Kong Hee Podcast

Can Luke 6:38 be quoted to encourage the giving of offerings? Did Jesus teach on the sowing and reaping of finances? Here is my response ...

This is my final instalment for this series on eternal rewards in heaven. Some people asked: "What about those who receive lesser rewards in heaven, or worse still, a loss of rewards? Wouldn’t they be eternally unhappy? How can we be fully happy when we see others better or greater than us, or when we have 'lost out' to others? Doesn’t such a reward system in heaven stir up a lot of...

A few people asked me these questions: "Doesn’t the existence of heavenly rewards suggest inequality among believers in heaven? Shouldn’t all of God’s blessings be equally distributed and shared among all? Think about it: If there are different rewards, doesn’t that mean that those with lesser rewards will have sorrow and regret – for all eternity?" Here are my answers ...

Someone asked me a question recently: "Why is there a need for rewards in heaven? When we get there, shouldn’t we all be equally blessed?" Here is my response ...

We are saved by faith, but rewarded for our works. One day, we will all stand glorified before Christ, without our old sin nature anymore. We will be without guilt because we have been declared righteous. Knowing all these, we must live in such a way we will receive a “full reward” for our lives and service (2 Jn 1:8). We should all long to hear those precious words from Jesus, “Well done, good an...

Some have asked me questions concerning the eternal judgment of believers at the end of time. Since we are already righteous in Christ, why must we Christians still appear before the judgment seat of Christ? If we are already righteous, why are we still “judged”? Here is my response …

What does Jesus mean by “receiving a hundredfold now in this time” (Mk 10:29-30)? Is He promoting greed and materialism? What does it mean to have a hundredfold blessing? Does it mean that God will mathematically multiply our seed 100 times? As biblical Christians, if we truly believe that the Bible is inerrant and infallible, then it is our duty to get the correct view of this subject, lest we be...

The Bible refers to "seed" as an embryonic plant, or as life, or tears. Jesus says that the Word of God is like a seed. The kingdom of God and faith are like mustard seeds. Our actions and behaviour, whether in the Spirit or in the flesh, are also like seeds. We will reap what we sow. But does the principle of sowing and reaping extend to our finances as well? If it does, then won’t it p...

What does it mean to be “wholehearted” in the things of God? What does it mean to live and walk in the Spirit wholeheartedly? What does it mean to pray and believe with all your heart? Here is my answer …

When the Scripture talks about the “heart”, what does it mean? Does it refer to our soul? Or is it our mind? Is it the seat of our emotions? What exactly is it? Here is my answer …

Is Revelation really a prediction of future events, or is it a postdiction of what had already happened in history? Is it a vaticinium ex eventu, a historical record of what had already happened in AD 70, framed as a yet-to-be-fulfilled prophecy? Is it about the future return of Christ to establish the kingdom of God on earth, or is it actually a series of teachings to teach us moral values and so...

Recently, someone asked me about the apocalyptic writings of the Bible, specifically those prophetic texts concerning the end times, like the Book of Revelation. The question is whether these passages are really predictive of the future, or are they merely a record of the past, say AD 70? This theory is called vaticinium ex eventu. Are the prophecies of the Book of Daniel and the visions of Jesus...

Like most biblical truths, the principle of sowing and reaping has been subjected to much discussion. One, however, cannot dismiss a biblical truth simply because others have abused it. Neither can we ignore clear Bible passages that are incontrovertible. We cannot disregard what the Word of God has explicitly said, that “while the earth remains, seedtime and harvest … shall not cease” (Gen 8:22)....

Is the principle of sowing and reaping biblical? Isn’t it just a means of fund-raising and manipulating people to give? Doesn’t it promote greed and materialism, leading to an unhealthy focus on earthly wealth? Doesn’t it promote a “transactional” relationship with God?   Here is the first of my series of responses …

Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Is 9:6), and He has come to give us an inner peace that will enable us not to be tormented by anxiety, fear or conflict. This is how I have learned to cultivate inner peace …

In the past few years, I have learned to the secret of tapping into joy through heavenly meditation. I believe this is the key to finding true happiness …

Survey after survey shows that happiness is possibly the most important thing people are seeking today. Yet, why is it increasingly elusive? Why are we increasingly feeling stressed, anxious and panicky? How can we live in the state of happiness? This is my spiritual journey on the pursuit of happiness …

Some Christians wonder if reading translations like the Message Bible and the Passion Translation is dangerous and detrimental to our spiritual growth. Here is my reply …

There is a need to understand verses and passages of the Bible contextually. A verse taken out of context can be distorted until it means something completely different from its original meaning. You can make the Bible say anything you want if you ignore the context, and that is certainly wrong. Context is very important but it is not always king. If we rigidly insist that context is king, then th...

Understanding the context of a Scripture is the most basic rule of biblical hermeneutics (or Bible interpretation). Before we quote a verse, we must study the verses and chapters immediately before and after that verse. We must understand the context or we can end up with very wrong ideas and messages about our Christian faith. We must, however, not be bound so rigidly to every contextual detail t...

What happens when preachers and Christians quote Scriptures out of context? Can Bible promises be personalised? One of the most basic rules of biblical hermeneutics (or Bible interpretation) is to understand a Scripture contextually. This is important because using a Bible passage out of context can lead to error and misunderstanding. However, did the apostles and Jesus Himself quote verses out of...

For those who want to understand or teach the Bible well, we need to learn how to be skilful in biblical hermeneutics, or the art of Bible interpretation. The three basic laws of hermeneutics are: Law #1: As much as possible, Scriptures should be interpreted literally. Law #2: Scriptures must be interpreted historically, grammatically, and contextually. Law #3: Scripture is always the best interpr...

In the study of God (theology), what is the difference between a contradiction, a paradox, and a mystery? Why is the Trinity a mystery and not a contradiction? The doctrine of the Trinity is a crucial ingredient in our Christian faith because it explains who God is, what He is like, how He works, and how He is to be approached. Its truth has profound practical implications for the Christian life:...

We must guard against four wrong concepts concerning the Trinity: (1) Jesus only became divine at His baptism or resurrection. (2) God only exists as one person at any given time – water analogy. (3) The Trinity is really three different Gods – egg analogy. (4) The Holy Spirit is inferior in essence to Jesus, who in turn is inferior in essence to the Father.

Our Christian faith is the belief in the Triune God. In Latin, we say, “one ousia, three hupostaseis” – one “ousia” (essence or substance), yet three “hupostaseis” (persons). The Father is totally God, the Son is totally God, and the Holy Spirit is totally God. All three are exactly identical in being, but they are separate and distinct persons. This is the glorious mystery of our God Almighty.