The Good Book, part six

Context is important. If I told you I saw a man running up to an unsuspecting little boy and rugby tackling him, breaking the boy’s arm in the process, you might want to know was the man reported to the police.

The Good Book, part five

It’s possible to give a right answer but leave a wrong impression. That was driven home to me one day as I overheard a conversation between a Christian and a woman who would have described herself as spiritual but not religious. 

Abraham & Isaac

Genesis 22 is a chapter that puzzles and offends many people. God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son, Abraham is about to do it, then God steps in and stops it. Why would God be so cruel to Abraham and Isaac? What does it say about a God who would ask for such a thing, or Abraham who would do it? What would a Christian do if God asked the same of them? Do Christians think it’s noble to kill your son if God says to? Can God command anything? If we isolate the chapter from its biblical and historical context then it understandably leads to these troubling questions, but that’s not because we’ve understood what’s going on, but rather we’ve misunderstood.

I would be satisfied if...

 

Joy and peace

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing… (Romans 15:13)

The gospel in 25 words

 A gospel message based on John 3:16.

The Trinity - it matters more than you think

Some people dismiss it as an invention of the church, while others ignore it as a point of doctrine that theologians in ivory towers talk about because they have nothing useful to do.

But the truth of the Trinity is more important and relevant than you could imagine.

The Way

Before Christianity was called Christianity, it was called “The Way” (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). The reason for this is they were believers in the one who said, “I am the way” (John 14:6). Maybe you are feeling lost in life. Let’s think how Jesus is the way.

Knowing God

Here is a link to another Understanding the Gospel podcast I contributed to. Hope it's helpful.

Is God hiding?

“If God exists, why is He so secretive about it? Why not make it more obvious?”

The hiddenness of God is an argument that many atheists find compelling, but when we think about the evidence I think we will find that it certainly isn’t God is who is hiding.

What the protests profess

Many cities across the United States and around the world have been filled with people protesting following the tragic death of George Floyd. The shocking video of his last moments has sent a jolt through the human consciousness, bringing out our innate awareness of a couple of huge realities.

Suffering

Here is another episode of the UtG podcast that I have contributed to. It is on the subject of suffering. Please have a listen and spread the word.

All together now

The legend of the founding of Rome tells us about two twins who fell out.

Hard Times, Hard Truths

Hard times reveal hard truths. The panic-buying exemplifies the selfishness that ultimately drives us. We can be very generous and altruistic when we are sure there is enough to go round, but the moment we think we might have to do without, it shows that we are nowhere near as generous as we thought – the consuming thought is, “It has to be mine!”

What God has joined...

When the Pharisees asked Jesus about divorce, He took them back to “the beginning”, showing them that God’s plan was one man with one woman becoming one flesh for life. He concluded His statement with, “Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:6).

The devastation that no-fault divorce has brought on society cannot be estimated. The heart-breaking consequences of a marriage break-down, particularly on children, cannot be exaggerated.

But as you go back to Genesis you find that God has not only joined husbands and wives. There are other things He puts together that are not to be separated.

I don't (want to) know

I was talking to an atheist friend of mine a while ago, and I asked him how he could account for reason if the only reality is physical reality.

Who do you think you are?

We live in an individualistic society. In many parts of the world today, and in every part historically, a person was identified by their family, tribe and nation. There was a great sense that the individual’s identity was bound up in the group. The theory of our culture is that you can make your own identity, and it doesn’t matter about your family, tribe or nation. That’s the theory anyway.

Respect

I told you in a previous post about an atheist friend (Robert) I had a chat with. I want to focus on another aspect of our conversation. 

"What sacrifice?" or "What a sacrifice!"

I had an interesting conversation recently with an atheist (Robert) which was wide-ranging and led into many areas that I might write about later, but I want to focus now on one area – the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

Why doing good is no good and not good

It is the common teaching of so many religions, as well as being the common-sense notion most people have – the way of salvation is by being good. Although this is widely held, sincerely believed and often preached, it’s not biblically based. The Bible stands apart from every other message and says that salvation is not by good works. In fact, the Bible teaches that if you seek salvation by good works you will get neither.

To help you understand what I mean, I will tell you about a conversation I recently had with a very religious man (Alan).