Read. Reflect. Write.

  I recently preached a sermon on the doctrine of predestination. In the last half of my sermon, I responded to some of the more common objections/questions raised when discussing this topic. Below is the excerpt of my response to the question of God's fairness in choosing some and not others. I hope it is helpful. As Christians, we are commanded to abstain from partiality, favoritism, or be a respecter of persons. Scripture says God isn’t partial to anyone, “for they are all works of his hands” (Job 34:19). But when it comes to election and predestination, many see an injustice on God’s part. Why does he choose some and not others? The problem with that question is that we are inclined to make decisions based on how another makes us feel. We are moved and influenced by others and within our own hearts to make decisions pertaining to others. Creaturely action doesn’t move God to choose anyone; rather, his good pleasure is the ground for his decision to elect some and reject other...

My daughter watched a video this morning where a deconstructionist, an ex vangelical, was attempting to profane the goodness of God, by pointing out that Isaiah 45:7 says God creates evil. She was referring to the KJV version of this passage which says, “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.” So, what do we do with that? Below is a brief response. Proper biblical interpretation considers context when seeking the meaning of a passage. Furthermore, when it comes to difficult or obscure passages, a helpful rule of interpretation is to look to the plainer passages of the Bible and draw examples from them to shed light on the more obscure passages ( thanks Augustine ). We let Scripture interpret Scripture. The point is to remove all hesitation on doubtful passages. So, in this passage, on the face it seems to imply that God creates evil, thus making God evil. But is that what the Bible teaches about God? The plainer passages te...

Introduction Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is a letter of great importance for the Christian faith. Its rich theology places emphasis on the role of Christ in our redemption. Specifically, Paul’s focus is a believer’s union with Christ in his death, resurrection, exaltation, and enthronement (1:2–23; 2:5–6). [1] It is in Christ that a believer receives all the spiritual blessings from God. And ultimately, God’s plan in Christ is “to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth” (1:10). Verses 3 and 4 will be the focus of this essay, asking and answering some key questions generated from examining the text, with support from the Christian Tradition in understanding these passages. First, let’s read the text: Ephesians 1:3–4 3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him . Before ...