“Walking Through the Flames” is a powerful song that glorifies God through both its lyrics and music. After receiving permission from The Wilds Christian Association, Inc., my friend Dr. Yuriy Leonovich and I recently recorded this guitar-cello duet of the song.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Recently, some have claimed that they have found an ancient document that says that Jesus had a wife.[1] Does it make any difference whether Jesus was ever married?
Answering this question properly requires the careful consideration of at least five lines of reasoning based on Scripture. The following treatment of those lines of reasoning provides evidence that sufficiently shows what the right answer to this question is.
Scripture abounds with statements that God’s providing a man with a godly wife is an exceedingly great divine blessing (Prov. 18:22; 19:14; 31:10-11; 30). Had God the Father provided Jesus with such a priceless blessing, He surely would have made it known to us in Scripture that He did so.
Scripture has no statements, however, that speak of Jesus ever marrying anyone. For those who believe fully in the authority of Scripture, this evidence alone should be enough to convince them that Jesus was never married.
Shortly before He died, Jesus committed His mother Mary to the care of the apostle John:
Joh 19:26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!
27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.
If Jesus had a wife, why would He have committed His mother to the care of John when His wife would have been living? In fact, Mary Magdalene, whom some have suggested was Jesus’ wife, was present when Jesus did this (John 19:25).
As Ruth cared for Naomi of old, so any woman who would have been married to Jesus certainly would have played a leading role in caring for her mother-in-law after His death. We have no evidence in Scripture, however, that Mary Magdalene or any other woman who was supposedly married to Jesus played a major role in caring for Mary after Jesus had died.
We should conclude that Jesus did not have a wife.
Before His death, Jesus made provision for the care of His mother (John 19:26-27). Scripturally, however, had He been married, His first obligation would have been to provide for His wife (cf. 1 Tim. 5:8).
Scripture provides no indication that Jesus took any steps that would be consistent with caring for a wife who would soon have been a widow. We can be confident, therefore, that He was not married to anyone when He died.
Jesus taught that some of His disciples would not marry for the sake of the kingdom (Matt. 19:11). Yet, if He were married, He himself would have not have set Himself apart for the sake of the kingdom to the extent that He taught that these disciples have done.
It is unthinkable that any other human will ever have committed himself to divine service more than Jesus did. For Jesus ever to have been married would be utterly inconsistent with biblical teaching about His unsurpassed setting Himself apart to God.
Had Jesus been married to anyone prior to His death and resurrection, He would have had an earthly bride. Scripture, however, does not say anything about Him ever being married to an earthly bride.
Furthermore, Scripture speaks explicitly of the Lamb having a spiritual bride (Eph. 5:22-28; Rev. 19:7-9); if He were also to have been married to an earthly bride, He would then have had at least two brides—one earthly and one spiritual. Because no passage in Scripture even remotely suggests that Jesus will have two brides, we can be confident that He was not ever married to Mary Magdalene or any other woman while He lived on the earth.
Based on the five lines of reasoning from Scripture treated above, we have ample biblical basis to reject alleged evidence from some purportedly legitimate extrabiblical source that says that Jesus had a wife. Jesus was never married while He lived on the earth prior to His crucifixion.
[1] See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Jesus’_Wife for information about this claim.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
A few months ago, I received an outrageous monthly bill from a company that I have been doing business with for many years. My bill was more than double what it was for the same time last year.
As soon as I discovered this problem, I contacted the company to tell them that there had to be some error with the bill. Based on what they told me, I assured them that they had made some major mistake because it was impossible that the bill was correct.
Despite several efforts to have the problem corrected, I was not able to get the company to acknowledge that they had made a serious error. I asked prayer from my church, at work, from friends, and we prayed often about it at home.
Through contact with a lawyer, I learned of a state agency that investigates complaints from people who have had such problems. After their initial investigation, I was disappointed that the regulator was siding with the company against me.
I continued to pray and pondered what to do next. Meanwhile, at my request, the investigator agreed to dig deeper into the possibility of either faulty equipment or a reading error or both being responsible for my outrageous bill.
I received word yesterday that further investigation showed that the company had in fact made a major error with my bill. What’s more, the investigator let me know that my actual bill for that period was even less than what it was for the same period last year.
Instead of having to pay the remainder of that outrageous bill, I have now received a credit for making a partial payment that was still for more than what we actually owed! I praise God for leading us to persist prayerfully in disputing this bill and for His finally delivering us from this problem through that prayerful persistence!
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Scripture records several accounts of the vicious activities of unclean spirits toward humans (Matt. 15:22; Mark 5:2-5; Luke 13:11, 16). The aftermath of Jesus’ dealings with a demon-possessed man in “the country of the Gadarenes” (Mark 5:1) reveals the horrific destructiveness of unclean spirits in a distinctive way that is easily overlooked.
Dwelling in tombs, a man possessed by an unclean spirit lived a terrible life of continual misery:
Mar 5:2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:
4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.
5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
Through an encounter with Jesus, this man was graciously delivered from his horrible plight (Mark 5:6-13; 15). After Jesus had forced the many demons who had possessed him to come out of him (Mark 5:9, 13), he was “sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind” (Mark. 5:15).
The many demons that had possessed this man requested permission of Jesus to enter into a large herd of swine that were feeding nearby (Mark. 5:11-12). Receiving that permission, they entered the swine “and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea . . . and were choked in the sea” (Mark 5:13).
These unclean spirits, therefore, caused the violent destruction of “about two thousand” pigs (Mark 5:13). Although these pigs had posed no threat whatever to these unclean spirits, the spirits still viciously attacked them and cruelly led them to a horrific death of being choked in the sea.
Three Gospel writers record the account of these unclean spirits afflicting both this man and these seemingly innocent animals (Matt. 8:32; Mark 5:13; Luke 8:32). These multiple accounts of that event underscore that the malevolence of unclean spirits extends far beyond destructiveness toward humans—they also mercilessly attacked these animals.
Based on this biblical data, we should be mindful of the possibility that similar activity by unclean spirits may be responsible for the horrific destruction of many animals on other occasions in history.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
The Lord spoke to Moses and made known to him that he was to make a holy anointing oil (Exod. 30:22-33) and a “pure and holy” perfume (Exod. 30:34-38) for sacred use in the tabernacle. God sternly warned that His judgment would be upon any of His people who made either of these for any other use:
Exo 30:32 Upon man’s flesh shall it [the holy anointing oil] not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you.
33 Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people.
Exo 30:37 And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the LORD.
38 Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.
Both of these prohibitions were given to God’s people, Israel.
Are these prohibitions still the will of God for His people today (Christians; cf. Acts 15:14) or are Christians free to make one or the other or both of these mixtures that God said were holy for His people Israel and use them however they wish?
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Using only the refrain of the song, “A Child of the King,” I have made a new simple song for teaching children many profound truths from Scripture about who they are.
A Child of the King
I’m a child of the King, a child of the King!
With Jesus, my Savior, I’m a child of the King.
I’m a sheep in God’s flock, a sheep in God’s flock!
With Christ as my Shepherd, I’m a sheep in God’s flock.
I’m a priest of our God, a priest of our God!
Through Jesus, God’s Servant, I’m a priest of our God.
I’m a saint of our Lord, a saint of our Lord!
Through Christ, my Redeemer, I’m a saint of our Lord.
I’m a member of Christ, a member of Christ!
Through faith in His rising, I’m a member of Christ.
I’m the temple of God, the temple of God!
Through God’s Holy Spirit, I’m the temple of God.
Copyright © 2014 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
You may use this song in a ministry context provided you do not change any of the words and you provide copyright information to anyone whom you distribute it. Please contact me for any other use of the song.
This PDF provides the melody notes, guitar chords (key of D), and lyrics for the six stanzas of the song. Here’s how the melody sounds:
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Let us examine ourselves to see whether we are faithfully living for Jesus in the lives we are now to be living in our bodies by faith in Christ (Gal. 2:20):
1. When was the last time that I glorified God by praising Him for fearfully, wonderfully, and marvelously making my body?
Ps. 139:14 – “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”
Ps. 50:23 – “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.”
2. When did I last pray to the One whose “hands have made me and fashioned me” for understanding to learn His commandments concerning the members of my body, which He has commanded me to present to Him as “servants . . . of obedience unto righteousness”?
Ps. 119:73 – “Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.”
Rom. 6:16, 19 – “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? . . .I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.”
3. How long has it been since I fervently wished for myself and for others physical well-being matching the prosperity of my/their soul(s)?
3 John 2 – “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”
4. How faithfully have I ministered to Christ by ministering to sick brethren?
Matt. 25:36, 40 – “Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. . . . And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” cf. Ps. 41:1-3; Acts 9:5; 1 Cor. 12:22-27; Gal. 4:13-15, 6:2; Col. 1:24; 1 Tim. 5:10; Heb 13:3; James 1:27
5. On how many days have I exhorted others so that they would not be hardened by the deceitfulness of some sin pertaining to bodily appetites?
Heb. 3:13 – “But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”
Prov. 22:3 – “A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.”
1 Cor. 10:12 – “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”
Prov. 25:16 – “Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.”
6. When was the last time that I delighted in God’s word and meditated on it throughout the day concerning what He has commanded concerning glorifying Him in my body?
Ps. 1:2 – “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”
1 Cor. 6:20 – “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
7. How submissive have I been to exhortation from God-appointed ministers concerning needed changes in my lifestyle for my health sake?
1 Tim. 5:23 – “Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.”
Prov. 3:7, 8 – “Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.”
Prov. 14:30 – “A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.”
8. How diligent have I been to worthily take the Lord’s Supper by judging myself concerning failure to love others properly with respect to my eating and drinking?
1 Cor. 11:21, 28, 31 – “For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. . . . But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. . . . For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”
Prov. 15:17 – “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.”
9. What Scripture have I recently treasured in my heart so that I would not sin against God concerning my body?
Ps. 119:11 – “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
Prov. 30:7-9 – “Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.” cf. 1 Cor. 8:11-13
10. How careful have I been to not openly judge or despise brethren who are seeking to honor God in living their lives in the body in ways that I have a differing opinion of what is right to do?
Rom. 14:3 – “Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.”
11. When did I last search diligently as I would for hidden treasure the Word of God concerning glorifying God in my eating and drinking and thereby come to understand His fear and find the knowledge of Him?
Prov. 2:4, 5 – “If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.”
1 Cor. 9:25 – “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.”
12. When have I recently been a Christ-like friend to another believer by sharing something special that I have heard from God in His word concerning glorifying Him in my body?
John 15:15 – “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”
Ps. 29:9 – “In his temple doth every one speak of his glory.”
1 Cor. 6:19, 20 – “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
13. How willing am I to glorify God through faithful stewardship of the abundant physical strength that He would give me through Christ to sacrificially meet the health needs of others whom I providentially encounter?
1 Pet. 4:10, 11 – “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
Luke 10:33-35 – “But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.”
14. From the Scriptural records of people who failed concerning glorifying God in their bodies, have I learned not to fail to glorify God in my body like they did?
1 Cor. 10:6, 9 – “Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. . . . Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.”
15. How faithful have I been to confront young people I interact with about remembering their Creator now and removing everything in their lives that is unjustifiably harming their physical bodies?
Eccl. 11:10, 12:1 – “Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity. Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;”
16. How mindful have I been of my need to be a good steward of my body for His glory while I expectantly await the imminent return of Christ?
Matt. 24:48, 49 – “But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;”
Luke 12:45 – “But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin . . . to eat and drink, and to be drunken;”
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
On Memorial Day, every American should remember with great gratitude all that our armed services personnel have done for us throughout our country’s history. For Christians, this day provides a good opportunity for us to remember also the ultimate reason that we have to have such a day.
Human sin, loss, sorrow and all other negative realities that we face continually had their beginning in the Garden of Eden when Satan assaulted the first humans, Adam and Eve (Gen. 3). Because they did not resist his assault, they forfeited many of the glorious privileges that God had blessed them with when He created them and put them there.
Immediately after the account of the Fall of man (Genesis 3), we read of the first conflict between humans and its aftermath (Gen. 4:1-15). Cain slew his brother Abel “because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous” (1 John 3:12b-c).
Cain thus became the first human to murder another human, but it is a serious error to think that he did so only because he himself was an evil person. Rather, we must not fail to note the role that Satan had in Cain’s doing so—“Cain . . . was of that wicked one, and slew his brother” (1 John 3:12a).
As Jesus taught, Satan was “a murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44), and we must keep in mind that he had a part in the first conflict between humans that led to one party’s slaying another.
At the prompting of God, and only with His permission, Satan assaulted Job fiercely (Job 1:1-19). His assault included the coming of Sabeans and Chaldeans to slay Job’s servants “with the edge of the sword” and to steal his oxen, asses, and camels (Job. 1:15, 17).
Satan, therefore, was behind the murderous actions of these humans who assaulted Job. As he was active in the mortal conflict between Cain and Abel, so Satan was active also in the armed conflicts that Job and his household experienced.
Satan entered Judas (Luke 22:3; John 13:27) and energized him (John 13:2; cf. Eph. 2:2-3) to betray Jesus to those Jewish authorities who played leading roles in His being assaulted by armed men (Luke 22:52) and ultimately slain (Acts 3:15; 4:26; 5:30; 10:39). Satan preeminently displayed his murderous nature in his role in the crucifixion of Christ (cf. Rev. 12:4).
The NT repeatedly warns of Satan’s leading role in the conflicts that believers have experienced since the crucifixion of Christ (Eph. 6:11, 12, 16; 1 Pet. 5:8-9; Rev. 2:10, 13), including some being martyred (cf. Rev. 2:13). Satan will yet assault the world on an unprecedented scale, resulting in vast numbers of believers being martyred (Rev. 12:12-17; 13:7, 15).
Beginning with the first human conflict between Cain and Abel, and right up to this present day, Satan has played a leading role in the conflicts that God’s people have experienced. He has been responsible for the unrighteous slaying of multitudes of believers at the hands of other humans.
On this Memorial Day and hereafter, we, therefore, as Christians would do well to remember the ultimate reason we have to have a day like this—the horrific murderous assaults of the wicked one on all mankind, especially God’s people. Remembering his unceasing wicked assaults on the world, we should continually pray what Jesus taught us to pray: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever, Amen” (Matt. 6:13).
Let us also obey God’s commands to us concerning our putting on the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:10-20) and pray for the soon return of our Lord: “’Surely I come quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20).
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Reading Exodus 32 again recently, a question came up in my mind that I do not remember ever thinking about before—how did Moses know about God’s book that he refers to in his famous prayer near the end of this chapter? By probing the passage about the answer to this question, we learn some valuable points to keep in mind so that we interpret and apply Scripture properly.
On the day after the infamous Golden Calf incident took place, Moses sought to make atonement for the great sin of the people (Exod. 32:30). He prayed a striking intercessory prayer:
Exo 32:31 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. 32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin–; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
Moses mentions God’s book that He had written and speaks of the reality that God blots people out of that book. God’s response to Moses confirms the reality of what Moses spoke of in his prayer:
Exo 32:33 And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.
Both Moses’ statements (about the book) and God’s response show us that God as Judge blots out those who have sinned against Him from His book that He has written. How did Moses know this information?
An examination of the book of Job, which is likely the oldest book of the Bible, and of Genesis 1:1-Exodus 32:31 reveals that we have no indication that God had given His people any prior revelation about His book that Moses mentions in his prayer. How then did Moses know about this book and what did he know about it?
Scripture does not provide us with any definitive information to answer these questions specifically. We can be certain, however, that supernatural revelation of some form to someone at some prior time to Moses’ prayer was the source of his knowledge of this information that would otherwise have been humanly impossible to know.
Pondering how Moses knew this striking information is important for at least three reasons.
First, this passage highlights just how selective Scripture is about what God has chosen to reveal. Although we would like to know how Moses knew what he did, God has not chosen to give us that information.
Second, this passage should warn us that God has not given us the exhaustive revelation we need in order to know in every case fully what God’s people knew and when they knew it. People often make arguments based on supposed lack of knowledge that biblical characters had of certain truths at certain points in time—lack of Scriptural mention that they had such knowledge does not, however, constitute proof that they did not know about that information.
For example, Job may have known fully whatever Moses knew about that book, and yet God may have chosen not to tell us that Job knew that information. Alternatively, God may have first given this information to Adam, who then became the source of this information that was passed on from him to some of his descendants.
Third, especially concerning leading biblical figures such as Moses, who repeatedly had extended periods of remarkably close communion with God, we would do well to think that Moses knew far more than God inspired him to record for us in Scripture. Because he almost certainly had that kind of breadth of knowledge of God and of various things of God, how we interpret his actions in key accounts, such as the Golden Calf incident, must reflect our carefully taking into consideration this important facet of interpreting Scripture properly.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Using the tune to a familiar children’s song, I wrote a new Spanish hymn, “Dios es amor.” This hymn teaches children solid doctrine about God as love and about how He has loved us!
Teaching this hymn to young children will lay the foundation for their believing essential truths about our great God who is love! My English translation allows readers who only know English to profit as well from this hymn by knowing what they would be singing.
Dios es amor
Dios es amor y el amor es de él. Para siempre Él permanece fiel!
Dios nos amó y siempre lo hará. El amor de Dios nunca fallará.
En Jesucristo, Dios nos amό. Por nosotros, Cristo Jesús muriό.
En Jesucristo, Dios nos amό. Por nosotros, Cristo resucitό.
God is Love
God is love, and love is from Him. Forever, He remains faithful!
God loved us and always will. The love of God will never fail!
In Jesus Christ, God loved us. For us, Christ died.
In Jesus Christ, God loved us. For us, Christ rose.
Copyright © 2014 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
You may use this song in a ministry context provided you do not change any of the words and you provide copyright information to anyone whom you distribute it. Please contact me for any other use of the song.
This PDF provides the melody notes and lyrics for the hymn. Here is how the melody goes:
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Rajesh Gandhi holds a Ph.D. in New Testament Interpretation from Bob Jones Seminary; he's a long-time member of Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Greenville, SC.
