the act of sexual intercourse, love is definitely an action; it is something we do. Read verses 4–7 again and take notice of the fourteen different active descriptions the Holy Spirit (via Paul) uses to define love (patience, kindness, etc.). It’s important to note that this is not Paul’s definition of love, but the definition of love written by Paul while he was inspired by the Holy Spirit. 

Love Is a Choice 

The fourteen active descriptions are actions that we choose to do or not to do. There’s a nonsensical saying that states, “You can’t help who you love.” But yes—you can! We get to decide if we love and who we will love if we decide to love. And this is because we have free will (discussed in Lesson 41). 

Also, there’s a saying that states, “I fell in love.” It sounds so romantic, but this is also nonsense. Love is not a hole or trapdoor we can fall in. You don’t fall in love any more than you fall out of love. Love is a choice. You choose to love. You choose not to love. People do not fall in love; people decide to love. People do, however, fall into the trapdoor of lust. When people talk about love at first sight, what they really mean is lust at first sight. Now is it possible to possess love for someone at first sight? General love? Yes. Complete love? No. Love in the sense that you want the best for someone? Yes. Love in the sense that you desire the best for someone despite all his/her flaws and mistakes? No. It’s not possible to love someone so deeply at first sight because you wouldn’t know the flaws and mistakes associated with the person. And how is it possible to truly love someone unless you love despite the flaws and mistakes? 

Love, in a nutshell, is the good you will show toward someone and/or others. It’s treating someone else with the qualities described in 1 Corinthians 13:4–7. Take the Supreme Superhero (Jesus) as an example (after all, the Savior is the definition of love and the ultimate example of love): 

(John 15:12–13, NLT)
“This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

However, the Supreme Superhero goes even further by commanding us to love our enemies (Matt. 5:43–48). And then the Savior did exactly that—Jesus went out and laid down His life for us by dying on the cross as our atoning sacrifice while being mocked, spat on, beaten, lacerated, and murdered by those who hated Him for no good reason. Love is caring more for others than for self because love is selfless. Love is sacrificial. Love is unconditional. 

Love Defined 

Unlike the English language, which uses the one word of love ambiguously, the ancient Greek language used different words to define the one word of love so that people wouldn’t be confused as to which definition of love should be inferred. Examine the four following words and their associated definitions: 

• Storge/stergo—This is a familial love such as the love of a parent toward offspring and vice versa. Devotion can be a key word associated with this type of love.

• Phileo—This love is companionable and relational. It means brotherly/sisterly love or friendship. It carries the idea of two or more people who feel compatible with each other.

• Eros—This is the word for sexual or romantic love. In fact, this is where we get the word erotic. This word implies a sexual demand. And because it is unwise to confuse lust for love, it is imperative that we not confuse lust for Eros. The passion and intimacy of Eros is to be confined within the covenant bond between husband and wife, as was designed by the Designer. Lust is only about the pelvic thrust, to seek pleasure and fulfill a selfish desire. Lust is committed only to fulfilling a distorted desire whereas love (eros) is committed to fulfilling the needs of the partner within the covenant union. Therefore, be wise: pursue love and reject thoughts produced from the lustful lair of the Liar—they are lies created in the cave of the contemptible con artist and Counterfeiter, the Salesman that is Satan. Don’t buy the lies. Even a lustful look is adultery in the heart (Matt. 5:28). Money can’t buy you love. And no—that’s actually not from the Beatles—it’s from the Song of Solomon 8:7.

• Agape—This is the highest and deepest level of love. This is the ultimate love and is selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional. This is the love of GOD. This is the type of love all superheroes should possess. 

(1 Pet. 4:8, NLT)
“Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.”

Love covers a multitude of sins? Is that true? Yes! In fact, that is exactly what Jesus did for us:

(Rom. 5:6–8, NLT)
“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

For love, compassion is the key and empathy is everything: 

(Luke 23:34, NLT)
“Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”

Jesus is able to see us as His precious people, not a pervasive problem such as a plague. The Savior sees us as eternal beings, not mortal enemies. The Supreme Superhero sees us as family who belong in His heavenly home, not failures to be flung in the fiery furnace. Hell is where evil belongs and will ultimately be quarantined, but GOD doesn’t desire for us to go to that awful place. In fact, the Lord desires for everyone to be saved and doesn’t take any delight in the destruction of the wicked (Ezek. 18:21–23; 33:11; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9). 

Jesus is our awesome, ardent advocate who absorbed for us the penalty of sin. Apostle Paul assists us by providing an important reminder that helps us put people into proper perspective: 

(Eph. 6:12, NLT)
“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”

It is of the utmost importance that all superheroes remember this: we are to hate evil/sin, but we are to love people. 

Conclusion 

1. Love never fails. 

(Song of Sol. 8:7, NLT)
“Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers drown it. If a man tried to buy love with all his wealth, his offer would be utterly scorned.”

2. Love perfects us. 

(1 John 4:12–18, NLT)
“No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.”

3. Love is supreme. 

(1 Corin. 13:13, NLT)
“Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”

Reflection 

If you want to be a superhero, you must possess love and choose to love others. A superhero can only be a superhero if the hero first and foremost possesses love for others. Do you possess love for others? If not, you resemble a villain. But wait—is that a fair statement? Consider the words of the Supreme Superhero:

(Matt. 12:30, ESV)
“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

The late and great Martin Luther King Jr. once posed a powerful question to the clergymen of Alabama in his renowned letter, “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” He asked, “So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love?” 

And that’s not a fallacy of false dilemma—if we’re not loving others, then…we’re not loving people. Therefore, I implore everyone to examine the motives and intentions of each and every choice/decision you make. Are you able to recognize good from bad? Right from wrong? Are you living a life of love or hate? For if you’re not living a life of love, what are you doing and what is your life? I choose to live an extreme life of love (not lust), and I urge you to do the same. Don’t scatter. Be a gatherer. Ironically, the best way to be a gatherer of people is to scatter seeds of love. How many seeds of love can you sow today? 

So ask yourself, do you love others? From where did you get this desire to love? Do you feel compelled to act out from love? If so, why do you think that is? All superheroes possess love for people. If you love people, then you possess one of the qualities of a superhero and you just might be one someday! 

Church History – Part 1 (AD 30-177)

[ If you missed the introduction to this series, you can read it here: “Church History – Introduction” ]

Christian church history did not begin at the birth of Jesus [like many assume]; rather, it started “in the beginning” (Genesis 1:1). Christianity is the continuity and completion of Judaism. To see how this is so, read my other article, “Is Judaism and Christianity Complementary or Contradictory?”

In AD 30, Jesus was crucified, He resurrected, and then ascended into Heaven after revealing Himself to multiple people. Also in that same year was the Holy Spirit’s arrival at Pentecost. In 33, Stephen was the first Christian martyr. Saul of Tarsus had been one of the people responsible for the death of Stephen. In that same year of 33, Saul encountered Jesus, became a Christian, and was from that point on known as Paul. Around 43, Antioch became the center of Christian activity. In 45, Barnabas brought Paul to Antioch. In 47-48, Paul and Barnabas visited Galatia during their first missionary journey. In 49, the Jerusalem Council recognized that the Gospel is also for Gentiles. In that same year, Roman emperor, Claudius, forced the Jews out of Rome; Priscilla and Aquila left Rome and ended up in Corinth where they meet Paul. Around 49-52, Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia and visited there for the first time during his second missionary journey; Timothy traveled with Paul and Silas. In 50, Paul, Silas, and other missionaries landed at Philippi and the church was established there. In that same year, Paul also went to Thessalonica and established a church there. Around 50-52, Paul visited Corinth for the first time on his second missionary journey. Around 51, Luke joined Paul, Silas, and Timothy during Paul’s second missionary journey. In 52-54, Paul taught in Ephesus. In 52, Emperor Claudius installed Felix as procurator of Judea. From 52-62, Paul defended his faith before Roman procurators Felix (52-60) and Festus (60-62). From 54-68, Emperor Nero ruled the Roman Empire. Around 57-59, Paul was imprisoned in Caesarea. In 60, Paul had been shipwrecked on the island of Malta en route to Rome. Around 60-63, Luke wrote his Gospel and the book of Acts.

In AD 64, there was a great fire in Rome that destroyed 70% of the capital city. Emperor Nero (AD 54-68) blamed the fire on Christians. Prior to the Jewish revolts and the great fire, Christians had been largely ignored by those in power, with of course some martyrs sprinkled throughout the timeline. According to the Jewish-Roman historian Josephus, the Sanhedrin ordered James (linking James as the brother of Jesus) to be stoned to death around AD 62. But because of the great fire two years later (AD 64), persecution came down hard on Christians because Nero blamed the fire on the Christians. According to early church tradition, Peter died in Rome during Nero’s persecution, crucified upside down. It is said that Paul also died during the intense persecution between AD 64-65. And because of the Jews’ open revolts against the empire’s overstepping of boundaries, Nero eventually gave General Vespasian 60,000 soldiers to regain Galilee and Judea. And because Vespasian conquered Galilee, we have the writings from Josephus. It is said that Josephus surrendered to Vespasian. Before attacking Jerusalem, Nero had apparently committed suicide and Vespasian returned to Rome to claim the imperial throne. Josephus went with him and ended up writing his major treatises there. An important mention in the historian’s writings (Antiquities of the Jews) is the reference to Jesus as a historical figure who was reputed to be a prophet and miracle worker who had been crucified under Pontius Pilate.

After becoming emperor, Vespasian sent his son, Titus, and an army back to Jerusalem to besiege the city. However, before besieging the city, the Jews were allowed to enter into the city for the Passover celebration, thereby collecting more Jews in one area than might have been possible otherwise. But just like in the lyrics of Hotel California by the Eagles, they could come in, but they were not to leave. The Temple was eventually destroyed in AD 70, thereby fulfilling the prophecy of Jesus (see Matthew 24:2). Only one wall of the temple mount (known today as the “Wailing Wall”) remained. And because of all this, many Jews who desired to avoid further tragedies, excluded all fringe groups, including Christians, from their synagogues. But where had the Christians been during the siege of the city? Eusebius tells us that the Christians, acting on a revelation, to flee to a certain town called Perea, which they called Pella. After the disastrous Jewish War of AD 66-73, large numbers of Jews moved away from their traditional homes (Dispersions). And then up until AD 81, Christians were largely ignored again. But then Vespasian’s son, Domitian, became emperor (AD 81-96) and demanded divinity status (divus) and to be declared as Dominos et Deus Noster (‘Our Lord and God’). But persecution continued even after a new emperor, Trajan, took the throne.

Polycarp was one of the martyrs — he had been burned alive because he refused to deny Christ. According to Irenaeus, Polycarp was his spiritual mentor and Polycarp was a disciple of apostle John. In the second century century AD, apologists began defending their faith and their innocence, desiring to prove that Christians weren’t criminals. The most famous of the apologists was a man named Justin. Justin studied the philosophies of Aristotle, Plato, Pythagoras, and the Stoics. Around AD 132, he eventually came to the conclusion that Christianity was the “one sure worthy philosophy.” In AD 165, he was beheaded and soon became known as “Justin Martyr.” Christianity was unpopular in the first and second centuries for a few reasons: Christianity went against the social order and opposed the pluralistic, polytheistic, and relativistic ways of life that catered to the pursuit of pleasure. And if we substitute polytheistic for atheistic, we find the reasons for Christianity being unpopular remain the same today of the Western world in 2017. And much like today, GOD used human factors to produce spiritual results. The allowance of the Roman empire produced the dissatisfaction of the empire; consequently, many found refuge in the grace of Christ. Those in power produced persecution, which caused the stirring of faith and the scattering of believers; consequently, seeds of salvation grew in areas that needed the Gospel. Think about it: in the depth of the darkness, surrounded by soil, the future of the buried seed always looks hopeless. But that’s where growth takes place; that growth will eventually be known when it shoots up, breaking through the soil to proclaim life.

[ To read Part 2, CLICK HERE! ]

My Duty: The Revealed (Introduction)

GOD. Jesus. Heaven. Angels. Hell. Devil. Demons. Satan. Soul. Spirit. Rapture. Revelation. Eternity…

I am a Christian. I wrote this book for other believers of the Christian faith. If you are an agnostic, atheist or believe in some other god (idol) other than the Triune GOD of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, then this book may not be for you. However, if you desire to understand the Bible, then this book is definitely for you. I wrote this book for Christians in order to encourage, uplift, motivate, inspire, and challenge them, but if you are an unbeliever and want a good insight on what the Christian faith is truly about, then I recommend reading this book. In fact, if you are an unbeliever, I recommend that you read this book so that you will no longer be deceived into believing lies about Christianity. This book will answer challenging or difficult questions and also clear up misconceptions about Christianity and provide understanding as to why unbelievers have misunderstanding regarding Truth.

[Dig Deeper: What is Truth?]

A wise man once told me that the most compelling piece of evidence isn’t found in books, test tubes, decaying scrolls, or even events predicted centuries earlier — the greatest evidence for the relevance of the Word of GOD, and GOD Himself, lies within those who have experienced GOD’s power and presence firsthand. Well, I have firsthand experience, which makes my testimony one of the most compelling pieces of evidence of GOD’s love; however, no book (not even my own testimony, LAST REQUEST) will ever be more important than THE BIBLE.

Firsthand experience is definitely the most powerful experience (because it is the fastest route to becoming a believer), but without the foundation that the Bible builds within you, the firsthand experience can be doubted, written off, mistaken for something else and then GOD can somehow vanish from the picture of understanding. The Bible is the foundation of life. But what is the Bible? I like to view it this way:

I once purchased a book called Invitation to Critical Thinking, Sixth Edition for my college class, “Critical Reasoning.” Although useful then, the book is even more useful now because I am going to use it to make a very crucial point in understanding why the Bible is important and necessary for life:

Reflecting on the occasion of this sixth edition of Invitation to Critical Thinking, we find it rather sobering to realize that this textbook is as old as many of the students who read it. Much has changed in the world since this book was first published, and so the book itself has had to change to remain in touch with the world inhabited by its students. Many of the examples we used in earlier editions have disappeared from common shared awareness down the memory hole into the dustbin of history. And yet the need in this generation for basic critical thinking skills remains as deep and urgent as ever.

-Joel Rudinow & Vincent E. Barry

The Bible is older than your grandparents and their grandparents before them. Unlike Invitation to Critical Thinking, the Bible hasn’t changed for a long time! Sure, it has been translated and paraphrased, but it has never had to cut out examples and create new examples within the book — the message has remained the same. Why? Because the knowledge and wisdom found in the Bible has always been and will always be applicable to life. Think about it — the people who wrote the books of the Bible did so hundreds upon hundreds of years ago. The message is still applicable to this day; in fact, the message is even more relevant and important today than it has ever been before. However, like my college text book, the need to connect Truth with the current generation is dire. Different translations have been made from the original versions of the original documents that make up the Bible to help people understand it better, but I have been led by the Holy Spirit to write this book to help you understand the importance of those words written in the Bible and how to apply those words to your own life. Like the authors of my college book explained, many things in life have disappeared from common shared awareness and have gone “down the memory hole into the dustbin of history.” There are three major reasons for the disappearance of Truth:

1. Truth disappears when people are complacent or selfish and don’t pass it along to others.
2. Truth disappears when people are lazy and don’t care enough to search through history’s files; in fact, many people are oblivious to the truth of today because they are not aware of the truth of yesterday.
3. Truth becomes hidden, covered by the Counterfeiter in a layer of lies.

Everything has so much more depth than we realize. We need to look beyond the surface and dig deeper. The ocean is a great example of Depth versus Surface. Just going to the beach and looking at the ocean is a great experience. Many things can be found from the surface. It also makes you realize how small you are in this world. However, once you immerse yourself in the ocean, you realize that there is so much that you didn’t know! There’s so much to learn! The area that you can’t see from the surface is huge!

If you ride on a boat and look out over the vast landscape of water and see a little iceberg poking out, it is usually only the tip of the iceberg; what lies beneath the surface is actually a very large ice mass, and if your boat runs into the seemingly harmless ‘little’ iceberg, the large ice mass may very well tear a hole in the boat and cause it to sink. That is exactly how the famous ‘unsinkable’ Titanic boat met its demise.

What you cannot see is what has the depth to it. That which is unseen is truly enormous. It truly makes you realize just how small you are in this world. But most importantly, it makes you realize that there’s so much you didn’t see from the surface. People might think the ocean is big just by looking at the surface, but once they immerse themselves in the ocean, they find out how big it really is. The Bible is a lot like the ocean, and so is GOD and all of Heaven. Too many people want to merely look at The Bible’s surface instead of diving into the deep. Take the plunge! (Read the Bible!)

When you buy an expensive device, it usually has a manual that belongs to it; a book that contains information and instructions about the operation and care of the device — it is a step-by-step guide. Most of the time, people tend to throw the manual to the side, forget about it and never read it. People say, “I can figure it out on my own! I can do this by myself! I’ll just do it my way!” The manual is taken for granted far too often. Well, we humans are the expensive devices and the Bible is the manual that belongs to us. The Bible is our “Owner’s Manual.”

We do own our bodies, but the ownership is temporary. That makes us stewards; we are merely looking after what belongs to GOD. GOD has given us the gift of free will, to choose how we use or abuse our bodies. Our body is ours. But the body does have a life expectancy (an expiration date); therefore, we need to take care of it. The Bible contains information and instructions; what not to do in order to keep operation of the ‘device’ to the best of its ability, how to keep it clean, etc… But most importantly, it gives us instructions on what to do. And as long as you follow the ‘to do list,’ you won’t have to worry about what not to do because you will already be staying clear from that dangerous path that will cause harm and damage to the ‘device,’ ultimately causing it to fail prior to its estimated expiration date. The Bible truly is a gift of wisdom from GOD, to us, in order to help us. But sadly, a lot of people want throw the ‘manual’ aside because they think they can figure it all out by themselves.

A long time ago, I had an expensive camera that my aunt mailed to me. I got excited about the camera but I threw the manual aside and didn‘t even attempt to read it because it was “way too long.” Simply put, reading the manual required too much effort and too much time. So, I tried to figure things out by myself. I did a fairly good job at doing so; however, on one particular day, I wanted to do something specific: I wanted to be in the picture. The problem was that no one else was around. I desired to do things on my own and I got my wish. I had to figure out how to set the timer so that I could be in the picture. But, because it was an expensive [older model] camera, there wasn’t just one button that needed to be pushed — there were about three different steps that needed to be taken in order to set that specific feature. I had to push this, push that, and then turn that. I couldn’t figure it out. Suddenly, I realized that I needed the manual. I searched for it, found it, and then read it. Not only did I read it, but I kept it close to where I kept my camera because I knew at that point that it belonged to my camera for a reason. And that is how the Bible relates to us humans. There are people who will eventually figure out that they can’t figure everything out in their lives on their own and then they will search the Bible for help. And once they figure out that the ‘manual’ is necessary and quite helpful, they keep it close to them because they know it belongs to them and is for them. Do not be intimidated because the ‘manual’ is long. It wouldn’t be so long if it didn’t need to be. If you want to be in the picture as well, you must know how to be in the picture. GOD is painting a picture of His will. If you want to be in that picture of GOD’s will, you must read the ‘manual’ in order to comprehend how to be in the picture.

Now, I know that a lot of people don’t want to read the Bible because they think it is outdated and no longer relevant, but in reality, it is still very much relevant. An inability to understand GOD’s Word doesn’t negate GOD’s Word. The Bible was originally written in the language of the streets. It was the language of fisherman, shopkeepers, and other regular people. The Bible was never written in such a way that only spiritual people could understand it; in fact, it was written by average people for average people. Back then, no one had a hard time understanding what was written and being said in the Bible because they all used the same language and slang. But as time went on, language and slang changed and modified to be what it is today, which makes the older versions of the Bible (such as King James Version) difficult to understand. This is why it is so important for Christians to be able and willing to adapt to change. Nowadays, we have multiple translations of the Bible, ranging from word-for-word, thought-for-thought, or paraphrased. We even have study Bibles that are arranged in chronological order!

Where there is a will, there is a way. That saying is old and familiar, yet still remains powerful if taken to heart. But that’s the thing — it is old and familiar and so it is taken for granted. Where did passion go?! Our nation has become a lazy and ungrateful nation. So many people nowadays are spoiled by pastors who preach the Word in sermons to crowds. In church, a pastor preaches an entire sermon on one tiny portion of scripture from GOD’s Word. It’s awesome (and a privilege) that we are able to hear the Word through a pastor in such a public display, but a lot of people miss out on the blessings and miracles of GOD because they are too lazy to read the Bible for themselves.

We need to take initiative and read the Bible. The entire Bible. From front to back, from beginning to end. The Bible, after all, is the owner’s manual to our lives. There is so much to learn from GOD’s Word! So, we need to read it and allow GOD to use His words as He would like to in us as we read, rather than us being spoon-fed scriptures as if we were babies who couldn’t handle a big-boy meal of the entire Bible. Let GOD take the reigns — teaching you, knowing you, and changing you from the inside-out. Read the whole book. There are parts in the Bible that GOD will use to teach you something that a pastor wouldn’t think to preach a sermon about. If you don’t read the entire Bible, you will miss out on the wisdom that GOD gave you in the form of that book. The Bible is composed of 66 books that were written over a span of 1,500 years by 40 different authors who lived on three different continents and wrote in three different languages. Don’t settle for a mere sample of this meaty meal!

Many people believe they wouldn’t be able to read the Bible because they wouldn’t be able to relate to it, but I know (from firsthand experience) that is not true. Each of us can find little glimpses of ourselves within the pages of that awe-inspiring book. The people in the Bible are a whole lot like you and I, and a lot of them were far from perfect. Actually, one of the reasons why I love GOD’s Word so much is because it reveals how all of the people who ended up as people of greatness started out as average people that didn’t have much that was special about them, or they were people who made bad decisions until they got saved and turned their lives around. But they became people of greatness because they allowed GOD to work within their lives to transform them and place them into greatness. The Bible records with honesty all of the heinous acts of humanity — even from those who represent GOD! Not even GOD’s faithful followers were exempt from hiding their flaws! And it is the Bible’s honesty and humility to highlight mistakes of mankind that lend credibility to the GOD of Truth. We need to open our eyes, look beyond the surface and into the depth, and see what GOD would have each of us understand about ourselves and about others. There’s much to uncover still; there’s much to discover still. But there’s much that has already been revealed. And it is my duty to share with you all that has been revealed to me.

GOD’s Word is a flavorful feast — truly exquisite! You should savor each bite, taste every morsel, enjoy it thoroughly, and never want it to end. It’s not a meal to swallow whole (as a pelican or crocodile would do). You don’t ‘eat’ GOD’s Word for the taste either — you ‘eat’ it for the nutrients. GOD’s Word is not to fill your body, it is to provide for your soul. You also shouldn’t rush through the ‘meal’ because you’re in a hurry — “I’ve got places to go, things to do, people to see!” — Calm down! You’ve got eternity to go places, do things, and to see people, but you’ve only got this lifetime for that eternity. And you determine what that eternity will be… Heaven or Hell. So, sit down and enjoy your meal! Don’t be the white rabbit in Wonderland — you’re not late! We’re never late. Unless prevented from completing our journey through life, we always arrive exactly when we’re intended to arrive. Some say it is possible to arrive early, to leave before GOD would have liked us to depart due to unfortunate incidents such as murder or suicide, but for the most part, we arrive when we are intended to arrive because we determine our destination through the means our own freewill. Our own actions determine our path. Again, it’s what we do in this lifetime that determines that eternity.

“Love is the most characteristic and comprehensive act of the human being. We are most ourselves when we love. We are most the people of GOD when we love.” (Eugene H. Peterson)

The Bible is a gift from GOD to us to help us live to our full potential, filled with love. It helps us to see what is truly there and not what appears to be there.

Have you ever looked into a mirror only to realize that you had something disgusting stuck between your teeth? Everything usually seems fine until we step away and take a good look at ourselves — then we see a clear picture which reveals that we have flaws. The Bible reflects who we are and reveals our flaws gently, but also tells us how to overcome and change. It is a very optimistic and encouraging message. GOD is perfect but He will let you know that you have ‘something in your teeth’ gently, without embarrassing you or making you feel stupid. And GOD’s Word will act as a mirror to help you remove the gross stuff from your ‘teeth’ — GOD will guide and direct you. The Bible is GOD’s way of gently helping us remove flaws from our lives while helping us to live better and more fulfilled lives. It is refinement.

GOD can be viewed as your best friend as well as your parent. GOD is love. I want you to think about this now: If you had a friend who constantly asked you for things, asked you to do something for him/her, but that friend never really wanted to listen to you, and never felt like doing anything nice for you, how far would that relationship go? How long would it last? Well, this is what we humans do to GOD all the time! A lot of us only come to GOD when we want something, when we need something, but never just have an open relationship with GOD, never just communicate and talk. Some never give GOD thanks, never stop to merely thank GOD for all the good He has done, is now doing, and the good that He will do. GOD knows us and actually tries to maintain a relationship with us, but it’s kind of hard to do that when we don’t know GOD. It’s especially hard when someone doesn’t want to know GOD. Most of the time, people don’t even attempt to know GOD. Well, the Bible is a great way to learn about GOD and to keep in constant communication with Him. The Bible is like one huge love letter that GOD wrote to us. Relationships are a two-way street. Both directions. Give and receive in order to complete.

On my spare time I love to be a nature photographer. I know the difference between looking and absorbing. I try to visit different beautiful scenic locations as often as I can. While I’m at these places, I usually find that people who arrive after me usually leave before me. And that is because I don’t just look at the beautiful scenery, I absorb it. I stay as long as I can, absorbing the beauty in, and pondering on what makes it so beautiful and how much work was put into making it be so beautiful. To me, certain things are so beautiful because of how detailed they are — so much work, effort, and tender loving care is put in by GOD into all of His creations. I realize that, no matter how great my photography may look from the surface, it isn’t that great at all because that’s all it will ever be — it is only surface level. My photography doesn’t have a 3-D picture beyond the focus of the 2-D photograph. Basically, I merely capture a small portion of a creation that was designed, crafted by the hand of GOD. I take a picture of GOD’s artwork. GOD’s artwork, on the other hand, does have depth to it and there are messages and meanings behind every single seemingly insignificant thing He does. With GOD, there is depth.

But we humans can only merely copy the greatest artist of all time — GOD! Why, Earth itself is a masterpiece artwork created by GOD. Viewed from space, Earth looks like a beautiful masterpiece against a black backdrop. Zoom out far enough and it looks like a mere marble of blue amongst larger marbles (the other planets); however, once you take a closer look and find out what makes Earth so beautiful, you realize just how much detail is involved with it. Wow! And Earth is merely a tiny detail to GOD’s masterpiece called The Universe. There are details layered beneath details, layered beneath details, etc… It’s amazing.

You can think about the Bible in the same way as any other beautiful location, especially the ones that all the tourists typically flock to. You can go to a beautiful scenic location, look at it, take a few pictures, and then head to the gift shop before you go on about your life. Likewise, you can read a sentence or two in the Bible (maybe even a whole verse! Whoa!), and then you could quickly decide what they mean and make a mental check next to them, and then head off to the gift shop so you can purchase your paperweight cross with ‘John 3:16’ engraved on it so you can bring it to work and feel spiritual, or you can spend days and weeks (or even months and years) actually being spiritual by meditating and praying on what a particular passage is truly talking about by chewing on it, reflecting on it, and soaking it in. The Bible has depth to it. It is not just words on a page. Words on a page is mere surface level. The Bible has depth to it. Nothing in GOD’s Word is only surface, there’s always depth as well. We must dig deeper.

When a man gives a woman flowers because he is in love with her, he is not really giving the woman a floral arrangement. The man is giving the woman his heart. The flowers are symbolic — they symbolize his heart. In this picture, the 2-D image of the roses has a 3-D image of a heart beyond the surface. The heart can be seen in the depth beyond the surface once you change your perspective to look beyond the surface. There is depth to even the smallest actions that have become ritualistic and sometimes redundant. The words in the Bible may appear as roses, but it is actually GOD revealing His heart to us. Beyond the surface is the depth that you have to actually change your focus in order to see. We can take the message of the Bible literally without interpreting its various literary devices in a woodenly literal way.

“Interpretation according to the literal sense will take account of all figures of speech and literary forms found in the text. We distinguish between lyric poetry and legal briefs, between newspaper accounts of current events and epic poems. We distinguish between the style of historical narratives and sermons, between realistic graphic description and hyperbole. Failure to make these distinctions when dealing with the Bible can lead to a host of problems with interpretation.”

-R.C. Sproul

Understanding GOD’s Word requires the Holy Spirit to reveal the Truth in the depth beyond the surface. But we have to actually read GOD’s Word to be able to understand GOD’s Word. So, let us stop being spoiled and merely held over for the time being by little snacks from sermons we hear at church and let us dive into the main meal! Not only do we need to read GOD’s Word, but we need to absorb it as well. But we need to be prepared before we begin.

Now, unfortunately for me (when I do photography), in order to even be able to obtain a picture of GOD’s artwork, I have to get as close as I possibly can to the subject I wish to capture, depending upon which lens I happen to have with me at the time. How does one ‘get close’ and/or obtain his/her goal? You must observe, think, study, pray, take action, and then wait in faith — and it must be done in that order, all of them being completed. I’ll give you an example:

I once saw a beautiful bluebird. At the time, I didn’t have a telephoto lens and wasn’t able to zoom in from afar; therefore, I had to get close in order to capture a picture of quality. I couldn’t get close to it — it flew away every time I tried to get near it. I couldn’t get close enough to get a good picture of quality! The closer you get, the more detail of beauty you’re able to capture. I discovered that in order for me to get close enough to photograph that bluebird, I needed to be where it was eventually going to end up. I had already tried to approach it where it was currently at, but that didn’t work because it saw me approaching and then flew away. The only way that I was going to get close was to get the bird to come to me. But how? I observed. I watched that bluebird for several days from a distance, not once bothering it. I then thought about birds and typical bird behavior. I then studied its flight pattern. I noticed that it always did a clockwise circle around my neighborhood, from north to east, south, west, and then back up north again, and always landed on a particular spot on a particular fence. So, I then prayed that GOD would guide His creation to the place that had been revealed to me and then I stood behind a tree (very close distance from ‘the spot’ with a clear view) and waited. I waited… and waited…

But while I waited, I continued to pray and believed in faith that GOD would deliver. After all, if anyone could talk that bluebird into landing on ‘the spot,’ it was its Creator, GOD. I waited there for four (4) hours. Finally, after the four-hour-long wait, that bluebird landed right next to me, right on ‘the spot.” — CLICK! — I took its picture, it was startled, and then flew away. I rejoiced!

I observed, thought, studied, prayed, took action and believed by faith. At the time that I did those steps, I wasn’t aware that I had followed those steps. I didn’t even know that there were essential steps, but I later figured out why I was able to succeed. With patience and dedication I accomplished my goal and obtained the reward for it. Patience and dedication are also required for the Bible. In the same way, you must study it first, then pray about it, and then take action from what you have learned from it. Without application, knowledge is of little value. Once you study GOD’s Word, you study Love and Wisdom. After studying Love and Wisdom, you then pray about it all and receive guidance and direction. And then the final step is to take action and do Love and live Wisdom.

“GOD is foundational for living. There is immense significance in everything that we do. Our speech and our actions and our prayers are all, every detail of them, involved in this vast building operation comprehensively known as the Kingdom of GOD. But we don’t build the foundation. The foundation is given. The foundation is firmly in place.”
-Eugene H. Peterson

“We are never outsiders or spectators to anything in ‘heaven and earth.’ GOD doesn’t work impersonally from space; He works with us where we are, as he finds us.”
-Eugene H. Peterson

I am going to take you on a journey through the Bible and act as a tour guide along the way by digging for depth and sharing with you what I find. But before we go digging in the depth, we need to pray for wisdom and discernment. May GOD equip us, enable us, empower us, enhance us, and advance our understanding in order to be properly aligned with GOD’s will and Word. May we be blessed with discernment and our knowledge and understanding be expanded and our wisdom increased. May lies be exposed and Truth revealed.

And now that we are prepared to take a journey through the Bible, let’s start digging in the depth and study what we find. You may want to read the Bible for yourself (and I suggest you do) as we go along in order to compare notes with me. I’m sure that you will be able to dig up something that I overlooked. Why? Because I’m human and I make mistakes. Because we are all unique and therefore create and generate thoughts differently. Also, GOD’s Word is not just a one-dig operation; it is an excavation that requires diligence. Moreover, it is not a one-person job — teamwork is necessary. It’s like digging for diamonds or sifting through dirt and rocks trying to find gold. You may miss the gold the first time around, so you should read the Bible over and over again. Each time you read GOD’s Word, I guarantee you will find something new. But let’s go through this particular journey together and see what we can dig up.

Start here: Why every Christian needs to read the Bible

And then read this: Should The Bible Be Taken Literally?

Below are quick links to each book of the Bible:

• Genesis
• Exodus
• Leviticus
• Numbers
• Deuteronomy
• Joshua
• Judges
• Ruth
• 1Samuel
• 2Samuel
• 1Kings
• 2Kings
• 1Chronicles
• 2Chronicles
• Ezra
• Nehemiah
• Esther
• Job
• Psalms
• Proverbs
• Ecclesiastes
• Song of Songs (Song of Solomon)
• Isaiah
• Jeremiah
• Lamentations
• Ezekiel
• Daniel
• Hosea
• Joel
• Amos
• Obadiah
• Jonah
• Micah
• Nahum
• Habakkuk
• Zephaniah
• Haggai
• Zechariah
• Malachi
• How the Old Testament and New Testament relate
• Matthew
• Mark
• Luke
• John
• Acts
• Romans
• 1Corinthians
• 2Corinthians
• Galatians
• Ephesians
• Philippians
• Colossians
• 1Thessalonians
• 2Thessalonians
• 1Timothy
• 2Timothy
• Titus
• Philemon
• Hebrews
• James
• 1Peter
• 2Peter
• 1John
• 2John
• 3John
• Jude
• Revelation