Tag Archives: God

Uncomfortable scriptures: what does God have to do with hate?

Grace and Judgment Posted on by

God is love, right? And doesn’t he command us to love our neighbor as ourselves and to honor our parents? So when he says, “Jacob I loved, Esau I hated” (Romans 9:13, quoting Malachi 1:2-3) or “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother. . . such a person cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26), it makes us uncomfortable.

Biblically illiterate people (who, alas, include preachers and the seminary professors who mistaught them) will claim that Jesus said no such thing and that the Old Testament misrepresents God. Let us not forget some important facts:

… Read the rest

Nebuchadnezzar meets El Elyon, the Most High God

Grace and Judgment Posted on by

The stories about Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, in the book of Daniel show that God is God not just of Israel, but God over all. In the last of them, Nebuchadnezzar must acknowledge him as the Most High God.

The Bible identifies God by several different titles. El Elyon, God Most High, emphasizes that God, creator of the universe is the supreme object of worship. He outranks all other power, and especially anyone or anything else that claims to be a god.

Nebuchadnezzar never claimed to be a god, but as ruler of the most powerful empire in the world, he considered himself supreme.… Read the rest

Remembering history, forgetting God

Grace and Judgment Posted on by

Does the Bible contradict itself? Isaiah 43:18 says, “Do not remember the past events; pay no attention to things of old” (HCSB). But plenty of other scriptures tell us to remember, including Isaiah 46:8-9, which says, “Remember this and be brave; take it to heart, you transgressors! Remember what happened long ago, for I am God, and there is none other.”

Of course, carefully examining the verses in context show what God wants us to forget and remember—and why.

Familiar rituals surrounding Christmas and Easter help illustrate the problem. They can draw our attention to God’s work. Or they can substitute for thinking about it.… Read the rest

The redemptive purpose of fire in the Bible

Grace and Judgment Posted on by

Fire serves as a powerful symbol in the Bible. Most people probably think first of hell. Probably everyone knows about the fire that consumed Sodom and the lake of fire in Revelation. But it means so much more besides.

Even in everyday life, fire destroys, but it’s also a useful tool. Think of a campfire. It destroys firewood. We use it for cooking, for warmth, to draw close to one another, to keep wild beasts away, and more.

Jeremiah 23:29 (NKJV) says, “Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock  in pieces?”… Read the rest

The book of Job: dispelling confusion

Grace and Judgment Posted on by

Do you find the book of Job confusing? You’re not alone.

First, we get a conversation between God and Satan. It’s about the only passage in the Old Testament that doesn’t have an earthly setting. As a result of that conversation, Job suffers staggering losses, losses no sin of his can explain.

Then three friends show up to comfort him. Some comfort.

The anonymous author casts the main part of the book as a debate. The friends insist that no one suffers at God’s hands without having committed some grievous sin. Job insists on his innocence.

Then, some kid comes along and gives his opinion.… Read the rest

Heart’s desires: reading and misreading Psalm 37:4

Grace and Judgment Posted on by

Have you ever looked for or seen lists of Bible promises? Psalm 37:4 probably appears on most of them. According to the New American Standard Bible, it’s “Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart.”

It’s such a great promise. Unfortunately, it’s easy to miss what the verse actually says. We make it say what we wish it said instead. Even some modern Bible translations fall into that trap.

The New Century Version, among others, misses the point badly: “Enjoy serving the Lord, and he will give you what you want.”

Claiming a promise God doesn’t actually make can lead to heartbreak and loss of faith.… Read the rest

Mary: After the Angel Departed

Grace and Judgment Posted on by

Have you ever had a vivid encounter with God? What happened a day or two later? A week? Years?

Quite often Christians have reported an overwhelming spiritual high followed by a deep spiritual low.

God’s presence can be so vivid that it seems like what he says is bound to happen in the next 15 minutes, but it never does.

A cherished promise never seems as far off and distant as it does after vividness of the divine presence fades.

Does that mean perhaps that we had no genuine spiritual experience? Did we get carried away by feelings? Was it all a lie?… Read the rest

Is God a light switch?

Grace and Judgment Posted on by

light switchHow does a person find God? Someone suggested it’s like leading them into a dark room and encouraging them to find a light switch on the wall.

I have some experience going into total darkness and finding the switch, but I’ll only enter if I know where the switch is. Can a believer tell or show someone else where the switch is?

I think that’s the wrong question. God is the light of the world. There is no darkness in him, and he is not in darkness.

Where, then, does darkness come from? The simple answer is that darkness comes from Satan, and if people are looking for a switch, then the switch must be the light of God in a believer.… Read the rest

Universal brotherhood?

Grace and Judgment Posted on by

Many people in the church today simply assume that all humanity is one large family, with God as its Father. They take offense at the thought that maybe some people are not God’s children.

Do they realize that they are taking offense at Jesus himself? Oh well. Religious people have always found Jesus offensive.

… Read the rest

False religion and the God-shaped vacuum

Grace and Judgment Posted on by

God shaped vacuum“There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man, which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the creator, made known through Jesus Christ.”

That familiar quotation is falsely attributed to Blaise Pascal, but it’s a reasonable paraphrase of what he actually wrote.

It’s true, no matter who put it in those words.  Trouble is, sinful man has tried to fill it with something else—anything else—besides God since time immemorial.

What “spiritual” atheists think about God

I recently came across an article that talks about a remarkably high percentage of atheists who nonetheless consider themselves somehow “religious” or “spiritual.”… Read the rest