All posts
Every post on the site, newest first, from sermon notes to Scripture studies, questions and visual explainers.
45 posts
- Scripture studies
Arians vs Homoousians: The Fight That Defined What Christian Means
In the early 4th century, a single theological question tore the Christian world apart: Is Jesus God, or did God create Jesus?
John 1:1-14 - Scripture studies
Baal — The First and Greatest Rival of Yahweh
Before the Devil, before Satan, Yahweh's principal rival was Baal — "the Lord," the rider upon the clouds, defeater of Sea and Death.
- Questions & ideas
Can the Catholic Church Forgive Sins? The Authority Claim and Why It Doesn't Hold
The Catholic Church claims the power to forgive sins through its priests.
Matthew 16:18-19 - Scripture studies
Catholics vs Protestants: The Split That Tore Europe Apart and the Huguenot Massacre
Then a German monk nailed a piece of paper to a door, and within a generation, Christians were killing each other across an entire continent.
Romans 1:17 - Scripture studies
Deuteronomy 8:17-18 — The Power to Gain Wealth
The heart of it is one line. “Remember that it is the Lord your God who gives you the power to gain wealth.”
Deuteronomy 8:17-18 - Questions & ideas
Did Constantine Really Convert? Faith, Politics, and the Most Consequential Religious Decision in History
In 312 CE, the Roman emperor Constantine reportedly converted to Christianity before the Battle of the Milvian Bridge.
Acts - Questions & ideas
Did Jesus Claim to Be God? - Why the Evidence Says No (Alex O'Connor)
Alex O'Connor lays out why mainstream biblical scholarship holds that Jesus did not historically claim to be God, examines every major "proof text" Christians use, and shows how Jesus himself…
John 17:20-23 - Questions & ideas
Eye for an Eye vs Turn the Other Cheek - Why They Don't Contradict
They are stages on the same trajectory toward mercy.
Matthew 5:38-48 - Scripture studies
Gnosticism vs the Bible: The Divine Spark, The Matrix, and Why God Jacked In
Gnosticism keeps resurfacing in modern storytelling because it describes something real.
John 1:14 - Sermon notes
God Knows You Don't — Steven Furtick on Faith in the "Even Though"
Three times in Hebrews 11, it says "by faith, Abraham" (verses 8, 11, 17). And three times in those same verses, it says "even though."
Hebrews 11:8; Psalm 23:4; John 11:25 - Scripture studies
Hidden Patterns in the Bible: The Same Stories Told Across Thousands of Years
The Bible was written by roughly 40 different authors over 1,500 years across three continents in three languages.
Genesis 3; 1 John 2; Matthew 4 - Scripture studies
Hidden Patterns Part 2: The Rock, the Scarlet Thread, the Passover Lamb, and the Three Gardens
A continuation of the patterns that repeat across Scripture. Forty different authors, 1,500 years, three languages, one design.
- Scripture studies
How Yahweh Became God — The Origins of Monotheism
Monotheism wasn't born from triumph or revelation.
Deuteronomy 32:8-9; Isaiah 40 - Questions & ideas
Is the Biblical God the Demiurge? Four Tests That Settle It
The core Gnostic claim: the God of the Bible is Kristoff from The Truman Show. He made the world, runs it, calls himself good, but he's a fraud.
Matthew 7:16 - Scripture studies
James 2:14-26 — Faith and Deeds
James is writing to Jewish Christians scattered across the Roman world (James 1:1).
James 2:14-26 - Scripture studies
John 1:1 Deep Dive: Seventeen Words That Hold the Universe
Seventeen words in Greek. The entire universe in one sentence. Every word is doing something.
John 1:1 - Scripture studies
Joshua 2 / James 2:25 — Rahab: The Prostitute in the Bloodline of Jesus
Joshua sends two spies into Jericho before Israel's invasion. They end up at the house of Rahab, a prostitute.
Joshua 2:1-24 - Scripture studies
Knowledge vs Faith: The Bible Says Both
Gnosticism says knowledge saves you. The Bible says something more nuanced: knowledge EQUIPS you.
Hosea 4:6 - Questions & ideas
Literal or Metaphor? Why the Bible Is Both at the Same Time - Eden as Case Study
When Genesis 3:23-24 says God "banished him from the Garden of Eden" and placed cherubim at the east side, is this a literal event or a metaphor?
Genesis 3:7-24 - Scripture studies
Luke 12:48 — To Whom Much Is Given
Peter asks Jesus (v.41) whether His parable about readiness applies to the disciples or to everyone.
Luke 12:48 - Sermon notes
Managing What God Gave You
The phrase "to whom much is given, much is tested" is a popular variation of the biblical proverb "to whom much is given, much will be required" from Luke 12:48.
Psalms 118:24; Luke 12:48 - Questions & ideas
Numerology vs Biblical Patterns: Why the 666 Carbon Theory Fails
The body is not the mark of the beast. It's the dwelling place of God.
Revelation 13:16-18 - Scripture studies
People-Pleasing Is Identity Theft: The Cross as Verb, Not Jewellery
Every time you adjust who you are based on who's watching, you hand them the pen and let them write your name.
Galatians 1:10 - Scripture studies
Prophecies Fulfilled to the Letter: Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, and the Mathematics of Prophecy
The Bible contains over 300 prophecies about the Messiah, written centuries before Jesus was born.
Psalm 22:1-18 - Scripture studies
Romans 8:5-8 - Flesh vs Spirit: Two Operating Systems of the Mind
Paul describes two operating systems that run the human mind. You can't run both at the same time.
Romans 8:5-8 - Scripture studies
Son of God in Greek — How Mark Frames the Entire Gospel (Mark 1:1, 15:39)
The Gospel of Mark frames itself between two declarations that Jesus is the Son of God. The first verse announces it.
Mark 1:1 - Scripture studies
Spiritual Warfare: The Enemy's Playbook, the Armour of God, and How to Fight Back
The Bible treats spiritual warfare as real, normal, and winnable.
Ephesians 6:10-18 - Scripture studies
The Bible Is One Story: Paradise Lost, Paradise Restored, and the Journey Home
God makes a home with people. People leave. God spends the entire rest of the Bible coming to get them back.
Genesis 2-3 - Scripture studies
The Body as Temple: God Has Always Been Moving Closer
Both the Bible and Gnosticism agree that something divine is inside you. But they say completely opposite things about what that means.
1 Corinthians 6:19 - Scripture studies
The Cross Is Not a Leash: Why Being Christ-Like Doesn't Mean Being a Doormat
Jesus never told anyone to let themselves be exploited indefinitely.
Galatians 1:10 - Scripture studies
The Enemy Has One Move: Every Lie Is a Confession
He takes something God said and puts a question mark after it.
Matthew 4:1-11 - Scripture studies
The Enemy's Real Target: Why Every Attack in Scripture Is About Identity
The enemy has one real target, and it's never the sin itself. The sin is just the tool.
Matthew 4:1-11 - Scripture studies
The Historical Jesus — From Galilean Peasant to Messianic Accelerationist
Jesus's career had four distinct phases: Baptizer → Exorcist → Secret Messiah → Messianic Accelerationist
- Scripture studies
The Huguenots and South Africa: How French Refugees Built the Cape Winelands
After Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes in 1685, between 200,000 and 400,000 Huguenots fled France.
- Scripture studies
The Origins of Yahweh — From Desert Warrior God to God of Billions
Yahweh went from parochial Judean god to singular cosmic God
Deuteronomy 32:8 - Questions & ideas
Was Jesus a Disciple of John the Baptist? - McGrath on the Historical Evidence
Jesus likely started as one of John's disciples, was baptized by him as an act of discipleship, and only later stepped into his own role as teacher.
John 1:19-34 - Questions & ideas
Was the Old Testament Polytheistic? - McClellan on Yahweh's Evolution
This means Yahweh is one god among many, a local deity assigned one nation by a higher god.
Deuteronomy 32:8-9 - Questions & ideas
What Did Jesus Actually Look Like? - Why the Gospels Never Say
His finding: the Gospel writers were the only biographers in all of antiquity who did not mention their subject's physical appearance.
Luke 19:3 - Questions & ideas
What Is Methodist? John Wesley and the Heart That Was Strangely Warmed
Methodist is a Protestant denomination that broke off from the Church of England in the 1700s.
Romans - Questions & ideas
What Type of Christian Was Constantine? Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant - Why the Denominations Split
When people ask "was Constantine Catholic or Orthodox or Protestant?" the answer is: none of them. All modern denominations postdate Constantine by centuries.
- Scripture studies
When R20,000 Gets Stolen — What Scripture and the Test Reveal About Your Heart
Say fraudsters steal R20,000 from someone's bank account. It's a lot of money.
Ephesians 4:26-28; Exodus 20:15; Proverbs 6:30-31 - Scripture studies
When Worship Paints a Target: Why Drawing Close to God Attracts Attack
You start praying more, worshipping more, talking to God more, and then everything falls apart.
Job 1:8-12 - Questions & ideas
Why Catholics Killed Protestants: Theology Was the Spark, Power Was the Fuel
The surface answer is theology. The real answer is power.
Matthew 6:24 - Questions & ideas
Why Hollywood Keeps Making Gnostic Movies (And What They Leave Out)
The Matrix, The Truman Show, Westworld, Dark City, Severance. They all run on the same Gnostic engine.
James 4:6-7 - Scripture studies
Why the Gnostic Gospels Say Different Things: History Not Mystery
The Gnostic gospels (Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Philip, Apocryphon of John) were not written by the people whose names they carry.
1 John 4:2-3