Bible Archives

August 13, 2026August 10, 2026

Helpless Newborn Babies

Anyone who has raised a child from infancy knows it’s a lot of work over several years and can be exhausting. When humans are born, they are far less developed than virtually any other mammal. Even the great apes are more developed at birth than humans. Helpless newborn babies have weak neck muscles, soft skulls, and underdeveloped brains. These traits change as the human brain becomes far more developed than that of any other animal, including the apes.

Helpless newborn babies require parents to spend much more time holding, caring for, and working with their infants. Why should human babies have soft heads and underdeveloped brains? One factor is the size and shape of the birth canal through which the skull must pass. Of course, the much larger brains that develop later give us the ability to do many things–not just walking upright but also reasoning, creating, and living out the life for which God designed us.

Gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees, and bonobos are born more physically independent than human babies, and they also have less cranial deformity at birth. God must have a reason for requiring humans to be more involved in raising their offspring than other animals and primates. The responsibility of childcare and support is an essential part of becoming a human created in God’s image.

The Bible contains instructions for parents because God has given us a great responsibility. Raising those helpless newborn babies into productive adults is a great challenge for two parents in a solid marriage. It is not up to “the village” or the educational system or social media to bring our children to a point where they can be all that God intends for them to be. Parents can be thankful to God that He has allowed us to help form the next generation. (See Deuteronomy 6:5-7 and Ephesians 6:4.)

August 10, 2026August 9, 2026

Gender Dysphoria and the Church

A major challenge the Church faces is how to address young people with gender dysphoria. This issue has been complicated by medical experts and counselors who encourage young people to undergo drug treatments and surgeries for gender change. The American Medical Association and the Society of Plastic Surgeons have led the medical establishment in promoting sex-change procedures, and public-school counselors have encouraged primary and secondary students to change their gender identification and pronouns.

The long-term consequences of gender change are becoming more apparent. Males who choose to identify as women have dominated women’s sports. Men and women who have undergone gender-change surgeries are finding, years later, that they made a mistake. Recently, a New York woman sued her psychologist and plastic surgeon and was awarded two million dollars by a jury. She was pressured into a mastectomy at age 16 and put on hormone therapy. As an adult, she realized she wanted to live by her birth gender and was either not told or did not understand the consequences that would arise later in life.

The Bible makes it clear that God created man and woman with distinct gender identities. Undoing what God created is to challenge God and the biblical directives. It is essential for the Church to address gender dysphoria in young people. The cause is psychological and, in most cases, rooted in environmental problems.

The Church is not just a place to worship but a fellowship of Christ followers who must address all human needs. In Matthew 25:34-40, we see Jesus challenging those who want to enter “the kingdom prepared for them since the creation of the world.” Among the things expected of them was to take care of those who were sick. Gender dysphoria is a sickness, and like all of Satan’s attacks, it calls for loving care from His people.

Reference: The Week for February 26, 2026, page 12.

August 5, 2026August 4, 2026

The Courage to Help Someone in Need

Americans are a culture of cowards. We should have the courage to help someone in need. What do we feel when we see a homeless person, or someone on a street corner holding a cardboard sign that says, “Need Food”? Of course, some people make a business of begging and have no real need, but we cannot let that fact keep us from doing what Jesus called His followers to do.

Matthew 9:35-36 tells us: “Jesus went through all the towns and villages …healing every disease and sickness. When He saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” What is your reaction to needs? In Michael Clemen’s book Why Aren’t Christians More Like Jesus, he points out that real Christianity is doing what Jesus would do. James 2:14-26 points out that faith without compassion is useless (verse 20). Our faith must have feet. Going to a building where you sit in a pew once a week is not what being a Christian is about. Clemens calls that “Churchianity.”

Every person we read about in the Bible who was converted to Christ had the courage to help someone in need. In Acts 9, Dorcas was making garments for the needy. In Acts 16, Lydia opened her home for people who needed lodging, including Paul. Throughout the book of Acts, Barnabas was an encourager. Today, the opportunities for service include caring for people who can’t care for themselves, helping care for children, or getting groceries or medicine for a shut-in. If you have the skills, it might be maintaining or repairing a vehicle for someone who can’t afford it. It could even be visiting or using your phone to encourage someone who needs a friend.

A living, dynamic faith is a faith of action. Read James 2:14-26 and be like Christ. Jesus was not a wimp, and neither can His followers be.

July 30, 2026July 27, 2026

Broken Promises

We live in an age of broken promises. Nations break treaties. Professional athletes dishonor contracts. Politicians go back on campaign promises. Spouses abandon wedding vows. Even in business, we sign legal documents pledging to honor agreements. Yet lawyers still take businesses to court over broken promises.

The one place where we can find promises that will not be broken is in God’s Word. When God makes a promise, He always keeps it. Hebrews 6:13-15 gives us a model of God’s promises and how they are kept: “When God made His promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for Him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, ‘I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.’ And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.” We find no broken promises there.

Although we sometimes must wait to receive what God has promised, God always delivers. The most important promise God gives to you and me is the promise of salvation. God says, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The PROMISE is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord God will call.”

We don’t have to worry about our future because God has promised eternal life to us. All human religions contain broken promises, but the promises of God contained in the Bible will never be broken.

July 29, 2026July 27, 2026

Chimpanzee Civil War

One of the doctrines of Darwinism is that animals are driven by a basic obedience to “survival of the fittest.” The fit survive, and the less fit do not, and that determines the future and existence of the life form. In Darwinism, war is viewed as a human creation based on politics, history, or economics. In Darwinian terms, the only time an animal would kill another of its own species is when a male kills the babies of a female he wishes to mate with to produce his own progeny. More recent research indicates a chimpanzee civil war.

Recent studies of chimpanzees in Uganda have shown that the roughly 200 chimpanzees in Kibale National Park have split into two groups of about 100 individuals and have declared war on each other. The groups have been called the Central and Western clusters. Between 2018 and 2024, researchers witnessed Western adults kill seven males and 17 infants from the Central group. An additional 14 adolescent or adult Central males disappeared during that time, and their bodies were never recovered. Researchers have documented two more attacks on Central males since the study ended in 2024.

Primatologist Jane Goodall observed a chimpanzee civil war in Gombe National Park in Tanzania, with several chimpanzees killing others in the 1970s. However, it was assumed that the action was not natural, but because humans gave Gombe chimpanzees bananas. We now know that this is normal chimpanzee behavior and that war is not restricted to humans. What we have now seen among chimpanzees has also been seen among lions, dogs, cats, and hyenas, and has been misunderstood by Darwinists. Behavior among higher forms of life is not just controlled and driven by sex and food.

Because humans have a spiritual makeup in the image of God, we can live together without violence or conflict. Read Matthew 5-7, and you see a blueprint for how that is possible. Jesus brought peace to mankind, but greed, politics, and selfishness have corrupted what God intended for us.

Reference: Scientific American for July/August 2026, pages 10-11.

July 28, 2026July 27, 2026

Dragonflies and God’s Design

Imagine what this world would be like if there were no controls on the number of bugs we have to contend with. Insects are part of the food chain on our planet, but there is a difficult balance between insects as food for birds and fish, and making life miserable for humans. God has given us dragonflies to control other insects.

Dragonflies live in various environments, from wetlands to desert pools to mountains, on every continent except Antarctica. There are 3012 species known to science, and they demonstrate God’s genius of design. To catch and eat other insects, dragonflies must be fast enough to outfly them. One dragonfly species has been clocked at 60 mph (96 km/h). They must also make quick turns, and researchers have found that they can experience 9 Gs when turning to catch prey. If a dragonfly gets upside down, it can right itself in .2 seconds.

Dragonflies have a wingbeat of 30 times per second, and their eyes can take in their surroundings and process 200 images per second, allowing them to capture and eat various insects. Dragonflies have virtually no enemies at any stage of life. In the nymph stage, they have gills, so they develop underwater and feed on mosquito larvae, among other things. Unlike most other insects, dragonflies produce relatively few offspring, helping maintain the balance between predator and prey.

Scientists study dragonflies to improve flight technology, and they amaze us with their complexity and design that allows them to be insect predators. In Job 38:39-41, God challenges Job to explain how various forms of life find food. Everywhere we look, we see that a wonder-working hand has gone before. Romans 1:20 tells us that we can know there is a God through the things He has made, and the dragonfly is an example of that truth.

July 27, 2026July 26, 2026

Marine Fungi – God’s Solution for Ocean Pollution?

Marine Fungi – God’s Solution for Pollution

One of the great challenges facing humanity today is the amount of plastic pollution in our oceans. Polyurethane plastic is among the most prevalent and harmful pollutants in our oceans today. Researchers have found marine fungi that decompose plastic and turn it into food. Up to 60% of the fungi researchers have found in the ocean have some ability to eat plastic.

Research continues to see whether marine fungi can break down other forms of plastic, such as polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate. Since less than 1% of ocean fungi are documented, our knowledge is very limited. Dr. Anthony Amend at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa says, “Fungi possess a superpower for eating things that other organisms can’t digest.”

The basic point of this ministry is that science and faith are 100% supportive of one another. There is no conflict between science and faith, and every scientific discovery supports that. We continually see support for the statement in Romans 1:20, which says that “we can know there is a God through the things He has made.” From the galaxies of outer space to the simple cells of marine fungi, we see this truth demonstrated.

Climate change and environmental issues are problems that can be solved by scientists and Christians working together. We need to encourage Christian young people with an aptitude for science to get involved in learning more about God’s creation. That is one of the goals of this ministry.

Reference: Discover Magazine for Summer 2026, page 20.

July 23, 2026July 20, 2026

The Human Nature of Christ

The biblical description of the human nature of Christ shows Him to be very much like us. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way as we are – yet without sin.” Also, 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that we don’t face anything today that is not common to mankind.

The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is God, yet it describes the human nature of Christ. John’s gospel begins by saying that the Word created all things, and verse 14 says, “The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us.” That means that God knows what we endure, and, unlike the ghosts and spirits of pagan religions, the God we read about in the Bible went through what we go through.

We see the human nature of Christ as He experiences what humans do. We see Jesus frustrated with humanity and needing time alone (John 6:15). We see Him frustrated with Peter’s lack of faith, which caused him to sink after he had just seen the power of Christ (Matthew 14:31). In Matthew 14:26, when the disciples saw Christ walking on the water, they resorted to a pagan explanation, saying it was a spirit they were seeing.

Jesus needed time in prayer, just as we do (Luke 22:41-42). He experienced human fatigue, as seen in John 4:6 when He sat at the well in Samaria, and again in Matthew 8:24-25 when He slept through a storm on the Sea of Galilee. Christ was exposed to sexual temptations as a group of women who supported His work traveled with Him (Luke 8:1-3). In John 11:1-44, we read of Jesus having a close relationship with Mary and Martha. Jesus had strong family interactions, as seen in the exchange with His mother at the wedding feast at Cana (John 2:3-4) and when His mother and brothers tried to interfere with His ministry (Matthew 12:46-50). Jesus felt physical pain, as seen in the crucifixion.

The question is how you and I view Christ and respond to Him. Can you see the human nature of Christ? Do you see Him as a mystical non-human or as a brother and a friend who can relate to your struggles in life?

July 22, 2026July 20, 2026

Good Soil in the Garden of the Heart

To have a successful garden, you need good soil. Where does it come from? Does it just happen to be good? If you have worked in a garden, you know that good soil takes effort on your part. You must till the soil, pull out old roots, dig out rocks, remove pebbles, and add fertilizer.

The same is true of the good soil of our hearts. We must prepare our hearts to receive the Word and produce a bumper crop. We must get rid of bad attitudes and dig out rocks of resentment, hatred, and the pain of bad experiences. But we do not have to do this entirely on our own. God’s Spirit is available to root out the bad things that Satan brings upon us.

In Matthew 13, Jesus taught about good soil in the parable of the sower (verses 1-23) and the parable of the weeds (verses 24-29). We need to remember the message of those parables and understand that Satan doesn’t want us to improve our soil. It is essential that we study and learn from God’s Word. That is the one thing we can use to make our hearts receptive to the purpose God has for us.

Don’t try to create good soil that produces a “bumper crop” on your own. A garden that is not tended by a gardener will never produce a good crop. A heart that is not maintained by God’s Spirit will never be what it should be. The only way for us to have God’s Spirit helping us is revealed in Acts 2:38:

“Change your thinking and be baptized … in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven, and YOU WILL RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. The promise is for you and your children and for ALL who are afar off…”

You and I are those who are afar off, and the message is for us.is for us.

July 21, 2026July 20, 2026

Genetic Evolution Is Not the Answer

God told Noah and his sons: “…BE FRUITFUL AND INCREASE IN NUMBER; MULTIPLY ON THE EARTH AND INCREASE UPON IT” (Genesis 9:7). Scientists who study genetics tell us that this command is impossible by genetic evolution alone. When evolutionary anthropologists calculate how long it would take for humans to spread throughout the planet by genetic evolution, they find it would require at least 88 million years. No one believes that humans have existed on Earth for that long, so genetic evolution is not the answer.

Humans occupy as much of the planet’s dry land as all other mammals combined. Evolutionists attempt to solve this problem by saying it is due to “cultural evolution,” meaning that as cultures evolve, humans find ways to adapt to new environments.

Since genetic evolution is not the answer, a biblically sound approach is to accept that a combination of social cooperation, language, creativity, and intellect allowed humans to cover the planet many times faster than would be possible by genetic evolution. We can credit that to God creating humans in His image with those abilities.

The spread of humans over the entire planet is due to the way God created us, and is not an accident. The bigger issue now is how we can control our numbers and efficiently use the resources for survival that God has made available on Earth.

Reference: Scientific American for July/August 2026, page 17.