Jesus and the Samaritan Woman

There are many times that we feel someone is utterly hopeless. The Samaritans were in so much doctrinal error. John 4:1-45 talks about the long story of the Lord Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman. As the Lenten reading for today is about Jesus and the Samaritan woman, this would be an excellent post. This was an old post written preparing for the Christmas season which I decided to re-edit and update. It’s because after getting the NIV MacArthur Study Bible, I believe that this post deserves a rewrite with a lot of information that I missed. This post would show how even a woman who has fallen so far can be redeemed. The Samaritans who were outcasts would soon see God’s grace for both Jews and Gentiles alike.

Nicodemus’ Midnight Interview with the Lord Jesus Christ

I confess that I’ve scheduled some posts in advance because I tend to read really fast. Right now, I found out that I can read the assigned topics but I doubt I can write about them for the entire 40-day length of the Lenten Bible reading plan. The reading from John 3:1-17 got to say, “Looks like I wouldn’t be writing with all the 40 topics assigned to me!” Reading John 3 for the nth time proves that “There’s really no saturation point with the Word of God.” I read Dr. John MacArthur’s coverage of Nicodemus’ midnight interview in The Jesus You Can’t Ignore, found in Chapter 3. It was also featured in chapter 3 of The Gospel According to Jesus. I only have the revised and expanded edition.

Does the Doctrine of Election Make John 3:16 Just “God Loving Some of the World”?

An objection to Reformed Theology (also nicknamed Calvinism) is that it makes John 3:16 look like God only loved some of the world. The argument is that it’s “All of the world.” Fundamental Baptist churches don’t identify as either Calvinist or Arminian. The term Arminian can be very murky since they’re divided about salvation and whether it can be lost or not. Now, back to the topic, I would like to address how Fundamental Baptist churches aren’t too aware of what they’re speaking against Reformed Theology. It’s sad, really, that some Baptist churches hold seminars against Calvinism (or I better call it, Reformed Theology) without knowing what it stands for. I did have the stance that I could embrace Calvinists as brothers and sisters for some time. It was the same way I would embrace non-KJV-only people while telling them to kindly reconsider using the KJV. That was back when I was still a fundamentalist Baptist.

Do Roman Catholics Truly Understand the Lyrics of the Song “Tell the World of His Love”?

As I continue my Lenten Bible studies, I do feel the burden once more to share another post for Catholic readers who may be fuming mad reading it. Growing up as a Catholic by default, I remember one of the songs sung was “Tell the World of His Love”. If I’m not mistaken, it was popularized by Jamie Rivera who also did a rendition of “The Mission” which was a licensed cover, as the original singer was Steve Green of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). Sadly, CCM has fallen into apostasy. It’s no surprise to me that Don Moen even sang for the Pope–something some Catholic fanatics deny and overreacted when I showed them the video. Now, I’d like to bring up the fact that it’s a wonderful song. However, its writer Trina Belamide, is also a member of the Ateneo Chamber Singers.

Jesus’ First Miracle Shows His Mother, Mary, Pointing Others to the Son of God, Not to Herself

Monday’s reading is from John 2:1-12. The topic is the Wedding Feast in Cana. It would be very interesting to know that a Jewish wedding could even last up to seven days. I really feel a one-night celebration is already costly enough. The fact that it said on the third day, I can’t even imagine how to feed my guests for up to seven days. The exact location is unknown except that Cana is in Galilee, the same place where Nathanael (or Nathaniel as I prefer to spell it out, also called Bartholomew) came from. Jesus was also invited to the wedding. It might have been a relative of theirs or a friend of theirs. Either way, they were invited and they weren’t gatecrashing.

Jesus Calling the First Disciples

Since tomorrow’s reading would be a Sunday, it would be best to do double entries for Saturday. The passage planned for the February 18 reading is John 1:35-51. John 1:35-42 focuses on two of John’s followers who follow Jesus. John 1:43-51 talks about the calling of Philip and Nathaniel. This will be the calling of the first four disciples. Jesus was choosing them, not they chose Him. Of course, Judas Iscariot was only “chosen” to fulfill prophecy but John 17:12 would reveal that he was indeed not saved. Now, let’s focus on the two sections.

Jesus’ Victory Against Satan in the Midst of Starving in a Barren Desert

The the fourth day of the Lenten readings, it would be good to focus on the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. The story can be found in both Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13. Just remember that there are no contradictions. Luke tends to write things thematically or logically. Luke’s possible purpose may have been because the temple of Jerusalem is a very important location in Luke’s narrative. If Luke had written things chronologically all the time, he would’ve recorded the baptism of Jesus before the arrest of John the Baptist. Just remember that Luke did meticulous research and may have had his own preferred method of narrating the events. That means Matthew and Luke both had different ways to talk about the Lord Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. It’s the same events but told differently.