The Reformed Olive Press

 Knowing Christ: Paul’s Radical Vision Beyond the Modern Personal Relationship Today, it’s common to hear the phrase “a personal relationship with Jesus” used to define the heart of Christianity. But what if this idea would’ve sounded strange—even foreign—to the Apostle Paul? When Paul wrote about “knowing Christ,” he meant something far deeper and more transformational than our modern devotional language implies. It wasn’t about feelings, private prayer life, or even emotional closeness. It was about embodying a whole new way of being human under a New Covenant reality.  What Did Paul Mean by “Knowing Christ”? In Philippians 3:8–10, Paul famously writes: “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord… that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” This isn’t about "getting saved" in the modern sense or “inviting Jesus into your heart.” Paul is describing a deep...

  Even Demons Believe: Examining James 2:19 Without Literalism “You believe that God is one. You do well; even the demons believe—and shudder!” — James 2:19 (ESV) At first glance, this verse seems to affirm the literal existence of demons who intellectually believe in God. But if we pause, zoom out, and consider the rhetorical structure and broader biblical imagery, a deeper, more symbolic reading emerges—one that’s just as powerful, even for those who don’t accept a literal demonology. Context: Faith That Works James 2:14–26 is not about demonic cosmology. It’s about the emptiness of belief without action. James challenges the idea that intellectually agreeing with God’s existence is enough to be counted as righteous. He gives two examples: Abraham showed his faith by offering Isaac. Rahab showed hers by hiding the spies. Faith, James insists, isn’t just what we believe, but what we embody. And then he throws in a biting line: “So you believe in one God? Great. Even the demons bel...

Christian Conviction Inconsistencies with Movies, Music, and Holidays Many Christians claim to live by biblical standards—yet when it comes to entertainment, media, and even holidays, their convictions often collapse. They condemn witchcraft, idolatry, and false religion in real life, yet enjoy fiction packed with those very things. They denounce others for immorality while singing along to music glorifying it. And while rejecting holidays with pagan ties like Halloween, they embrace others with similar roots. Let’s explore a pattern of selective morality—where what’s accepted is based not on Scripture, but personal taste, nostalgia, or cultural popularity. 1. Necromancy in The Lord of the Rings In Return of the King, Aragorn summons the Army of the Dead—clearly necromancy (communication with the dead). The Bible strictly condemns this (Deut. 18:11), yet many Christians celebrate it because it’s "redemptive fantasy" written by Tolkien. 2. Magic in The Chronicles of Narnia C.S...

  Ezekiel 40–48: Jesus’ Inauguration of the New Covenant Temple The final chapters of Ezekiel (40–48) often confuse readers with their elaborate blueprints, tribal allotments, and visions of a restored temple. But when seen through the lens of the New Covenant and fulfilled eschatology, a profound truth emerges: this is not a literal third temple to be built in modern-day Jerusalem, but a prophetic vision of Christ inaugurating a spiritual temple—the church—where God now dwells fully with His people. Just as Solomon inaugurated the first temple (1 Kings 8) and Hezekiah restored worship in the second (2 Chronicles 29), Jesus fulfilled and transcended both by establishing a better temple not made with hands. Ezekiel’s vision was not of a physical construction project, but a symbolic revelation of the New Covenant reality: a new temple, new priesthood, new land, and a new river of life flowing from God’s throne (Ezekiel 47; cf. Revelation 22). Jesus as the Greater Temple Builder In Jo...

  Faith Alone? A Closer Look at Paul, James, and Luther "You will notice that Paul says a man is justified by faith (pistei in Greek)." That line has echoed through Christian thought for centuries, especially since the Reformation. But how often do we stop and ask what it really meant to Paul—and whether we’ve added our own meanings on top of his words? In Romans 3:28, Paul writes: “For we hold that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” The Greek word he uses for faith is πίστει (pistei)—meaning not just belief, but trust, loyalty, and relational faithfulness. Paul is making a bold claim here, but not one that stands in isolation from the rest of Scripture. In the 1500s, Martin Luther—frustrated with abuses in the medieval Catholic Church—translated Romans into German. He added a word that doesn’t appear in the original Greek: allein, meaning “alone.” So Romans 3:28 became, in his version, “justified by faith alone.” This addition helped galvanize the Refo...

  Is a F@tus a Full Person in the Bible? Exploring Ancient Views on @bortio* Modern debates around @bortio* often invoke the Bible and Christian tradition as unwaveringly “pr#-life,” suggesting that opposition to @bortio* has always been central to the faith. However, historical and textual evidence reveals a far more nuanced and evolving view—one shaped by ancient Jewish law, Greek philosophy, early Christian thought, and modern political movements. The Bible and the Status of the F@tus When we turn to the Hebrew Bible, we find that a f@tus is not treated as a full legal or moral person. One of the clearest examples is found in Exodus 21:22–25, which describes a situation in which two men fight and accidentally strike a pregnant woman. If she gives birth prematurely but there is no further harm, the offender is fined. But if there is additional harm (interpreted by most as harm to the woman), the lex talionis—“life for life, eye for eye…”—applies. NOTE: The f@tus is not granted eq...