Paul and Dan embark on a multi-part exploration of the terms Devil and Satan and how they are used through the Bible. They aim to lay some foundations by thinking about how our worldview might affect how we read the Bible and (eventually) start to explore some key verses. The initial conclusion is that they may not be referring to a supernatural being, as is commonly supposed.
In past centuries, going to church was a deeply embedded part of how western society worked. But today, with so much emphasis on personal faith and opportunity to do community activities outside church, is there any point in being part of a religious group and meeting with people? We discover three key reasons: Support, Diversity and Magnifying.
You may wonder what happens to you when you die, but have you asked yourself what you were before you were born? If you have some belief in life that continues uninterrupted beyond death, such as an immaterial soul, then you may read something similar into passages such as Jeremiah 1:5. Does that mean that Jeremiah existed somewhere in some immaterial state? Does that mean that everyone is alive in some pre-existent way before they are born? Is this what the Bible is teaching?
There is so much baggage attached to the concepts of ‘the Spirit of God’ or ‘the Holy Spirit’ that it can be really difficult to know where to start in understanding what the concept means in scripture and in our daily lives. Sam Thomas talks to Paul Davenport about how to unpick the basic concept and its meaning in scripture. Listen in to find out what it’s all about!
We can’t perceive God directly, but we may be able to find reasons to believe that he is out there. Just as with many other things that we can’t see or hear, yet are convinced of their reality. So how about spending a bit of time looking for evidence that God exists?