Tag Archives: God

The God We Wouldn’t Make Up

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God made man in his own image.  And man, in his infinite wisdom, returned the favor.    -Mark Twain

In my last post, I argued that if Christianity were a lie, we would have told a better lie.  A similar line of thinking applies to God.  Many gods have been invented by people.  The God of the Bible, the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, the Almighty God, Maker of Heaven and Earth, isn’t one of them.  Here’s why no one would make up such a god:

God requires perfection.  We would make up a god that settles for good enough.  Our imaginary god would be happy with 70%.  That’s good enough to pass.  The best you can do is the best you can do.  Who would ask for more than that?  The God we wouldn’t make up, that’s who. Continue reading →

Christianity, Truth or Fiction

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jesus_crossThere is an old saying that is Christianity were a lie, they would have made up a better lie.

Think about it. The basic tenants of the Christian faith are that a carpenter from a small town in Israel was crucified by the Roman Empire, buried, rose again from the dead, and that faith in these events is what gets one into heaven. These are just the basics. We could make a long list. To be a faithful Christian, one must believe: Continue reading →

Hindsight is 20/20

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hindsight-rear-view-future-past-road-mirrorHindsight is 20/20 means that anything you look back on is easier to understand that it was at the time.  We make decisions in the now, then sometimes realize later we acted too quickly, neglected certain facts, or else were simply uninformed.  Hindsight being 20/20, we would have done things differently if we could just have seen the big picture. Continue reading →

Jesus, Friend of Sinners

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he that is without sinJohn chapter 4 tells the story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well. It just so happens I’ve written on this passage before. This post describes everything “weird” about the conversation Jesus had with her, namely that a religious leader, or any Jewish man for that matter, would not have been talking to such a person.

John chapter 8 recounts the story of the woman caught in adultery. In this situation the woman is clearly guilty of a sin punishable by death. When she is left with no accusers (“Let he that is without sin…”) Jesus tells her that he will not condemn her either. She is told to go, and sin no more. How can he not condemn her, having been caught in the very act of adultery? Continue reading →

On the Subject of Theology

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theologyTheology – theo meaning having to do with religion, ology meaning the study of something. Theologians are those that study religion.  We need not all be theologians, but a Christian should at least know what we believe, and hopefully why we believe it.  In this we are lacking.

In his Collapse of Evangelicalism, Michael Spencer says ” massive majorities of evangelicals can’t articulate the Gospel with any coherence.”  The next day after reading these words, our school chapel sang Hymn 604 in the Baptist Hymnal, which ends with these words: “And repeat the gospel story ’till his name the world has heard.” We have not done this.  It is not surprising that the un-churched do not know how to become a Christian, but church members not knowing how one gets saved is unacceptable.  Continue reading →

Immanuel, God With Us

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jesus-in-mangerIsaiah prophesied of the coming Messiah, saying that a virgin would conceive and have a child, and his name would be called Immanuel.  When Matthew quotes Isaiah he adds that Immanuel means “God with us.”  That’s the true meaning of Christmas.

I recently wrote that when we could not come to God, he came to us.  In Isaiah chapter nine he writes “His name shall be called Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  If the baby in the manger is anything other than God with us, you’re not understanding the full implication of Christ’s birth. Continue reading →

It’s been a good day.

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This has been a really good day.  (Thanksgiving Day, 2008)  I started it off by sleeping in.  Continue reading →

A Thanksgiving Sermon

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Tomorrow is Sunday, November 23, and Thanksgiving Day is the following Thursday.  I will be preaching this sermon in the morning, perhaps it will be a blessing to someone here as well.  Anyone may feel free to use this material in a way that brings glory and honor to God.

We are going to begin with 4 scripture readings, used at different times during the service.  You will note that there is one reading each from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and a Gospel.  The final reading is the text of the sermon. Continue reading →

The Invisible Sky Bully

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godThe invisible sky bully; have you ever heard God referred to that way?  Even worse than calling him the “invisible man in the sky” is the notion that God pushes people around because he is bigger than them.  A real bully is often a coward, and throws his weight around or intimidates those smaller than himself with words.  Those promoting the sky bully myth would have you to believe that God orders people to worship him, and sends to hell anyone that doesn’t.  It makes it easier to not believe in a God that could be like that, or helps people to doubt there is such a God.  In a way that’s good, because there isn’t a god like that. Continue reading →

Old Testament God is the God of the New Testament

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angry_godIn a lot of people’s minds, God is this angry, loud, vengeful monster in the Old Testament of the Bible.  Some non-Christians tell us we have two gods, the Old Testament one with the commandments and judgements, and the New Testament one offering grace and mercy.  The God of the Bible is one; he gives commandments, he judges, but also offers to extend grace and mercy instead.  The dichotomy may be apparent, but isn’t a matter of fact. Continue reading →