Marv Wiseman

The Divine Rationale for Creation 

      The Divine Rationale for Creation - Pr. Marv Wiseman

It might be expected to be found at the beginning of the Bible, but it isn’t.  It’s found at the ending.  In Revelation, chapter 4, in a single verse often overlooked, we find the most succinct expression of why God created anything and everything.  This alone, in the final analysis, provides us with the only true rationale behind the creative acts of God. Continue reading “The Divine Rationale for Creation “ →

Marv Wiseman

The Necessity of Human Volition (Part 4)

      The Necessity of Human Volition (Part 4) - Pr. Marv Wiseman

The first man, Adam, was the father of us all.  He alone, by primogenitor, became the federal head of the entire human race.  It is not an exaggeration to note that the entirety of Adam’s posterity was literally in his loins.  The genetic cessation that began in this one man, Adam, is now realized in every living human being, as well as every human who has ever lived that is now deceased.  Does the Bible actually teach this?  Continue reading “The Necessity of Human Volition (Part 4)” →

Marv Wiseman

The Necessity of Human Volition (Part 3)

      The Necessity of Human Volition (Part 3) - Pr. Marv Wiseman

The biblical record of the making and creating of man in Genesis 1 and 2 is thoroughly engrossing.  God made Adam physically and created Adam spiritually.  His body was the material, and His spirit was the immaterial.  Together, they constituted the human soul.  This combination, and it alone, is peculiar to human beings, separating humans from all other biological life produced by God.  Continue reading “The Necessity of Human Volition (Part 3)” →

Marv Wiseman

The Biblical Validation of the Human Spirit (Part 3)

      The Biblical Validation of the Human Spirit - Part 3 - Pr. Marv Wiseman

Our Lord Jesus Christ, in telling the Samaritan Woman at the well in John, chapter 4, that God is Spirit, clearly established the concept of spirit or non-materiality.  Other passages, like James 2, inform us that the body without the spirit is dead, and Paul the apostle reminds us of our spirit component by asking, “What man knows the things of a man, except the spirit of man, which is in him?”  I Corinthians 2.  Add to these compelling passages that verify the spirit part of our nature the encounter Christ had with Satan himself. Continue reading “The Biblical Validation of the Human Spirit (Part 3)” →

Marv Wiseman

The Origin of the Human Spirit (Part 1)

      The Origin of the Human Spirit - Part 1 - Pr. Marv Wiseman

The Genesis text in chapter 2 is very forthright.  God breathed into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life, and Adam became a living soul.  The “soul” constitutes the totality of our personhood.  It appears the soul is part physical in our body and part non-physical in our spirit.  Spirit plus body comprises the soul.  A distinction between them is made in the Magnificate of Mary in Luke 1.  Upon hearing the angel Gabriel tell her she was to be the mother of Israel’s long-awaited Messiah and Savior of mankind, the virgin Mary exclaimed, “My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior.”  Continue reading “The Origin of the Human Spirit (Part 1)” →

Marv Wiseman

God is Spirit

      God is Spirit - Pr. Marv Wiseman

God is Spirit, but what is that?  And how do we know God is Spirit.  We know because it’s declared by revelation.  Jesus Christ Himself said so.  He disclosed this to the woman at the well in Samaria in John, chapter 4.  Jesus meant that God is not physical but that He is non-physical, immaterial.  God is not made of physical stuff as our bodies comprised of flesh and bone.  Continue reading “God is Spirit” →

Marv Wiseman

The Holy Spirit and His Earnest 

      The Holy Spirit and His Earnest - Pr. Marv Wiseman

Knowing where one stands as a believer in Christ, and having the assurance of that standing, is the next most important thing to the standing itself.  This is because the human heart cries out for security, certainty.  Knowing where you are with God, and knowing that you know, is the very basis for Christian confidence and stability… confidence that is not cockiness or arrogance.  Continue reading “The Holy Spirit and His Earnest “ →

Marv Wiseman

The Holy Spirit and How He is Received 

      The Holy Spirit and How He is Received - Pr. Marv Wiseman

The Romans 8 text is quite clear in its assertion that anyone not possessing the Holy Spirit of Christ is none of His.  This being the case, the equally clear matter of concern with how one obtains the Spirit of Christ.  What are the necessary qualifications for receiving the Holy Spirit?  Answers are diverse and numerous, largely depending upon one’s denominational connections and the particular position held by its governing body.  Continue reading “The Holy Spirit and How He is Received “ →

Marv Wiseman

The Holy Spirit and the Gospel 

      The Holy Spirit and the Gospel of Christ - Pr. Marv Wiseman

In 1st Corinthians 15, the inspired apostle relates the very essence of the Gospel in a very succinct way.  One might call it the “Gospel in a nutshell.”  Even though it is barebones minimum, it still contains the essential ingredients of truth one must know in order to be saved.  “Here it is,” said Paul,  “For I delivered unto you, first of all, that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures.”  Continue reading “The Holy Spirit and the Gospel “ →

Marv Wiseman

The Holy Spirit’s Position in the Trinity 

      The Holy Spirit in the Trinity - Pr. Marv Wiseman

In this present series, we undertake the doctrine of the Holy Spirit of God.  He… and He is referred to in the masculine gender… is not a “thing”, but an “it”, a person.  Not only a person but a divine Person and one who is a full-fledged equal member of the Triune Godhead.  Because the Holy Spirit is commonly referred to as the third Being of the Trinity, as in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, He’s frequently relegated to a role of lesser authority and importance than the Father and the Son, and this is a grievous mistake.  Continue reading “The Holy Spirit’s Position in the Trinity “ →

Marv Wiseman

Further Engaging the Deity 

      Further Engaging the Deity - Pr. Marv Wiseman

Christianity Clarified is an ongoing effort to accomplish what the name declares: to address the major issues of biblical Christianity that are often unknown or are misunderstood by the general public, sometimes including those who profess Christianity.  If this goal is achieved, the result will not only be a greater understanding and appreciation for God’s truth, but a greater and more intelligent obedience to it.  We now are engaging the subject of theology.  “Theology” simply means “the study of God”.  Who is He?   What is He like?  What does He provide for us?  What does He require from us?  Continue reading “Further Engaging the Deity “ →