John D. Barry > Quotes

“we seem to lose the ability to hear God: We’re listening for what we want to hear, not what we need to hear.”
― John D. Barry, When the Bible is Complicated: Answers to Perplexing Questions

“Without the Corinthians cutting ties with darkness, only pain will come to them and others. Jesus has a better way, if only they can see it and embrace it. This context explains all of 2 Corinthians. When Paul says, “Do not be unequally yoked,” he means first, that we should not associate with believers who don’t actually live for Jesus, and second, that engaging in any sort of intimate relationship or partnership with someone who does not let Jesus be the center of their lives will ultimately lead to our demise (2 Cor 6:14). We must cut ties with whatever or whomever leads us to darkness. Paul”
― John D. Barry, Cutting Ties with Darkness: 2 Corinthians

“It’s easy to be deceived, but when we are following Christ with everything we have, it’s much harder for Satan to find a stronghold.”
― John D. Barry, Cutting Ties with Darkness: 2 Corinthians

“Scientifically speaking, a rainbow is light being reflected and refracted off water droplets. This is some of the most beautiful imagery in the Bible since it comes after the destruction of the earth by water. Yet the rainbow itself can be revealed only through water. The rainbow also reveals the reality of light itself. Light is not white; it’s composed of colors. And just like light, God is not simplistic but multifaceted. God reflects his very image off of humanity—and humanity is at its height when we allow for this reflection to occur. The process of the Spirit of God filling our hearts, and redeeming our actions as a result, is the very process of refraction. Like light being refracted through water, God’s transformative work in us reveals the reality of who we really are. As the old self is destroyed, like water destroyed the earth, something more beautiful emerges in all the colors of God. Paul”
― John D. Barry, Cutting Ties with Darkness: 2 Corinthians