Some Christians believe God chooses people. Some Christians believe people choose God. Which is it? As we learned in the previous post, God love us. Paul called the Christians in Thessalonica, “Brethren loved by the Lord.” Paul continues to prove that God loves them by talking about salvation. He says that God chose them asContinue reading “Does God choose people to be saved? – 2 Thessalonians 2:12-17, Part 2”
Tag Archives: free will
Do our choices matter? (or is the future determined?) – Ezekiel 20, Part 4
Editor’s Note: Thanks to guest blogger David Hundert for continuing the Ezekiel series this week. In Ezekiel 20, verses 39-44, we read that Israel has a choice. They can go and serve their idols, if they wish. But they need to remember this: God’s purpose in the election of Israel will stand. A time isContinue reading “Do our choices matter? (or is the future determined?) – Ezekiel 20, Part 4”
A curious case of God making a prophet sin? – Ezekiel 14, Part 4
Long ago I attended a church’s Sunday School class in which the teacher claimed that God is in control of everything, which includes creating and causing human sin, and then punishing humans for the sin. I found that very strange and wrong. I questioned the teacher, but he explained that God is holy and perfect,Continue reading “A curious case of God making a prophet sin? – Ezekiel 14, Part 4”
How do we evaluate the dumpster fire that was 2020? – Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:8, Part 2
How do we evaluate 2020? As I mentioned in the previous post, it could be very easy to just say it was so bad that there is nothing to learn. Instead, we should have the posture of learners, no matter the situation, and the next passage in Ecclesiastes is a wonderful guide to help usContinue reading “How do we evaluate the dumpster fire that was 2020? – Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:8, Part 2”
The ancient secret to finding true fulfillment in life – Ecclesiastes 5:8-6:12, Part 5
Look at the joy on the girl’s face in the picture above. Isn’t it wonderful? We can only imagine how she got covered in paint, but there is no mistaking that she is feeling deeply joyful about it. Perhaps we adults should let our hair down and have a paint battle from time to time.Continue reading “The ancient secret to finding true fulfillment in life – Ecclesiastes 5:8-6:12, Part 5”
Why doesn’t God step in and stop the pain in the world? – Current Events Q2 2020: Is God in Control?, Part 3
When we are going through a difficult time, such as the coronavirus pandemic, it can seem like God is nowhere to be found. Deism is a view of God that says that God created the universe, he set things in motion, but is now hand’s off. Like a bowler releasing his bowing ball. The bowlerContinue reading “Why doesn’t God step in and stop the pain in the world? – Current Events Q2 2020: Is God in Control?, Part 3”
Is God a universal puppet master? – Current Events Q2 2020 – Is God in control?, Part 2
Is God in control? People use that phrase a lot, but is there anywhere in the Bible that teaches that God is in control? In the previous post we looked at an article that said it was going to list verses that confirmed God’s control, but ended not doing so. So are there other placesContinue reading “Is God a universal puppet master? – Current Events Q2 2020 – Is God in control?, Part 2”
False Ideas Christians Believe About…Temptation
Author’s Note: It’s been 2+ months since I wrote for this blog, and I’m excited to get back to it. A very busy season of life has finally eased up, and I want to catch up where we left off in the series on False Ideas Christians Believe. In order to speed the catch-up process,Continue reading “False Ideas Christians Believe About…Temptation”
God works in mysterious ways? [False ideas Christians believe about…God’s involvement in our lives. Part 5]
Does God seem mysterious to you? Confusing? Distant? In this fifth and final post in our series fact-checking phrases about God’s involvement in our lives, we’re seeking to evaluate the phrase: “God works in mysterious ways.” This is related to “everything happens for a reason”. When we say “everything happens for a reason” we areContinue reading “God works in mysterious ways? [False ideas Christians believe about…God’s involvement in our lives. Part 5]”
God is in control? [False ideas Christians believe about…God’s involvement in our lives. Part 3]
If God is in control, why does the world seem totally out of control? In the previous post in this series, I referred to three reasons bad things happen. Christians struggle to make sense of evil and pain in the world, just as anyone does. Why would God allow it? Why did he create ourContinue reading “God is in control? [False ideas Christians believe about…God’s involvement in our lives. Part 3]”
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