Read. Reflect. Write.

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...

For the last month or so I have been studying predestination, reading various works on the subject. [1] Perkins’ work on predestination has been quite instructive, particularly as it pertains to his understanding of necessity and contingency in God’s decree. What follows is simply my thoughts on how I understand Perkins’ view of necessity, which he offers in contrast to a stoic view of necessity. [2] It is a pedagogical effort on my part for personal edification. I won’t be engaging in the debate between the two, nor will I be devoting time to explaining what a stoic concept of necessity might be. With that said, what I will say is that it operates within a fatalist conceptual framework, which is antithetical to the biblical notion of God’s governance of the world. My labors might result in saying too much, not saying enough, or clouding the issue. So, any critique of my view is welcomed. And if I get Perkins wrong, please make me aware. As primary cause, [3] God’s freedom entails a...

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 ...

2 John 9 : “ Anyone who does not remain in Christ’s teaching but goes beyond it does not have God. The one who remains in that teaching, this one has both the Father and the Son .” The Second Epistle of John, the “postcard epistle,” is the shortest book of the New Testament. While it is short, it’s a great work of exhortation, calling its audience to action. The theme of 2 John is that of truth and deception. John’s greatest concern is that his sheep are walking in truth (2 John 4, 3 John 3,4). And the truth he is referring to is love. The command from the beginning is that we love one another. And loving one another is walking according to his commands (2 John 6). Simply put, we are to walk in love.  The deception of that truth comes in the form of what we confess. In verse 7, John writes, “Many deceivers have gone out into the world; they do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh .” I emphasize those last few words because of their importance in our understanding of ...

Gregory of Nazianzus   One of the Cappadocian fathers, Gregory of Nazianzus (c.330–389), given the title, “The Theologian,” was instrumental in the development of the doctrine of the Trinity, specifically the distinct terms to describe the Persons of the Godhead (Unbegotten, eternally begotten, and procession). Gregory’s main contribution to the development of Christology was in his opposition to Apollinarius. He argued that when Adam fell, all of humanity fell in him; therefore, that fallen nature must be fully united to the Son—body, soul, and mind; ‘for the unassumed is the unhealed’.   Gregory’s Doctrine of the Trinity His clearest statement on the Trinity is found in his Oration 25.15–18. Oration 25 is part of a series of sermons delivered in 380. As a gesture of gratitude, Gregory dedicates Oration 25 to Christian philosopher Maximus the Cynic, as a sort of ‘charge’ for him to push forward and remain strong in the orthodox teachings of the faith. And these sections ar...

The doctrine of divine simplicity is thoroughly biblical and central to our worship and devotion to the one, true God of the Bible. An important voice from the past, teaching the necessity of this doctrine to our faith and practice is Petrus van Mastricht (1630–1706), a Dutch theologian whose Theoretical-Practical Theology ( TPT going forward) is considered one of the most comprehensive treatments of Christian doctrine within the Reformed and post-Reformed era.   For Mastricht, the doctrine of divine simplicity “discloses to us the foundation of every perfection in God and of every imperfection in the creatures” ( TPT , 2:148). How so? First, where do we see simplicity taught in Scripture? Mastricht lays out the orthodox scriptural arguments, summarized below.   God is Spirit (John 4:24), which is immaterial, thus simple. “God is Spirit from himself, and is called Spirit univocally” ( TPT , 2:143). Scripture teaches that God is the absolute first be...