"Do you believe in ghosts?"
That was the question I was asked during an interview a long time ago. I remember that situation quite vividly. There I was sitting down in front of a panel which comprised of four interviewers. My hands were clasped together feeling quite clammy, and my legs quivered as if they had their own built-in motor. While waiting for my turn, I had prepared myself to answer factual questions, questions that would test my knowledge and logical thinking, questions that would enable the panel to make precise decisions based on the organisation of my ideas, the maturity of my answer, and the depth of my analysis.
But this?
"Err, no. I don't believe in them," I blurted out. "But, I do believe in spirits."
As soon as those words left my mouth I knew I had to think quickly of what exactly was the difference between those two. I don't remember now what my exact answers were but that question has stuck with me because of some recent events. So, is there such a thing as ghosts?
Popular culture would seem to confirm that there is such a thing as a ghost. You are told about it on the tv, in the cinema, in magazines, in books; you sometimes hear ghost stories from friends as well, events that seemed to have affected people closer to you.
But, if you asked me, then I'd have to answer the question with another question: what's your understanding of the word 'ghost'? Does it refer to the spirit of someone who's died? Or is a ghost, a spirit being?
If you're Christian (or even if you're not), consider this passage from the Bible:
Hebrews 9:27
And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment...
The Bible declares that man dies only once, and after that he is judged. There is no mention of an in-between state. You die, then you're judged. But at the same time, the Bible also teaches about spirit beings who can somehow manifest themselves in our world and connect with it. Of these there are two: angels and demons. Angels are servants of God, faithfully serving Him. Demons on the other hand are evil, deceptive and destructive. Their primary modus operandi is that of trickery: disguising themselves as servants of righteousness (2 Cor. 11:15). And while such spirits can sometimes seem to do good (as in giving some useful information or a warning), it is their nature to deceive. Their intent is only one: to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).
That's why Christians are called to test the spirits to see if they are from God (1 John 4:1). And how do you know whether a spirit is of God or not? Read 1 John 4:2.
So, after all that lengthy explanation, do I believe in ghosts?
No, I don't believe in them. But I do believe there are spirits.
Showing posts with label faith matters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith matters. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
A good day
Mommy: Did you have a good day today?
Adelle: Yes.
Mommy: Why do you say you had a good day?
Adelle: Because it's Good Friday.
That was part of the conversation my wife had with Adelle just as we were putting her to sleep just this evening. Such an innocent, almost simplistic answer, but once I thought about it, how much truth there is to it. Indeed, today is a good day for the simple reason it's Good Friday. It's a day of remembrance of the greatest act of courage, and love ever demonstrated. I've always wondered what it was that made someone call this day Good Friday. But, no one (I've checked) seems to know exactly. Anyway, just to share something I've been thinking about and have learned more about.
"And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. "
Matthew 27:51
This event occured as soon as Jesus died.
If you've ever gone through any of the clauses in an insurance policy, then you would proabably have come across the phrase "acts of God". I'm not entirely sure what exactly these "acts of God" encompass, but I suppose they refer to something totally beyond the control of human actions, like natural disasters and the like. And they are usually something the insurance company isn't willing to cover, unless of course, you're willing to pay a substantially large premium for it.
But, I digress.
As far as acts of God are concerned, the happening in the quote above is clearly one. Why?
Just a bit of background information first. The temple refers to the Jewish temple, a place where the Jews go to offer prayers and sacrifices. There are different parts to the Jewish temple, but the only part that is separated by a curtain (or veil) is between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. The Holy of Holies (or some would say The Most Holy Place) is the most innermost sanctum. It was where the Ark of the Covenant (which contained the two stone tablets of the Law and was a symbol of God's divine presence) was originally was placed and the place where only the High Priest could enter but once a year to make an offering to God for the forgiveness of the sins of the entire Jewish population.
So, the veil or curtain that separates the two places rips. Nothing unusual about a ripping curtain, but the thing is, it rips from the top to the bottom. A human act would be the opposite: from bottom up.
The curtain was almost 20 metres long, and about 10 metres wide, and apparently made of seriously thick fabric (I can't even begin to imagine how thick is seventy-two twisted plaits of twenty-four threads each that are made of linen and wool). I've just learned about these bits of information as I was studying the verse, and I say, it's made the whole event even more amazing.
But all that still falls short of the significance of this act of God. With the curtain now torn into, there is no more hindrance nor limitation nor restriction to the forgiveness of sins. There is no more a need for a high priest to give an offering on our behalf. Jesus has become the High Priest, offering His own blood as the sin offering. The way has been made clear, opened and made free for every one to come into the very presence of God and ask God Himself for forgiveness and receive it.
Thank God for Good Friday.
Adelle: Yes.
Mommy: Why do you say you had a good day?
Adelle: Because it's Good Friday.
That was part of the conversation my wife had with Adelle just as we were putting her to sleep just this evening. Such an innocent, almost simplistic answer, but once I thought about it, how much truth there is to it. Indeed, today is a good day for the simple reason it's Good Friday. It's a day of remembrance of the greatest act of courage, and love ever demonstrated. I've always wondered what it was that made someone call this day Good Friday. But, no one (I've checked) seems to know exactly. Anyway, just to share something I've been thinking about and have learned more about.
"And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. "
Matthew 27:51
This event occured as soon as Jesus died.
If you've ever gone through any of the clauses in an insurance policy, then you would proabably have come across the phrase "acts of God". I'm not entirely sure what exactly these "acts of God" encompass, but I suppose they refer to something totally beyond the control of human actions, like natural disasters and the like. And they are usually something the insurance company isn't willing to cover, unless of course, you're willing to pay a substantially large premium for it.
But, I digress.
As far as acts of God are concerned, the happening in the quote above is clearly one. Why?
Just a bit of background information first. The temple refers to the Jewish temple, a place where the Jews go to offer prayers and sacrifices. There are different parts to the Jewish temple, but the only part that is separated by a curtain (or veil) is between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. The Holy of Holies (or some would say The Most Holy Place) is the most innermost sanctum. It was where the Ark of the Covenant (which contained the two stone tablets of the Law and was a symbol of God's divine presence) was originally was placed and the place where only the High Priest could enter but once a year to make an offering to God for the forgiveness of the sins of the entire Jewish population.
So, the veil or curtain that separates the two places rips. Nothing unusual about a ripping curtain, but the thing is, it rips from the top to the bottom. A human act would be the opposite: from bottom up.
The curtain was almost 20 metres long, and about 10 metres wide, and apparently made of seriously thick fabric (I can't even begin to imagine how thick is seventy-two twisted plaits of twenty-four threads each that are made of linen and wool). I've just learned about these bits of information as I was studying the verse, and I say, it's made the whole event even more amazing.
But all that still falls short of the significance of this act of God. With the curtain now torn into, there is no more hindrance nor limitation nor restriction to the forgiveness of sins. There is no more a need for a high priest to give an offering on our behalf. Jesus has become the High Priest, offering His own blood as the sin offering. The way has been made clear, opened and made free for every one to come into the very presence of God and ask God Himself for forgiveness and receive it.
Thank God for Good Friday.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Super brand
Is there a certain brand of clothing that you especially like? Just the top of my head, I know the brand Levi’s has got a certain standing among many. Abercrombie and Fitch is quite a popular clothing brand as well. So are MNG, Gap, Guess, Ralph Lauren, and Benetton. Let’s not even get into designer wear. The list is endless!
I ask because something has got me thinking. At school yesterday, one of my colleagues made a very interesting comment to another colleague of mine. They were both looking at a cartoon showing the evolution of man, and the picture of the man in the cartoon was naked. My colleague said that we use clothes because of our sins, to cover them; if we had not sins, we wouldn’t need any clothes. Now, such an observation from this colleague of mine was out of the ordinary and by him making such a statement made the whole thing even more intriguing. I took a mental note of it and promised myself to look it up.
My finding? Clothes were indeed first mentioned in the Bible after Adam and Eve sinned. In the last verse of the previous chapter, we read that Adam and Eve were both naked but were not ashamed. Yet, here after having eaten the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they were still in the same state of nakedness, but their eyes were ‘opened’ and they sewed fig leaves together to make loincloths for themselves. They seemed ashamed of their nakedness.
But I think there’s more to it than just plain nakedness. I think their eyes were opened not only to the state of nakedness, but also to the realization that they have done wrong. They had committed sin. And in wanting to hide their sin from God, Adam and Eve not only hid themselves among the trees in the Garden of Eden, but also covered their loins with the fig leaves. And when God calls out to them, here’s Adam’s reply:
"I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself."
Gen 3:10
Adam’s response to God shows that, although both he and Eve had already covered themselves, both still saw themselves as naked. What they had done to cover themselves was not enough. And so:
And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.
Gen 3:21
God did what Adam and Eve couldn’t do. He clothed them, and they were covered.
Perhaps, this incident explains why we are quite preoccupied with our image today. We want to look good, and so we dress up. We find the best brands we can afford, because by wearing them (so we are led to believe), we are special, of a certain class, successful. What drives this passionate want for clothing? Perhaps, deep down inside, our own eyes have been ‘opened’, and we see that there is something that is niggling at us, the inadequacy of our self, something that is telling us that we are not as good as what we think, and so we hide in our clothes.
But it seems no matter how famous or how expensive the clothes we wear, we still desire for more. Maybe our position is something like Adam and Eve’s: we try our best to cover ourselves with whatever we can get our hands on. But, it’s never sufficient, never good enough, never adequate.
But you know what? Like what God did with Adam and Eve, He has also already done for all. He has taken it upon Himself to do what we cannot do by our own power. He has made a covering in order to clothe us from the nakedness of our sins; to clothe us, so that there is no more shame in us. If only we accepted His offer to do so. It's THE best brand!
Nuggets of truth from such an unlikely source. God really does work in mysterious ways!
I ask because something has got me thinking. At school yesterday, one of my colleagues made a very interesting comment to another colleague of mine. They were both looking at a cartoon showing the evolution of man, and the picture of the man in the cartoon was naked. My colleague said that we use clothes because of our sins, to cover them; if we had not sins, we wouldn’t need any clothes. Now, such an observation from this colleague of mine was out of the ordinary and by him making such a statement made the whole thing even more intriguing. I took a mental note of it and promised myself to look it up.
My finding? Clothes were indeed first mentioned in the Bible after Adam and Eve sinned. In the last verse of the previous chapter, we read that Adam and Eve were both naked but were not ashamed. Yet, here after having eaten the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they were still in the same state of nakedness, but their eyes were ‘opened’ and they sewed fig leaves together to make loincloths for themselves. They seemed ashamed of their nakedness.
But I think there’s more to it than just plain nakedness. I think their eyes were opened not only to the state of nakedness, but also to the realization that they have done wrong. They had committed sin. And in wanting to hide their sin from God, Adam and Eve not only hid themselves among the trees in the Garden of Eden, but also covered their loins with the fig leaves. And when God calls out to them, here’s Adam’s reply:
"I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself."
Gen 3:10
Adam’s response to God shows that, although both he and Eve had already covered themselves, both still saw themselves as naked. What they had done to cover themselves was not enough. And so:
And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.
Gen 3:21
God did what Adam and Eve couldn’t do. He clothed them, and they were covered.
Perhaps, this incident explains why we are quite preoccupied with our image today. We want to look good, and so we dress up. We find the best brands we can afford, because by wearing them (so we are led to believe), we are special, of a certain class, successful. What drives this passionate want for clothing? Perhaps, deep down inside, our own eyes have been ‘opened’, and we see that there is something that is niggling at us, the inadequacy of our self, something that is telling us that we are not as good as what we think, and so we hide in our clothes.
But it seems no matter how famous or how expensive the clothes we wear, we still desire for more. Maybe our position is something like Adam and Eve’s: we try our best to cover ourselves with whatever we can get our hands on. But, it’s never sufficient, never good enough, never adequate.
But you know what? Like what God did with Adam and Eve, He has also already done for all. He has taken it upon Himself to do what we cannot do by our own power. He has made a covering in order to clothe us from the nakedness of our sins; to clothe us, so that there is no more shame in us. If only we accepted His offer to do so. It's THE best brand!
Nuggets of truth from such an unlikely source. God really does work in mysterious ways!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
What's love gotta do with it?
Love is patient, love is kind.
it does not envy,
it does not boast,
it is not proud.
it is not rude,
it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil
but rejoices with the truth
it always protects,
always trusts,
always hopes,
always perseveres.
Love never fails.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
I’ve been thinking about this whole issue called ‘love’. Now, you may be thinking, boy, this guy’s either very late, or very early. Valentine’s not till February! Or maybe you may think I’m going to get all mushy with you, I’m not. Love is serious stuff. Really!
It’s a subject we guys don’t think enough of, I think – at least in the way it’s supposed to be. We guys are supposed to be tough, macho, and less ‘feeling-feeling’ than our counterpart of the opposite sex. Love and all its associations are to be consigned to the domain of women. And when we do think about it, it’s that bubbling feel-good emotion; the kind that we get when we first realise that we really, really, (I mean REALLY) like someone. Here’s how my wife described me when we first got together as boyfriend-girlfriend: like a lost puppy who suddenly sees his long-lost mother! Eyes all bright and happy! She had gone out, and I was waiting for her and when she got back, that was how (in her eyes at least) I looked like. I wouldn’t be surprised though. I still remember that feeling. And it was a very nice feeling. My wife has asked before me whatever happened to those puppy eyes. I said, gone with the wind. :-)
But, that’s just it, isn’t it? There lies the problem. We equate love with feelings. Don’t get me wrong. Having such feelings are great. I know it can make me feel over-the-moon, and if those feelings are reciprocated, boy, is there anything else better? But, the danger lies when we put everything about love behind those feelings. What happens when those feel-good feeling is gone? Does love go, too? It seems that way, at least from what I watch in movies, what I read in the papers, and what I see in the world. The rise of divorce, baby dumping, abuse, and on and on are perhaps the effects if this love-feeling culture. It seems that this kind of love is good, so long as I’m getting what I want.
But, there’s another different view of love. One which I think is infinitely more reliable and supersedes all others. It’s been said, but I think it can’t be overstated enough, especially when we are constantly bombarded with the popular (but erroneous, in my humble opinion) notion of love: love is an action, not a feeling. That’s from the Bible. I’ve read somewhere that feelings start you off; they are the passion, the spice in the relationship, but what’s supporting all this should be love, because when the feelings are gone, love should still be there. Love is all about the other person as we can read from the verses above; it's about doing acts that benefit the other fellow.
And love is a tough act to follow. There are times when I don’t like people very much, even those that are dear to me. But, I hope that I can still love them even when I don’t like them.
Love never fails.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Is God dead?
Wouldn’t you believe it? It has been proclaimed (quite some time back, in fact, in 1882!) that God is dead! Not physically dead, but dead in the consciousness of men. Well, that’s what German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, opined through the mouth of one of his characters, a madman of all people, in the book The Gay Science. While I’ve not read this book, it does give food for thought.
I first came across this slogan last year while doing some study for a sharing. This phrase became so popular that it even spurred people to form a movement(!). Time magazine reported on this in 1965 with this front cover.
But, looking at the events that are happening around the world today (and even in our country), it would be very easy to think that God really is dead; and if He isn’t, then He’s obviously not doing very much about it. War, genocide, famine, natural disasters, global warming, short of a cosmic disaster (like the one in the film Deep Impact), there isn’t much else that the present world hasn’t seen. And so the questions: where is God in all of this? If He’s all mighty and powerful and good, why doesn’t He do something and stop all of it? Why allow such things to continue?
Apparently, someone has asked a similar question a long time ago. Here’s what Epicurus (350-?270 BC) said:
Either God wants to abolish evil, and cannot; or he can, but does not want to; or he cannot and does not want to. If he wants to, but cannot, he is impotent. If he can, but does not want to, he is wicked. But, if God both can and wants to abolish evil, then how comes evil in the world?
What do you think?
But, coming back to the questions raised, what I found out was that it all boils down to how God created us: moral beings with the will to do as he or she pleases. This is called free will. It’s not that God created evil, He created the possibility for evil. Our own choices led the world to what it has become. While God could come in and take away all evil, there’d be a problem: the world would be empty? We’d all be gone! And while God could also step in and prevent all evil things from happening, what would happen to our freewill?
So, the thing is this. Would you have preferred God to have created us without the ability to choose evil in the first place?
For me, it’s a tough question. It would have been absolutely wonderful to not to have to worry about anything in the world; not getting robbed or mugged in the streets, not being killed by some natural disaster, and so forth, but I also feel there wouldn’t be much a point to living if I was just like a robot, unable to make decisions for myself – whether good or bad.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
