WELCOME TO BIBLICALTHOUGHT.COM!
The purpose of this website is to interpret and discuss various issues of the day as much as possible through a Biblical lens. The site will be refreshed with new content weekly – specifically, you’ll find a new Bible verse of the week with comment, a quote of the week with or without comment, and a statistic, poll, or data item of the week, again, with or without comment.
As the main content on this site, you will find brief essays, starting with three and, typically, with one new essay a week added. Whether or not you’re a Bible believer, these essays may give you some new insights on a variety of issues.
Verse of the week
Faith and Works
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).”
“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:26)
Comment: There are still far too many professed Christians who believe they can earn their way into heaven by the good works they do: “I’m a good person”; “I volunteer at the food pantry”; “I go to church every Sunday”; “I give to several charities”; and so on. But the first passage above says otherwise. It asserts that we are saved by God’s grace through faith, and not by works.
But what about the second passage? Is it contradictory to the first? Does it mean that you need to do good works to be saved or to stay saved? Many believe this passage from James indicates an added requirement of good works for salvation. But note that it reads faith without works is dead. In other words, faith in Jesus is first and foremost, and good works are actually evidence of that faith. Indeed, most saved people have a desire to do good works – to live an active faith instead of a “dead” one. That desire comes with salvation. And it makes the two verses above complementary rather than contradictory.
Quote of the week
The Heavy Hand of Socialism
“Socialism is resentment against success masquerading as compassion for the poor. It is a system of oppression presented as the road to equality…How many people must die before we accept that socialism is dangerous?”
Rep. Maria Salazar, FLA
Comment: It’s amazing how many people in a country like ours still believe that socialism can work here or anywhere. To anyone who is paying attention and has not been indoctrinated by Marxist professors and others, it is clear that past American prosperity was built on the tri-fold foundation of virtue, capitalism, and liberty. It is also clear that American prosperity in recent decades has fallen victim to a series of socialistic programs that have cost trillions and have not moved the poverty needle. In fact, taxpayer-financed programs ranging from the Great Society to Medicare, Medicaid, and Obamacare have made us much poorer as a nation, as evidenced by our huge national debt. The once vibrant and thriving American middle class is now disappearing. As Vladimir Lenin said: “The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation.“
The fact is, socialism has not worked anywhere in the world. The cry of socialists for equality is, as Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes put it, “no more than the idealizing of envy.”
Socialism typically creeps up on us as ever-expanding and intrusive government, and it usually ends in tyranny. We are well along that road now. But I believe that a majority of Americans still want to be governed lightly by a strong government. That’s how God governs.
Statistic of the week
Confidence Diminishing
According to a new Gallop poll:
“Americans’ financial outlook in 2026 is…historically poor, with a record 55% now saying their financial situation is getting worse. While similar to last year’s 53%, this is up from 47% in 2024 and marks the fifth consecutive year more Americans say their finances are worsening rather than improving…The only similar multiyear period when the larger share felt their financial situation was worsening was during the Great Recession.”
Comment: Some of the specific findings were as follows:
Worry about not having enough money – 62%
Worry about a sudden large medical expense – 60%
Worry about investment returns – 54%
Worry about maintaining standard of living – 54%
Worry about routine health care costs – 48%
Worry about paying normal monthly bills – 41%
Worry about affording college – 40%
Worry about housing costs – 35%
Worry about making minimum credit card payments – 28%
Another recent national survey found that all it would take to push a typical family over the edge was another $6000 in debt. Today, $6000 would barely buy a decent used car. That’s how close many or most of us are to the edge of the cliff. Indeed, it may be that we as individuals are as bad as government when it comes to spending beyond our means. And because we are trapped in a vicious circle of consumerism, things may get worse before they get better – e.g., if we cut back on vacation trips, people in the hospitality industry suffer; if we stay with that old living room set, people in the furniture industry suffer; and so on. At this point, things do not look rosy. Still, where there’s no pain, there’s no gain – and both personal and government restraint are necessary for financial survival over the longer haul.
Brief Essays Touching Issues of the Day.
Essays included on this website are divided into three basic categories – Spiritual Issues, Cultural Opinions, and Government Issues. There will be some overlapping, of course, but virtually all will relate to one or more Biblical principles that support the points of view expressed.
Versions of most of these articles were previously published in the Wisconsin Christian News from 2019 to 2023, but they have been edited and updated to better reflect current events. We are opening this website with three essays, one in each category – and typically, we will add one new essay a week. The latest title in each caregory will be in red letters.