Gotta be careful about what those church signs actually say…
Church Hurting People
These people were speechless after walking by homeless on the street
Ward Kelly alerted me to this video from TheBlaze.com. Thanks, Ward!
The people in the following video were speechless after walking by some homeless people on the street. I would like to think I would have been different, but I am not so sure.
Do you remember The Picture Bible? The Word for Word Bible Comic will be even better…
All three of my girls are currently reading The Picture Bible. When I was young, I think I read through that book 10 times or more. It was a great way to learn the Bible stories and become familiar with the basic structure of the Bible, and since it was written in comic-story format, it kept my interest.
When I got a little older, I also liked Crusader Comics. Looking back now, I cringe a little bit at the theology taught in those comic books, but I remember reading them over and over again.
Back then, comic books were intended primarily for children, but as our society becomes more and more visually oriented, there are more and more comic books being put out for adults. They are actually called “Graphic Novels.”
I have often thought that it would be great if someone could do a graphic novel of the Bible, much like The Picture Bible, but without glossing over or cutting out the “difficult” portions of Scripture. What difficult potions? You know, the rapes, the murders, the sex, and the violence.
The Picture Bible, as great as it is, does not give an accurate picture about God, God’s people, or the violent nature of the Bible itself.
These violent events are in the Bible, and we do a great disservice to ourselves, to the church, to our witness in the world, and to future generations when we try to ignore such violence in Bible as if it never happened.
If we want to be honest with ourselves and with others about the God we claim to follow, we can begin by being honest about the book which we claim tells us about this God.
The Word for Word Bible Comic
So anyway, I was excited to learn about a new project currently underway to publish a Word for Word Bible Comic of the entire Bible. That’s right … the author plans to leave nothing out.
As the name suggests, the Word for Word Bible Comic will include every word of the Bible:
As part of drawing the Word for Word Bible Comic, the author has painstakingly studied the history, culture, and geography of the text to make sure his drawings are as accurate as possible:
The Word for Word Bible Comic even includes the violence inherent within the biblical text. Here is a scene from Samson, which I wrote a post about yesterday. I am uncomfortable with the violence in these portions of Scripture, but we cannot deny their existence.
Oh, as a side note, if you look at the image above, I really like how the author made Samson relatively skinny. You see how he is smaller in size than the Philistines surrounding him? I think this is historically accurate. Samson likely was not a beast of a man, or else why would the Philistines want to know the secret of his strength? If he had huge muscles, the source of his strength would be obvious.
Anyway, I am thrilled that Word for Word Bible Comic project is underway.
But isn’t all this violence gratuitous? Isn’t it unnecessary to show all the blood and gore? It is only unnecessary if you do not realize that this is the way the Bible is! It can easily be shown that the Bible is one of the most gruesome, bloody, and violent religious books that has ever been written.
If you don’t like to think about the violence in the biblical text, you might want to ask yourself why…
Although, I must say, I am a little curious to see how the Word for Word Bible Comic will handle the Song of Solomon. I don’t see how he can draw that book and not make it X-Rated …
On a similar note, I am quite curious to see how the Word for Word Bible Comic will deal with non-narrative texts such as the Pauline Epistles. There seems to be only so many images you can draw from these letters…
Introducing The Word for Word Bible Comic
Anyway, here is a bit more about this Word for Word Bible Comic project from the author/illustrator himself:
To learn more about Word for Word Bible Comic, check out the website here.
Also, if you want to help get this project off the ground, you can support the Word for Word Bible Comic Kickstarter project for the initial project goal of publishing the Book of Judges.
I will consider how I will get involved in supporting this project, and invite you to do the same! Go here to learn more.
An Excellent Commentary on Judges and Ruth
Kregel Publications recently sent me Robert Chisholmโs A Commentary on Judges and Ruth to read and review on this blog. Robert Chisholm is a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, though I never had the privilege of sitting under him in any of my classes when I was there. After reading his commentary on Judges and Ruth, I really regret not being able to take any classes with him.
Though I probably have not read more than five commentaries on Judges and Ruth, I can safely say that this commentary is one of the better volumes available for Judges and Ruth. Combining top-notch exegetical skill, a clear and compelling writing style, and deep pastoral insights, Robert Chisholm has provided a commentary on Judges and Ruth which should be part of any Bible student or Pastorโs library who plans to teach or preach on the books of Judges and Ruth.
Not only does Robert Chisholm explain the biblical text in a way that makes sense and reveals the cultural, historical, and grammatical contexts of Judges and Ruth, he also deals with modern questions that the text address, such as the issues of female leadership, the consequences of spiritual compromise, and the often bewildering actions of God in relation to His people on earth.
I say โbewilderingโ because the author of the book of Judges seems conflicted about how to understand Godโs apparent behavior toward His people. Sometimes in the book, sinners, idolaters, and murderers live long and healthy lives, apparently with Godโs blessing, while at other times, one little mess-up causes Godโs wrath to fall upon whole generations of people. The author of Judges tries to explain these events, but such explanations often fail. Then there are the times that God uses enemy nations to punish Israel, and others times that God uses enemy nations to deliver Israel (e.g., Shamgar and Jael). You can almost hear the author of Judges trying to make sense of this.
Then, although punishment often seems to follow idolatry and compromise, deliverance sometimes seems to come out of nowhere. The people have not repented, they have not returned to God, but God delivers them anyway. Again, the author seems to be asking why sin can lead to punishment, but restoration does not seem to require repentance. These sorts of dilemmas are everywhere in the book. Chisholm brings out these apparent inconsistencies, but does little to resolve them.
And that is my main criticism of this book. Never once, that I could found, does Chisholm challenge the apparent violence of God in the book of Judges. He says that the violence is โharshโ and โpunitiveโ (p. 58) but says it is necessary to protect the Lordโs reputation. Really? What reputation? It seems that God’s violence toward others, and God’s violence toward his own people by others does an awful lot to damage His own reputation. But that is an interpretive and theological issue that is a current pet project of mine, so I will leave it alone.
Aside from that one criticism, there are numerous other strengths to this commentary. I like how Chisholm provided good preaching tips for how to teach Judges and Ruth, and also provided a list of recommended commentaries. Overall, this is a fantastic commentary on Judges and Ruth, and everyone who teaches or preaches through these books should have a copy in their library. You can get it from Amazon by clicking here.
Where is Jesus in “The Bible”?
My wife and I decided that as part of our Easter celebration this year, we would begin watching the History Channel TV miniseries “The Bible” with our three daughters.
I am sure people have reviewed this miniseries to death on other blogs, so I will not say much about it.
The only thing I want to bring up is something that should not have surprised me at all … namely, the violence. I must confess that although I am currently up to my eyeballs in studying and thinking about all the violent passages in Scripture, it is quite another thing to see some of them on the screen, especially when, right in the midst of the violence, many of the people committing the violence scream something like “In the name of God!” or “For the glory of the Lord!”
And yes, I think the violence is gratuitous in this miniseries. There were numerous times where fight scenes were completely unnecessary, and other times where the fight scenes seems to drag on and on, but then, they delete entire portions out of the Bible (such as all of Jacob’s story, the 40 years of wilderness wanderings, etc.) Couldn’t they have cut out the fight scenes and included a scene or two from these other crucial events?
I am not trying to sweep the violence of Scripture under the rug and ignore it, but when God’s angels start pulling out their swords to hack people to pieces (as in the scene with Sodom and Gomorrah), it’s a little too much.
Anyway, as I was sitting there watching all the bloodshed while my wife tried to cover the eyes and ears of our three daughters at the especially gruesome parts (like when Samson slaughters Philistines), my youngest daughter blurted out, “Daddy, where is Jesus?”
Yes.
That is the question, isn’t it?
Where is Jesus?
I don’t know about you, but I find it impossible to take the Jesus I read about in the Gospels, and put Him back into almost any violence scene in the Old Testament.
The Jesus I read about in the Gospels has compassion on the multitudes when they are hungry. Would this same Jesus give praise to God if He were on the boat with Noah while mothers and babies screamed on the outside as they were dragged to a drowning death?
The Jesus I read about in the Gospels says “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” not “Because you have not let my people go, I will go through all of Egypt and strike down every firstborn son.”
Ultimately, then, it comes back around this question: Does Jesus fully reveal God to us or not?
If He does, then how do you make sense of the bloody and violent texts of the Old Testament, and the complete lack of such violence from Jesus in the Gospels?
This is why I am trying to forge an explanation with my “When God Pled Guilty” series. Frankly, I am quite excited about some recent developments in this series, but I know for a fact that when I am done, my proposal will not be fully satisfactory (even to me).
So how do you read the Old Testament violent texts? When you read them, ask yourself the same question my daughter did: “Where is Jesus?”
Results from Violence of God Survey
I was going to continue my series on the Violence of God anyway… mainly because I need to study it for myself, and writing is one way I force myself to study.
But you may remember that a few weeks ago I ran a survey about whether you wanted me to continue writing about it on my blog or not. The survey was overwhelmingly positive. Here are the survey results:
Question 1:
While I am going to continue to study and write on this topic for my own sake, is this study on the violence of God in the Old Testament something you want me to keep publishing?
Yes: 96%
No: 4%
Question 2:
These recent posts have received hardly any interaction (which is fine … I don’t write posts just to get lots of comments) and I am trying to figure out why. If you like the posts on this topic but don’t comment on them, please share a reason why:
51% – I just don’t have anything to add. Keep writing though!
0% – I think you are way off base in your views on this, but don’t want to say so in the comments.
0% – I don’t really understand what you are writing about, so couldn’t leave a meaningful comment.
25% – I don’t know what to think about your view, and am waiting to learn more before I start leaving comments.
24% – Other
Here are some of the reasons people left for the “Other” category. I hope you don’t mind if I share them:
Jeremy, Thank you so much for all the posts .You are a great writer. You are open and direct in any topic you write. I have just read a few. Give me some more time to interact.
I’m keeping busy with my own projects at the moment. I’m enjoying reading your thoughts, but I just don’t have the extra time to hash them out with you right now. I’ll try to weigh in as I have time.
I only add when I have questions or when I think I have something to add to the conversation going on. If not I just read and enjoy. Sometimes I need to understand better what you mean by reading more posts.
actually I almost feel a little bit of a hit with each of your questions…..there are back posts on this I am still reviewing…..your thoughts are interesting but have caused some confusion as well…I want to give a fair hearing as I have been checking your blog for a few months now and read your books….
There is more to learn about God every day in ways you never suspect will happen. I always find out something new from your blog.I have found in my life (72 years) that most people will not comment on things they find is too hard to do. God be with you in all things you do and say.
This is a very difficult subject for many people. I think it is too early to form a cogent opinion. Keep on going.
You laid out wayyyy too much stuff to wade through to be able to intelligently interact. I think your basic premise is “Just as Jesus took sin upon Himself on the cross so that He might rescue and deliver all mankind from sin, so also God took violence upon Himself in the Old Testament so that He might rescue and deliver all mankind from violence.” which flows from your thought that Jesus is not violent while the God of the OT is violent. I don’t think your starting point is accurate. I don’t know that it’s possible to interact with you to sort that out. though. Commenting on your posts doesn’t seem fruitful. It looks like you just need to run through the process of sorting it out.
This a subject that has troubled me for sometime. I have basically given up trying to figure it but I am interested in reading your thoughts concerning it.
Please keep writing on this subject. I have not found a satisfying answer yet.
I love them! I also just found your blog a couple days ago, which I wholeheartedly feel is a God thing because I have been struggling with this issue but had no answers. I feel like I am learning so much but I probably won’t post often because I feel way inferior in my knowledge. Please keep posting!
I think you should write about whatever the Spirit moves you to write about. I think you’re somewhat off base because of your basic assumptions of infallibility and inspiration-as-dictation, but I want to finish reading it all before I comment further.
Survey Results on Sinful Employment for Christians
A couple weeks ago I ran aย survey on what my readers thought about sinful employment for Christians. The results are below.
Sinful Employment for Christians
The first survey was about what forms of employment would be sinful for a Christian. I received well over 100 responses to this survey, but the survey company I used only allows me to see the first 100 responses for free. I didn’t want to pay to see the rest. I have made the result public, and you can go see them yourself here: Sinful Employment for Christians
Here are the questions and their responses:
- Is it wrong for Christians to serve in the military?
Yes: 11%
No: 89% - Is it wrong for Christians to work at (or own) a casino?
Yes: 44%
No: 56% - Is it wrong for Christians to work at (or own) a buffet restaurant (because it encourages gluttony)?
Yes: 5%
No: 95% - Is it wrong for a Christian to work at (or own) a bank or investment firm (because they sometimes promote greed)?
Yes: 5%
No: 95% - Is it wrong for a Christian to work at (or own) a television or cable company when one of the channel packages includes pornographic material?
Yes: 37%
No: 63% - Is it wrong for a Christian to work at (or own) a secular publishing company when one of the arms of that company publishes pornographic material?
Yes: 48%
No: 52% - Is it wrong for a Christian to work at (or own) a bar or liquor store?
Yes: 34%
No: 66% - Is it wrong for a Christian to work at (or own) a medical marijuana dispensary?
Yes: 31%
No: 69% – (By the way, check this out… a Christian Pot Shop!!! - Is it wrong for a Christian to work at (or own) an abortion clinic?
Yes: 84%
No: 16% - Is it wrong for a Christian to work at (or own) a strip club?
Yes: 84%
No: 16%
Analyzing the Survey Results
One of the drawbacks to that “free” version of the survey site I used is that they only allowed 10 questions. When I initially wrote this survey, I had about 20 questions, and also had room for people to leave feedback and explanations for why they answered as they did. On the one hand, I am glad that I was limited to only 10 questions, because it made the survey easier to complete, but on the other hand, I am super curious to know why people answered the way they did. Thankfully, some people left comments on the original post which helped explain their answers. If you took the survey and want to add further explanation in the comment section below, feel free!
Also, some people pointed out that the questions were not well asked. Very true. For example, rather than ask, “Is it wrong for Christians…” I should have asked “Would it be wrong for you…” Though many Christians try to state universal rules for all Christians everywhere about these sorts of topics, many Christians realize that what is wrong for one Christian may be perfectly okay for someone else.
As you look over the results above, are there any surprises for you? What are they?
I think what would be most interesting is if we could have First Century Christians take this same survey. From my own reading of what early Christians believed, I think most of them would have said it would be wrong for a Christian to serve in the military and in the banking industry. Also, many of the biblical prophets come down pretty hard on greed and gluttony, and even Paul has some harsh words for those who overeat (1 Cor 11). Yet our society sees nothing wrong with these sorts of things. I am not saying we are wrong… We live in different times in a culture with different values.
I personally work in a job that many people would find quite compromising. I regularly have discussions with Christians who think that I am sinning by working where I work. Early Christians might agree. Some days, I agree too!
Yet I think that part of following Jesus in this world means taking the light of the Gospel to places that otherwise might have no Christian witness at all. If we are not lights in the darkness, there would be only darkness. As I have written elsewhere, when we seek to follow Jesus, we must not be surprised when we follow Him to the gates of hell.
Besides, if we tried to have a place of employment that was completely free of all sin, we would not be able to work anywhere! All businesses, companies, and organizations (even churches) have sinful habits and behaviors which compromise various aspects of Christian values and ethics. Thankfully, the grace and forgiveness of God is without limit!
Unity vs Uniformity in the Church
There has been a huge push toward unity in the church over the past 40 years or so. People are tired of the numerous divisions and splits that seem to occur with increasing frequency within the church. And while some of our divisions involve important issues, such as whether or not Jesus was truly divine (He is) and whether or not God loves gays (He does, of course), a lot of church division seems to occur over stupid stuff, like what kind of music to play on Sunday morning, whether or not there should be donuts in the foyer, and what color the new carpet should be.
Personally, I don’t think all church splits are a bad thing. I don’t think that deciding to leave one group of people so that you can join with a different group is always bad. To some degree, this is just the way life is, and sometimes, these sorts of reorganizations are simply one way of keeping the peace. When we view all different denominations and types of churches as parts of the universal Body of Christ, we begin to see that we are not in competition with one another, but are simply different parts of the same Body working in unison toward a common goal. I’ve written about this before in my post: The Church is Broken? Nope.
Of course, there does not always seem to be a whole lot “unison toward a common goal.” Instead, there is a lot of name calling, finger pointing, back stabbing, and heretic burning. I fully admit that I have engaged in a fair bit of this myself over the years. And I sometimes still do. I’m guilty too.
But here is what I am trying to come to recognize: Unity is not the same thing as uniformity.
I believe we can have unity within the church without uniformity. In fact, since there can never be true uniformity in all things, the only way to achieve unity is to recognize, accept, and celebrate our diversity.
Maybe some quick definitions are in order.
Unity vs Uniformity
Unity is when we are one. We are of one mind, spirit, purpose, mission, and goal.
Uniformity is when we all believe the same thing and practice the same thing. We are uniform in our beliefs and behaviors.
I think that in general, all Christians everywhere are in unity. We have one Spirit, the Spirit of God. We have one purpose, to glorify God. We have one mission, to spread the good news about Jesus Christ. We have one goal, to lift up the name of Jesus and live like Him in this world.
Yet despite this unity, there is no uniformity whatsoever on how to do these things, what it looks like, or where and when to do these things.
Just take the “gospel” we are supposedly in unity about. Regarding the gospel, we cannot agree on the the definition and message of the gospel we are to proclaim! We cannot agree on who gets to proclaim it, or to whom it should be proclaimed, or what should happen after we proclaim it. There is even disagreement in some circles on what we should wear when we proclaim the gospel and what Bible translation we should use. Let’s be honest: It gets quite ridiculous.
Unity Without Uniformity
I think it is possible — even desirable — to have unity without uniformity.
It is possible to have unity within the church only if we give up on uniformity. Unity is a Godly goal; uniformity is not.
I can be happy that that certain members of my Christian family like Southern Gospel music even though it makes me want to cut my ears off. I don’t think that they should like my kind of music (which is pretty much no music at all) to be real Christians, and I hope they can extend the same grace toward me despite our lack of uniformity.
Similarly, though I am not a big fan of sitting in a pew on Sunday morning and calling that “church,” I know that for many people, this is an important part of the way they follow Jesus. Since this used to be essential for me as well, I understand where they are coming from, and can be in unity with them regardless of our differences in how we try our best to follow Jesus. I hope they can extend the same grace toward me despite our lack of uniformity.
I could go on and talk about my Calvinist friends, or those who think women should be silent in church, or those who vote democrat. I may disagree with these perspectives quite passionately, but in the end, I choose to put aside my differences and love others for the sake of unity in Christ, not expecting them to become a clone of me, and hoping that they do not expect me to fall into step behind them.
It is exactly this unity without diversity which best expressed the love of Jesus, and which paves the way for us to invite the world into our midst. The world, I believe, wants to follow Jesus, but they are not sure they want to become “Christians.” If we can open up our arms and say, “No problem! There is room among Jesus followers for all kinds of Christians,” this sort of loving unity would go a long way in glorifying God, spreading the good news about Jesus Christ, and living like Him in this world.
So do you want Christian unity? Begin by recognizing, encouraging, and celebrating our immense diversity.
This post was part of the April Synchroblog, where various bloggers all write on the same topic. Below is a list of the other contributors this month:
- The Virtual Abbess โ Abi and Aprilโs Synchroblog โ Bridging the Divides
- Caris Adel – Emotional Pacifism: Laying Down My Weapons
- Ty Grigg โ Speak Truth
- Jon Huckins โ Gay Marriage, World Vision, and a Unified Church?
- Mark Votava โ Faith Presence in the Parish
- Mary at Lifeinthedport โ let us meet in the borderlands
- Michael Donahoe โ Healing Divisions in the Body of Christ
- Juliet at Still Learning โ A Catholics Love Letter to Evangelical Women
- Dago at Scripture Insights โ Jesus the Divider
- Glenn Hager โ The Lowest Common Denominator
- Sarah Quezada – Standing on Church Bridges
- Doug Webster โ Truth Is Not a Process, Belief Is
- Michelle Van Loon โ Bridging the Divide
- Happy at Simple Felicity โ are we there yet?
- Travis Klassen โ The Church: Coming, Going, or Being
- Bec Cranford – Biblical Interpretation and Inerrancy: Moving beyond myopia to a grander vision of unity
- Teresa Pasquale โ Bridging the Divide: Translating Between Dialects, Culture Contexts, and Heart Stirring
- Miguel Labrador โ I might be willing to reconsider church hierarchies, ifโฆ
- Paul Meier โ Healing the Divides Begins Within
- Liz Dyer โ You Canโt Get There From Here
- K.W. Leslie โ Humility
- Kathy Escobar โ 10 ways we can build bridges instead of bomb them
- Loveday Anyim โ The โnon-Gospelized Ritualsโ of Pentacostalism
- Caedmon Michael โ Bridging the Divides
- Carly Gelsinger โ โChurch Shoppingโ at the Wrong โMallโ: A Story of Easter Sundays
- Mallory Pickering โ A Splintered People
- Pastor Edwin Fedex โ Tearing Down Fences and Building Sidewalks
Dancing With Jesus
My friend, Sam Riviera, wrote this about how he spent Easter:
Amazing grace,
How sweet the sound.
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost,
But now am found.
Was blind,
But now I see.
We spent Easter morning with the outcast — the lame, the halt, the thieves, the alcoholics, the drug-addicts, the murderers. We climbed out of our warm beds and headed out into the streets laden with bags of clothes, food and water. We shared what we had with those who had slept under bushes, on the ground and any other place they could find.
Happy Easter! Happy Easter! Almost every person greeted us with โHappy Easter!โ
These are supposed to be the people who donโt know Jesus. Yet they know Jesus. They have seen Jesus walking among them. He has danced with them. He loves them. They like Jesus.
Jesus was with them in prison. He visited them there. He was with them in Southeastern Asia when they spent the years rotting away in bamboo cages lowered into holes. He was with them as they walked the streets of America, looking for a place to lay their head. They told us Jesus was with them.
โGrace. Itโs all about grace. No matter had bad we screw up, Godโs grace is still good. He never forgets us. Heโs always there. Heโs always been there for me. Heโs been there the last eighteen years while Iโve traveled around the country. I donโt have a dime to my name, but Iโve got Godโs grace. Itโs all about grace. Donโt ever forget that.โ
So said the man sitting on the sidewalk on Easter morning. The man with no home. The man with nothing. But he knows that Jesus lives!
โSee this mark behind my ear,โ said another. Thatโs where the VC shot me. The bullet came out through my nose. See this big white patch on my thighโ he said, pulling up his pant leg. โThatโs where they got the skin to graft onto the left side of my face. Another bullet ripped a big hole there and they had to patch it. God got me through it and Heโll get you through whatever comes your way too.โ
We went to give a cup of water, a warm coat. We found Easter. The risen Jesus had been there. The risen Jesus was there, walking among those outcast and despised by the world. He too had been outcast and despised. He knows what itโs like. He walks among those He loves. They see Him. They see the One who was despised, rejected and afflicted. He is one of them.
He is risen!
He is risen indeed!
He walks among His people.
He loves us. Whether weโre thieves, adulterers, liars, cheats, gluttons, alcoholics or murderers, He loves us.
Whether we see Him in a fancy building with stained glass windows or dancing with us in the streets, Heโs there. Heโs alive.
If you havenโt seen Him, walk with those who do see Him. Perhaps youโll catch a glimpse. Perhaps Heโll come and sit with you. Perhaps Heโll dance with you.
There is so much need in the world!
And YOU can help.
Fill out the form below to receive several emails about how to love and serve the poor and homeless.
(Note: If you are a member of RedeemingGod.com, login and then revisit this page to update your membership.)
What I believe about Predestination
I have tried to avoid this question for a long time… But recently a reader wrote in asking what I believe about predestination, and since I have written about other difficult “-ation” questions (such as masturbation), I decided to answer this question about predestination as well.
Here is the straightforward question on predestination that the reader submitted:
Whats your stand on predestination?
Whew!
I am hesitant to tackle this topic. Here’s why:
My Previous Experience with Predestination
I once preached a sermon on predestination and election, and there was a Calvinistic man in the church who, right in the middle of my sermon, stood up, and loudly said to his family, “Come on. We’re leaving!” He and his family filed out of their row, out the back of the church, and never returned. I later called him to find out why he left, and he accused me of being a heretic.
This seems to be a recurring theme in my life … and here … and here
Anyway, I sometimes hesitate to write about such controversial topics because I don’t want to chase away readers.
But know this: I hold my view on predestination lightly. I hold it with an open hand. If you want to disagree, that’s fine by me. I won’t hold it against you. Of course, if you want to hold my view against me, well, I think that says something about your view …
Know this also: I used to be a strong 5-point hyper Calvinist. But I did not abandon Calvinism lightly. I got dragged out of it kicking and screaming. So don’t think that the reason I am not a Calvinist is that I don’t know the arguments or “haven’t read the Bible.” Sigh. I am aware of the arguments (I used to teach them myself). I am aware of the Bible passages used to defend Calvinism (I just understand them differently now).
All this is to say, if you want to disagree, that’s fine. But please, be gracious. No name calling. No finger pointing. No heresy hunting. No long comments full of Bible quotations.
What I believe about Predestination
I’ll be as blunt and straightforward as I know how: I do not believe that God predestines some people to go to heaven.
I definitely do not believe in double predestination, where God predestines some people to go to heaven and predestines others to go to hell. I used to believe this (that’s part of the “hyper” in hyper Calvinism), but no longer.
While a complete study on the topic of predestination would also require a study of God’s sovereignty, human free will, sin, and all the passages on election in the Bible, this is a blog post, and I cannot get into all that now (though a book is in the works!) In this short post, I just want to briefly present my views on predestination itself.
I believe that predestination does not refer to God’s choice of which people get to go to heaven, but refers instead to God’s determination to bring into glory all those who receive eternal life by faith in Jesus. In other words, predestination teaches us about who gets glorified, not who gets justified.
God’s predetermined (this is a synonym for predestination) plan was that He would bring into glory everyone who believed in Jesus for eternal life, that is, for justification. All who are justified will be glorified. As such, there is absolutely nothing in predestination about God’s choice of which people will get justified and which people will not. Predestination has nothing to do with that, and it is a categorical mistake to think it does.
To put it another way, predestination is about the destiny of believers (all will be glorified), not about the destiny of unbelievers (some will get justified and some will get damned).
Or to put it another way again, discussion about God’s predestination should not fall under the category of justification, but under the categories of sanctification and glorification. Predestination is a discipleship issue; not an evangelism issue.
Passages about Predestination
Two of the key passages about predestination are Romans 8:29-30 and Ephesians 1:4-11. In both cases, Paul is pretty clear that predestination is about God bringing people to be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29), and that election and predestination are most properly understood in connection with being made holy and blameless before God (Ephesians 1:4-5).
God does not choose some to be in Christ while passing over the rest. No, God chooses, elects, predestines, predetermines, decides, foreordains, commits Himself to make sure that every person who believes in Jesus for eternal life, will finally and ultimately be glorified into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ.
Predestination of the saints is about God’s commitment to the preservation of the saints.
This is why no one can snatch us out of the Father’s hand (John 10:29), why nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39), and why God has given us the Holy Spirit as a promise and guarantee of our inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14).
Predestination is a controversial topic, but it need not be. The Bible teaches that predestination is about our glorification and sanctification; not about justification. Therefore, if we fight about predestination, we are not living according to what we were predestined for, namely, to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.
Now seriously, this isn’t too controversial, is it? Nothing to walk out over, right? Well, let me know in the comments below!
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 72
- 73
- 74
- 75
- 76
- …
- 243
- Next Page »