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God is our Refuge

Psalm 17:8 — Hide me in the shadow of your wings.
Psalm 27:5 — He will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent.
Psalm 32:7 — You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble.
Psalm 61:3–4 — You have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy; let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings.
Psalm 119:114 — You are my hiding place and my shield.
Isaiah 4:6 — A booth for shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.
Isaiah 32:2 — Each will be like a hiding place from the wind, a shelter from the storm.
Psalm 46 and Psalm 91 are the fullest treatments of the theme.

  • Deuteronomy 33:27 — The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.
  • 2 Samuel 22:3 — God is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge.
  • Psalm 9:9 — The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
  • Psalm 14:6 — The Lord is the refuge of the poor.
  • Psalm 18:2 — The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge.
  • Psalm 28:8 — The Lord is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
  • Psalm 31:1–4 — In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; you are my rock and my fortress.
  • Psalm 34:8 — Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
  • Psalm 36:7 — The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
  • Psalm 46:1 — God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
  • Psalm 57:1 — In you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge.
  • Psalm 59:16 — You have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress.
  • Psalm 62:7–8 — My mighty rock, my refuge is God; trust in him at all times; God is a refuge for us.
  • Psalm 71:1–3, 7 — In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; be to me a rock of refuge.
  • Psalm 91:1–2, 4, 9 — He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty; he is my refuge and my fortress.
  • Psalm 94:22 — The Lord has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.
  • Psalm 142:5 — You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.
  • Proverbs 14:26 — In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.
  • Proverbs 18:10 — The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
  • Isaiah 25:4 — You have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm.
  • Jeremiah 16:19 — O Lord, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in the day of trouble.
  • Joel 3:16 — The Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel.
  • Nahum 1:7 — The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.

 

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Does God only know the future?

  1. Genesis 50:20
    Joseph to the brothers who sold him: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive.”
    The same act is ascribed to their intention and to God’s intention. God is not described as watching a chain of events he had only foreseen. He meant the outcome and brought it about through their evil.
  2. Job 42:2
    “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”
    Job’s conclusion after the speeches is not that God predicts accurately. It is that God’s purpose cannot be blocked. The future God has purposed is the future that arrives.
  3. Psalm 33:10–11
    “The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.”
    Human plans are real and are overturned. The Lord’s counsel is what stands. The contrast is between plans that fail and a plan that governs what follows.
  4. Proverbs 16:9 and 21:1
    “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”
    “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.”
    Planning is human. Establishing the steps, and turning even a sovereign’s decisions, is ascribed to the Lord. Proverbs 19:21 makes the same point: “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”
  5. Isaiah 14:24, 27
    “The Lord of hosts has sworn: As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand… For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?”
    The future of Assyria is settled because God has planned and purposed it. The question “who will annul it?” treats the plan as effective, not merely predictive.
  6. Isaiah 46:9–11
    “I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.”
    Foreknowledge is here, but it is the byproduct of counsel and purpose. God names Cyrus in advance and then claims he will bring his own word to pass. Declaring the end and accomplishing it are one claim.
  7. Lamentations 3:37–38
    “Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?”
    Events that “come to pass” are traced to the Lord’s command. The verse does not limit that claim to pleasant outcomes.
  8. Daniel 4:35
    Nebuchadnezzar: “He does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?’”
    The point of the narrative is that the king’s future, including his humiliation and restoration, was set by God’s decree (Daniel 4:17, 24–25) and then enacted. No one stays his hand.
  9. Acts 2:23 and 4:27–28
    “This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.”
    Later the church prays: “Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, were gathered together… to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.”
    The crucifixion is the act of lawless men and, at the same time, what God’s hand and plan had predestined. Foreknowledge is named, but it is paired with a definite plan that the agents carry out. The future of the cross is worked out, not merely observed.
  10. Ephesians 1:11
    God “works all things according to the counsel of his will.”
    The verb is “works,” not “foresees.” “All things” is set under the counsel of his will. Romans 8:28 sits in the same register: “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose,” followed by the chain he predestined, called, justified, and glorified.

A further text often attached to this set is Revelation 17:17, where the kings and the beast hand the kingdom over to the beast and war on the Lamb “for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose… until the words of God are fulfilled.” Even opposition is described as serving a purpose God is bringing to its stated end.

Two boundaries keep the claim from being flattened. These passages still treat human choices as real: Joseph’s brothers meant evil, the crucifiers are “lawless,” nations make plans that fail. And they do not say every particular is narrated in advance. They say the future that unfolds is the future God has purposed and is bringing about, including through agents who intend something else. That is the difference between knowing the future and driving it.

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Passages that teach about Jesus

Divine identity / preexistence

  • John 1:1–3, 14 — The Word was with God and was God, and became flesh.
  • John 8:58 — “Before Abraham was, I am.”
  • John 10:30 — “I and the Father are one.”
  • John 20:28 — Thomas: “My Lord and my God!”
  • Colossians 1:15–17 — Image of the invisible God; all things created through him and for him.
  • Colossians 2:9 — In him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.
  • Hebrews 1:1–3, 8–12 — Radiance of God’s glory; exact imprint of his nature; addressed as God and as Lord.
  • Philippians 2:5–11 — In the form of God, emptied himself, exalted so that every tongue confesses him Lord.
  • Micah 5:2 — Ruler from Bethlehem whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
  • Isaiah 9:6 — Child born, son given; called Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Son of God / relationship to the Father

  • Matthew 3:17 — Voice from heaven: “This is my beloved Son.”
  • Matthew 16:16 — Peter: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
  • Matthew 17:5 — “This is my beloved Son… listen to him.”
  • John 3:16 — God gave his only Son.
  • John 5:18–23 — Called God his own Father; the Son gives life and judges.
  • John 10:36 — “I am the Son of God.”
  • John 14:9–11 — “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”
  • Romans 1:3–4 — Descended from David; declared Son of God in power by the resurrection.
  • Hebrews 1:5 — “You are my Son, today I have begotten you.”

Messiah / Fulfillment of Prophecy

  • Isaiah 7:14 — Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, Immanuel.
  • Isaiah 53:1–12 — Suffering servant who bears iniquities.
  • Matthew 1:22–23 — Birth fulfills the Immanuel prophecy.
  • Luke 4:16–21 — Jesus reads Isaiah and says the Scripture is fulfilled in their hearing.
  • Luke 24:25–27, 44–47 — Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms speak of him.
  • John 1:41, 45 — “We have found the Messiah.”
  • Acts 2:22–36 — God made him both Lord and Christ.

Humanity

  • Matthew 1:18–25 — Conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of Mary.
  • Luke 2:1–7 — Born in Bethlehem.
  • John 1:14 — The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
  • Galatians 4:4 — Born of woman, born under the law.
  • Philippians 2:6–8 — Born in human likeness, obedient to death on a cross.
  • Hebrews 2:14–17 — Shared in flesh and blood so as to become a merciful high priest.
  • 1 John 4:2 — Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.

Savior, Mediator, Lord

  • Matthew 1:21 — “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
  • John 14:6 — “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”
  • Acts 4:12 — No other name under heaven by which we must be saved.
  • Romans 5:8–10 — While we were sinners, Christ died for us.
  • 1 Corinthians 15:3–4 — Died for our sins, was buried, was raised.
  • 1 Timothy 2:5 — One mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
  • Hebrews 7:25 — Able to save to the uttermost those who draw near through him.
  • 1 Peter 2:24 — Bore our sins in his body on the tree.
  • Revelation 1:17–18 — The living one who died and is alive forevermore.
  • Revelation 5:9–12 — The Lamb who was slain is worthy.

Titles and “I am” sayings

  • John 6:35; 8:12; 10:7, 11; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1 — Bread of life, light of the world, door, good shepherd, resurrection and life, way/truth/life, true vine.
  • John 1:29 — Lamb of God.
  • Revelation 22:13 — Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.

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Where Should I Start Reading the Bible?

Who Jesus is – John

Your identity in Christ – Ephesians

How to live in Holiness in a culture that is godless – 1 Corinthians

Wisdom in life – Proverbs

Origin if the Universe and understand why everything is broken – Genesis

Understand what to believe – Romans

Life is meaningless without God – Ecclesiastes

Joy in Suffering – Philippians

How the Church Started and how the Holy Spirit Empowered it – Acts

Faith into practice – James

How to pray with honesty – Psalms

Brief preview of the future with Hope – Revelation

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The “I am” Passages

Metaphorical “I am” statements

I am the bread of life.
John 6:35, 41, 48, 51 — spoken after the feeding of the 5,000. Jesus presents himself as the one who truly satisfies spiritual hunger, in contrast to the manna in the wilderness. 

I am the light of the world.
John 8:12; 9:5 — spoken at the Feast of Tabernacles, just before he heals a man born blind. Followers will not walk in darkness. 

I am the door / gate of the sheep.
John 10:7, 9 — in the Good Shepherd discourse. He is the only legitimate entrance to salvation and abundant life.

I am the good shepherd.
John 10:11, 14 — the shepherd who knows his sheep and lays down his life for them (unlike a hired hand).

I am the resurrection and the life.
John 11:25 — spoken to Martha just before raising Lazarus. Belief in him means life even through death.

I am the way, and the truth, and the life.
John 14:6 — no one comes to the Father except through him.

I am the true vine.
John 15:1, 5 — his Father is the vinedresser; disciples must remain in him to bear fruit.

Absolute I am statements (no predicate)

These use egō eimi without a following description and are often heard as stronger claims of divine identity. English Bibles frequently add he (I am he), but the Greek is simply I am.

John 4:26 — to the Samaritan woman: I who speak to you am he.

John 6:20 — walking on the water: It is I; do not be afraid.

John 8:24, 28 — unless you believe that I am… / then you will know that I am…

John 8:58 — Before Abraham was, I am. The crowd tries to stone him. 

John 13:19 — so that when events happen they will believe that I am.

John 18:5–8 — at his arrest: when he says I am, the soldiers draw back and fall to the ground.

John uses these sayings more densely than the other Gospels. The Synoptics have fewer comparable uses (e.g., the walking-on-water It is I in Mark 6:50 / Matthew 14:27). The cluster in John is one of the Gospel’s main ways of presenting who Jesus is.

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The Trinity

There is one God

Deuteronomy 6:4

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

Isaiah 45:5-6

I am the LORD, and there is no other,
besides me there is no God;
I equip you, though you do not know me,
that people may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is none besides me;
I am the LORD, and there is no other.

1 Corinthians 8:4-6

Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

The Father is God.
The Father is explicitly identified as God throughout Scripture.
John 6:27

Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”

1 Corinthians 8:6

yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

Ephesians 4:6

one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

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