11 Quotes by Michael S. Heiser

Baptism, then, is not what produces salvation. It 'saves' in that it reflects a heart decision: a pledge of loyalty to the risen Savior. In effect, baptism in New Testament theology is a loyalty oath, a public avowal of who is on the Lord’s side in the cosmic war between good and evil. ... Early baptismal formulas included a renunciation of Satan and his angels for this very reason. Baptism was—and still is—spiritual warfare.

Salvation in the Old Testament meant love for Yahweh alone. One had to believe that Yahweh was the God of all gods, trusting that this Most High God had chosen covenant relationship with Israel to the detriment of all other nations. The law was how one demonstrated that love – that loyalty. Salvation was not merited. Yahweh alone had initiated the relationship. Yahweh’s choice and covenant promise had to be believed. An Israelite’s believing loyalty was shown by faithfulness to the law.

There would be no racism if we saw each other as imagers of the same God; imagers estranged from God are still imagers. Injustice and abuse of power would find no place if we valued the fact that we all image God equally. All our relationships – personal, home, business, work, church – would be different if we consciously remembered our equal status as imagers of God.

Joshua’s campaigns were mostly successful, but not complete. A few giants escaped – and while that may not have seemed very important, it foreshadowed events to come.

Free will is part of being like God. We couldn’t be like him if we didn’t have it. Without free will, concepts like love and self-sacrifice die.

To a timeless being, time means nothing. But timing is everything.

Believe it or not, you are sacred space. Paul in particular refers to the believer as the place where God now tabernacles – we are the temple of God, both individually and corporately.

We are created to image God, to be his imagers. It is what we are by definition. The image is not an ability we have, but a status. We are God’s representatives on earth. To be human is to image God.

If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we would find in each person’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility. – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.