Here's a couple of key passages with observations I came up with. What else is there? Add to it if you have something you've found! Then God said, “Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness”… So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:26-27 All people, no matter their race, are created in the image of God. Therefore, our inherently value as image bearers is equal. “The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.” Genesis 2:20 The Bible affirms that Eve is the “mother of all living”. Therefore, all of the living have the same unifying ancestor. The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth…These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed. Genesis 9:18-19 After the flood, when God was rebuilding and repopulating the world after destroying a violent, sinister humankind, all of humankind came from the same small number of survivors of the flood. “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place.” Acts 17:26 The NT affirms that God made every nation of mankind from one man. Further affirming that everyone currently living has joint ancestors in both Adam and Eve. “For as by the one man’s disobedience (Adam) that many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” Romans 5:19 All who call on the name of the Lord are made righteous through one Savior: Christ Jesus. All humankind is unified in their need for a Savior and the Church is unified in their faith in Christ. “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood by shed, for God made man in his own image.” God declared murder to be a grave moral evil after the flood because man is made in his own image. He made no distinction between race. All mankind is made in his image, and all mankind should not murder. Therefore, all of mankind should be treated equally under God’s law. There should be no distinction of treatment between races.

War is a controversial subject, but we should consider what the Bible has to say about going to war. One of my favorite ways of thinking about war from a biblical standpoint is the just war tradition. I am aware of a contrary position called "pacifism". I'll probably make another post about it at another time. In this post, I wanted to share the criteria that has developed with heavy Christian influence over the past 2 millennium. These are the 8 criteria for a just war and the supporting Scripture. Let me know your thoughts on just way tradition and whether you agree with it's criteria. A thread on 8 criteria of just war theory. 1. Just cause (Is the reason going to war a morally right cause? “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.” Revelation 19:11 2. Competent authority Has the war been declared by a competent authority within a nation, not simply by an unrecognized band within a nation? “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” Romans 13:1 3. Comparative justice Is it clear that the actions of the enemy are morally wrong, and the motives and actions of one’s own nation going to war are, in comparison, morally right? “For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,” Romans 13:3 4. Right intention Is the purpose of going to war to protect justice and righteousness rather than simply to rob and pillage and destroy another nation? “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.” Proverbs 21:2 5. Last resort Have all other reasonable means of resolving the conflict been exhausted? “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

After the flood, God established the earliest form of civil government. Genesis 9:5-6 says, "And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning; from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of a man. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image." One of the reasons Scripture gives for the flood was the earth had become so violent. This indicates people were killing each other at mass scale, and God said enough. After the flood, he changed the rules. If someone murdered, their life would be taken. It was a way of curbing the violence that had been on the earth before the flood. It was a way of establishing the earliest forms of civil government by man. This idea of God establishing civil government is also affirmed in the New Testament in at least two passages. “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.” ‭‭ Romans‬ ‭13‬:‭1‬-‭7‬ ‭ “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.”

WHEN GOD USES YOUR WOUND AS YOUR WEAPON How Anxiety, Depression, and Emotional Storms Become Catalysts for Apostolic Strength and Prophetic Clarity This is written to equip mature believers to understand the spiritual mechanics of suffering, emotional storms, and divine formation. We are delving into the paradox of KINGDOM WEAPONS. Now in this natural world, wounds weaken. But in the Kingdom, wounds forge weapons. In the natural world, storms disrupt, but in the Kingdom, storms develop discernment. In the natural world, anxiety and depression are signals of collapse, but in the Kingdom, they often signal transition, recalibration, and prophetic upgrading. God never wastes pain and He will never ignore emotional storms. While the latter is true please know that He never anoints unprocessed trauma, God is so wise that He transforms wounds into weapons and storms into strategy. THE ANATOMY OF THE PERFECT STORM Many believers misinterpret anxiety, depression, emotional overwhelm, or mental battles as spiritual failure but biblically, the perfect storm has three characteristics: The Storm Reveals What Peace Has Hidden Mark 4:37–40 (KJV)A great storm arises—not to destroy the disciples but to reveal: - Their fear - Their unbelief - Their immature perception of Jesus Storms expose what silence conceals. The Storm Surfaces Unhealed Wounds Storms bring to the surface: - Old traumas - Abandoned memories - Silent anxieties - Hidden insecurities - Generational patterns Why? Because you cannot confront what you refuse to acknowledge. The Storm Positions You for Divine Intervention Jesus doesn’t calm storms too soon but only at maximum impact. Why? Because the storm becomes: - A classroom - A laboratory - A deliverance chamber - A prophetic training ground The perfect storm is not demonic it is developmental. ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION AS SPIRITUAL SIGNALS (NOT SPIRITUAL FAILURE) I do NOT view Anxiety and depression as Sins, I truly believe they signals.

In Matthew 22, Jesus had just silenced the Sadducees. They were trying to catch Jesus in a contradiction per usual, but they just kept failing. It's hard to make the Son of God commit a fault. Then, the Pharisees, seeing that the Sadducees couldn't get one over on Jesus, figured they'd give it a shot. They probably thought they could do it better. They gathered together. "Anybody have something to throw at him?" A lawyer spoke up, "I think I got something. I don't think he'll be able to answer this one. This is a good". "Cool, take Him out", they might have said. "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" the lawyer says to Jesus, quietly hoping he'll trip Jesus up and get praise from his buddies. Maybe he'd get a free round of golf. Of course, Jesus doesn't trip up. "And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew‬ ‭22‬:‭37‬, ‭39‬-‭40‬ ‭ESV‬‬). The lawyer goes away bummed that Jesus wins again and he wins no bets, but we go away learning something significant about love. He says the 2 greatest commandments are to love God and to love people. Jesus gives these 2 greatest commands in a specific order. "The first and greatest commandment is to love God". "The second...is to love others". Love God first, then love people. Love God with all your heart, mind and strength. Then, you will be able to love others properly. Did you see the halftime show at the Super Bowl? They showed on the big screen a banner: "The only thing more powerful than hate is love". Amen. That's a true statement...in the right context. And that context is what this post is all about. The right context is that our love for others must be ordered after our love for God. Where the world get's things twisted is when it tries to love others without first loving and obeying God.