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
The Two Great Commandments
And one of them [Pharisees], a lawyer, asked Him (Jesus) a question to test Him. “Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the Law [the Ten Commandments]?” 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. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:35-40; see also Luke 10:27) (ESV)
Comment: Stated succinctly, these Two Great Commandments are to love God and to love your neighbor – and together, they fully cover the Ten Commandments handed down to Moses in Exodus 20.
The first Great Commandment (loving God) covers the first four of the Ten – i.e., in loving God you will not worship any other gods, make and/or bow down to idols, or take the Lord’s name in vain, and you will remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
The second Great Commandment (loving your neighbor) covers the other six of the Ten. By the way, your “neighbor” is every other person on the planet, from the most highly esteemed to the lowest.
Your neighbors also include your parents (number 5 of the Ten Commandments) – and as for the remaining five of the Ten: you don’t murder your neighbor (number 6), commit adultery (number 7), steal from a neighbor (number 8), lie to him or her (number 9), or covet his/her spouse or goods (number 10).
Note that the Two Great Commandments are positive (you shall love), while the Ten Commandments specify things you should not do. We like to think that the two “shalls” have greater impact than the ten “shall nots.”
What about enemies or people who want to harm you? Basically, Jesus commands you to “turn the other cheek” and even love your enemies. However, if your life is in danger or you face serious bodily harm, self-defense is lawful (see Luke 22:35-38). More on loving your enemies in another post.
Quote of the week
Regarding attempts to control speech:
“When a society begins punishing people not for lies, but for reasonable observations, it doesn’t become more compassionate – it becomes more dishonest. When curiosity is treated as hostility and humor is treated as harm, free expression doesn’t vanish overnight [but it] suffocates slowly, under layers of social pressure and manufactured outrage, while those enforcing the silence congratulate themselves for being on the “right side of history.”
If this continues, the consequences won’t stop at radio studios. They will spread outward – into classrooms where teachers [are forced to] self-edit, workplaces where employees stay silent, churches where sermons avoid uncomfortable truths, and dinner tables where families learn that it’s safer not to speak plainly at all. …That’s fear wearing a smile.”
Statistic of the week
Regarding Government-Issued Voter IDs:
As part of a 2025 Pew Research survey of US voters, 83% said they favored a requirement that all voters show a government-issued ID in order to vote. A breakdown of that 83% showed that 95% of Republicans were in favor of IDs, and 71% of Democrats were in favor.
Comment: Clearly, the country is overwhelmingly concerned about the integrity of our elections, irrespective of who they believe is to blame for abuses – notwithstanding the far left’s cry of “Jim Crow 2.0.” Let us pray that we can agree on standards that provide strong safeguards – especially proof of citizenship – without making access to voting difficult or costly. The fact is, it’s already the law that only American citizens can vote in our elections – it’s the need to show proof of citizenship that is at issue. Indeed, we already require a government-issued ID to open a bank account, buy alcohol, rent a car, board an airplane, buy a gun, apply for welfare, and for a few other activities. So a required ID would deny voting access to almost no one. If the proposed SAVE Act ends up being passed, the need for proof of citizenship will undoubtedly stand up as the law of the land.
Spiritual Issues
Society and Culture
Government
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, with the new title in red letters under the appropriate category.